Outranking Vs Surfer, Frase, Marketmuse, Clearscope, Scalenut, and Semrush Writing Assistant

Pankil Shah
by Pankil Shah
Updated On: February 26, 2024
Outranking Vs Frase, SurferSEO, Jarvis, Marketmuse

This guide will help you understand the key differences between various SEO tools like Outranking, Frase, Jarvis, Surfer, and MarketMuse. While these tools do not allow for a perfect apples-to-apples comparison, we can compare some key strengths and weaknesses. We are the only Best SEO content generator for creating long-form content or any web content that needs to be optimized for organic traffic. comparing optimization and writing capabilities in this post.

Let’s get right to it!

Summary of How Outranking is different and more efficient

Content Scoring Methodology

Content scoring is one of the major features of Outranking and well most other tools but Outranking does this differently. Scoring in Outranking is based on many on-page content elements and is more comprehensive and with better data that gives a complete idea of how you should approach and optimize your content.

Optimization Scoring Parameters

Outranking scores more parameters than any other content optimization tools. At Outranking we believe that great content isn’t always infused with a keyword X number of times. We believe great content should be optimized for semantic terms, uniqueness, structure, depth, and coverage. Most tools heavily rely on or only rely on NLP terms as a parameter to score their content.

Optimization Scoring Parameters

AI Models and Capabilities

Outranking uses a combination of GPT-4 and proprietary trained models to assist you with researching, structuring and writing content using AI. Outranking can find research using automated semantic research and gather up to 10 sources for how you should approach a section to ensure its comprehensiveness.

AI Assisted Workflow

AI works great, but putting AI to work and consistently creating great content requires a workflow that many are still trying to figure out. Outranking’s SEO content editor is designed to adapt to AI assisted writing workflows that get you to the place where you can start adding value right away. Going from title to the first draft is a breeze. Sure you will need to learn some ins and outs of the platform but once you master some basic skills, you’d cut the time it takes you to create VALUE ADDED content in one third the time. If you are looking for one click 100% ready to publish drafts, Outranking isn’t going to be the right choice for you. We emphasize quality over quantity.

First Draft and Writing Personalization

For brands and agencies working with clients, personalization of content to ensure it follows their brand and style guidelines is of the utmost importance. Outranking uses default style guides that can be templatized to personalize the output of the first draft. 

Keyword Clustering

Unlike SurferSEO and Scalenut, Outranking clusters keywords based on common SERPs in real time. Then it runs additional analysis on top of it to find allintitle, backlinks, competitors and finally calculate the probability of ranking the keyword. Using this information you can build your content inventory. Outranking allows clustering of up to 100K keywords using import utility. 

Outranking clusters keywords based on common SERPs in real time

Some plans of Outranking come with the Strategist feature and have some additional capabilities listed below.

  1. Internal link optimization – Find internal link suggestions using page rank and topical authority model. 
  2. Website content audit – Crawl sitemap URL and find content related issues on the website.
  3. Workflow management – assign content creation tasks to team members and manage workflow in Google Doc.
Outrankings Internal linking using PageRank feature

Big Picture Comparison of Outranking Vs Surfer, Frase, Marketmuse, Clearscope, Scalnut and Semrush Writing Assistant

Core FeaturesOutrankingSurferSEOFraseClearscopeMarketmuseScalenutSemrush writing assistant
SEO Title GenerationYesNoNoNoNoYesNo
AI Assisted OutlinesYesYesNoNoNoYesNo
AI Assisted First DraftsYesYesYesNoNoYesNo
AI Assisted Content BriefsYesNoNoNoNoNoNo
Modular Section WritingYesNoYesNoNoYesNo
GPT- 4 IntegrationYesYesNo, GPT-3.5NoNo, GPT-3.5No, GPT-3.5No
AI Drafts Using Multiple SourcesYesNoNoNoNoNoNo
Style Guide PersonalizationYesNoNoNoNoNoNo
Plagiarism CheckerYesYesPartialNoNoYesYes
Comprehensive OptimizationYes, more on-page factorsYes, some on-page factorsNo, only NLP termsNo, only NLP termsNo, only NLP termsYes, some on-page factorsYes, some on-page factors
Automatic – OptimizationYesNoNoNoNoNoNo
Semantic TermsYesYesNoNoNoNoNo
Term Map VisualizationYesYesYesYesYesNoYes
Competitors Metrics VisualizationYesYesNoYesNoNoYes, but it is not part of the workflow.
Advanced SERP Analysis DataYesNoNoNoNoNoYes
Google Doc IntegrationYes, native syncUsing PluginUsing PluginUsing PluginNoUsing PluginYes
WordPress IntegrationYesYesYesNoNoYesNo
Publishing Options for Different FormatsYesPartial, no markdownPartial, no markdownPartial, no markdownPartial, no markdownNoYes
Document Management SystemYesNoNoNoNoNoNo
Team Workflow ManagementYesNoNoNoNoNoNo
Internal Link SuggestionsYes, markdown, clean HTML, files downloadYes, based on Google search operator methodNoNoYes, based on PageRank and topical authority modelNoYes, based on the Google search operator method

Outranking Vs. SurferSEO, Frase, MarketMuse, Clearscope, Scalenut, and Semrush Writing Assistant

1. Content Scoring Methodology

Outranking

Content scoring goes beyond simply optimizing NLP terms. Title, uniqueness, structure, depth of outlines, comprehensiveness, semantic keywords, and many more factors come into play to ensure that produced content has the highest ranking potential.

SurferSEO

Content scoring is mostly about NLP terms and the number of times the terms have been used in the content. Title, outlines, and depth are important to some extent, but these optimizations don’t impact the scoring much on their platform.

Frase

Content scoring is all about covering NLP terms and the number of times each term is used in the ranking pages. Comprehensive optimization of on-page is out of scope for Frase.

MarketMuse

Content scoring is all about covering NLP terms and the number of times each term is used in the ranking pages. Comprehensive optimization of on-page is out of scope for Marketmuse from a scoring perspective.

Clearscope

Content scoring is all about covering NLP terms and the number of times each term is used in the ranking pages. Comprehensive optimization of on-page is out of scope for Clearscope.

Scalenut

It’s hard to evaluate their scoring due to its copycat nature. It originally appeared to be a SurferSEO clone, then an Outranking clone, and now has become a copy of both products. The product’s SEO scoring is the least trustworthy.

Semrush Writing Assistant

Comprehensive SEO scoring which unlike most products is not heavily emphasised on NLP terms optimization. It scores for readability, uniqueness (like Outranking), and structure of the content to a great extent. Having light tough on NLP terms optimization makes the approach of Semrush less robust.

2. Optimization Scoring Parameters

Outranking

Title, Headings, Word Count, Uniqueness, Comprehensiveness, Internal and external links, Lists, Statistics, Tables, Videos, Anchor text, Images, Alt tags, Sementic, featured snippets, and related keywords.

SurferSEO

Title, Headings, Word Count, Comprehensiveness, Images, Alt tags, Sementic and related keywords.

Frase

Title, Headings, Word Count, Comprehensiveness, Images

MarketMuse

Comprehensiveness (NLP terms). Their SERP X-ray includes more benchmarks

Clearscope

Title, Headings, Word Count, Comprehensiveness, Images, Readability

Scalenut

Title, Headings, Word Count, Comprehensiveness, Images

Semrush Writing Assistant

Title, Headings, Word Count, Comprehensiveness, Images, Readability, Lists

3. AI Models and Capabilities

Outranking

Outranking uses GPT-4 and AI to perform semantic searches to find the right information that can serve as valuable background research prior to writing the initial AI draft. Outranking can pull semantically relevant information from up to 10 sources to write comprehensively about a topic.

SurferSEO

SurferSEO uses GPT-4 and information gathered from ONE source to write the draft. This is more like spinning because no net new information is obtained as background research.

Frase

Frase uses GPT-3.5 and uses information gathered from ONE source as a SUMMARY to write the draft. This is more like redeveloping the section based on an understanding of a summary. This can result in some facts being untrue and missing details because no net new information is obtained as background research.

MarketMuse

Marketmuse uses GPT-3.5 and does not use information gathered as part of background research. Makes all drafts practically useless with no facts and sources to back them.

Clearscope

No AI writing capabilities

Scalenut

Scalenut uses GPT-3.5 and uses information gathered from ONE source to write the draft. There may or may not be semantic relations as it uses traditional phrase search engines to gather background data. First drafts generated are suboptimal since it does not use the latest AI Model.

Semrush Writing Assistant

No AI writing capabilities

4. AI Assisted Workflow

Outranking

Outranking has a complete workflow to generate titles, outlines, and first drafts using its AI-assisted workflow.

SurferSEO

SurferSEO allows generation of drafts based on credits, meaning that once the draft is generated, there’s no way to modularly build out the sections that one may need to rewrite or rebuild.

Frase

Frase allows draft generation but lacks a streamlined workflow to write titles, outlines, refine prompts, and produce polished drafts.

MarketMuse

No workflow

Clearscope

No AI writing capabilities

Scalenut

Scalenut allows draft generation, but its workflow is designed primarily for individuals who create content on their own and are willing to learn the various techniques available for generating content in numerous ways. It provides a decent experience for individual content creators, however, it may not be well-suited for agencies or brands seeking more collaborative or specialized content creation processes. The writing approach in Scalenut draws inspiration from some of the better tools on the list.

Semrush Writing Assistant

No AI writing capabilities

5. First Draft and Writing Personalization

Outranking

Outranking’s Custom Style Guide feature enables agencies and users to build reputable processes around creating specific types of content or following specific guidelines. For example, “write in UK English,” “use first-person voice,” “how to talk about a brand,” etc.

SurferSEO

SurferSEO allows the tone of voice as a content personalization utility. This may not be enough for people writing in various different tones and styles. You can build sections in the style or formatting you want, hence extensive editing and rewriting are always needed.

Frase

Frase allows tone of voice as a content personalization utility, this may not be enough for people writing in various different tones and styles. You can build sections in the style or formatting you want, hence extensive editing and rewriting are always needed.

MarketMuse

No workflow

Clearscope

No AI writing capabilities

Scalenut

Allows tone personalization like SurferSEO and most other tools, unlike Outranking, which can do personalized writing based on custom or default style and brand guides.

Semrush Writing Assistant

No AI writing capabilities

6. AI Writing Flexibility

Outranking

With Outranking, you can generate individual sections or complete drafts automatically, providing flexibility in approaching content and writing in a more practical manner.

SurferSEO

With Surfer you cannot generate individual sections this gives lesser flexibility in approaching the content writing in a more practical manner where often you want to write small parts of the content.

Frase

With Frase, you can generate individual sections in a more practical manner where often you want to write small parts of the content.

MarketMuse

No additonal tools

Clearscope

No AI writing capabilities

Scalenut

With Scalnut you can generate individual sections in a more practical manner where often you want to write small parts of the content.

Semrush Writing Assistant

No AI writing capabilities

7. Keyword Clustering

Outranking

Keyword clustering in Outranking is based on understanding SERPs and grouping keywords that have at least 3 ranking URLs common for a given keyword. This ensures you get an accurate representation of all the keywords that fall into the same group.

SurferSEO

Keyword clustering in Surfer is based on grouping common terms found in the primary keyword. They may or may not be semantically related and hence you will need to run a different analysis to figure out if grouping of those keywords makes sense.

Frase

No keyword clustering feature

MarketMuse

Keyword clustering is based on entities and common terms found in them. While Marketmuse uses proprietary AI to extract entities, it’s not data-driven. These keywords grouped may or may not be semantically related.

Clearscope

No keyword clustering feature

Scalenut

Keyword clustering in Scalenut is copied from SurferSEO (apparent in its UI) and is based on grouping common terms found in the primary keyword. They may or may not be semantically related and hence you will need to run a different analysis to figure out if grouping of those keywords makes sense.

Semrush Writing Assistant

Keyword clustering in Semrush is based on an understanding of SERPS and grouping keywords that have at least 3 ranking URLs common for a given keyword. This ensures you have an accurate representation of all the keywords that fall into the same group.

8. Data Gathered

Outranking

1. Allintitle count

2. Volume, CPC, Difficulty

3. Backlinks for top pages for each query

4. Search console data mapping with cluster keywords

5. Probability of ranking a keyword

SurferSEO

1. Volume, CPC, Difficulty

Frase

No keyword clustering feature

MarketMuse

1. Volume, CPC, Difficulty

Clearscope

No keyword clustering feature

Scalenut

1. Volume, CPC, Difficulty

Semrush Writing Assistant

1. Volume, CPC, Difficulty

2. Backlinks for top pages for each query (Separate call and need additional steps)

9. Base Pricing

Outranking5 Documents
$29/Month
Includes AI Writing (Unlimited)
SurferSEO30 Documents
$89/Month
Does not include AI Writing
Frase4 Documents
$14.99/Month
Doesn’t include AI Writing (limited)
MarketMuse4 Documents
$14.99/Month
Doesn’t include AI Writing (limited)
Clearscope20 Documents
$170/Month
No AI Writing capabilities
Scalenut5 Documents
$39/Month
Limited AI writing 100k words
Semrush Writing Assistant5 Projects
$129.95/Month
Does not include AI Writing