Rank Math puts a lot inside WordPress for free: the core plugin brings Google Search Console data into your dashboard, refreshed every 3 days, alongside your Google Analytics 4 data.
Buying guide · 11 tools ranked
Best WordPress SEO Plugins
Find the best WordPress SEO plugins, grouped by the job they do for your site: the plugin that handles on-page work inside your dashboard, the AI writing tools that draft posts and send them to your blog, and the platforms that track rankings and audit the whole site. Start with the plugin, then add the other groups as your site and publishing grow.
Our top 3 WordPress SEO Plugins
Rankability is aimed at agencies: plans are sized by client count, and it tracks how each client shows up in ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini answers next to classic SEO data.
Semrush is for the owner or agency that wants every kind of SEO data in one place: a 28 billion keyword database, backlink analysis, a site audit and daily position tracking for 500 keywords across five sites on the SEO plan, plus reports on AI visibility.
Best WordPress SEO plugins
4 picksEvery WordPress site needs an SEO plugin, and all four here have a free version for core on-page work. They split on what paid plans add and how AI is billed. Rank Math brings Search Console data in for free and sells rank tracking in PRO, with AI writing as a separate subscription. SEOPress runs its AI on your own key. Yoast includes every AI tool in Premium with no credits, one site per subscription. All in One SEO gives monthly AI credits on every paid plan, with rank tracking on Elite. Choose by how many sites you run and how you want to pay for AI.
#ToolScorePriceWhy pick it
From $10 (€8.99)free planRank Math puts a lot inside WordPress for free: the core plugin brings Google Search Console data into your dashboard, refreshed every 3 days, alongside your Google Analytics 4 data.
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Rank Math: Best for search console data and rank tracking8.8Score 8.8 out of 10From $10 (€8.99)free planRank Math puts a lot inside WordPress for free: the core plugin brings Google Search Console data into your dashboard, refreshed every 3 days, alongside your Google Analytics 4 data.Visit site ↗ReviewDetailsCloseShow more about Rank Math
From $10 (€8.99)free plan
Rank Math puts a lot inside WordPress for free: the core plugin brings Google Search Console data into your dashboard, refreshed every 3 days, alongside your Google Analytics 4 data.
Show detailsHide detailsRank Math: Best for search console data and rank tracking
8.8Score 8.8 out of 10From $10 (€8.99)free planRank Math puts a lot inside WordPress for free: the core plugin brings Google Search Console data into your dashboard, refreshed every 3 days, alongside your Google Analytics 4 data.Visit site ↗ReviewDetailsClose
Rank Math puts a lot inside WordPress for free: the core plugin brings Google Search Console data into your dashboard, refreshed every 3 days, alongside your Google Analytics 4 data. PRO adds a keyword rank tracker, from 500 keywords with 12 months of position history, plus daily data, and an SEO Analyzer runs more than 30 site-wide tests. The catch is that AI writing is a second subscription, Content AI, on top of PRO. Yoast includes its AI tools in Premium instead.
- The core Rank Math SEO plugin is free and brings Google Search Console data into WordPress.
- Rank Math PRO tracks 500 keywords on PRO, 10,000 on Business and 50,000 on Agency, with 12 months of position history.
- Content AI is a separate subscription from Rank Math PRO.
From $4.08free planIf you already pay for OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, Mistral or DeepSeek, SEOPress PRO runs its AI on your own key at no extra SEOPress cost, and PRO renews at the same price each year.
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SEOPress: Best for running AI on your own key8.1Score 8.1 out of 10From $4.08free planIf you already pay for OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, Mistral or DeepSeek, SEOPress PRO runs its AI on your own key at no extra SEOPress cost, and PRO renews at the same price each year.Visit site ↗ReviewDetailsCloseShow more about SEOPress
From $4.08free plan
If you already pay for OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, Mistral or DeepSeek, SEOPress PRO runs its AI on your own key at no extra SEOPress cost, and PRO renews at the same price each year.
Show detailsHide detailsSEOPress: Best for running AI on your own key
8.1Score 8.1 out of 10From $4.08free planIf you already pay for OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, Mistral or DeepSeek, SEOPress PRO runs its AI on your own key at no extra SEOPress cost, and PRO renews at the same price each year.Visit site ↗ReviewDetailsClose
If you already pay for OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, Mistral or DeepSeek, SEOPress PRO runs its AI on your own key at no extra SEOPress cost, and PRO renews at the same price each year. The free edition analyzes unlimited target keywords per post, where Yoast's free plugin checks one. Redirects, schema, WooCommerce SEO and the site audit sit in PRO, and rank tracking needs the separate Insights add-on. There is no free trial and no live chat with a person.
- PRO runs its AI on your own OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, Mistral or DeepSeek key at no extra SEOPress cost.
- The free edition analyzes content for unlimited target keywords per post.
- PRO has no rank tracker; rank tracking needs the SEOPress Insights add-on, priced per site.
From $9.90free planMost site owners already know Yoast, and Premium is the simplest way to get AI help in WordPress: AI titles and meta descriptions, internal linking and a redirect manager come inside the plan, with no credits to buy.
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Yoast SEO: Best for AI titles and meta with no credits7.5Score 7.5 out of 10From $9.90free planMost site owners already know Yoast, and Premium is the simplest way to get AI help in WordPress: AI titles and meta descriptions, internal linking and a redirect manager come inside the plan, with no credits to buy.Visit site ↗ReviewDetailsCloseShow more about Yoast SEO
From $9.90free plan
Most site owners already know Yoast, and Premium is the simplest way to get AI help in WordPress: AI titles and meta descriptions, internal linking and a redirect manager come inside the plan, with no credits to buy.
Show detailsHide detailsYoast SEO: Best for AI titles and meta with no credits
7.5Score 7.5 out of 10From $9.90free planMost site owners already know Yoast, and Premium is the simplest way to get AI help in WordPress: AI titles and meta descriptions, internal linking and a redirect manager come inside the plan, with no credits to buy.Visit site ↗ReviewDetailsClose
Most site owners already know Yoast, and Premium is the simplest way to get AI help in WordPress: AI titles and meta descriptions, internal linking and a redirect manager come inside the plan, with no credits to buy. The former Local, News and Video add-ons are bundled in, and paid plans get 24/7 chat and email support. Each subscription covers one site, though, and WooCommerce SEO is a separate, higher plan. SEOPress sells a license for unlimited sites.
- The free plugin includes SEO analysis, schema, XML sitemaps, llms.txt management and a bulk editor.
- All AI tools are included in Premium, with no separate AI subscription and no credit top-ups.
- Each subscription covers one site, so more sites need more subscriptions.
From $8.25free planAll in One SEO suits owners who want AI writing billed inside the plugin: every paid plan includes a monthly AI credit allowance, from 10,000 on Basic, where one AI Assistant request costs 50 credits.
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All in One SEO: Best for monthly AI credits on every paid plan7.5Score 7.5 out of 10From $8.25free planAll in One SEO suits owners who want AI writing billed inside the plugin: every paid plan includes a monthly AI credit allowance, from 10,000 on Basic, where one AI Assistant request costs 50 credits.Visit site ↗ReviewDetailsCloseShow more about All in One SEO
From $8.25free plan
All in One SEO suits owners who want AI writing billed inside the plugin: every paid plan includes a monthly AI credit allowance, from 10,000 on Basic, where one AI Assistant request costs 50 credits.
Show detailsHide detailsAll in One SEO: Best for monthly AI credits on every paid plan
7.5Score 7.5 out of 10From $8.25free planAll in One SEO suits owners who want AI writing billed inside the plugin: every paid plan includes a monthly AI credit allowance, from 10,000 on Basic, where one AI Assistant request costs 50 credits.Visit site ↗ReviewDetailsClose
All in One SEO suits owners who want AI writing billed inside the plugin: every paid plan includes a monthly AI credit allowance, from 10,000 on Basic, where one AI Assistant request costs 50 credits. Schema, unlimited SEO audits and WooCommerce SEO are on every paid plan, and Elite covers 100 sites. Rank tracking and Search Statistics sit on Elite, redirects start on Pro, and renewals move to full price after the discounted first year.
- Every paid plan includes TruSEO Analysis, Smart Schema Markup and unlimited SEO audits.
- WooCommerce SEO is on every paid plan.
- The first year is discounted and renewals are at the full price.
Best AI writing and content tools that publish to WordPress
4 picksThese tools write or score the posts themselves, while your plugin looks after the page settings. Koala AI drafts whole articles and publishes to WordPress in one click from a low entry price. Frase covers research, briefs and drafting, then watches published pages for ranking drops. Surfer scores a draft against ranking pages as you write, with a WordPress plugin and a Chrome extension that works in Google Docs. Rankability is built for agencies and tracks how clients appear in AI answers. Choose by whether you want finished drafts, guidance while you write, or reporting for clients.
#ToolScorePriceWhy pick it
From $99Rankability is aimed at agencies: plans are sized by client count, and it tracks how each client shows up in ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini answers next to classic SEO data.
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Rankability: Best for agencies tracking clients in AI answers7.8Score 7.8 out of 10From $99Rankability is aimed at agencies: plans are sized by client count, and it tracks how each client shows up in ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini answers next to classic SEO data.Visit site ↗ReviewDetailsCloseShow more about Rankability
From $99
Rankability is aimed at agencies: plans are sized by client count, and it tracks how each client shows up in ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini answers next to classic SEO data.
Show detailsHide detailsRankability: Best for agencies tracking clients in AI answers
7.8Score 7.8 out of 10From $99Rankability is aimed at agencies: plans are sized by client count, and it tracks how each client shows up in ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini answers next to classic SEO data.Visit site ↗ReviewDetailsClose
Rankability is aimed at agencies: plans are sized by client count, and it tracks how each client shows up in ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini answers next to classic SEO data. An AI agent, Serena, reads client data and recommends next actions, and the founder runs weekly mastermind calls for subscribers. There is no free plan, the 7-day trial applies to monthly billing, and it has the highest entry price in this group. Koala AI is enough for one blog.
- Built specifically for agencies managing multiple clients, not just adapted for them as an afterthought.
- Tracks AI platform visibility across ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini, a rare feature most SEO tools still lack.
- The platform is very young, launching only in March 2024, meaning long-term reliability is still unproven.
From $9free planBloggers who want finished drafts rather than advice should start with Koala AI. It writes long articles and publishes to WordPress in one click, and the Outline Editor lets you set the H2 and H3 structure before it writes.
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Koala AI: Best for drafting posts and publishing in one click7.5Score 7.5 out of 10From $9free planBloggers who want finished drafts rather than advice should start with Koala AI. It writes long articles and publishes to WordPress in one click, and the Outline Editor lets you set the H2 and H3 structure before it writes.Visit site ↗ReviewDetailsCloseShow more about Koala AI
From $9free plan
Bloggers who want finished drafts rather than advice should start with Koala AI. It writes long articles and publishes to WordPress in one click, and the Outline Editor lets you set the H2 and H3 structure before it writes.
Show detailsHide detailsKoala AI: Best for drafting posts and publishing in one click
7.5Score 7.5 out of 10From $9free planBloggers who want finished drafts rather than advice should start with Koala AI. It writes long articles and publishes to WordPress in one click, and the Outline Editor lets you set the H2 and H3 structure before it writes.Visit site ↗ReviewDetailsClose
Bloggers who want finished drafts rather than advice should start with Koala AI. It writes long articles and publishes to WordPress in one click, and the Outline Editor lets you set the H2 and H3 structure before it writes. The free plan gives 5,000 words with no card, and Essentials adds bulk writing and the WordPress integration. Deep Research and automatic internal linking start on Professional. It is built for SEO articles, so Frase suits teams that also need research and monitoring.
- Deep Research mode produces factual, cited content rather than hollow AI-generated filler, which users in the SEO space consistently confirmed.
- The Outline Editor lets you control H2 and H3 structure before generation runs, avoiding the need to rebuild structure after the fact.
- As a two-year-old product, Koala AI's long-term reliability and feature stability are still being proven in the market.
From $39Frase handles the whole loop for a content team: live search result research, automated briefs, drafting, and Content Guard, which watches published pages for ranking drops and traffic decay.
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Frase: Best for briefs and watching posts for ranking drops7.5Score 7.5 out of 10From $39Frase handles the whole loop for a content team: live search result research, automated briefs, drafting, and Content Guard, which watches published pages for ranking drops and traffic decay.Visit site ↗ReviewDetailsCloseShow more about Frase
From $39
Frase handles the whole loop for a content team: live search result research, automated briefs, drafting, and Content Guard, which watches published pages for ranking drops and traffic decay.
Show detailsHide detailsFrase: Best for briefs and watching posts for ranking drops
7.5Score 7.5 out of 10From $39Frase handles the whole loop for a content team: live search result research, automated briefs, drafting, and Content Guard, which watches published pages for ranking drops and traffic decay.Visit site ↗ReviewDetailsClose
Frase handles the whole loop for a content team: live search result research, automated briefs, drafting, and Content Guard, which watches published pages for ranking drops and traffic decay. It also tracks visibility in ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Gemini and Google AI. Starter covers one seat and one site with 10 articles a month, and the 7-day trial needs no card. There is no free plan, and the long feature list can feel heavy if you write alone.
- AI Visibility tracking across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Gemini, and Google AI is a genuine differentiator that most competitors don't offer at the same level.
- The SEO Research module uses live SERP data rather than cached snapshots, giving accurate competitor benchmarking and entity research.
- Despite significant growth since 2016, the platform still has rough edges that users are likely to encounter.
From $59Writers who want guidance while drafting should look at Surfer: the Content Editor shows a live Content Score based on pages that rank now, and a Chrome extension brings it into Google Docs, with a WordPress plugin to finish.
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Surfer: Best for scoring a draft while you write6.4Score 6.4 out of 10From $59Writers who want guidance while drafting should look at Surfer: the Content Editor shows a live Content Score based on pages that rank now, and a Chrome extension brings it into Google Docs, with a WordPress plugin to finish.Visit site ↗ReviewDetailsCloseShow more about Surfer
From $59
Writers who want guidance while drafting should look at Surfer: the Content Editor shows a live Content Score based on pages that rank now, and a Chrome extension brings it into Google Docs, with a WordPress plugin to finish.
Show detailsHide detailsSurfer: Best for scoring a draft while you write
6.4Score 6.4 out of 10From $59Writers who want guidance while drafting should look at Surfer: the Content Editor shows a live Content Score based on pages that rank now, and a Chrome extension brings it into Google Docs, with a WordPress plugin to finish.Visit site ↗ReviewDetailsClose
Writers who want guidance while drafting should look at Surfer: the Content Editor shows a live Content Score based on pages that rank now, and a Chrome extension brings it into Google Docs, with a WordPress plugin to finish. Content Audit flags ranking drops on existing pages and suggests likely causes. There is no free plan, just a 7-day trial of Pro, and the Discovery plan covers 10 documents. Koala AI writes the draft for you instead.
- The Content Editor provides real-time Content Score feedback as you write, based on analysis of currently ranking pages.
- Surfer covers a genuinely broad feature set including keyword research, topical mapping, AI writing, content auditing, and Search Console page tracking in one platform.
- The 'AI Visibility OS' branding feels overblown for what is fundamentally a content editor with added features.
Best SEO platforms for tracking a WordPress site
3 picksA plugin looks at one page at a time, while these platforms watch the whole site and your competitors. Semrush has the widest toolset, from a 28 billion keyword database to backlinks and daily position tracking, with a limited free account to start. SearchAtlas runs OTTO, which applies on-page fixes to your site automatically from live Search Console data. SE Ranking tracks 2,000 keywords daily on its Core plan and includes a content editor with an AI writer. Choose by whether you want the deepest data, automatic fixes, or more tracked keywords for the money.
#ToolScorePriceWhy pick it
From $139.95free planSemrush is for the owner or agency that wants every kind of SEO data in one place: a 28 billion keyword database, backlink analysis, a site audit and daily position tracking for 500 keywords across five sites on the SEO plan, plus reports on AI visibility.
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Semrush: Best for keyword research and competitor data at scale8.3Score 8.3 out of 10From $139.95free planSemrush is for the owner or agency that wants every kind of SEO data in one place: a 28 billion keyword database, backlink analysis, a site audit and daily position tracking for 500 keywords across five sites on the SEO plan, plus reports on AI visibility.Visit site ↗ReviewDetailsCloseShow more about Semrush
From $139.95free plan
Semrush is for the owner or agency that wants every kind of SEO data in one place: a 28 billion keyword database, backlink analysis, a site audit and daily position tracking for 500 keywords across five sites on the SEO plan, plus reports on AI visibility.
Show detailsHide detailsSemrush: Best for keyword research and competitor data at scale
8.3Score 8.3 out of 10From $139.95free planSemrush is for the owner or agency that wants every kind of SEO data in one place: a 28 billion keyword database, backlink analysis, a site audit and daily position tracking for 500 keywords across five sites on the SEO plan, plus reports on AI visibility.Visit site ↗ReviewDetailsClose
Semrush is for the owner or agency that wants every kind of SEO data in one place: a 28 billion keyword database, backlink analysis, a site audit and daily position tracking for 500 keywords across five sites on the SEO plan, plus reports on AI visibility. A limited free account and a 7-day trial let you look around first. The breadth brings a real learning curve, and its base plan has the highest starting price in this group.
- Semrush covers an exceptionally wide range of SEO capabilities including site auditing, rank tracking, keyword research, backlink analysis, PPC tools, and social scheduling all in one platform.
- The Keyword Magic Tool draws from a database of 28 billion keywords, giving users access to one of the largest keyword datasets available.
- The sheer breadth of tools creates a significant learning curve.
From $99What sets SearchAtlas apart is OTTO SEO, which applies on-page and technical fixes to your site automatically, using live Search Console data, without you approving each change.
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SearchAtlas: Best for automatic on-page fixes from Search Console8.0Score 8.0 out of 10From $99What sets SearchAtlas apart is OTTO SEO, which applies on-page and technical fixes to your site automatically, using live Search Console data, without you approving each change.Visit site ↗ReviewDetailsCloseShow more about SearchAtlas
From $99
What sets SearchAtlas apart is OTTO SEO, which applies on-page and technical fixes to your site automatically, using live Search Console data, without you approving each change.
Show detailsHide detailsSearchAtlas: Best for automatic on-page fixes from Search Console
8.0Score 8.0 out of 10From $99What sets SearchAtlas apart is OTTO SEO, which applies on-page and technical fixes to your site automatically, using live Search Console data, without you approving each change.Visit site ↗ReviewDetailsClose
What sets SearchAtlas apart is OTTO SEO, which applies on-page and technical fixes to your site automatically, using live Search Console data, without you approving each change. The same platform covers content, local SEO, backlinks, rank tracking and paid ads, and it connects to WordPress. Starter includes one OTTO project, one seat and 30 AI article credits, with a 7-day trial and no free tier. Those automatic edits are the point, so it suits owners happy to let software change pages.
- OTTO SEO applies on-page fixes automatically without requiring manual approval on each change, closing the loop most SEO tools leave open.
- The platform covers technical SEO, content creation, local SEO, backlink analysis, rank tracking, and paid ads management all under one roof.
- The all-in-one approach is a potential red flag for users who prefer best-in-class point solutions rather than a platform that tries to do everything.
From $129SE Ranking gives a lot of tracking for its entry price: Core tracks 2,000 keywords daily, four times Semrush's SEO plan, with 10 projects, 250,000 audit pages a month and unlimited keyword and competitor research.
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SE Ranking: Best for tracking thousands of keywords every day7.8Score 7.8 out of 10From $129SE Ranking gives a lot of tracking for its entry price: Core tracks 2,000 keywords daily, four times Semrush's SEO plan, with 10 projects, 250,000 audit pages a month and unlimited keyword and competitor research.Visit site ↗ReviewDetailsCloseShow more about SE Ranking
From $129
SE Ranking gives a lot of tracking for its entry price: Core tracks 2,000 keywords daily, four times Semrush's SEO plan, with 10 projects, 250,000 audit pages a month and unlimited keyword and competitor research.
Show detailsHide detailsSE Ranking: Best for tracking thousands of keywords every day
7.8Score 7.8 out of 10From $129SE Ranking gives a lot of tracking for its entry price: Core tracks 2,000 keywords daily, four times Semrush's SEO plan, with 10 projects, 250,000 audit pages a month and unlimited keyword and competitor research.Visit site ↗ReviewDetailsClose
SE Ranking gives a lot of tracking for its entry price: Core tracks 2,000 keywords daily, four times Semrush's SEO plan, with 10 projects, 250,000 audit pages a month and unlimited keyword and competitor research. The Content Editor adds an AI writer and live scoring inside Google Docs. Tracking in AI search is a separate add-on, as are agency white label features, and Core has one manager seat. The 14-day trial needs no card.
- SE Ranking's pricing undercuts major competitors like Clearscope and MarketMuse by a meaningful margin, offering strong value for budget-conscious teams.
- The May 2025 content editor overhaul introduced a fully rebuilt Content Editor with an integrated AI Writer, significantly expanding the platform's capabilities.
- SE Ranking started as a rank tracker and the content editor is one module inside a larger suite, meaning it may not feel as purpose-built as dedicated content tools.
How to choose a WordPress SEO plugin
The four SEO plugins here all do the basics for free, so the real choice is what you will pay for later: more sites, redirects and schema, rank tracking or AI writing. AI is billed in very different ways, from your own key to monthly credits to a separate subscription. Writing tools and SEO platforms then sit on top of the plugin rather than replacing it. This guide covers how the three groups fit together and which combination suits which site.
Start with the job, not the tool
Three jobs sit behind most WordPress SEO work, and a site needs the first before the others.
- Handle on-page SEO inside WordPress. Titles, meta descriptions, schema, sitemaps and content checks while you edit. Rank Math, SEOPress, Yoast SEO and All in One SEO are the plugins for this, and you pick one of them.
- Write and improve posts. Drafting articles, building briefs and scoring a draft against pages that rank. Koala AI drafts and publishes, Frase and Surfer guide and score, and Rankability does both for agencies.
- Track rankings and audit the site. Watching keyword positions, backlinks and technical errors across the whole site. Semrush, SearchAtlas and SE Ranking are full platforms for this, and Rank Math PRO and All in One SEO Elite track keywords from inside WordPress.
The table shows where to start on any budget.
| Job | Free | Worth paying for |
|---|---|---|
| On-page SEO | Rank Math, SEOPress, Yoast SEO or All in One SEO Lite | SEOPress PRO from $4.08 a month or Yoast SEO Premium from $9.90 a month, both billed yearly |
| AI writing inside the plugin | All in One SEO Lite's 100 AI credits, or Rank Math's small Content AI sample | Yoast SEO Premium with every AI tool included, or SEOPress PRO on your own AI key |
| Write and publish posts | Koala AI's 5,000 free words | Koala AI Essentials at $9 a month, or Frase Starter at $49 a month |
| Rank tracking | Search Console data in Rank Math's free plugin, or Semrush's limited free account | Rank Math PRO from 500 keywords, or SE Ranking Core at $129 a month for 2,000 |
| Site audits | A 7-day trial of Semrush or SearchAtlas, or 14 days of SE Ranking | All in One SEO Basic at $8.25 a month billed yearly for unlimited SEO audits, or Semrush SEO at $139.95 a month |
The free plugins cover one site's on-page basics, and what they hold back differs: SEOPress keeps redirects and schema for PRO, Yoast keeps extra keyphrases and the redirect manager for Premium, and rank tracking is paid in Rank Math and All in One SEO. Pay first for the plugin upgrade that fixes your biggest gap, and add a writing tool or platform once you publish regularly.
What the free versions actually give you
Each kind of tool rations something different, so the free version that suits you depends on which part of the work you want help with.
- SEO plugins. These have the most generous free versions. Yoast's free plugin includes SEO analysis, schema, XML sitemaps, llms.txt and a bulk editor, and checks one focus keyphrase per post. SEOPress free analyzes unlimited target keywords per post and adds tracking codes for Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager and Matomo. Rank Math free brings in Search Console data every 3 days. All in One SEO Lite comes with 100 AI credits, which is two AI Assistant requests at 50 credits each.
- AI writing tools. Koala AI gives 5,000 words with no card, enough to test it on a real post in your niche. Frase, Surfer and Rankability have no free plan and offer 7-day trials instead, Frase's with no card and Rankability's on monthly billing.
- SEO platforms. Semrush has a limited free account plus a 7-day trial. SearchAtlas has a 7-day trial and no free tier, and SE Ranking a 14-day trial with no card.
For a small blog, a free plugin plus Search Console data is a sound start. The paid tools earn their place once you publish often or look after several sites.
Which tools fit which site owner
- A new blogger on no budget. Start with Rank Math's free plugin, because it brings Search Console data into WordPress at no cost. Add Koala AI's free words when you want to try AI drafts.
- A blogger who wants AI writing. Start with Yoast SEO Premium, because every AI tool is included with no credits to buy. Add Koala AI Essentials for full drafts that publish to WordPress in one click.
- Someone running many small sites. Start with SEOPress PRO, since one license can cover unlimited sites and renews at the same price. All in One SEO Elite is the alternative when you want rank tracking built in, covering 100 sites.
- An online store on WooCommerce. Start with All in One SEO, because WooCommerce SEO is on every paid plan. Yoast sells WooCommerce SEO as a separate plan, and SEOPress keeps it in PRO.
- A content team publishing every week. Start with Frase for briefs, drafts and Content Guard, or Surfer for live scoring in Google Docs. Add Rank Math PRO to watch positions from inside WordPress.
- An agency. Start with Rankability for client reporting and AI answer tracking, or SE Ranking with its Agency Pack add-on for white label. Add Semrush or SearchAtlas when clients need backlink and site-wide data.
One post, from keyword to published page
- Pick the keyword. Find it in Semrush's Keyword Magic Tool or SE Ranking's keyword research, or check what you already rank for in Rank Math's Search Console data.
- Build the brief. Frase maps topics and entities from top-ranking pages, and Koala AI's Outline Editor sets the H2 and H3 structure before writing.
- Write the draft. Koala AI writes the whole article, Rank Math's Content AI and All in One SEO's AI Assistant help inside WordPress, and Surfer scores the text live as you write.
- Check on-page SEO. Your plugin checks the target keyword: one per post in Yoast free, up to five in Premium, and unlimited target keywords in SEOPress.
- Add titles, meta and links. Yoast Premium writes AI titles and meta descriptions, Koala AI Professional adds internal links automatically, and All in One SEO Pro has an Internal Link Assistant.
- Publish. Koala AI publishes to WordPress in one click, and Surfer has a WordPress plugin for its guidelines.
- Track and refresh. Watch the post in Rank Math PRO, SE Ranking or Semrush, and let Frase's Content Guard or Surfer's Content Audit flag drops so you know which post to update.
Where free plans stop
| Limit | Tools | What happens when you hit it |
|---|---|---|
| One keyphrase per post | Yoast SEO free | Premium analyzes up to five |
| No redirects or schema | SEOPress free | Both come with PRO, along with the site audit |
| No rank tracker | Rank Math free | PRO adds tracking from 500 keywords |
| AI credits | All in One SEO Lite (100), Rank Math free (a small monthly sample) | Move to a paid plan, top up with pay-as-you-go credits, or add Content AI |
| Word allowance | Koala AI free (5,000 words) | Essentials gives 15,000 words a month |
| Trial with an end date | Frase, Surfer, Rankability and SearchAtlas (7 days), SE Ranking (14 days) | The plan is paid once the trial ends |
Free plugins have no time limit, so the pressure comes from missing features rather than a clock. Start a trial when a batch of posts or a full audit is ready to run, so the 7 or 14 days go on real work rather than looking around.
Mistakes to avoid
- Paying twice for AI. Rank Math's Content AI is a separate subscription from PRO, so you can end up with two bills. If you want AI inside one plan, Yoast Premium includes it and SEOPress runs on your own key.
- Buying per-site plans for many sites. Yoast covers one site per subscription. SEOPress sells a license for unlimited sites, and All in One SEO Elite covers 100.
- Forgetting the renewal price. All in One SEO's first year is discounted and renews at full price, and Rank Math's listed prices are for the first year. SEOPress PRO renews at the same price.
- Expecting a writing tool to replace the plugin. Koala AI, Frase and Surfer are built to write and score posts. Sitemaps, schema and redirects are what the plugins on this page are for, so keep one installed.
- Letting automatic fixes run unchecked. SearchAtlas OTTO applies changes to your pages without manual approval. Review its first round of edits on a few key pages before you leave it running across the site.
When it is worth paying
You have outgrown the free plugin when you need redirects, more than one keyphrase per post, rank tracking or AI help on every post. The second sign is volume: once you publish weekly or look after other people's sites, that is the time to start a trial of a writing tool or platform.
| If you are | Upgrade to | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| Running one site and want AI help | Yoast SEO Premium | AI titles and meta descriptions, five keyphrases, redirects and internal linking |
| Running several sites | SEOPress PRO (unlimited sites) or All in One SEO Elite | One license for many sites, and on Elite, rank tracking and 200,000 AI credits a month |
| Publishing every week | Koala AI Professional ($49 a month) or Frase Starter ($49 a month) | 100,000 words, Deep Research and automatic internal linking, or briefs and Content Guard |
| Tracking rankings seriously | SE Ranking Core ($129 a month) or Semrush SEO ($139.95 a month) | 2,000 or 500 keywords tracked daily, plus site audits |
| An agency | Rankability Starter ($99 a month) or SearchAtlas Pro ($399 a month) | Client tracking in AI answers, or white label and more OTTO projects |
The plugins bill yearly. SEOPress PRO starts at $4.08 a month and Yoast Premium at $9.90 a month, both billed yearly, and Rank Math PRO is billed yearly with a 30-day money-back guarantee, the same window as Yoast. SEOPress and All in One SEO give 14 days. Among the platforms, Frase Starter is $49 a month or $39 billed yearly, Rankability takes 17% off for yearly billing and SearchAtlas 20%. Rankability's free trial covers monthly billing, since yearly plans start paid.
What would this stack cost you?
Add our top picks (Rank Math, Rankability, Semrush) to the calculator and see the monthly total, then swap in the plans you would pay for.
How we picked
Every tool here is ranked by its score, and each score is worked out from the vendor’s own published pages: pricing, plans, features and terms. No score is adjusted by hand. All 11 tools have enough published facts to be scored, and on average 93% of each score comes from facts the vendor publishes. The facts behind these scores were checked between 13 September 2026 and 22 October 2026.
Scores compare tools that do the same job, which is why the list is grouped by job: a video editor and a grammar checker are never ranked against each other.
| Ranked as | On this page | What we score | Scoring guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| WordPress SEO plugins4 reviewed | 4 | 5 criteria, 24 checked facts: on-page SEO, AI writing and linking, search data and tracking, pricing, support and agencies | How we score these → |
| Content optimizers14 reviewed | 3 | 6 criteria, 25 checked facts: keyword research and rank tracking, site audit, pricing, content writing and optimization, works with your tools, team and support | How we score these → |
| SEO platforms9 reviewed | 3 | 6 criteria, 25 checked facts: keyword research and rank tracking, site audit, pricing, content writing and optimization, works with your tools, team and support | How we score these → |
| AI writers7 reviewed | 1 | 6 criteria, 25 checked facts: keyword research and rank tracking, site audit, pricing, content writing and optimization, works with your tools, team and support | How we score these → |
Common questions
Which tools track whether ChatGPT and other AI answers mention my site?
Rankability tracks client visibility in ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini, and Frase covers ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Gemini and Google AI. Surfer tracks AI visibility from its Standard plan, Semrush includes AI visibility reports on its SEO plan, SearchAtlas adds LLM visibility tracking on Growth, and SE Ranking sells AI search tracking as an add-on.
Do these plugins help with AI crawlers and llms.txt?
Two of them do. Yoast's free plugin includes llms.txt management. SEOPress PRO adds an llms.txt file, serves clean text versions of pages to AI agents, and blocks training bots while still allowing bots that cite your pages. If you want to control how AI tools read your site, start with one of these two plugins.
Can I write in Google Docs and still get SEO scoring?
Yes, with several tools. Surfer's Chrome extension works inside Google Docs, and SE Ranking's Content Editor scores your text live in Docs as you write. Yoast Premium includes one Google Docs add-on seat. Rank Math works inside WordPress with no Google Docs add-on, so drafts written elsewhere get checked once they are pasted into the editor.
Can I connect these tools to Claude, ChatGPT or my own scripts?
Some open the door wider than others. SEOPress includes an MCP server, a REST API and WP-CLI. Semrush's Starter plan adds MCP access and Advanced adds API data, while SE Ranking's Core plan includes API credits with MCP access. Surfer opens its API on Peace of Mind. For a single blog this rarely matters, but agencies building reports will want it.
Is a free SEO plugin enough for a new blog?
For the first months, usually yes. The free plugins cover core on-page work, and Rank Math adds Search Console data at no cost. Upgrade when a missing feature costs you traffic, such as redirects after you change URLs, which SEOPress and Yoast keep for paid plans and All in One SEO starts on Pro.