AI SEO writers
As of October 29, 2026, ContentShake AI (Semrush)'s cheapest paid plan is Content Toolkit (Base) at $60/month, per its own pricing page. Both ContentShake AI (Semrush) and Paperboy write SEO articles, so the differences that matter are fact checking, Search Console and whether an agent can run it.
| Row | Paperboy | ContentShake AI (Semrush) |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest paid plan | $49 a month | $60/month |
| Fact checks claims against sources | Yes | Not listed |
| Learns from Search Console | Yes | Not listed |
| Publishes to your site for you | Partly | Partly |
| MCP, API or CLI for agents | Yes | Partly |
Side by side
Every cell links the page it came from, with the day we read it.
| Feature | Paperboy | ContentShake AI (Semrush) |
|---|---|---|
| What it is for | Researches, writes, fact checks and publishes SEO articles to your own site, then learns from Search Console. SourceRead Oct 29, 2026 | AI article writer and content optimizer built on Semrush SEO data SourceRead Oct 29, 2026 |
| Cheapest paid plan | Starter is $49 a month per site for 3 articles a week. Growth is $99 and Pro is $179. Yearly billing is two months free. SourceRead Oct 29, 2026 | Content Toolkit (Base), $60/month. The pricing page shows it as billed annually, and the knowledge base says $60/month. The monthly-billing price is not shown in the page's static HTML. Includes 5 SEO-boosted articles per month; 10 more cost $30/month. SourceRead Oct 29, 2026 |
| Free plan or trial | Yes The first article is free, no card. Any plan then starts with a 14-day trial (card required). SourceRead Oct 29, 2026 | Yes 7-day free trial per the Content Toolkit pricing article. Semrush pages also say you can try Semrush free for seven days and cancel anytime. SourceRead Oct 29, 2026 |
| Publishes to your site for you | Partly Posts directly to WordPress and Ghost. Other sites use a hosted blog, a signed webhook or a prompt that builds a blog in your code. No Shopify, Webflow, Wix or Squarespace connector. SourceRead Oct 29, 2026 | Partly Partly. A WordPress plugin publishes from the Toolkit with a Publish button, as a live post or a draft, and supports up to 100 connected sites. Other targets: Google Docs, Mailchimp, Semrush Social Poster. Scheduled or automatic publishing is not stated. SourceRead Oct 29, 2026 |
| Fact checks claims against sources | Yes Every number and cited sentence is compared with the saved text of its source. An article that fails gets one rewrite, then is held for you. SourceRead Oct 29, 2026 | Not listed No claim found that article claims are checked against sources. The Content Optimizer gives SEO, tone, readability and AI-search recommendations. SourceRead Oct 29, 2026 |
| Learns from Search Console | Yes Optional read-only Search Console connection. It picks topics from your impressions and reports clicks per article. SourceRead Oct 29, 2026 | Not listed No Search Console connection is described for the Content Toolkit. A Semrush help article tells you to compare SEO-boosted articles with regular ones in Search Console yourself. Topic Finder uses Semrush keyword and competitor data. SourceRead Oct 29, 2026 |
| Open source or self-host | Yes The engine is open source under AGPL-3.0. Self-host it with Docker and your own keys. SourceRead Oct 29, 2026 | Not listed No statement that the Content Toolkit is open source or self-hostable. The Semrush GitHub org holds unrelated projects such as a design system and MCP agent skills. SourceRead Oct 29, 2026 |
| MCP, API or CLI for agents | Yes A remote MCP server with eight tools and a REST API with an OpenAPI file. The CLI is built in the open but not on npm yet. Agents pay with credits, $20 for 100. SourceRead Oct 29, 2026 | Partly Partly, at Semrush level. Semrush has a public API and an MCP server for Semrush data (keywords, traffic, competitors) that works with ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor and Claude Code. The Content Toolkit help pages list no API or MCP for generating or publishing articles. SourceRead Oct 29, 2026 |
“Not listed” means we found no statement either way on the pages linked in that cell. It does not mean the answer is no. Vendors change their pages, so confirm before you buy.
The honest verdict
Sometimes the other tool is the better fit. Here is how to tell.
Pick ContentShake AI (Semrush) if
What ContentShake AI (Semrush) does well, from its own pages
Pick Paperboy if
Judge it before you pay anyone
Your first article is free with its full fact check, so you can judge it before you pay anyone.
Write my first article freeWhat you get
The four that decide it for most people, each with the source for the other side.
The ContentShake AI (Semrush) pages we read do not say (semrush.com, read Oct 29, 2026). Paperboy compares every number and cited sentence with the saved text of the page it links to. An article that fails gets one rewrite and is then held for you instead of published.
The ContentShake AI (Semrush) pages we read do not say (semrush.com, read Oct 29, 2026). Paperboy reads Search Console, read-only, to choose the next topic and to report clicks and impressions per article.
The ContentShake AI (Semrush) pages we read do not say (github.com, read Oct 29, 2026). The Paperboy engine is open source under AGPL-3.0 and runs with Docker and your own keys.
Partly, at Semrush level. Semrush has a public API and an MCP server for Semrush data (keywords, traffic, competitors) that works with ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor and Claude Code. The Content Toolkit help pages list no API or MCP for generating or publishing articles (semrush.com, read Oct 29, 2026). Paperboy ships a remote MCP server with eight tools and a REST API with an OpenAPI file (the CLI is not on npm yet), so Claude Code, Cursor or n8n can run it.
Try it
You do not have to switch. Run Paperboy on one site, read the fact check, and compare it with what you get from ContentShake AI (Semrush).
Keep ContentShake AI (Semrush) running. Nothing to cancel to try Paperboy.
Paste your site address. The first article is free, no card.
Read the fact check. Every number and cited sentence is compared with the saved text of its source.
Pick a plan only if you want more. Cancel with one button on the Billing page.
https://paperboyseo.com/start?url=yoursite.comThe engine is open source under AGPL-3.0. Self-hosting for your own sites is free; you pay your own model bill. Self-host docs.
About ContentShake AI (Semrush)
Semrush's Content Toolkit, which replaced ContentShake AI, helps create, optimize and repurpose content using Semrush data and a chat interface. (its own description, read Oct 29, 2026)
ContentShake AI is now the Semrush Content Toolkit. The old /contentshake/ URL returns a 301 to /content/, and the old knowledge base article 1358-contentshake redirects to 812-content-toolkit. The rename date is not stated on the pages read. The pricing page says 10,000 articles/month while the knowledge base says unlimited standard articles. Pricing page defaults to annual billing.
| Plan | Price | What the page says it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Content Toolkit (Base) | $60/month (pricing page shows it as billed annually; the knowledge base says $60/month) | Pricing page: 10,000 articles/month, 5 SEO content boosts/month, AI and SEO content optimization, brand voice. Knowledge base: unlimited standard articles, 5 SEO-boosted articles per month, SEO briefs, content ideas, AI images, up to 50 brand voices, WordPress publishing to up to 100 sites. |
| Extra SEO Boost articles (add-on) | $30/month | 10 additional SEO-boosted articles |
| Additional Users (add-on) | $20/month | Add colleagues to the Semrush account |
| Semrush for Enterprise | Custom | Custom limits, custom integrations and API, SSO, dedicated account manager |
From ContentShake AI (Semrush)'s pricing page, read October 29, 2026. Paperboy's own prices are on our pricing page.
FAQ
As of Oct 29, 2026, ContentShake AI (Semrush) lists Content Toolkit (Base) $60/month. semrush.com is the source, so confirm there before you buy.
The ContentShake AI (Semrush) pages we read do not say (semrush.com, read Oct 29, 2026).
Partly. A WordPress plugin publishes from the Toolkit with a Publish button, as a live post or a draft, and supports up to 100 connected sites. Other targets: Google Docs, Mailchimp, Semrush Social Poster. Scheduled or automatic publishing is not stated (semrush.com, read Oct 29, 2026).
The ContentShake AI (Semrush) pages we read do not say (github.com, read Oct 29, 2026).
Partly, at Semrush level. Semrush has a public API and an MCP server for Semrush data (keywords, traffic, competitors) that works with ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor and Claude Code. The Content Toolkit help pages list no API or MCP for generating or publishing articles (semrush.com, read Oct 29, 2026).
Sources
Every cell above links the page we read, and every date is the day we read it. Facts about ContentShake AI (Semrush) come from ContentShake AI (Semrush)'s own pages only. Facts about Paperboy come from pages on this site. If something is wrong or out of date, write to hello@paperboyseo.com and we will fix it and change the date.
Keep going
Paste your address. In under ten minutes you read a finished, fact-checked article written for your site. Free, no card.
Prefer to run it yourself? Self-host it (repo coming soon). Using an agent? Add the MCP server.