Content Optimization
Clearscope: what it does, what it costs
Content optimisation priced by pages, not by how many people use it.
Clearscope at a glance
Every row is a verified field or an honest absence. A row is dropped rather than filled with an em dash, so the length of this table says how complete the record is.
| What it is | Content optimisation priced by pages, not by how many people use it. |
|---|---|
| Category | Content Optimization |
| Best suited for | A content team large enough that per-seat pricing is the binding cost |
| Starting price | From $129/month (Essentials); Business $399/month |
| Free plan | No |
| Free trial | 14 days |
| Main strength | Unlimited users and unlimited projects on every plan, including the $129 entry tier |
| Main limitation | Prompt tracking covers only ChatGPT and Gemini |
| Evidence | Primary-source researched |
| Closest alternatives | Surfer, Frase, Semrush |
| Pricing checked | 18 August 2026 |
| Record checked | 18 August 2026 |
What Clearscope is
Clearscope grades a draft against the language of the pages currently ranking for its target query and returns the clearest single optimisation report in this category: a letter grade, the terms that matter, and the coverage gaps. It has been the choice of large in-house content teams for years, and the reason is commercial as much as editorial.
Every plan carries unlimited users and unlimited projects. The price is set by tracked pages and prompts rather than headcount, so putting the tool in front of twelve writers and three editors costs the same as putting it in front of two. For a content organisation that is a different purchasing conversation from a per-seat product.
Since 2026 it also tracks prompts across ChatGPT and Gemini, and reports the query fan-out, the searches an AI platform runs to assemble an answer. What it does not have is an API on any self-serve tier, and the step from 50 tracked prompts to 300 is also the step from $129 to $399.
Clearscope in context
Clearscope is the content optimisation tool that charges by pages rather than by people, and that single decision shapes who it is for. On a team of eight writers, editors and strategists, a per-seat tool multiplies the cost eight times. Clearscope charges the same whether one person uses it or twenty do, which is why it shows up most often in mid-to-large content operations where headcount is high and the editing workflow is centralised.
The optimisation report itself is deliberately simple: a single letter grade, a term list, and a readability score. There is no content editor, no AI writer, no keyword research module. That restraint is the product’s thesis — one report, done well, used by everyone. Teams that want a Swiss Army knife will find it limiting. Teams that want their writers to check one thing and check it consistently will find it exactly right.
The prompt tracking bundled into every plan is worth noting because it changes the competitive comparison. Essentials at $129 a month includes 50 tracked prompts across ChatGPT and Gemini. That is not a serious AI-visibility programme, but it is enough to establish whether AI answers mention the brand at all, and it costs nothing extra. Most competitors either charge for this as an add-on or do not offer it.
The gap between the two self-serve tiers is steep: $129 for Essentials, $399 for Business, with the difference being 300 tracked prompts instead of 50, 300 pages instead of 100, and 100 drafts instead of 20. A team that outgrows Essentials faces a triple-the-price decision with no step in between.
What you can use it for
- Give a whole content team optimisation reports without paying per seat
- Grade a draft against the language of the pages currently ranking
- See the query fan-out an AI platform runs to build an answer about your subject
- Monitor live pages for ranking decay and refresh the ones slipping
The features that matter for SEO
Each one says what it does and the SEO job it serves. A vendor feature list without that second half tells you nothing you could not read on their own site.
Content grades
Grades a draft from F to A++ against the terms and depth of the pages currently ranking.
The single clearest report in this category. An editor with no SEO training can act on it without a briefing.
Unlimited users on every plan
Places no seat limit on any tier, including the entry plan.
Optimisation reaches every writer rather than the two who have licences, which is usually the difference between a tool being used and being owned.
Prompt tracking
Tracks a set number of prompts across ChatGPT and Gemini, from 50 on the entry plan.
Included at the entry price rather than sold as an add-on, which makes basic AI-visibility measurement affordable alongside content work.
ChatGPT and Gemini only. No Perplexity, Copilot or Google AI Mode coverage.
Query fan-out reporting
Shows the underlying searches an AI platform runs to assemble an answer.
The most actionable AI-visibility signal here, those queries are the ones your content has to answer to be picked up as a source.
Topic explorations
Maps what to write about around a subject, with the competing coverage.
Planning input for a cluster, metered per month rather than unlimited.
Content monitoring
Watches published pages and flags those losing position.
Refresh work beats new work on an established site, and this is the report that says which page to refresh first.
Unlimited sharing and exporting
Places no cap on sharing or exporting reports on any plan.
A portability promise rather than a feature, your reports do not become hostage to the subscription.
Pricing and limits
Starting price: From $129/month (Essentials); Business $399/month Checked 18 August 2026 Vendor’s own pricing page
| Plan | Price | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Essentials | $129 /mo |
|
| Business | $399 /mo |
|
| Enterprise | Custom |
|
| Additional pages Add-on | $25 /mo | Per 100 extra pages on Essentials, or $15 on Business. Sold in steps up to 5,000 pages. |
| Additional drafts Add-on | $50 /mo | Per pack of extra drafts on Essentials, or $20 on Business. |
Add-on rows are only ever charged on top of a plan, so they are excluded from the entry price used in the directory’s price filter.
Strengths and limitations
Strengths
- Unlimited users and unlimited projects on every plan, including the $129 entry tier
- The clearest single optimisation report in the category
- Prompt tracking included at the entry price rather than as a paid add-on
- Unlimited sharing and exporting, stated explicitly as a portability commitment
Limitations
- Prompt tracking covers only ChatGPT and Gemini
- No API on any self-serve plan
- Going from 50 to 300 tracked prompts means moving from $129 to $399 a month
- No keyword research, backlink data or site crawling of its own
- Drafts are metered at 20 a month on both self-serve tiers
Who it is for, and who should skip it
Worth it if
- A content team large enough that per-seat pricing is the binding cost
- Editors who want one unambiguous report rather than a dashboard
- Teams who want AI prompt tracking without a second subscription
Skip it if
- You need an API
- You need Perplexity or Copilot coverage in AI tracking
- You are one person publishing occasionally, the entry price assumes a team
Alternatives to Clearscope
Each one answers when it is the better choice, which is the only thing a list of competitors is useful for.
- Surfer Choose it when you want optimisation inside Google Docs and WordPress, and a lower entry price for one or three seats.
- Frase Choose it when you want research, drafting, publishing and decay monitoring in one product, with an API from the entry tier.
- Semrush Choose it when content briefs are one job among many and a suite you already pay for can cover them.
Sources and verification
Last verified 18 August 2026 22 days ago
Pricing 18 August 2026 Plans 18 August 2026 Features 18 August 2026 Company 18 August 2026
- Clearscope pricing Pricing page verifies pricing, plans, limits, features checked 18 August 2026
- Clearscope terms of service Company verifies company checked 18 August 2026
Questions
Does Clearscope charge per user?
No. Every plan carries unlimited users and unlimited projects. The price is set by tracked pages, prompts, topic explorations and drafts, which is why it suits large content teams and overprices a single freelancer.
How much is Clearscope?
Essentials is $129 a month and Business is $399 a month as of 18 August 2026, with extra pages at $25 per 100 on Essentials and $15 on Business.
Which AI platforms does Clearscope track?
ChatGPT and Gemini, on every plan, from 50 tracked prompts on Essentials. Perplexity, Copilot and Google AI Mode are not covered.