What is Frase?
Frase is the most focused product in the AI writing category: it doesn't try to be a general writing tool, it's specifically built for SEO content workflow. The premise is that good SEO content starts with understanding what's already ranking for your target keyword — Frase pulls the top 20 Google results, extracts headings, key terms, statistics, and questions, then helps you write a brief that's informed by real search behavior.
The workflow centers on three steps: (1) enter a target keyword, (2) Frase runs SERP analysis and generates a structured outline based on what's ranking, (3) you write or AI-generate the actual content using that outline. The differentiator is the SERP integration — most AI writing tools generate content from scratch, Frase generates content informed by what Google currently rewards.
For SEO content teams, this matters because content briefs are typically the bottleneck. A senior strategist needs to research competitors, identify topical gaps, and structure an outline. Frase automates 70-80% of that briefing work, which means strategists can produce 3-4x more briefs per day — and writers (human or AI) start with a much stronger foundation.
Pricing: Solo at $15/mo (4 articles), Basic at $45/mo (30 articles), Team at $115/mo (unlimited). The article-based pricing is unusual for the category and somewhat limiting — the Solo tier feels stingy. The affiliate program pays 30% recurring direct with a 60-day cookie — among the better deals in the SEO tools category.
Limitations: Frase is narrowly focused — if you want a general writing tool, this isn't it. The AI content generation is competent but a step behind Jasper or Writesonic on raw output quality. And the article-count-based pricing makes cost prediction harder than seat-based or word-based pricing. For dedicated SEO content workflows, Frase is the strongest specialised tool. For general AI writing, look at Jasper or Notion AI.
Key features
- AI writing
- Content briefs
- SERP analysis
- Topic optimization
Who is Frase for?
✓ Best for
- SEO content teams that produce keyword-targeted articles at volume
- Content agencies serving multiple clients with varying SEO strategies
- Affiliate marketers and content publishers targeting commercial keywords
- Solo content marketers who need to compete with bigger team's research output
- B2B SaaS marketing teams optimizing inbound content for organic traffic
✗ Not the right fit if
- General-purpose writing (Jasper, Notion AI, ChatGPT all fit better)
- Teams that don't prioritize organic search — Frase's value is SERP-driven
- Quick one-off content needs (the workflow is briefing-focused, overkill for one piece)
- Tight budgets where article count limits feel constraining
Frase pros & cons
👍 Pros
- 30% recurring is excellent
- 60-day cookie
- Best-in-class for SEO briefs
👎 Cons
- Learning curve for briefs
- Niche focus (SEO only)
Pricing
Solo $15/mo, Basic $45/mo, Team $115/mo
Looking at budget alternatives? ElevenLabs offers a free 10K-character tier in the generate ultra-realistic ai voices space — a strong free starting point.
Getting started with Frase
- 1 Sign up for a trial — Frase offers a brief trial period to test the SERP analysis on real keywords.
- 2 Run a brief on a keyword you actually want to rank for — the gap analysis only matters on real targets.
- 3 Use the generated outline to write (or have a writer write) one full article, then compare ranking to your usual workflow.
- 4 Try the Document Score feature — Frase scores in-progress drafts against ranking content, surfacing missing topics.
- 5 Solo ($15) is enough for testing; Basic ($45) is the right tier if you're producing 10+ articles per month.
Frase alternatives at a glance
Most ai seo tools overlap on features — the deciding factor is usually price, integrations, or a specific edge case. Our editorial pick in this category is ElevenLabs.
Frequently asked questions about Frase
What does Frase actually do?
Three core things: (1) SERP analysis — pulls top-ranking content for a keyword and extracts structure/topics; (2) content brief generation — turns that analysis into a writeable outline; (3) AI writing — generates content sections inside that outline. The whole workflow is SEO-content-focused.
How is Frase different from Surfer SEO?
Both do SERP analysis and content optimization. Surfer is stronger on real-time content scoring (writing inside Surfer is closer to writing inside a heatmap). Frase is stronger on briefing workflow and integrated AI generation. Many teams use both. Surfer's pricing is higher.
How much does Frase cost?
Solo at $15/month (4 articles), Basic at $45/month (30 articles), Team at $115/month (unlimited). Pricing is article-count based which is unusual — calculate your typical monthly output before picking a tier.
Can Frase replace a human SEO strategist?
Partially. It automates the research and outline-building (70-80% of strategist time), but you still need humans for keyword strategy, topic prioritization, and judgment calls on content angles. Best used to multiply strategist output, not eliminate the role.
What are the best Frase alternatives?
Surfer SEO — more focused on real-time content scoring. Clearscope — premium SEO content optimization. MarketMuse — enterprise SEO content planning. Writesonic — broader writing tool with some SEO features. SEMrush Writing Assistant — bundled with SEMrush.
The verdict
Frase is the specialist's pick for SEO content briefing and writing. For general writing, look elsewhere. The 30% recurring affiliate with 60-day cookie is among the better deals in the SEO tooling category — Frase converts well when audiences are already doing SEO work.