Rank Math SEO
Modular WordPress SEO plugin with a broad free tier: redirects, 404 monitor, schema, Search Console analytics and multiple focus keywords.
97
Yoast SEO
Long-running WordPress SEO plugin with readability and keyphrase analysis, schema, sitemaps and a Premium tier that bundles Local, Video and News SEO.
Free installs10M+WordPress.org, active
Est. Pro installs~710KLikely 360K–1.4M
Vendor claims13M+Vendor's own figure
Rating4.8/527,821 reviews
Price from$118.80/yrFreemium
Last updated27 Oct 2026Version 28.8
Overview
Yoast SEO is one of the oldest and most widely installed SEO plugins for WordPress, maintained by the Dutch company Yoast. It handles the technical groundwork most sites need (titles and meta descriptions, canonical URLs, XML sitemaps, breadcrumbs and a structured data graph) and pairs it with an editor sidebar that scores each post for SEO and readability.
How it works
After a configuration workflow, Yoast outputs schema.org markup automatically and generates sitemaps for public post types and taxonomies. In the editor you set a focus keyphrase, preview the search snippet and work through traffic-light checks covering keyphrase use, links, length and sentence structure. The free version also includes inclusive-language analysis, a robots.txt and .htaccess file editor, a bulk editor for titles and descriptions, crawl settings, an llms.txt generator and an importer for other SEO plugins.
Free vs Premium
Yoast SEO Premium (billed per site) adds up to five keyphrases per post, internal linking suggestions and orphaned-content detection, a redirect manager with CSV import/export, social previews, IndexNow pings, AI-generated titles and descriptions, and an AI crawler blocker. Since mid-2025 the formerly separate Local SEO, Video SEO and News SEO plugins are included with Premium. WooCommerce stores need the separate Yoast WooCommerce SEO plan, which adds product schema, product-focused analysis and shop sitemaps.
Strengths and limitations
- The readability and content analysis is well suited to writers who want plain-language guidance.
- Its schema graph and sitemap output are stable and broadly supported by themes and builders.
- There is no 404 monitor, broken link checker or white-label mode, and the free version shows no Search Console data unless you also install Google’s Site Kit plugin.
- Premium is licensed per site, which gets expensive for agencies compared with Rank Math’s site allowances.
Yoast SEO suits bloggers, publishers and content teams who value guided writing feedback and a conservative, well-documented plugin. Sites that want redirects, rank tracking and many modules in a free plugin may find Rank Math or AIOSEO a better fit.
Best for: Bloggers, publishers and content teams who want guided SEO and readability feedback inside the editor.
Yoast SEO remains a dependable default with strong content analysis and clean technical output. The free version is narrower than Rank Math's, and per-site Premium pricing adds up, but the 2025 bundling of Local, Video and News SEO into Premium improved its value.
Pros
- Readability and inclusive-language analysis in the free version
- Solid automatic schema graph and XML sitemaps
- Free importer covering Rank Math, AIOSEO and many older SEO plugins
- Premium bundles Local, Video and News SEO at no extra cost
- Free llms.txt generation and robots.txt file editor
- Large documentation library and long update history
Cons
- Only one focus keyphrase in the free version
- Redirects, internal link suggestions and social previews require Premium
- No built-in 404 monitor or broken link checker
- Premium licences are per site
- WooCommerce SEO needs a separate, pricier plan
Key features
What Yoast SEO highlights on its WordPress.org page and its own website, split by version.
Free version WordPress.org
- SEO and readability content analysis
- Inclusive language checks
- Snippet preview for titles and meta
- Automatic schema.org structured data
- XML sitemaps with canonical control
- Breadcrumbs with schema
- Crawl optimisation settings
- robots.txt and .htaccess file editor
- llms.txt file generation
- Bulk title and description editor
- SEO Manager and SEO Editor roles
- Import from other SEO plugins
- Site Kit and Wincher integrations
Pro / paid adds From $118.80/yr
- Up to five keyphrases per post
- Internal linking suggestions
- Orphaned content detection
- Redirect manager with CSV import
- Facebook and X social previews
- AI-generated titles and meta descriptions
- IndexNow integration
- AI crawler blocker
- Local SEO included
- Video SEO and video sitemaps included
- News SEO and news sitemaps included
- Google Docs add-on seat
- 24/7 Premium support
Feature checklist
22 of 27 features we track in SEO Plugins, feature score 84/100
On-page 8/8
Title & meta editor Key
Edit SEO titles and descriptions with templates.
Per-post SEO title and meta description with templates and snippet preview.
Included
Content analysis
Keyword and readability checks while writing.
SEO, readability and inclusive-language scoring in the editor.
Included
Multiple focus keywords
Optimise a page for more than one keyword.
Free allows one focus keyphrase; Premium supports up to five per post.
Paid version Premium
Internal linking suggestions
Suggests relevant internal links.
Internal linking suggestions and orphaned content tools are Premium-only.
Paid version Premium
Social previews
Open Graph and X/Twitter card controls.
Free outputs Open Graph and X meta; visual social previews need Premium.
Included
AI writing assistant
Generate titles, descriptions or content with AI.
AI generation of titles and meta descriptions plus AI Optimize and Summarize.
Paid version Premium
Image SEO
Automatic alt text, titles or image attachment redirects.
Analysis checks image alt text, but there is no automatic alt/title generation.
Partial
Bulk SEO editor
Edit titles and descriptions for many posts from one screen.
Tools > Bulk editor lets you edit titles and descriptions in a table.
Included
Technical 9/11
XML sitemaps Key
Automatic XML sitemaps.
Automatic XML sitemaps for posts, pages, taxonomies and authors.
Included
Schema markup Key
Structured data for rich results.
Automatic schema graph plus FAQ and HowTo blocks.
Included
Breadcrumbs
Breadcrumb trail output with schema.
Breadcrumb output for themes with matching schema.
Included
Redirect manager
Create and manage 301/302 redirects.
Redirect manager with automatic prompts and CSV import/export.
Paid version Premium
404 monitor
Log broken URLs visitors hit.
No 404 logging feature is listed for free or Premium.
Not included
robots.txt editor
Edit robots.txt from the dashboard.
Built-in file editor for robots.txt and .htaccess.
Included
llms.txt file
Generate an llms.txt file for AI crawlers.
One-click llms.txt generation available in the free plugin.
Included
News sitemap
Google News sitemap.
News SEO (Google News sitemap) is now bundled with Premium.
Paid version Premium
Video sitemap
Video sitemap and video schema.
Video SEO with video sitemaps and schema is bundled with Premium.
Paid version Premium
IndexNow / instant indexing
Notify search engines when content changes.
IndexNow pinging is listed as a Premium feature.
Paid version Premium
Broken link monitoring
Find broken internal or external links.
No broken link scanning tool is offered.
Not included
Specialist 2/2
Local SEO
Business details, locations and LocalBusiness schema.
Local SEO (locations, opening hours, local schema) included with Premium.
Paid version Premium
WooCommerce SEO
Product schema and shop-specific controls.
Separate paid Yoast WooCommerce SEO plugin/plan ($178.80/yr, includes Premium).
Via add-on
Insights & tools 1/3
Search Console integration
Search Console data inside WordPress.
Search Console metrics shown in Yoast's dashboard via Google's free Site Kit plugin.
Third-party
Keyword rank tracking
Track keyword positions over time.
Keyphrase position tracking via the Wincher integration (Wincher account).
Third-party
Import from other SEO plugins
Migrate settings and metadata when switching.
Free importer covers Rank Math, AIOSEO, SEO Framework, Squirrly and more.
Included
Admin & agency 2/3
Role manager
Control which user roles can change SEO settings.
Adds SEO Manager and SEO Editor roles; no granular capability manager.
Partial
White label
Remove or replace plugin branding for client sites.
No option to rebrand or hide Yoast branding is offered.
Not included
Multisite support
Works on WordPress multisite networks.
Supports network activation with network-level settings.
Included
Pricing
Free
$0On WordPress.org
Yoast SEO Premium
$118.80per year1 site
Ex VAT; includes Local, Video and News SEO plus AI tools and one Google Docs add-on seat.
Yoast WooCommerce SEO
$178.80per year1 site
Ex VAT; includes everything in Premium plus WooCommerce SEO.
Prices are list prices from the vendor's site, checked 14 Oct 2026. Many vendors discount the first year.
How many sites use Yoast SEO?
Free installs from WordPress.org, the vendor's own claim, and our estimate of paid installs.
Free version (WordPress.org)
10M+
Active installations reported by WordPress.org.
Vendor claim
13M+
Sites/users claimed on the vendor's website. source
Estimated Pro / paid installs
~710K
Our estimate, see method below.
How we estimated this: WordPress.org shows 10M+ free installs, which could mean anything from 10M to 15M. The vendor says 13M+ sites, so we put the free count halfway between the middle of that range and the vendor figure, at about 13M. About 13M free installs x 5.6% (the usual share of free sites that also run the paid version when some key features are paid, lower for very large free bases) gives 710K. Likely range: 360K to 1.4M. 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
4,763,529 downloads last week, 1B all time
Rating breakdown
| Version | 28.8 |
|---|---|
| Last updated | 27 Oct 2026 (6 days ago) |
| Tested up to | WordPress 7.1.4 |
| Requires | WordPress 7.0+, PHP 7.4+ |
| Support threads (2 months) | 47 of 47 resolved |
| On WordPress.org since | 11 Oct 2010 |
Company & policy
| Founded | 2010 (source, 5 Oct 2026) Company founded by Joost de Valk. |
|---|---|
| Refund policy | 30-day money-back (source, 5 Oct 2026) Initial purchases only; renewals are not refunded. |
Yoast SEO compared
Alternatives to Yoast SEO
All in One SEO (AIOSEO)
Long-standing WordPress SEO plugin with TruSEO analysis, schema, sitemaps and paid tiers adding redirects, link assistant, local SEO and rank tracking.
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SEOPress
Freemium all-in-one SEO plugin with metadata, sitemaps, content analysis and llms.txt free; PRO adds schema, redirects, AI and Search Console.
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ThinkRank SEO
AI-first WordPress SEO plugin with a built-in MCP server, bring-your-own-key AI writing, schema, sitemaps and Search Console data.
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Squirrly SEO
Cloud-assisted SEO plugin with a live writing assistant, keyword research, audits, rank tracking and llms.txt; paid plans raise usage limits.
90
SureRank
Beginner-friendly SEO plugin from Brainstorm Force with meta templates, schema, site audits, GSC data and built-in AI; Pro adds redirects and indexing.
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FAQ
Is Yoast SEO free?
Yes. Yoast SEO has a free version on WordPress.org. Paid plans start at $118.80/yr.
How many sites use Yoast SEO?
WordPress.org reports 10M+ active installations of the free version. The vendor claims 13M+ sites in total. We estimate around 710K sites run the paid version.
Does Yoast SEO have title & meta editor?
Yes: included. Per-post SEO title and meta description with templates and snippet preview.
Does Yoast SEO have xml sitemaps?
Yes: included. Automatic XML sitemaps for posts, pages, taxonomies and authors.
Does Yoast SEO have schema markup?
Yes: included. Automatic schema graph plus FAQ and HowTo blocks.
What does Yoast SEO Premium add over the free plugin?
Premium adds up to five keyphrases, internal linking suggestions, a redirect manager, social previews, IndexNow, AI title and description generation, and it now includes the Local, Video and News SEO plugins.
Do I need Yoast WooCommerce SEO for an online shop?
The free plugin works on WooCommerce sites, but product-specific schema, product analysis and shop sitemaps come from the separate WooCommerce SEO plan, which also includes Premium.
Can Yoast show Google Search Console data?
Yes, through its Site Kit by Google integration. You install Google's free Site Kit plugin and Yoast's dashboard then shows impressions, clicks, CTR and position.
Can I switch from Rank Math or AIOSEO to Yoast?
Yes. The free Tools > Import feature reads data from Rank Math, All in One SEO and a long list of older SEO plugins.
How is Premium licensed on multisite?
A subfolder network that is network-activated needs one subscription; subdomain or domain-mapped networks need one subscription per site or domain.
Last updated 5 Oct 2026. Spotted something wrong? Suggest an edit.