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Side-by-side comparison · SEO & Analytics

Clearscope vs DataForSEO vs Frase

Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.

Clearscope

3.9

From $129/mo

DataForSEO

4.0

From From $50 top-up

Frase

4.0

From $49/mo

Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.

At a glance

Easiest to use

Pick it if: Content teams and agencies publishing SEO articles every week who want writers to hit a clear quality bar.

Best value

Pick it if: Anyone using Claude Code or building their own tools who wants real SEO data without a big monthly plan.

Pick it if: Small marketing teams, freelancers and agencies who write SEO content and want research, briefs and drafts in one place.

Overview

AttributeClearscopeDataForSEOFrase
In one lineGrades your content against what ranks and tracks whether AI search mentions you.Raw search, keyword and backlink data you pay for by the query, built for AI agents.Researches, briefs and drafts SEO articles, and tracks if AI search cites you.
Pricing modelPaidPaidPaid
Starting price$129/moFrom $50 top-up$49/mo
Free plan No No No
Works with Claude Code No Yes Yes

Rating breakdown

Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.

AttributeClearscopeDataForSEOFrase
Overall rating3.94.04.0
Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
4.5
2.5
4.0
FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together.
4.0
4.0
4.5
Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them.
4.5
4.0
3.5
Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan.
2.5
5.0
4.0
Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over.
4.0
4.5
4.0

Feature comparison

A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.

AttributeClearscopeDataForSEOFrase
Access & platform
Free plan No No No
Mobile app– No–
Desktop app– No–
Browser extension No No–
API access– Yes Yes
Teams & business
Team workspace Yes– Yes
Enterprise plan or SSO Yes No Yes
Connects to other apps Yes Yes Yes
Open source or self-hosted No No No
AI abilities
Works with your files– No–
Understands images– No–
Makes images No No No
Makes video No No No
Writes code No No No
Runs agents or automations– No Yes
Learns your brand or style– No Yes
Works in many languages– Yes Yes
Capabilities score3/ 173/ 177/ 17

Pricing

Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.

AttributeClearscopeDataForSEOFrase
Plans

EssentialsOur pick

$129/mo

Small content teams publishing weekly.

Pay as you goOur pick

From $50 top-up

Anyone who wants real data in Claude Code without a subscription.

Starter

$49/mo, or $39/mo billed yearly

One person writing a few articles a month.

Business

$399/mo

Larger teams and agencies.

ProfessionalOur pick

$129/mo, or $103/mo billed yearly

Small teams publishing weekly.

Enterprise

Custom

Big publishers with security needs.

Scale

$299/mo, or $239/mo billed yearly

Agencies running several sites.

Enterprise

Custom

Large teams needing white-label and SSO.

Which plan to pickEssentials is enough for most teams; buy extra pages or drafts as add-ons before jumping to Business. Use the 14-day trial on real articles to see if the grades change your results.There's only one way to pay. Use the $1 trial credit to test the MCP server, then top up $50 and set a daily limit of a dollar or two. Use the cheaper standard queue for bulk jobs and the live mode only when you need an answer now.Professional is the plan most teams settle on, because Starter's 10 articles a month runs out quickly. Try the 7-day trial on two or three real articles before paying.

Key features

AttributeClearscopeDataForSEOFrase
Standout features
  • Content grading
  • Topic exploration
  • Page monitoring
  • Drafts
  • AI search tracking
  • Google Docs and WordPress add-ons
  • SERP API
  • Keywords Data
  • DataForSEO Labs
  • Backlinks API
  • MCP server
  • Spend controls
  • SERP research and briefs
  • AI drafting in your voice
  • Content scoring
  • Content Guard
  • AI visibility tracking
  • API, MCP and CLI

Pros and cons

AttributeClearscopeDataForSEOFrase
Pros
  • Simple, clean interface that writers pick up quickly
  • Good-quality term recommendations
  • Unlimited users on every plan
  • Works inside Google Docs and WordPress
  • Costs cents per lookup with no monthly fee
  • Official MCP server works well with Claude Code
  • Covers search results, keywords, backlinks and more in one account
  • Balance never expires and spending limits protect you
  • Live results for any location, including Australian cities
  • Fast, thorough content briefs
  • Cheaper than Clearscope and Surfer at the entry level
  • Covers Google and AI search in one tool
  • API, MCP and CLI on every plan
Cons
  • High price for small businesses, with no free plan
  • Tight monthly limits on pages and drafts at the entry price
  • Fewer extras than Surfer (no full site audit)
  • AI search tracking only covers a couple of assistants
  • No friendly dashboard; you need Claude Code or a developer to use it
  • Per-request pricing is confusing until you've used it for a while
  • Keyword difficulty and traffic estimates are less polished than Ahrefs
  • No real free plan, just a $1 trial credit
  • AI drafts need editing to sound human and be accurate
  • Starter limits are tight
  • Rebuilt in 2026, so the newer features have little track record
  • Past complaints about slow replies on billing issues

Who each one is for

AttributeClearscopeDataForSEOFrase
Best for
  • Making sure articles cover a topic fully
  • Keeping a team of writers consistent
  • Refreshing pages that are slipping
  • Checking if AI search mentions your brand
  • SEO research from Claude Code
  • Keyword volumes on demand
  • Live search result checks
  • Backlink data for custom reports
  • Building SEO content briefs fast
  • Drafting articles from a brief
  • Answering the questions searchers ask
  • Tracking citations in AI search
You'll find it used by
  • Content marketing teams
  • SEO agencies
  • Freelance writers
  • B2B software companies
  • Claude Code users
  • Developers
  • Agencies
  • SEO tool builders
  • Content marketers
  • SEO freelancers
  • Agencies
  • Small business owners
  • B2B software teams

Questions people ask

Which is better, Clearscope, DataForSEO or Frase?

They tie on our overall rating (Clearscope 3.9/5, DataForSEO 4.0/5 and Frase 4.0/5). Clearscope is best for making sure articles cover a topic fully and keeping a team of writers consistent. DataForSEO is best for SEO research from Claude Code and keyword volumes on demand. Frase is best for Building SEO content briefs fast and drafting articles from a brief.

Which is cheaper, Clearscope, DataForSEO or Frase?

Clearscope: There's no free plan. Paid plans start at $129/mo. DataForSEO: There's no free plan. Paid plans start at From $50 top-up. Frase: There's no free plan. Paid plans start at $49/mo.

Which is easier to use, Clearscope, DataForSEO or Frase?

Clearscope rates highest for ease of use in our scores. Content teams and agencies publishing SEO articles every week who want writers to hit a clear quality bar.

How we compare

Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability.

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