Clearscope Review: Features, Pricing & Alternatives
Content optimisation platform that grades drafts, finds topics and tracks visibility in AI search.
What is Clearscope?
Clearscope is a content optimisation platform for SEO writers and editors. You enter a target query, and it produces a report of relevant terms, questions and competing content, then grades your draft as you write so you can see how fully it covers the topic. Writers get a clear target, and editors get a quick way to check drafts before publishing.
Founded in 2016 by Bernard Huang and Kevin Su, Clearscope grew mainly through word of mouth among content teams. It has since added topic discovery, content monitoring, internal linking suggestions and query tracking across ChatGPT and Gemini, so teams can see when their brand is mentioned in AI answers as well as in Google.
Its appeal is simplicity. The grading interface is easy for freelance writers to understand, and every plan includes unlimited users. It is not a full SEO suite, so most teams pair it with a research tool such as Semrush or Ahrefs for keyword selection, backlink analysis and technical audits, and use Clearscope for the writing and refresh stage.
Key features of Clearscope
- Content reports and gradingRecommended terms, questions and headings for a query, with a live grade as you write.
- Topic discoveryExplore related topics and keyword ideas to plan new content.
- Content monitoringTrack your pages and get alerts when content starts to decay.
- AI search trackingTrack queries and brand mentions in ChatGPT and Gemini alongside search rankings.
- Internal linkingAI-driven suggestions to link related pages across your site.
- IntegrationsWork in Google Docs or WordPress with Clearscope suggestions alongside your draft.
Who is Clearscope best for?
- Content marketing teams that publish regularly and want consistent quality.
- Freelance writers who need a clear target for each piece.
- Editors reviewing drafts from many contributors.
- Brands watching visibility in AI chatbots.
Popular ways to use Clearscope
- New articles: Create a report and write to a target grade.
- Content refreshes: Re-grade older posts and fill missing topics.
- Writer briefs: Share reports with freelancers instead of long briefs.
- Decay alerts: Monitor key pages and update them when traffic slips.
- AI visibility: Track whether ChatGPT and Gemini mention your brand.
Clearscope pricing (October 2026)
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Essentials | $129/month | 50 tracked queries, 50 pages, 20 topic explorations and 20 drafts per month, unlimited users |
| Business | $399/month | 300 tracked queries, 300 pages, 50 topic explorations, dedicated account manager |
| Enterprise | Custom pricing | Custom credits, SSO, crawler whitelisting and agreements |
All plans include unlimited users and a 14-day free trial, with no long-term contract. Extra pages and drafts can be bought as add-ons.
Clearscope pros and cons
Pros
- Very easy to use
- Unlimited users on every plan
- Clear, trusted content grades
- AI search tracking included
Cons
- Expensive for solo writers
- No keyword or backlink research suite
- Monthly report limits on Essentials
- No free plan
How to get started with Clearscope
- Start the 14-day free trial.
- Enter a target query to create your first content report.
- Draft in Clearscope or the Google Docs add-on and aim for the suggested grade.
- Add key pages to monitoring and set up query tracking.
- Share reports with writers using read-only links.
Tips to get better results from Clearscope
- Treat the grade as a guide; cover the topic naturally rather than stuffing terms.
- Use refreshes on posts that already rank on page two.
- Pair Clearscope with a research tool for keyword selection.
- Track brand-relevant questions to see AI assistant mentions.
Clearscope vs alternatives
Surfer offers similar content scoring with more on-page and AI writing features at lower entry prices. Frase is cheaper and adds an AI agent and publishing, while MarketMuse goes deeper on site-wide topic strategy.
Suites such as Semrush and Ahrefs include content tools but are built mainly for research. Choose Clearscope if your priority is a simple, dependable optimisation workflow for writers. See all best AI marketing and SEO tools.
Our verdict: is Clearscope worth it?
Clearscope is a polished, writer-friendly optimisation tool with useful AI search tracking. It suits content teams with steady output and budget; solo bloggers will find cheaper options.
Clearscope FAQs
Does Clearscope have a free plan?
How much does Clearscope cost?
Does Clearscope track AI search?
Does Clearscope write content for me?
Pricing and features change often. Details on this page were last reviewed in October 2026. Always confirm current plans on the official Clearscope website.