The top 6 AI SEO tools in 2026: A detailed review

SEO has evolved significantly over the past year. The focus is expanding from traditional Google rankings to include visibility in AI chat platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google's AI Overviews.

This shift has led to the development of many new AI SEO tools, each offering different capabilities. To help clarify the options, this guide provides a breakdown of six tools that offer practical solutions for modern SEO challenges. Whether you're looking to scale content production, track AI visibility, or automate technical SEO, this list covers a range of effective platforms.

What are AI SEO tools?

AI SEO tools are software applications that use artificial intelligence to streamline and enhance search engine optimization efforts. They represent an advancement from traditional SEO tools, which often rely on scraped data and predefined rules. In contrast, AI-powered tools use machine learning and large language models (LLMs) to analyze data, generate content, and provide strategic recommendations with a greater understanding of context.

These tools can help identify user search intent, find content gaps, and generate articles optimized for both classic search engines and new AI answer engines. Some can also monitor a brand's mentions in AI-generated answers from platforms like ChatGPT and Perplexity, automating data-heavy tasks to allow marketers to focus on strategy.

How we chose the best AI SEO tools

The selection process for these tools focused on platforms that solve real-world problems for marketers and SEO professionals.

Here's what I looked for:

• Real-world impact: Does this tool actually speed up a workflow or give you insights that lead to better results?

• Content and optimization quality: For the content generators, is the output something a human would actually want to read? And does it nail the search intent?

• AI visibility features: Can the tool tell you how you’re showing up on key AI platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews?

• Ease of use: Is the user interface intuitive and easy to navigate?

• Value for money: Is the price tag justified by the features and the results you get?

The best AI SEO tools at a glance

Here's a quick comparison of the top AI SEO tools I tested. We'll dive into the details of each one in the next section.

Tool	Best For	Key AI Feature	Starting Price
eesel AI blog writer	Generating complete, publish-ready blog posts	Context-aware content creation with automated assets	$99 for 50 blogs
Surfer SEO	On-page and AI search optimization	AI Tracker for brand visibility in LLMs	$99/month
Semrush	All-in-one SEO and AI visibility	AI Visibility Toolkit	$199/month
Search Atlas	Consolidating multiple SEO tools into one	OTTO SEO for automated strategy execution	$99/month
Rankscale.ai	Granular AI search visibility tracking	Multi-engine tracking and sentiment analysis	$20/month
Whatagraph	Automated SEO reporting for clients	Whatagraph IQ for AI-powered summaries	$229/month (billed annually)

A closer look at the 6 best AI SEO tools

After putting a bunch of tools through their paces, these are the six that really stood out. Each one has its own specialty in the new world of AI-driven SEO.

1. eesel AI blog writer

The eesel AI blog writer is a tool focused on generating complete content. It is designed to produce SEO-optimized blog posts from a single keyword, aiming to reduce editing time compared to other AI writers.

How it works

You start with a keyword, drop in your website URL so it understands your brand, and the tool gets to work generating a full article. A key feature is its handling of assets. It automatically adds AI-generated images, charts, relevant YouTube videos, and even digs up authentic Reddit quotes to sprinkle in for social proof. The content is also optimized for AI answer engines (AEO), which is a huge plus.

Pricing

The pricing is simple and packs a ton of value.

• You can try it completely free and generate your first blog without pulling out your credit card.

• The paid plan is $99 for 50 blogs, and you can buy more credits whenever you need them.

Why it's on the list

The eesel AI blog writer is included for its focus on delivering publish-ready content. It saves countless hours of research, writing, formatting, and finding images. Its context-aware research pulls in relevant data, such as pricing data for comparison posts or technical specs for product reviews. The only trade-off is that it’s focused on content generation, so you’ll need other tools for things like technical audits or rank tracking. But for scaling high-quality content, it is an effective solution.

2. Surfer SEO

Surfer SEO has been a go-to for on-page optimization for years, and its jump into AI search makes it a strong option. It gives you a full set of tools to research, write, and optimize your content for both traditional search results and AI-generated answers.

How it works

Surfer’s Content Editor analyzes what’s already ranking and gives you a data-backed checklist of terms and topics to include. But its AI Tracker feature is a key feature. It actually monitors your brand's visibility in the AI results from ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, and Perplexity. It gives you metrics like how often you're mentioned and your average position, and it gets this data by scraping real answers daily, not just by pinging an API.

Pricing

Surfer has a few plans to fit different needs.

• Essential: Kicks off at $99/month (or $79/month if you pay for the year) and lets you optimize 30 articles.

• Scale: Jumps to $219/month for more advanced tools, including 5 prompts for the AI Tracker.

• The AI Tracker can also be added to any plan starting at $95/month for 25 prompts.

Why it's on the list

Surfer's biggest strength is its data-driven approach to content. Adding the AI Tracker makes it a genuinely forward-thinking tool that’s built for the new rules of SEO. A potential downside is that if you’re not careful, the keyword suggestions can sometimes make your content sound a bit robotic, and the AI-generated text might need a human touch to feel natural.

3. Semrush

Semrush is a well-known platform in the SEO world, and its AI features make it a comprehensive platform. It blends its classic, powerful SEO toolkit with new features built for the AI era, all supported by a large database of over 43 trillion backlinks and 808 million domains.

How it works

The AI Visibility Toolkit is a central feature here. It tracks how your brand shows up in AI search results across platforms like ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot, giving you an AI visibility score and tracking your mentions and citations. This feature is available as a $99/month add-on or comes included in their Semrush One plans. They’ve even launched an official app in ChatGPT, so you can pull Semrush data right inside the chat.

Pricing

Semrush is a premium tool, and its pricing is aimed at serious marketers and agencies.

• Semrush One Starter: Begins at $199/month ($165.17/month annually) and bundles the SEO toolkit with the AI Visibility Toolkit.

Why it's on the list

Semrush's primary advantage is its comprehensive feature set. It’s a single platform for many SEO tasks, and its data is some of the most reliable out there. The main drawback is the price, which can be a significant investment for small businesses or freelancers.

4. Search Atlas

Search Atlas is making a name for itself by offering a full, AI-powered SEO suite at a competitive price point. The goal is to consolidate the functions of multiple tools by rolling site audits, rank tracking, content creation, and LLM visibility into a single platform.

How it works

A notable feature of the platform is OTTO SEO, an AI agent that doesn’t just tell you what to fix but can actually execute your entire SEO strategy for you. It automates technical fixes, content improvements, link building, and even press release distribution. Its LLM Visibility tool tracks your brand’s share of voice and sentiment in AI answers from ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity.

Pricing

Search Atlas is positioned as a budget-friendly all-in-one option.

• Starter: Starts at $99/month for 1 user and 1 AI SEO Project.

• They offer a 7-day free trial so you can take it for a spin.

Why it's on the list

Search Atlas is a strong option if you want an all-in-one solution without an enterprise-level price.

OTTO SEO offers a high level of automation. On the flip side, since it's a newer tool, its data might not be quite as deep as Semrush's, and some folks say there’s a bit of a learning curve to get the hang of all its features.

5. Rankscale.ai

While lots of platforms are tacking on AI tracking, Rankscale.ai is a specialized tool that’s focused on "Generative Engine Optimization" (GEO). It offers a detailed way to track your brand’s visibility across a huge range of AI engines, including ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Google AI Overviews, Gemini, and even Grok.

How it works

Rankscale lets you track specific search terms on specific AI models and gives you detailed performance metrics. You get an AI visibility score, sentiment analysis, and it even shows you which sources the AI is citing. If you’re serious about understanding exactly how you’re showing up in AI-generated answers, this provides a high level of detail.

Pricing

Rankscale has a flexible, credit-based model.

• Essentials: Starts at $20/month for 120 credits.

• You use credits to run analyses, so you only pay for what you actually use.

Why it's on the list

Rankscale's key advantage is its specialized focus. It gives you the deep, drill-down data you need to build a precise GEO strategy. That narrow focus is also its main drawback; it’s strictly a tracking tool, so you’ll need other platforms for content creation and your other SEO tasks.

6. Whatagraph

Doing great SEO work is only half the job; you also have to show your clients (or your boss) the results. Whatagraph is a marketing intelligence platform that simplifies the process of creating accurate, professional SEO reports by pulling all your data into one place.

How it works

Whatagraph connects to over 55 marketing platforms, including Google Search Console, Ahrefs, Semrush, and GA4. Its AI feature, Whatagraph IQ, can automatically write up performance summaries, build reports from a simple text prompt, and even apply client branding to reports instantly.

Pricing

Whatagraph’s pricing is built for agencies and marketing teams.

• Start: $229/month (billed annually) for 20 data sources.

• Boost: $579/month (billed annually) for 60 data sources and white-labeling.

Why it's on the list

Whatagraph's primary benefit is saving time on tedious manual reporting while creating professional-looking visuals that clients actually understand and appreciate. The main con is the higher price tag, but for any agency juggling multiple clients, the time saved offers a clear return on investment.

How to choose the right AI SEO tools for you

With several effective options available, the best tool depends on your specific needs. Here’s a quick guide to help you decide.

If you need to scale content production

A specialized content generation tool may be the most effective choice. While the all-in-one platforms often have AI writers, they tend to churn out generic drafts that need a lot of work. A tool like the eesel AI blog writer is designed from the ground up to create complete, publish-ready articles with all the assets included, which slashes your editing time.

If you need to track AI search visibility

For deep, specific insights into how you're showing up on platforms like ChatGPT and Perplexity, a specialized tool like Rankscale.ai is a valuable option. If you prefer a more integrated approach, platforms like Surfer SEO, Semrush, and Search Atlas offer solid AI tracking features alongside their other SEO tools. For detailed tool comparisons, see our guides on Scalenut vs Wordtune, Wordtune vs Surfer SEO, and Scalenut vs NeuronWriter.

If you need an all-in-one platform

If you want a single dashboard for keyword research, site audits, rank tracking, and AI visibility, then an all-in-one suite is the way to go. Semrush is the premium, data-rich choice for established teams with a bigger budget. Search Atlas offers a powerful and more wallet-friendly alternative that packs a lot of features into one place. You might also want to explore comparisons like NeuronWriter vs MarketMuse, Wordtune vs Hyperwrite, and NeuronWriter vs Hyperwrite to find the right fit.

Adapting your SEO stack for the AI era

The rise of AI represents the next chapter in SEO. The core principles of creating valuable, authoritative content that actually helps people are more important than ever. What's changing are the tools available to execute that strategy.

As you adapt your strategy, it's helpful to see how different tools stack up against each other in real-world scenarios. The video below provides a tier list of popular AI SEO tools, offering insights into which ones deliver the most value.

This video provides a tier list of popular AI SEO tools, offering insights into which ones deliver the most value.

The platforms on this list are becoming useful for anyone who wants to compete in a world where search is becoming a conversation and answers are generated on the fly. Whether you need to produce high-quality content at scale, monitor your visibility in this new AI-powered search world, or report on your results more efficiently, there are tools available to assist with these goals.

To understand how a purpose-built AI content generator functions, you can try the eesel AI blog writer for free and generate your first complete, publish-ready blog post in minutes.