Introduction

Surf carries threads, posts, Shorts, Stories, Spaces and Live in one product. It runs in a browser and installs to a home screen. Everything below is written against the shipping app, including the limits and the exceptions.

What makes it different

Three things, and they are the ones worth reading the rest of these docs for.

• No advertising on any tier, including the free one. There is no ad-targeting profile, no advertiser API, and no data sold. The paid tiers are not ad removal, because there are no ads to remove.
• The ranking is yours and it is published. Ten sliders map onto the real scoring weights, up to twelve standing rules can be written in plain English, and one switch drops the whole thing into a newest-first feed. See How ranking works.
• A post will tell you why it reached you. Any ranked post answers the question from its own ranking signals, with no extra request and no model involved. See Why am I seeing this.

What the free tier includes

Free is a complete social network rather than a trial. It includes the full algorithm and every control over it, all five posting formats, Spaces, end-to-end encrypted direct messages, and 50 AI actions a day. What paid tiers add is headroom, creator tooling, and live streaming. See Plans.

One thing money does change

Posts and replies from a paying account carry a ranking multiplier: 1.5x on Sapphire, 2.5x on Pro, 4x on Ultra. It applies inside the same published formula everyone gets, it cannot override a setting you chose, and there is no way to pay to promote one specific post. It is documented in full at The ranking multiplier rather than left out.

How these docs are organised

Start here

Accounts, installation, and the shape of the app.

Your feed

Ranking, controls, filters, and turning ranking off.

Posting

Every format, the composer, and what happens after you publish.

Studio

The in-browser video editor.

Messaging

Direct messages, the encryption design, groups, and calls.

Spaces

Communities, and how to run one.

Intelligence

Search, Ask, Memory, summaries, and where each runs.

Profile and account

Identity, privacy, people, notifications, security, data.

Plans and billing

Tiers, limits, payment, cancellation.

Creators

Fan subscriptions, Super Chats, brand deals, payouts, analytics.

Safety

Reporting, restricted mode, Family Center, well-being.

Reference

Tables to look things up in.