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Alternatives

Frase alternatives for writing and editing, not AI tracking

By Joonas Rotko, ex-agency co-owner, 10+ years spending real marketing budgets

Prices verified · How I choose, and how I earn from this page

If Frase has become more AI tracking platform than writing tool for you, I'd start with Surfer. Its editor scores each draft against the pages that rank, and Surfer explains how that score is built, which Frase doesn't. Discovery costs $59/month billed monthly. NeuronWriter does a similar draft check for less. Prices checked 15 Oct 2026.

Every price on this page is for

  • 4 articles a month
  • 1 user

Who this is for. Solo writers and small business owners who bought Frase for briefs and drafts and now pay for a plan built around AI visibility. Starter spreads its limits across 50 tracked prompts, 50 audit pages, 25 AI generations and 10 articles a month.

My picks for different needs

Find the line that sounds like you. Each pick links to the full reasoning below.

  1. I want the best editor, with a score I can understand

    A Content Score whose method Surfer explains, in a tool built for editing.

    Why this one
    Surfer logo

    Surfer

    My default

    $49/moannual

    See Surfer plansAffiliate link
  2. I want the same draft checks for less

    The lowest price here, with a refund on the first plan.

    Why this one
    NeuronWriter logo

    NeuronWriter

    $19/moannual

  3. I want full articles written and sent to my CMS

    Whole blog posts on Starter, published straight to your site.

    Why this one
    ContentPen logo

    ContentPen

    $39/moannual

    See ContentPen plansAffiliate link
  4. I want more drafts and still want AI tracking

    More articles than Frase Starter, with prompts tracked on ChatGPT, Gemini and AI Overviews.

    Why this one
    Writesonic logo

    Writesonic

    $79/moannual

  5. I write in one brand voice and hate allowances

    Pro sets no published article cap.

    Why this one
    Jasper AI logo

    Jasper AI

    $59/moannual

What you trade when you leave Frase

Frase started as a brief and writing tool. Its plans now lead with AI visibility, content audits and API requests, and on Starter the writing allowance is the part that runs out first if writing is all you do.

What you gain

  • An editor with a documented score: Surfer describes its Content Score as language analysis plus a long list of web and AI signals checked against competing pages. Frase's pricing page names SEO and GEO scores and says nothing about how they work.
  • More drafts for the money: ContentPen Starter writes 12 full articles a month and Writesonic Starter 15, against 10 on Frase Starter, and Jasper Pro publishes no cap at all.
  • A refund if the switch doesn't work out: NeuronWriter refunds the first plan within 30 days and Writesonic within 7. Frase states no refund window.

What you give up

  • Daily AI tracking at a low price. Frase Starter monitors 50 prompts daily. Of the picks, only Writesonic matches that on its entry plan, and it costs more.
  • WordPress and Google Docs on the cheapest plan. Surfer adds them at Standard and NeuronWriter at Gold.
  • API, MCP and CLI access on every plan, with 5,000 requests a month on Starter.

When to stay. If you check what ChatGPT and Google's AI say about your business every week, Frase Starter is hard to beat for the price, and leaving means paying for tracking somewhere else. Stay, and move to Professional when you need more articles.

The tools side by side

Each row is the plan I priced, monthly and annual billing worked out separately. NeuronWriter and Jasper state no article allowance, so their rows are entry plans.

NeuronWriter: I priced Bronze. Analyses come without a stated period, so Bronze can't be lined up with a monthly article count.

Jasper AI: I priced Pro. Pro is priced per seat with no stated article allowance.

one article a week: plan priced, monthly and annual cost, Articles a month, Seats, AI search tracking, Free start
Tool and planCost per monthArticles a monthSeatsAI search trackingFree start
SurferDiscovery

$49annual

$59 monthly

101Not on this plan7-day trial
NeuronWriterBronze

$19annual

$23 monthly

Not publishedNot published5 AI prompts7-day trial
ContentPenStarter

$39annual

$49 monthly

12125 AI prompts7-day trial
WritesonicStarter

$79annual

$99 monthly

15150 AI promptsTrial not published
Jasper AIPro

$59annual

$69 monthly

Not published1Not published7-day trial

Five picks, in the order I'd consider them

Each one says who it is for, what it costs for one article a week, and what you give up.

Surfer logo

Surfer

Best editor for writing-first users

Desk research

Choose it if

The brief and the editor were why you bought Frase, and the AI visibility side goes unused.

Consider NeuronWriter instead if

You want a similar draft check for less. Bronze costs $23/month billed monthly.

Why it fits one article a week

Discovery gives one writer 10 documents a month to create or optimize, each scored with Surfer's Content Score, which comes from language analysis and comparison with the pages that rank. It works in every language, and Pro adds one-click internal linking.

The plan I priced

Discovery: $59/month billed monthly, or $49/month billed annually. Yearly plans hand over 120 documents as one pool instead of a monthly count.

Closest alternative

NeuronWriter becomes the better choice when price matters more than a documented score.
Surfer homepageSee Surfer plans
Surfer homepage, captured

One article a week: Discovery

Billed annually

$49/mo

Billed monthly

$59/mo

Above 10 articles a month: Standard (+$50/mo billed annually).

The trade-off

Discovery costs more than Frase Starter, has no WordPress or Google Docs connection and no AI tracking, and the 7-day trial needs a card.
What my review says

Best for: A Frase user who bought it for the editor and wants a tool that does only that, well.

Skip it if WordPress publishing from the cheapest plan is something you rely on.

Strengths

  • The scoring method is explained, not just named.
  • Works in every language, and yearly plans pool documents.

Limits

  • A higher price than Frase Starter, with no AI tracking on Discovery.
  • No WordPress or Google Docs until Standard, and the trial needs a card.
Frase alternatives for writing and editing, not AI tracking
NeuronWriter logo

NeuronWriter

Cheapest editor, with a refund

Desk research

Choose it if

You mostly used Frase to check drafts against the top results and want to pay less for it.

Consider Surfer instead if

You'd rather have a score whose method is documented. Surfer explains how its Content Score is built.

Why it fits one article a week

Bronze runs 25 content writer analyses across 2 projects, where Frase Starter allows 1 domain, and includes 15,000 AI credits for drafting. The trial needs no card, and the first plan can be refunded within 30 days.

The plan I priced

Bronze: $23/month billed monthly, or $19/month billed annually. Analyses have no stated period, so this is an entry price rather than a price for a set number of articles.

Closest alternative

ContentPen becomes the better choice when you want finished articles rather than a checker.
NeuronWriter homepageSee NeuronWriter plans
NeuronWriter homepage, captured

One article a week: Bronze

Billed annually

$19/mo

Billed monthly

$23/mo

The trade-off

WordPress and the API only arrive on Gold, so Bronze means copy and paste, and AI answer monitoring shrinks to 5 questions.
What my review says

Best for: A Frase user who wants draft checks and AI drafting at the lowest price.

Skip it if you'd miss Frase's daily AI tracking.

Strengths

  • The cheapest plan on this page, with a refund window on the first purchase.
  • More projects on the entry plan than Frase Starter allows domains.

Limits

  • Copy and paste publishing until Gold.
  • Only a few AI questions watched on Bronze.
Frase alternatives for writing and editing, not AI tracking
ContentPen logo

ContentPen

Full articles, published for you

Desk research

Choose it if

You'd rather review a finished article than build one from a Frase brief.

Consider Writesonic instead if

You want daily AI tracking with the articles and can pay more.

Why it fits one article a week

Starter writes 12 full AI blog posts a month, against Frase Starter's 10 articles, with 75 AI images and direct CMS publishing. It still tracks 25 AI prompts, checked monthly.

The plan I priced

Starter: $49/month billed monthly, or $39/month billed annually.

Closest alternative

Writesonic becomes the better choice when you want AI tracking that runs daily, across more engines.
ContentPen homepageSee ContentPen plans
ContentPen homepage, captured

One article a week: Starter

Billed annually

$39/mo

Billed monthly

$49/mo

Above 12 articles a month: Growth (+$40/mo billed annually).

The trade-off

The trial needs a card, autopilot only unlocks on Growth, and monthly AI checks are a step down from Frase's daily monitoring.
What my review says

Best for: A Frase user who wants finished articles in the CMS, not briefs to write from.

Skip it if you write every article yourself and only want guidance.

Strengths

  • More articles on Starter than Frase Starter.
  • Direct CMS publishing on every plan.

Limits

  • A card for the trial.
  • Autopilot locked until Growth, and AI checks only monthly on Starter.
Frase alternatives for writing and editing, not AI tracking
Writesonic logo

Writesonic

More drafts plus AI tracking, at a higher price

Desk research

Choose it if

You want more drafts but aren't ready to give up AI tracking.

Consider ContentPen instead if

You want a similar setup for less and monthly AI checks are enough.

Why it fits one article a week

Starter drafts 15 articles a month and tracks 50 prompts on ChatGPT, Gemini and Google AI Overviews, with WordPress and Search Console connected. It also runs 10 site audits a month of up to 100 pages each.

The plan I priced

Starter: $99/month billed monthly, or $79/month billed annually. Paid plans carry a 7-day refund.

Closest alternative

Jasper AI becomes the better choice when you want no article cap and can drop the tracking.
Writesonic homepageSee Writesonic plans
Writesonic homepage, captured

One article a week: Starter

Billed annually

$79/mo

Billed monthly

$99/mo

Above 15 articles a month: Basic (+$120/mo billed annually).

The trade-off

It costs far more than Frase Starter, and Content Optimization, the draft-scoring row in its plan table, is Enterprise only.
What my review says

Best for: A Frase user who wants more AI drafts each month and still tracks AI answers.

Skip it if you'd keep editing drafts by hand against a score.

Strengths

  • More articles a month than Frase Starter, with prompt tracking kept.
  • A trial with no card, and a refund window.

Limits

  • No draft scoring below Enterprise.
  • A much higher entry price than Frase.
See Writesonic plansMy Writesonic reviewNo affiliate link: plain link
Frase alternatives for writing and editing, not AI tracking
Jasper AI logo

Jasper AI

Unmetered drafting in your brand voice

Desk research

Choose it if

Frase's article count and AI generations run out, and a consistent brand voice matters more than SEO scoring.

Consider Surfer instead if

You still want each draft scored against the pages that rank.

Why it fits one article a week

Pro sets no published article or word cap and gives you 2 brand voices, 5 knowledge assets and 3 audiences to keep drafts on-message. You can trial Pro for 7 days and cancel monthly billing any time.

The plan I priced

Pro: $69/month billed monthly per seat, or $59/month billed annually per seat. With no article cap, this is a per-writer price, not a price for a set number of articles.

Closest alternative

Writesonic becomes the better choice when you want a fixed article count with AI tracking included.
Jasper homepageSee Jasper AI plans
Jasper AI homepage, captured

One article a week: Pro

Billed annually

$59/mo

Billed monthly

$69/mo

The trade-off

You give up SEO scoring and Frase's AI tracking, Pro is a single seat, and API access is on Business only.
What my review says

Best for: A Frase user who writes a lot in one brand voice and is tired of counting generations.

Skip it if you rely on an SEO score to decide when a draft is done.

Strengths

  • No published article or word cap on Pro.
  • Brand voices, knowledge assets and audiences on the entry plan.

Limits

  • No SEO score against ranking pages.
  • A single seat, and API access only on Business.
See Jasper AI plansMy Jasper AI reviewNo affiliate link: plain link
Frase alternatives for writing and editing, not AI tracking

What one article a week really costs

Surfer, ContentPen and Writesonic are priced on a plan that covers this pace, so their bars compare fairly. NeuronWriter and Jasper are entry plans and get no bar. The bar is the annual-billing price per month.

NeuronWriter: priced on Bronze. Analyses come without a stated period, so Bronze can't be lined up with a monthly article count.

Jasper AI: priced on Pro. Pro is priced per seat with no stated article allowance.

Dollar prices, per month (billed annually where sold)

Pay monthly or yearly?

What yearly billing saves on the same plan.

  • Surfer$59 monthly, $49 yearly: 17% less
  • NeuronWriter$23 monthly, $19 yearly: 17% less
  • ContentPen$49 monthly, $39 yearly: 20% less
  • Writesonic$99 monthly, $79 yearly: 20% less
  • Jasper AI$69 monthly, $59 yearly: 14% less

When you'll outgrow the plan

The first limit you hit, and the next plan up.

  • Surfer: above 10 articles a month, Standard (+$50/mo)
  • ContentPen: above 12 articles a month, Growth (+$40/mo)
  • Writesonic: above 15 articles a month, Basic (+$120/mo)
How I calculated this

Workload: 4 articles a month, 1 user.

Surfer, ContentPen and Writesonic state how many articles or documents a plan covers, so the cheapest plan with room for one article a week is priced. NeuronWriter counts analyses and Jasper sells seats, so their cards show the entry plan instead.

    Other options, and why they missed the list

    Every pick is a writing or editing tool first. AI visibility trackers are left out on purpose: if tracking is what you'd keep, Frase is already the cheaper way to get it next to an editor.

    • Clearscope logo

      Clearscope

      A pure optimization editor with unlimited users, and no affiliate link from me. Its entry plan costs far more than Frase Starter and is priced for a team, not one writer.

    • Koala AI logo

      Koala AI

      Writes and publishes to WordPress, Shopify, Webflow and Ghost on its cheapest plan, but it sells words rather than articles, so you can't tell in advance how many posts a month you get.

    How I chose, and how I earn from this page

    Joonas Rotko

    Who is behind this guide

    Joonas Rotko

    I co-ran a marketing agency in Finland and spent more than ten years buying SEO and marketing software with real client budgets. I write these guides for the person who has to pay for the tool and use it.

    More about me and how I review

    Affiliate disclosure

    Some links on this page are affiliate links, and I earn a commission if you buy through them, at no cost to you. That never changes a price or a verdict. Surfer, NeuronWriter and ContentPen have affiliate programs with me, and so does Frase. Writesonic and Jasper don't, so they are linked plainly. Clearscope sits in the near misses, and I have no affiliate link for it. The order follows how well each tool serves someone who wants to write, not track.

    How this guide was prepared

    What I did

    • I priced a solo publisher who writes about one article a week, from each vendor's pricing page on the date beside its source link.
    • Surfer, ContentPen and Writesonic state an article or document allowance, so each gets the cheapest plan that covers that pace, with monthly and yearly billing worked out separately.
    • NeuronWriter counts analyses and Jasper sells seats, so I price their entry plans and leave them out of the cost chart.
    • Every tool here, Frase included, is desk research from published plans and vendor documentation.

    What to keep in mind

    • Frase publishes no refund policy on its official pages, so the trial is the only way to test it before paying.
    • Frase counts AI generations separately from articles, so I compare articles with articles only.
    • Prices change without notice, so confirm on the vendor's page before paying.
    Sources and verification dates

    Prices and limits checked on 8 vendor pages. Oldest check: 15 Oct 2026.

    • : Alternatives V2 version for writers who want a writing tool rather than Frase's AI visibility platform, built from plan facts verified on 15 October 2026.
    Spot something out of date?Vendors and readers, send me the correct fact.

    Software sites change almost every week, and I want every claim on this page to be factually correct. If you are a vendor or a reader, send me the correct fact and a link to the official page. I will check it and update the page. The opinions and rankings stay mine.

    I only change a fact when the official page shows it.

    Free. I use your details only to follow up. Privacy

    Questions people ask

    What is the best Frase alternative?

    Surfer, if you mainly used Frase to write and edit. Discovery is a dedicated editor with a documented Content Score, for $59/month billed monthly. If Frase's daily AI tracking is what you'd keep, stay put.

    Is there a cheaper alternative to Frase?

    NeuronWriter. Bronze costs $23/month billed monthly, where Frase Starter is $49/mo, and the first plan comes with a 30-day refund. ContentPen Starter, at $49/month billed monthly, writes more articles than Frase Starter.

    Why do writers leave Frase?

    Mostly because the plans now center on AI visibility, audits and API requests, while Starter's writing allowance is 10 articles and 25 AI generations a month. Writers who never open the tracking still pay for it.

    Can I get content optimization without paying Frase prices?

    Yes. NeuronWriter Bronze checks drafts against the top results for less than Frase Starter. Surfer Discovery costs more but is a dedicated editor. Writesonic and Jasper are writing tools first rather than editors that score a draft.

    Do any alternatives match Frase's AI search tracking?

    Writesonic Starter comes closest, with 50 prompts on ChatGPT, Gemini and Google AI Overviews, at a higher price. ContentPen tracks 25 prompts checked monthly, and Surfer only starts tracking at Standard. If tracking is the reason you pay, Frase is hard to replace for less.

    Is there a good free alternative to Frase?

    No pick here has a standing free plan. NeuronWriter and Writesonic offer trials without a card, like Frase itself, while Surfer and ContentPen ask for one. Jasper's 7-day trial covers Pro.

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