Managed SEO service with software included, sold by articles per week
Balzac vs Ranked AI
Ranked AI lists a managed service from $99 a month for 1 blog article a week, up to $349 for 4 a week, with backlinks and fixes included; Balzac researches, writes and publishes 30 articles a month for $79. Checked against ranked.ai on 8 October 2026.
If you are comparing Ranked AI alternatives, the first question is whether you want software or a service. Everything about Ranked AI below comes from its public pricing page as of 8 October 2026; tell us if something has changed and we will fix it.
Ranked AI sells a managed plan per website, month to month, with the software included. Standard is $99 a month for 25 focus keywords and 1 blog article a week, Plus is $198 for 50 keywords and 2 articles a week, and Enterprise is $349 for 100 keywords and 4 articles a week with a dedicated account executive. Yearly billing is listed as 20% lower. On top of the articles, the plans list white-hat backlink outreach (about 4, 8 or 16 a month), on-page and technical fixes, web copy pages, Google Business Profile posts, content in 35+ languages, daily rank tracking, AI visibility tracking, Search Console and Analytics integrations, white-label reports, and ChatGPT app, MCP and API access. PPC management is a separate plan.
Balzac is much narrower: you give it your website, and it researches the searches you could win, writes the articles and publishes them on a schedule you set, in a fixed allowance of 30 articles a month per website on the Columnist plan, and refreshes live articles that rank in positions 8 to 20 using your Search Console data. It does not build backlinks, fix your site or track AI visibility.
On price, it depends on what you want. Ranked AI Standard is $99, $20 more than Balzac, for about 4 articles a month (1 a week). Enterprise at $349 is $270 more than Balzac for about 17 articles a month (4 a week), our arithmetic, though it comes with backlinks and implementation done for you. If articles are what you are buying, Balzac costs far less per article. If you want someone else to do the whole SEO job, Ranked AI is the one that does it.
On trying it, Ranked AI offers a 7-day free trial with no contracts. The page we read does not state a refund policy. Balzac writes 3 full articles for free with no card, and paid plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee on the first payment.
Balzac
- 30 articles a month for $79, against about 4 for $99 or about 17 for $349
- You run it yourself, with no account team in the loop: it researches, writes and publishes on a schedule you set
- Refreshes live articles that rank in positions 8 to 20 using your Search Console data
- A 30-day money-back guarantee on the first payment, and 3 free articles without a card
Where Ranked AI fits
- Does more than articles: backlink outreach, on-page and technical fixes, web copy pages and Google Business Profile posts
- Daily rank tracking and AI visibility tracking across ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity, with reports
- A white-label dashboard and reports for agencies, plus a separate PPC plan
- A dedicated account executive on Enterprise, and a team doing the implementation for you
Side by side
Feature comparison
| Feature | Balzac | Ranked AI |
|---|---|---|
| How you use it | Autopilot: researches, writes and publishes on a schedule | Managed service: its team does the work, you watch a dashboard |
| Articles per month | 30 per website | 1, 2 or 4 a week by plan |
| Price | $79 a month (30 articles, 1 website) | $99 / $198 / $349 a month per website, month to month |
| Try before paying | 3 free articles, no card | 7-day free trial, no contracts |
| Money-back guarantee | 30 days, first payment | Not stated on the page we read |
| Backlink outreach | – | About 4 / 8 / 16 a month by plan |
| On-page and technical fixes | – | |
| Google Search Console | Connection; refreshes articles ranking in positions 8 to 20 | Integration; first-page tracking |
| Rank tracking and AI visibility | – | |
| CLI, API and MCP server | MCP and API access listed; CLI not stated |
Why teams switch
Pick Balzac if articles are what you need: 30 a month researched, written and published on a schedule for $79, refreshed from your Search Console data, with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Pick Ranked AI if you want a team to run the wider SEO job, with backlinks, site fixes, rank and AI visibility tracking, or a white-label service for clients.
FAQ
Balzac vs Ranked AI, answered.
Is Balzac a good Ranked AI alternative?
It depends on whether you want software or a service. Ranked AI is a managed service with backlinks, fixes and tracking, but few articles per month. Balzac is the one to pick if you want 30 articles a month on autopilot for $79, refreshed from your Search Console data, with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
How does Balzac pricing compare to Ranked AI?
As of October 2026, Ranked AI lists Standard at $99 a month for 1 blog article a week, Plus at $198 for 2 a week and Enterprise at $349 for 4 a week, per website, month to month. Balzac has one plan, Columnist, at $79 a month per website for 30 articles. Ranked AI costs more, and includes backlinks and implementation that Balzac does not.
Does Ranked AI have a free trial?
Yes, its pricing page lists a 7-day free trial with no contracts, and says you can cancel anytime. The page we read does not state a refund policy. Check ranked.ai for its current terms.
Can I try Balzac before paying?
Yes. Balzac writes 3 full articles for your site for free, with no card. When you subscribe, the first payment is covered by a 30-day money-back guarantee: cancel within 30 days and get it back in full from the cancel page.
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