The Best SEO plugin for WordPress 2023: Rank Math vs Yoast

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Are you confused about which is the best SEO Plugin for WordPress among Rank Math and Yoast?

Well, don't worry! You'll be left with no more confusion after reading this article.

It's important to have a capable and powerful SEO plugin when it comes to optimizing a WordPress website for search engines.

There are other SEO Plugins already available in the market but beginners always think to choose the best instead of trying every plugin one by one which is definitely a tough thing for any newbies.

But, not anymore!

This article shares everything you need to know about both SEO Plugins and which one you should start using from now on.

Alright, without any further ado, let's jump into the topic.

The Best SEO Plugin for WordPress

SEO plugin helps website owners in enhancing their website's visibility on search engines and elevate their ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs). 

Here are the famous SEO Plugins available for WordPress:

  • Rank Math
  • Yoast SEO
  • All in One SEO
  • SEOPress
  • The SEO Framework

But, in this article, we'll compare the two widely used SEO Plugins i.e. Rank Math and Yoast SEO.

RANK MATH

Rank Math is a powerful and user-friendly SEO plugin that helps you to optimize your content for search engines as well as social media.

It offers amazing features such as keyword optimization, content analysis, redirections, 404 monitoring, XML sitemaps and many more.

Point to be noted: Most of the features are for FREE, unlike Yoast.

Rank Math seamlessly integrates with Google Search Console and provides comprehensive analytics and reports.

Its setup wizard provides a user-friendly interface that guides users through the setup process, making it easy for beginners to use.

Rank Math also has a clean and intuitive interface, which makes it easy to navigate and use.

YOAST SEO

Yoast is another widely used SEO plugin that provides similar features like Rank Math. 

It also helps you in optimizing content for specific keywords, generates XML sitemaps, and provides analysis and suggestions for content optimization.

Yoast also provides social media integration, metadata management, and Google Search Console integration.

Unlike Rank Math, Yoast SEO provides features like social media preview, internal linking suggestions, and redirect manager in its premium version only.

Rank Math vs Yoast SEO

Now, it's time to start comparing their features and to decide the winner for being the best SEO Plugin for WordPress.

Are you ready? Here we go...

FEATURES

There are a lot of features available in the Rank Math plugin and Yoast too. So, let's check their features.

The following are the features provided by different SEO Plugins.

  • Rank Math

  • Yoast SEO

  • Easy to follow Setup Wizard
  • Clean, & Simple User Interface
  • Content AI - Your Personal AI Assistant
  • Built-In Advanced SEO Analytics Module
  • Google Index Status
  • Google Analytics 4 Integration
  • Keyword Rank Tracker
  • Keyword Position History
  • Ranking Keywords for Posts
  • The Most Advanced Schema Generator
  • Import Schema Markup from Other Websites
  • Schema Markup Validation
  • Custom Schema Builder
  • Schema Templates with Display Conditions
  • Article Schema
  • Product Schema
  • Recipe Schema
  • Events Schema
  • Video Schema
  • Local Business Schema
  • FAQ Schema Block
  • HowTo Schema Block
  • Add Knowledge Graph Meta Data
  • Keyword Comparison & Google Trends Tool
  • XML Sitemap
  • News Sitemap for Submitting Websites on Google News
  • Video Sitemap For Video Websites
  • Gutenberg + Elementor SEO
  • Automated Image SEO
  • Advanced Image SEO Module
  • Local SEO Optimization
  • Multiplace Local Business Locations
  • Shortcode for Displaying Contact Information
  • robots.txt Editor
  • .htaccess Editor
  • 404 Monitor - Simple & Advanced
  • Advanced Redirection Manager
  • Ping Search Engines
  • Social Media Account Integration
  • Google, Bing, Alexa, Yandex & Pinterest Verification Tool
  • SEO Plugins Settings Importer
  • Excellent Code Quality
  • Detailed Documentation
  • 24x7x365 Support

This isn't the end, there are still more features that Rank Math provides and you can check all those by clicking here.


PERFORMANCE & SPEED

The performance and speed of an SEO Plugin are important aspects to consider before you start using any.

Let's see their performance and speed in this aspect.

Yoast SEO

Yoast SEO plugin's code is almost 1.5x larger than Rank Math.

It adds more requests & bulk to your website as a result.

Yoast SEO Performance

Rank Math

Rank Math code is precise and efficient.

That means, fewer requests, more speed, many extra useful features.

Rank Math Performance

This clearly shows, Rank Math performance is far better than Yoast.

Isn't it? Of course, it is!

Well, let's compare their pricing now.


PRICING COMPARISON

This aspect can't be ignored!

Both plugins offer FREE plan but for more features you'll have to upgrade your plan.

As we discuss before, Rank Math provides more features in their Free plan as well than Yoast SEO.

Coming back to the topic...

Yoast SEO pricing increases as your site license increase but Rank Math pricing remains same for unlimited personal websites.

Here is the their pricing comparison.

Rank Math vs Yoast Pricing

Rank Math has different plans also like the Business and Agency plan where you'll get additional AI Credits, Keywords Tracking etc.

And,

Yoast provides premium plugin for $99 per year but if you want Yoast plugins like Video SEO, Local SEO, WooCommerce SEO and News SEO, you'll charged $229 per year.

However, Rank Math provides all these features in its premium for just $59 per year so you don't need to pay extra for other features.

Give yourself a try!


FREE vs PREMIUM

We've discussed about their pricing so far.

But if you wish to go with their FREE plan, this comparison "Free vs Premium" will help you to know about what they offer in their free and their premium plans.

Alright, let's compare this now.

Rank Math

Rank Math provides different plans but here we'll compare just the two of them i.e. Rank Math free vs pro plan.

This table compares Rank Math free and the pro features.

FEATURES

FREE

PRO

Clean User Interface

Simple Setup Wizard

Keyword Rank Tracker

Free Content AI Credits

5

15

Google Trends Integration

Video SEO Sitemap

News SEO Sitemap

Automated Image SEO

18 Pre-defined Schema Types

6 Extra Schema Types

Custom Schema Builder

840+ Schema Types Supported

Google Data Fetch Frequency

7 Days

3 Days

Google AdSense Earning History

Elementor Integration

Complete Divi Integration

Search Console Integration

Install Google Analytics Code

SEO Analysis Score

Powerful Post Optimization

404 Monitor

Redirection Manager

Powerful XML Sitemap

There are still more features as well as different plans which if you wish can check here.

Now, let's compare Yoast Free vs Premium.

Yoast SEO

This table compares Yoast free and premium plan.

FREE

PREMIUM

Get access to the free SEO training courses.

Get access to all SEO training courses.

You’ll have to put in some extra time and effort.

All Premium features are aimed at saving you time. Use the Workouts to start optimizing quickly!

You can use the readability analysis.

You can use the Premium readability analysis.

You’ll have to find related pages manually, and link them manually, to create an internal linking structure

Use the internal linking features to make sure Google knows which pages are most important!

Manually create redirects for every page you remove.

Automatically redirect pages you remove, and easily manage your redirects!

Find your answers in the help center or the free support forums.

Ask your questions to the 24/7 available support team.

You can only use 1 keyword and word forms are not supported.

You can also use plurals or other word forms, synonyms, and related keywords.

Keep track of your pages yourself.

Get a warning when your most important pages haven’t been updated for six months.

We add all your structured data automatically.

We add all your structured data automatically.

These details are brought to you by Yoast website.

Now let's compare other aspects.


SUPPORT & DOCUMENTATION

Support matters a lot when you gets stuck somewhere and you really don't know what to do next.

However, documentation helps you and guide you every process step by step for better results.

Both Rank Math and Yoast SEO offer extensive support and documentation for their users.

  • Rank Math

  • Yoast SEO

Rank Math provides extensive documentation that covers all aspects of the plugin.

Their documentation is well-organized and includes step-by-step instructions, screenshots, and video tutorials.

It offers support through their knowledge base, FAQs, community forum, and email support.


USERS & REVIEWS

Now, let's check both Rank Math and Yoast SEO plugin user base and reviews.

Yoast SEO has been on the market for long and so it currently has higher user base and ratings than Rank Math.

However, both of them have quite good user base and excellent five-star ratings, highlighting how amazing these SEO plugins are.

Rank Math

Rank Math is a relatively new plugin that was released in 2018, but it has grown rapidly in popularity.

It currently has over 1 million active installations on WordPress sites.

Rank Math got overall 4.9 out of 5 stars with five star rating of 5,340 users.

Rank Math SEO Ratings

Rank Math has generally positive reviews, with many users praising its ease of use and feature set.

However, some users have criticized the plugin for being too complex and overwhelming but believe me it isn't.

Instead, Rank Math provides a lot of features which may be quite confusing for beginners.

Yoast SEO

Yoast SEO has been around since 2008 and has a large user base, with over 5 million active installations on WordPress sites.

However it has 5 times greater user base than Rank Math but Yoast SEO got overall 4.8 out of 5 stars.

Yoast SEO Ratings

It has a mixed reputation with many users praising its functionality and others criticizing its bloat and perceived decline in quality over time.

Upgrade your SEO game!


PROS & CONS

Now, let's discuss the pros and cons for both the SEO Plugins.

This is the last aspect for this article that will help you to decide which is the best SEO plugin for WordPress.

Alright, here we go...

Rank Math

Pros

  • Responsive Layout
  • Clean & Simple Interface
  • FREE Premium Features
  • Easy to follow Setup Wizard
  • Content AI Credits
  • Advanced SEO Analytics
  • Google Index Status
  • Compatible with Elementor, Gutenberg and Divi
  • Powerful Schema Module
  • Redirection Manager
  • Advanced 404 Monitor

Cons

  • Lots of features make it complex for beginners.
  • Internal Linking Feature isn't available but coming soon.
  • Requires a Google account to use certain features.

That's the pros and cons of the best SEO plugin named Rank Math.

Get Rank Math plugin now!

Now, here comes the Pros and Cons of Yoast SEO.

Yoast SEO

Pros

  • Large and Active User Community
  • Has Free Version
  • Integrates with other plugins
  • Provides Advanced Add-ons
  • XML Sitemap Generation

Cons

  • Less Features compared with Rank Math.
  • Charge extra for Add-ons.
  • Too Expensive

THE WINNER

After comparing all the above aspects, we can clearly say that Rank Math beats Yoast SEO in many factors.

Rank Math is full of features, its lightweight and easy to use, the pricing is also far cheaper than Yoast.

It also provides some premium features like 404 Monitor & Redirection Manager for absolutely FREE.

However, the only factor in which Yoast SEO beats Rank Math is, Yoast has large user base & community.

But,

Rank Math still has higher overall ratings i.e. 4.9 out of 5 than Yoast SEO having 4.8 out of 5.

So, we can conclude that the winner is...

Some FAQ's

Is Rank Math better than Yoast for on-page optimization?

Both are quite good but I prefer Rank Math over Yoast as it shows your on-page score in numbers rather than using words like Good and OK as Yoast do.

Can I use Rank Math and Yoast together on my website?

It's not recommended to do so as this causes conflicts.

What features are available in Rank Math but not in Yoast SEO?

Rank Math offers advanced schema support, WooCommerce integration, and local SEO features & etc. in its free version, which are available only in Yoast SEO premium.

 

Which plugin is easier to use: Rank Math or Yoast SEO?

Both plugins provide a user-friendly interface, but Rank Math seems quite easy as it is categorized in such a simple manner.

Which plugin provides better customer support?

Both plugins provide customer support via email and a dedicated support forum & else, but Rank Math has received positive feedback from users for its fast and efficient support.

Which plugin is more affordable: Rank Math or Yoast?

Definitely Rank Math as the price of this plugin remains same for unlimited websites however Yoast SEO costs increases as per your site license and it also charges for their Add-ons. 

Final Words

I hope this article solves all your doubts and give you proper insight into the best SEO plugin for WordPress.

However, both the plugins are quite amazing but the uses depend upon your needs and budget.

If you are looking for an affordable option, Rank Math is more cost-effective than Yoast SEO.

Even the FREE version of Rank Math gives more features than Yoast SEO that's the reason newbies prefer Rank Math over Yoast.

What to say more, there is a lot!

Give yourself a try to Rank Math and let me know what you think about this SEO Plugin.

That's it, thanks for reading!

4.7/5 - (3 votes)

A passionate digital marketer & blogger with expertise in SEO, web design, and content creation. Committed to guiding beginners & empowering them to thrive online.

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