Yoast SEO: pricing, free plan and alternatives
The most installed WordPress SEO plugin: titles, meta descriptions, XML sitemaps, schema and breadcrumbs.
Prices checked on the official pricing pages on . Prices are in US dollars and can change at any time.
Yoast SEO and its alternatives at a glance
| Tool | Free plan | Paid plans | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yoast SEO | Yes | From $9.90/mo | WordPress bloggers who want the SEO basics handled automatically. |
| Google Search Console | Yes | Free | Every site owner. Set it up before any other SEO tool. |
| Ahrefs Free (formerly Ahrefs Webmaster Tools) | Yes | See vendor | Bloggers who want backlink and keyword data on their own site without paying for Ahrefs. |
| Screaming Frog SEO Spider | Yes | From $16.58/mo | Small sites (under 500 URLs) that want a full technical check on the desktop. |
Yoast SEO: what you get
The most installed WordPress SEO plugin: titles, meta descriptions, XML sitemaps, schema and breadcrumbs.
- Price
- Yoast SEO Premium $118.80 a year (ex VAT) for one site, about $9.90 a month.
- Free plan
- Free plugin with meta title and description controls, XML sitemaps, schema.org structured data and a breadcrumbs block. AI features and extra schema need Premium.
- Best for
- WordPress bloggers who want the SEO basics handled automatically.
- Works on
- Web browser. Open source.
Pros
- 10+ million active installations, so it's well supported
- Free version covers the essentials
Cons
- WordPress only
- Premium is billed yearly per site
Key features
- Meta titles and descriptions
- XML sitemaps
- Schema.org structured data
- Breadcrumbs block
The alternatives
1. Google Search Console
Google's own free dashboard showing which searches bring people to your site and whether your pages are indexed.
- Price
- Free. Google describes it as "a free service offered by Google".
- Free plan
- Completely free. You verify that you own the site, then get search queries, clicks, rankings, indexing reports, sitemap submission and URL inspection.
- Best for
- Every site owner. Set it up before any other SEO tool.
- Works on
- Web browser
Pros
- The only first-hand data on how Google sees your site
- No limits and no upsell
Cons
- Covers Google only, and your own sites only
- Data starts only after you verify the site
Key features
- Search queries, clicks and average position
- Indexing and page experience reports
- Sitemap and URL submission
- Email alerts about site problems
2. Ahrefs Free (formerly Ahrefs Webmaster Tools)
A free version of Ahrefs for sites you own: site audits, backlinks and the keywords you rank for.
- Price
- Free for verified sites. Researching competitors' sites needs a paid Ahrefs subscription (see Ahrefs' pricing page).
- Free plan
- Free for an unlimited number of sites you verify: Site Audit with 5,000 crawl credits per project a month, up to 1,000 backlinks and keywords visible at once, and web analytics up to 1M events per project.
- Best for
- Bloggers who want backlink and keyword data on their own site without paying for Ahrefs.
- Works on
- Web browser
Pros
- Backlink and keyword data most free tools don't have
- No limit on the number of your own sites
Cons
- Only works on sites you can verify
- Shows up to 1,000 backlinks and keywords at a time
Key features
- Site Audit (5,000 crawl credits a month per project)
- Backlinks and organic keywords for your site
- Web analytics
- Unlimited verified sites
3. Screaming Frog SEO Spider
A desktop crawler that finds broken links, redirects, missing titles and duplicate pages across a site.
- Price
- Licence £199 a year (about £16.58 a month); £169 per licence for 20 or more. The page showed pounds; a dollar price is available by switching currency.
- Free plan
- Free download that crawls up to 500 URLs per crawl. A licence removes the limit and unlocks saving crawls and advanced features.
- Best for
- Small sites (under 500 URLs) that want a full technical check on the desktop.
- Works on
- Windows, Mac, Linux
Pros
- Free version covers most small blogs completely
- Runs on Windows, Mac and Linux
Cons
- Free version stops at 500 URLs
- Desktop software with a technical interface
Key features
- Broken links and redirect chains
- Page titles, meta descriptions and headings
- Duplicate content checks
- XML sitemap generation
Screaming Frog SEO Spider alternatives · Compare with Yoast SEO
Sources
Official pages we checked for the prices, plans and limits on this page:
- Yoast SEO: wordpress.org, yoast.com (2), checked October 26, 2026
- Google Search Console: support.google.com, search.google.com (2), checked October 26, 2026
- Ahrefs Free (formerly Ahrefs Webmaster Tools): ahrefs.com, checked October 26, 2026
- Screaming Frog SEO Spider: www.screamingfrog.co.uk, checked October 26, 2026