Search engines and LLMs do not think in keywords; they think in entities — the distinct, named things they store in knowledge graphs and reason over. This ranking scores seven tools on how well they extract, map and optimize those entities, with every price verified in June 2026 and the math shown so you can re-weight.
Quick answer
InLinks leads at 86/100 for turning entity analysis into action: it maps the entities your content covers, finds the gaps, and builds entity-based internal links automatically. If your goal is to publish your own knowledge graph and structured data, WordLift (84) is the specialist. If you want entity coverage folded into a content editor rather than a standalone tool, Surfer (80) is the practical pick.
The ranking
| Rank | Tool | Best for | Entry price (verified) | SR Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | InLinks | Entity-based linking + gap analysis | $49/mo Freelancer (free tier) | 86 |
| 2 | WordLift | Publishing a knowledge graph + JSON-LD | ~£49/mo Professional | 84 |
| 3 | Surfer | Entity coverage inside a content editor | $89/mo Essential | 80 |
| 4 | Semrush | Entity/topic research in a full suite | $139.95/mo Pro | 79 |
| 5 | Diffbot | Raw knowledge-graph data via API | $299/mo Startup (free tier) | 77 |
| 6 | Keyword Insights | Entity-aware topic clustering | $58/mo Basic | 75 |
| 7 | Otterly.AI | Entity visibility inside AI answers | $29/mo Lite | 72 |
Methodology
Weights sum to 100. Extraction quality leads because everything downstream depends on the entity map being right.
| Criterion | Weight | What we measured |
|---|---|---|
| Entity extraction & mapping | 30 | Accuracy and breadth of entity detection, gap analysis, relationship modeling. |
| Optimization & execution | 25 | Internal linking, schema/JSON-LD output, content recommendations. |
| Value for money | 20 | Entry price, page/credit caps, seat policy. |
| Support & docs | 15 | Onboarding, documentation, free tier or trial. |
| Transparency | 10 | Published pricing and disclosed limits. |
Extraction (30) plus execution (25) make 55 of the 100 points — entity SEO is judged on whether the tool both sees the entities and acts on them.
InLinks — 86/100
InLinks (inlinks.com) is the execution leader. It analyzes content by entities, finds topical-authority gaps, and auto-generates entity-based internal links with varied, contextual anchor text. Pricing: a free tier (20 pages, one brief/month), Freelancer $49/mo (100 pages), Agency $196/mo (430 pages, API, unlimited projects), Enterprise custom.
| Criterion | Score | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entity extraction & mapping | 88 | 30 | 26.4 |
| Optimization & execution | 90 | 25 | 22.5 |
| Value for money | 84 | 20 | 16.8 |
| Support & docs | 80 | 15 | 12.0 |
| Transparency | 86 | 10 | 8.6 |
| Total | 100 | 86.3 |
Trade-off: page caps bite fast on large sites; the auto-linking needs a review pass on nuanced anchors.
WordLift — 84/100
WordLift (wordlift.io/pricing) is the knowledge-graph specialist. It auto-generates JSON-LD (Article, Organization, Person, Product, FAQ) and publishes a structured knowledge graph that AI platforms can read. Pricing starts around £49/mo (Professional, annual), with Business and custom Enterprise tiers; a free trial is available.
| Criterion | Score | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entity extraction & mapping | 86 | 30 | 25.8 |
| Optimization & execution | 84 | 25 | 21.0 |
| Value for money | 78 | 20 | 15.6 |
| Support & docs | 84 | 15 | 12.6 |
| Transparency | 80 | 10 | 8.0 |
| Total | 100 | 83.0 |
We hold WordLift at 84 for knowledge-graph depth no rival here matches. Trade-off: extra knowledge-graph and URL volume carries per-unit add-on fees that add up.
Surfer — 80/100
Surfer (surferseo.com/pricing) surfaces entity and topic coverage inside its Content Editor and Topical Map, so writers see which related entities to include while drafting. Essential is $89/mo (15 Content Editor uses), Scale $219/mo (100), Enterprise custom; annual billing saves ~20%.
| Criterion | Score | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entity extraction & mapping | 80 | 30 | 24.0 |
| Optimization & execution | 82 | 25 | 20.5 |
| Value for money | 80 | 20 | 16.0 |
| Support & docs | 80 | 15 | 12.0 |
| Transparency | 84 | 10 | 8.4 |
| Total | 100 | 80.9 |
Trade-off: entity work is a feature of a content tool, not a dedicated entity engine — no native knowledge-graph publishing.
Semrush — 79/100
Semrush (semrush.com/pricing) covers entity and topic research across its suite (Topic Research, keyword clustering, the Content Marketing Toolkit on Guru). Pro is $139.95/mo, Guru $249.95/mo, Business $499.95/mo. Best when entity work sits inside a wider SEO program.
| Criterion | Score | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entity extraction & mapping | 78 | 30 | 23.4 |
| Optimization & execution | 80 | 25 | 20.0 |
| Value for money | 76 | 20 | 15.2 |
| Support & docs | 88 | 15 | 13.2 |
| Transparency | 86 | 10 | 8.6 |
| Total | 100 | 80.4 |
Trade-off: entity features are spread across modules rather than a single entity workflow.
Diffbot — 77/100
Diffbot (diffbot.com/pricing) is the raw-data play: its Knowledge Graph and Natural Language API extract entities and relationships at scale for teams that want to build their own pipelines. Free tier (10,000 credits), Startup $299/mo (250,000 credits), Plus $899/mo. Entity exports cost 25 credits each.
| Criterion | Score | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entity extraction & mapping | 92 | 30 | 27.6 |
| Optimization & execution | 60 | 25 | 15.0 |
| Value for money | 70 | 20 | 14.0 |
| Support & docs | 78 | 15 | 11.7 |
| Transparency | 84 | 10 | 8.4 |
| Total | 100 | 76.7 |
Trade-off: best raw extraction here, but no SEO workflow — you build the optimization layer yourself, and credits burn quickly on entity exports.
Keyword Insights — 75/100
Keyword Insights (keywordinsights.ai/pricing) clusters keywords by shared SERP results, which approximates entity/topic grouping for content planning. Basic is $58/mo (10,000 credits), Professional $99/mo (20,000). Clustering costs one credit per keyword.
| Criterion | Score | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entity extraction & mapping | 74 | 30 | 22.2 |
| Optimization & execution | 76 | 25 | 19.0 |
| Value for money | 80 | 20 | 16.0 |
| Support & docs | 76 | 15 | 11.4 |
| Transparency | 82 | 10 | 8.2 |
| Total | 100 | 76.8 |
Trade-off: SERP-overlap clustering is an entity proxy, not true entity extraction.
Otterly.AI — 72/100
Otterly.AI (otterly.ai/pricing) sits at the measurement end: it tracks whether your brand entity appears in AI answers across six engines. Lite is $29/mo, Standard $189/mo. Use it to verify that entity work is paying off in AI visibility.
| Criterion | Score | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entity extraction & mapping | 68 | 30 | 20.4 |
| Optimization & execution | 70 | 25 | 17.5 |
| Value for money | 86 | 20 | 17.2 |
| Support & docs | 80 | 15 | 12.0 |
| Transparency | 90 | 10 | 9.0 |
| Total | 100 | 76.1 |
Trade-off: it measures entity visibility but does not build the entity structure — pair it with InLinks or WordLift.
How to re-weight
- Execution-first (Execution 35). InLinks extends its lead; Diffbot drops further.
- Raw-data-first (Extraction 45). Diffbot moves toward the top for teams building custom pipelines.
The rubric is editable. Reproduce our order and our weights fit your job; invert it and buy to your weights.
Verification
- InLinks — inlinks.com; pricing cross-checked via Capterra and gtmsignalstudio.com.
- WordLift — wordlift.io/pricing.
- Surfer — surferseo.com/pricing.
- Semrush — semrush.com/pricing.
- Diffbot — diffbot.com/pricing.
- Keyword Insights — keywordinsights.ai/pricing.
- Otterly.AI — otterly.ai/pricing.
Related rankings
- Best Knowledge Graph Optimization Tools 2026
- Best AI Citation Tracking Tools 2026: 8 Scored
- Best AI Overview Tracking Tools (2026): Ranked & Scored
- Best AI Rank Tracking Tools (2026): Ranked & Scored
Frequently asked questions
- What is entity SEO?
- Entity SEO optimizes content around entities — distinct, named things like people, places, brands and concepts that search engines and LLMs store in knowledge graphs — rather than around keyword strings. The goal is to make a machine confidently understand what your page is about and how its entities relate, which helps both classic ranking and AI answer inclusion.
- How is entity SEO different from keyword SEO?
- Keyword SEO targets the exact phrases people type; entity SEO targets the underlying concepts. An entity tool will tell you that a page about 'EV charging' should also cover related entities like connector standards, specific networks and battery chemistries, and will structure internal links and schema around those entities.
- Which entity SEO tool ranks #1 in 2026?
- InLinks (86/100) for entity-based internal linking and topical-gap analysis at an accessible price. WordLift (84) is the strongest if your priority is publishing your own knowledge graph and JSON-LD. Surfer (80) bakes entity coverage into a content editor.
- How much do entity SEO tools cost?
- From a free InLinks tier (20 pages) and roughly £49/$49 a month for paid entity linking, up to Diffbot's $299/mo Startup plan for raw knowledge-graph data. WordLift starts around £49/mo, Surfer at $89/mo.
- Does entity SEO help with AI search?
- Yes. LLMs reason over entities and their relationships, so clear entity definitions, structured data and well-linked topical clusters improve how confidently an AI can attribute facts to your brand — which is exactly what these tools build.