Nine WordPress SEO Plugins, Side by Side
Yoast SEO, Rank Math, All in One SEO, SEOPress, The SEO Framework, Squirrly SEO, SmartCrawl and Slim SEO are all good. Here is how ItNirman SEO compares with each: price, what is free, what is locked behind a paid tier, and who should pick which.
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- Facts checked 21 October 2026
- Sources on every page
- Where each rival wins, stated
Which WordPress SEO plugin should I use?
For one site on a budget, a free plugin is enough to start: Rank Math Free is the most generous, Yoast SEO is the most established, and The SEO Framework is the leanest. If you want paid features at the lowest price, SmartCrawl Pro starts at $36 a year and SEOPress PRO at $49. Slim SEO and Squirrly SEO also have free versions. If you run many of your own sites, Rank Math Pro covers unlimited personal sites.
Choose ItNirman SEO when you want every feature in every plan, with no features held back for a higher tier, plus Search Console, GA4 and Bing reporting, daily keyword history, a 40+ check site audit and control over 50+ AI crawlers built into WordPress. It does not have a free version or AI writing tools, and its community is still small.
- Largest community
- Yoast SEO
- Most generous free version
- Rank Math
- Lowest paid price
- SmartCrawl Pro
- Leanest and most private
- The SEO Framework
- Everything in every plan, with reporting built in
- ItNirman SEO
What You Get With ItNirman SEO
One licence, nothing held back. Single and Business differ only in the number of sites.
A smarter editor
25 live on-page checks, several focus keywords, search-intent analysis in English and Bangla, and a Google-style preview as you write.
Schema without code
26 schema types, a visual builder with up to 50 templates, and automation rules that apply them for you.
Ready for AI search
llms.txt, allow or block rules for more than 50 AI crawlers per company, an AI Reach Tracker, and answer-engine checks in the editor.
Reporting in WordPress
Search Console, Google Analytics 4 and Bing data, a daily Keyword Rank Tracker, 90-day position history and Google index status.
Site health on autopilot
A 40+ check site audit with a Fix first list, weekly auto-runs, link health, a Link Assistant and a content-freshness check.
Technical SEO that just works
A redirect manager with regex and 301, 302, 307, 410 and 451, a 404 monitor, automatic 301s when a slug changes, IndexNow, and News and Video sitemaps.
Six Established Plugins, at a Glance
Facts as of 21 October 2026, from each vendor's own pages. "Not listed" means we did not find it; it may still exist. Open a comparison for the detail and sources.
| Feature | ItNirman SEO | Yoast SEO | Rank Math | All in One SEO | SEOPress | The SEO Framework |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | ||||||
| Free version | —No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Entry price, 1 site, per year | $59 | $118.80 | €95.88 first year | $49.50 first year, $99 after | $49 | Core free |
| Every feature in every plan | Yes | —No | —No | —No | —No | Not applicable |
| Technical | ||||||
| Redirect manager | Every plan | Premium | Free | Paid | PRO | Not listed |
| 404 monitor | Every plan | Not listed | Free | Paid | PRO | Not listed |
| Schema | 26 types and a builder | Basic free; more paid | 16+ free; more in Pro | Smart Schema, paid | Editor in PRO | JSON-LD output |
| News and video sitemaps | Every plan | Premium | Not listed | Pro | PRO | Not listed |
| AI search | ||||||
| llms.txt | Yes | Free | Module listed | Listed | Free | Not listed |
| AI-crawler rules | 50+ crawlers | Premium blocker | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | robots.txt blocking |
| AI writing tools | —No | Premium | Content AI | Yes, credits | PRO | —No |
| Reporting | ||||||
| Search Console, GA4 and Bing in WordPress | Every plan | Not listed | Free integration | Elite | PRO | Cord extension |
| Keyword rank tracking | Every plan | Via Wincher | Pro | Elite | Insights, extra $99 | Not listed |
| Site audit | 40+ checks | Not listed | SEO Analyzer | Checklist | PRO | Not listed |
| Ecosystem | ||||||
| Active installs | New | 10M+ | 4M+ | 2M+ | 300k+ | 200k+ |
Each plugin is strong at something. ItNirman SEO's strengths are reporting, the audit and AI-crawler control in one price; its gaps are the lack of a free version, AI writing tools and a large community.
Pick the Plugin You Use Today
Each page has a feature table, the cost, who should choose which, how to switch, and sources with the date checked.
ItNirman SEO vs Yoast SEO
The most established plugin, with a strong free version and a Premium plan per site.
Read the comparisonItNirman SEO vs Rank Math
A generous free version and an unlimited-sites Pro plan.
Read the comparisonItNirman SEO vs All in One SEO
Four paid tiers. See which features sit behind Pro and Elite.
Read the comparisonItNirman SEO vs SEOPress
The most affordable paid option, with Insights sold separately.
Read the comparisonItNirman SEO vs The SEO Framework
A lean, free, privacy-first plugin versus a full toolkit.
Read the comparisonThree More Worth Knowing
Newer or niche plugins that many site owners also use.
ItNirman SEO vs Squirrly SEO
A free plugin with cloud tools and monthly plan limits.
Read the comparisonItNirman SEO vs SmartCrawl
WPMU DEV's plugin, with the lowest Pro price in this group.
Read the comparisonItNirman SEO vs Slim SEO
A light plugin that sets itself up, with a free version and a $59 Pro plan.
Read the comparisonSquirrly SEO, SmartCrawl and Slim SEO
Facts as of 21 October 2026, from each vendor's own pages and WordPress.org. "Not listed" means we did not find it; it may still exist.
| Feature | ItNirman SEO | Squirrly SEO | SmartCrawl | Slim SEO |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | ||||
| Free version | —No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Entry paid price, 1 site, per year | $59 | PRO: about $240, 5 sites | Pro Basic: $36 | Personal: $59 |
| Every feature in every plan | Yes | No, metered by plan | Same core features in Pro tiers | Yes |
| Technical | ||||
| Redirect manager | Every plan | Advanced Pack, confirm | 301 free; more in Pro | Free |
| 404 monitor | Every plan | Advanced Pack, confirm | Crawler; tier unclear | Free |
| Schema | 26 types and a builder | FAQ, HowTo, Article and more | Builder free; 150+ types listed | Automatic free; builder in Pro |
| News and video sitemaps | Every plan | Not listed | Not listed | Google News and image, free |
| AI search | ||||
| llms.txt | Yes | Free | Not listed | Not listed |
| AI-crawler rules | 50+ crawlers | Free: crawler control | Not listed | Not listed |
| AI writing tools | —No | AI keyword research | Not listed | Meta tags, your own API key |
| Reporting | ||||
| Search Console, GA4 and Bing in WordPress | Every plan | Search Console data | Not listed | Search Console in Pro |
| Keyword rank tracking | Every plan | Search Console data; SERP checks in higher plans | Not listed | Not listed |
| Site audit | 40+ checks | Audit Suite, metered | Checkup free; scheduled in Pro | Not listed |
| Ecosystem | ||||
| Active installs | New | 30,000+ | 10,000+ | 70,000+ |
Each of these has a free version or a low price. ItNirman SEO's edge is reporting, the audit and AI-crawler control in one plan.
How These Plugins Actually Differ
Business model
Yoast, Rank Math, AIOSEO, SEOPress, Squirrly, SmartCrawl and Slim SEO give away a capable free plugin and charge for more. The SEO Framework is free with optional extensions. That suits people who need the basics. ItNirman SEO has no free tier; in exchange, nothing is locked, and Single and Business differ only in the number of sites.
Tier ladders
AIOSEO spreads features over four tiers, with rank tracking and Search Statistics at the top. SEOPress sells rank tracking separately as Insights. Rank Math puts the rank tracker and advanced schema in Pro. In ItNirman SEO, all of it is in every plan.
Where the work happens
Most of these plugins focus on the editor. ItNirman SEO also covers what happens after you publish: Search Console, Google Analytics 4 and Bing data, daily keyword history, a scored site audit, link health and an index-status check, all inside WordPress.
AI search
Most of the group now publishes an llms.txt file. ItNirman SEO adds per-company allow or block rules for more than 50 AI crawlers and an AI Reach Tracker that records which crawlers actually read your pages, by name only. Several rivals offer AI writing tools, which ItNirman SEO does not.
Maturity
Yoast has more than 10 million active installs, Rank Math more than 4 million and AIOSEO more than 2 million. ItNirman SEO is newer with a smaller community. If years of tutorials and integrations matter most, that counts for the established plugins.
Moving Between Plugins Is Not Scary
ItNirman SEO imports from Yoast and Rank Math. Try it on a staging copy first.
- 01
Make a staging copy
Test there first. Addresses ending in .local or .test never use a licence slot.
- 02
Run the importer
Titles, descriptions, focus keywords and social overrides come across from Yoast SEO or Rank Math.
- 03
Check a few pages
Compare titles and schema on key pages, and the sitemap at /sitemap_index.xml.
- 04
Deactivate the old plugin
A warning shows while two SEO plugins are active. Once you are happy, deactivate the old one.
Look at ItNirman SEO
Every feature is in every plan, on one site or five. See what that costs today.