Rank Math SEO
Modular WordPress SEO plugin with a broad free tier: redirects, 404 monitor, schema, Search Console analytics and multiple focus keywords.
97
SmartCrawl
WPMU DEV's SEO plugin with SEO audits, content analysis, schema builder, redirects and IndexNow; Pro (via WPMU DEV plans) adds crawls and auto-linking.
Free installs10K+WordPress.org, active
Est. Pro installs~65KLikely 42K–98K
Vendor claims200K+Vendor's own figure
Rating4.8/5171 reviews
Price from$60/yrFreemium
Last updated15 Oct 2026Version 3.17.1
Overview
SmartCrawl is the SEO plugin from WPMU DEV, the company behind Smush, Hummingbird and Defender. It follows the same design language as the rest of that suite and plugs into WPMU DEV’s Hub dashboard, which makes it most attractive to people who already manage sites there.
Free features
The free plugin starts with a setup wizard and an SEO health audit with recommendations. In the editor it offers real-time SEO and readability analysis around a focus keyphrase, along with title and meta templates using macros. Technical tools include an XML sitemap, a schema module with a types builder (Article, Product, Local Business, Video and others), Open Graph and X cards, configurable breadcrumbs, a robots.txt editor, URL redirects and Instant Indexing via the IndexNow protocol. There are WooCommerce SEO settings, Moz data integration, import/export of settings, and network-level controls for multisite.
SmartCrawl Pro
Pro is not sold separately; it is included in WPMU DEV membership plans together with the other Pro plugins, CDN and backup storage. Pro-only features documented by WPMU DEV include:
- Scheduled SEO audit and sitemap reports
- A URL crawler that finds broken URLs, 404s and redirect chains
- Automatic linking of chosen keywords to internal or custom URLs
- Google News sitemap and location-based redirects
Limitations
SmartCrawl has no AI writing tools, llms.txt file, video sitemap, automatic image alt text or Search Console data in WordPress beyond verification. Readability analysis is aimed mainly at English content. Its WordPress.org footprint is small compared with the market leaders, and buying Pro means paying for a whole membership, which is good value only if you will use other WPMU DEV services.
SmartCrawl is a sensible pick for WPMU DEV members and agencies that already run sites through the Hub. For a standalone site, other free plugins offer more without tying you to one vendor.
Best for: WPMU DEV members and agencies managing client sites through The Hub.
SmartCrawl is a capable, well-designed SEO plugin whose free version covers analysis, schema, redirects and IndexNow. Its Pro tier makes most sense as part of a wider WPMU DEV membership; standalone buyers have more flexible options.
Pros
- Free SEO and readability analysis with setup wizard
- Schema types builder and breadcrumbs in the free version
- IndexNow instant indexing and robots.txt editor included
- Strong multisite controls and Hub integration
- Pro comes bundled with all WPMU DEV Pro plugins
Cons
- Pro only available through a WPMU DEV membership
- No AI tools, llms.txt or video sitemap
- No Search Console data inside WordPress
- Smaller user base and ecosystem than market leaders
Key features
What SmartCrawl highlights on its WordPress.org page and its own website, split by version.
Free version WordPress.org
- SEO health audit and checkup
- Real-time SEO and readability analysis
- Title and meta templates with macros
- XML sitemap with post-type control
- Schema types builder
- Configurable breadcrumbs
- URL redirects
- Robots.txt editor
- IndexNow instant indexing
- Open Graph and X cards
- WooCommerce SEO settings
- Moz integration
- Multisite network controls
Pro / paid adds From $60/yr
- Scheduled SEO audits and reports
- URL crawler for 404s and broken URLs
- Automatic keyword linking
- Google News sitemap
- Location-based redirects
- WPMU DEV white labelling
- Bundled with all WPMU DEV Pro plugins
- 24/7 WPMU DEV support
Feature checklist
19 of 27 features we track in SEO Plugins, feature score 76/100
On-page 4/8
Title & meta editor Key
Edit SEO titles and descriptions with templates.
Title and meta templates with macros plus per-post overrides.
Included
Content analysis
Keyword and readability checks while writing.
Real-time SEO and readability analysis in the editor (readability mainly English).
Included
Multiple focus keywords
Optimise a page for more than one keyword.
Docs describe focus keyphrase analysis; multiple-keyphrase support not confirmed.
Not verified
Internal linking suggestions
Suggests relevant internal links.
Pro Automatic Linking turns chosen keywords into links; not suggestion-based.
Paid version Pro Basic
Social previews
Open Graph and X/Twitter card controls.
OpenGraph and X card settings, plus Pinterest verification.
Included
AI writing assistant
Generate titles, descriptions or content with AI.
No AI content or meta generation in docs or readme.
Not included
Image SEO
Automatic alt text, titles or image attachment redirects.
No automatic image alt/title feature documented.
Not included
Bulk SEO editor
Edit titles and descriptions for many posts from one screen.
No bulk meta editor documented.
Not verified
Technical 9/11
XML sitemaps Key
Automatic XML sitemaps.
XML sitemap with post type and taxonomy selection.
Included
Schema markup Key
Structured data for rich results.
Schema module with types builder for Article, Product, Local Business, Video and more.
Included
Breadcrumbs
Breadcrumb trail output with schema.
Customisable breadcrumbs via shortcode or PHP, incl. WooCommerce.
Included
Redirect manager
Create and manage 301/302 redirects.
URL redirects in Advanced Tools; location-based redirects need Pro.
Included
404 monitor
Log broken URLs visitors hit.
Pro URL crawler reports 404s and redirect chains; no live 404 visitor log.
Paid version Pro Basic
robots.txt editor
Edit robots.txt from the dashboard.
Robots.txt editor included.
Included
llms.txt file
Generate an llms.txt file for AI crawlers.
No llms.txt support documented.
Not included
News sitemap
Google News sitemap.
Docs label the Google News sitemap as Pro.
Paid version Pro Basic
Video sitemap
Video sitemap and video schema.
No video sitemap; only video schema guidance.
Not included
IndexNow / instant indexing
Notify search engines when content changes.
Instant Indexing notifies search engines using the IndexNow protocol.
Included
Broken link monitoring
Find broken internal or external links.
Pro crawler checks sitemap URLs for broken links and multiple redirects.
Paid version Pro Basic
Specialist 2/2
Local SEO
Business details, locations and LocalBusiness schema.
Local Business schema type with subtypes; no dedicated local SEO module.
Partial
WooCommerce SEO
Product schema and shop-specific controls.
WooCommerce SEO settings for products, product schema and breadcrumbs.
Included
Insights & tools 1/3
Search Console integration
Search Console data inside WordPress.
Only Search Console verification; no GSC data shown in WordPress.
Not included
Keyword rank tracking
Track keyword positions over time.
No rank tracking.
Not included
Import from other SEO plugins
Migrate settings and metadata when switching.
WPMU DEV lists data import from Yoast SEO and All in One SEO.
Included
Admin & agency 3/3
Role manager
Control which user roles can change SEO settings.
Settings include role management and permissions for SEO tools.
Included
White label
Remove or replace plugin branding for client sites.
White labelling available to WPMU DEV members.
Paid version Pro Basic
Multisite support
Works on WordPress multisite networks.
Network-wide or per-site SEO control for multisite.
Included
Pricing
Free
$0On WordPress.org
Pro Basic
$60per year1 site
WPMU DEV plan with all Pro plugins, 50GB CDN, 5GB backups; promo pricing ($36 first year) often shown.
Pro Standard
$100per year3 sites
All Pro plugins, 100GB CDN, 10GB backups; promo $60 first year.
Pro Plus
$200per year10 sites
All Pro plugins, 250GB CDN, 20GB backups; promo $120 first year.
Premium
$3,000per yearUnlimited
Adds hosting, reseller and VIP support; promo $1,200 first year.
Prices are list prices from the vendor's site, checked 14 Oct 2026. Many vendors discount the first year.
How many sites use SmartCrawl?
Free installs from WordPress.org, the vendor's own claim, and our estimate of paid installs.
Free version (WordPress.org)
10K+
Active installations reported by WordPress.org.
Vendor claim
200K+
Sites/users claimed on the vendor's website. source
Estimated Pro / paid installs
~65K
Our estimate, see method below.
How we estimated this: The vendor counts 200K+ sites in total; taking away about 15K free installs (the middle of the WordPress.org range) leaves 190K, of which we count 80% (150K). About 15K free installs x 16% (the usual share of free sites that also run the paid version when some key features are paid, and Pro is included in a wider membership) gives 2.4K. Combining these (weighted average) gives about 65K. Likely range: 42K to 98K. This counts sites running the paid version, including sites whose licence has lapsed. Estimates are rough and based on public figures as of 14 Oct 2026.
Stats & health
Weekly downloads
2,529 downloads last week, 1.4M all time
Rating breakdown
| Version | 3.17.1 |
|---|---|
| Last updated | 15 Oct 2026 (19 days ago) |
| Tested up to | WordPress 7.1.4 |
| Requires | WordPress 6.4+, PHP 7.4+ |
| Support threads (2 months) | 1 of 1 resolved |
| On WordPress.org since | 12 Feb 2018 |
Company & policy
| Refund policy | 30-day money-back (source, 5 Oct 2026) |
|---|---|
| Trustpilot rating | 4.8 (source, 5 Oct 2026) Company-level WPMU DEV rating (3,102 reviews) shown on product page, not SmartCrawl-specific. |
SmartCrawl compared
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FAQ
Is SmartCrawl free?
Yes. SmartCrawl has a free version on WordPress.org. Paid plans start at $60/yr.
How many sites use SmartCrawl?
WordPress.org reports 10K+ active installations of the free version. The vendor claims 200K+ sites in total. We estimate around 65K sites run the paid version.
Does SmartCrawl have title & meta editor?
Yes: included. Title and meta templates with macros plus per-post overrides.
Does SmartCrawl have xml sitemaps?
Yes: included. XML sitemap with post type and taxonomy selection.
Does SmartCrawl have schema markup?
Yes: included. Schema module with types builder for Article, Product, Local Business, Video and more.
How do I get SmartCrawl Pro?
SmartCrawl Pro is included in WPMU DEV membership plans (Pro Basic from $60/year for one site), which also include the company's other Pro plugins, CDN and backups.
What does the free version include?
SEO audits, content and readability analysis, title/meta templates, sitemaps, schema builder, breadcrumbs, redirects, robots.txt editing and IndexNow instant indexing.
Can I import settings from Yoast SEO?
WPMU DEV lists data import from other SEO plugins such as Yoast SEO and All in One SEO, plus SmartCrawl's own settings import/export.
Does SmartCrawl support multisite?
Yes. Super admins can control SEO settings across a network or let individual site owners manage their own.
Last updated 5 Oct 2026. Spotted something wrong? Suggest an edit.