ToolGPAOctober 2026

SEO Plugins & Apps

The Insider’s Guide

Add titles, schema, sitemaps and redirects from inside WordPress, Shopify, Wix or Webflow.

Slim SEO
SEO King
SmartCrawl
XML Sitemap Generator for Google
404 to 301
AI SEO Copilot

Every one we grade, what they cost, the best buy at each budget and the three to look at first.

Checked Oct 23, 2026 · toolgpa.com

79graded

01WelcomeWhat these tools do, how many we grade and what to know before choosing
02Our top threeThe three we'd look at first, and who each one suits
03What they costWhat paid plans start at, the best buy at each budget and the free plans
04The gradesThe highest graded, and how the whole category does on each subject
05Keep or make?Which are worth paying for, and which you could make yourself
06Every toolAll of them, best graded first, with what each costs
07Quick answersThe questions people ask when choosing, each answered in a line or two
08About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it

ToolGPA put this guide together from each tool’s own pages, their app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on the SEO Plugins & Apps page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 23, 2026.

Part 01 · Overview

Welcome

What these tools do, how many we grade and what to know before choosing

79

SEO plugins and apps we grade, from their own pages

Add titles, schema, sitemaps and redirects from inside WordPress, Shopify, Wix or Webflow.

Before you choose, here are 7 things to know about SEO plugins and apps, worked out from every one we grade.

1
We grade 79 SEO plugins and apps
59 of them are free or have a free plan, and 13 more let you try before paying. Everything in this guide comes from their own pages and our grades.
2
Paid plans start at $9.99 a month in the middle
From $2.90 (Redirect Hero - Fix 404 links) to $499 (Adaptify SEO), going by what each one's paid plans start at.
3
Best value: Slim SEO and XML Sitemap Generator for Google
Nothing on our chart scores higher than these without costing more.
4
0 of 79 have iPhone and Android apps
79 run in a web browser and 0 have a Windows app. Check the one you need before you fall for anything.
5
The middle GPA is 2.4
12 score 3.0 or higher. The highest is Slim SEO, at 3.4.
6
Best free option: Slim SEO
Slim SEO has the highest GPA of the free ones, 3.4. WordPress SEO plugin that sets meta tags and schema with no setup.
7
62 worth keeping, 4 you could make
By our keep-or-make rules, 62 do something you couldn't reasonably build yourself, 4 are simple enough to make with an AI app builder, and 13 are a close call.

Part 02 · Top three

Our top three

The three we'd look at first, and who each one suits

The three SEO plugins and apps we'd look at first. First place suits the most people; second and third are the best picks for the people it leaves out. Each has an Insider's Guide of its own.

1st
3.4GPA
Slim SEO
Free plan · from $59/yr
For: Most WordPress site owners
Slim SEO writes meta titles, descriptions, robots and social tags, connected JSON-LD schema, XML, image and News sitemaps and breadcrumbs from each post with no setup, and the free plugin also handles redirect rules and logs 404s. Personal is $59 a year for one site and renews at the same price, adding a schema builder with 30+ types, link suggestions, Search Console reports and a writing assistant. Know the limits: it runs only on self-hosted WordPress, AI meta writing uses your own OpenAI, Gemini, Claude or OpenRouter key billed by that provider, and writing tips while you draft are Pro only.
The Slim SEO Insider’s Guide
2nd
2.6GPA
SEO King
Free plan · from $9.99/mo
For: Shopify store owners
SEO King scans a Shopify store and lists fixes, edits meta titles, descriptions and alt text, renames and compresses photos, finds broken links and 404s, manages redirects and shows Search Console stats; the free basics have no stated cap. Paid tiers add unlimited AI meta text, robots.txt and llms.txt editing and advanced JSON-LD, from $9.99 every 30 days for 500 pages to $16.99 for 20,000. It is second because it works only on Shopify, the free basics write no AI text, and Vision AI alt text, translation and background removal are paid per use from prepaid credits.
The SEO King Insider’s Guide
3rd
3.2GPA
SmartCrawl
Free plan · from $50/yr
For: WordPress writers who want post checks in the free plugin
SmartCrawl's free WordPress plugin sets title formats, builds XML sitemaps, adds social tags and 301 redirects, has a schema types builder, and grades each post for keyword use and readability in the editor, after a setup wizard and an SEO checkup. Pro Basic is $50 a year for one site. It is third because there are title formats, sitemap types and schema to choose before it is done, where Slim SEO fills these in on its own, and Pro is not sold alone: every paid plan is WPMU DEV's bundle of Pro plugins, with scheduled audits, auto-linking, IndexNow and regex redirects held there.
The SmartCrawl Insider’s Guide

Part 03 · Pricing

What they cost

What paid plans start at, the best buy at each budget and the free plans

$9.99

A month to start, in the middle of those that charge

Going by our grades, Slim SEO and XML Sitemap Generator for Google give the most for the money among SEO plugins and apps: no tool on this chart scores higher without costing more.

Paid plans start at a middle price of $9.99 a month across the 59 that charge, from $2.90 (Redirect Hero - Fix 404 links) to $499 (Adaptify SEO). 11 more cost nothing at all.

14 of the 70 score above the category's average while starting at or below its middle price. 14 cost more than the middle price and score below the average.

The best buy at each budget

Free
XML Sitemap Generator for Google
Costs nothing. Nothing at that price or less scores higher.
Up to $5 a month
Slim SEO
Starts at $4.92 a month when paid by the year. Nothing at that price or less scores higher.

Price against what you get

Each dot is one of 70 SEO plugins and apps. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. The green line is the best score at each price.

What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →

The best free ones

Slim SEO
Free plan · Free plan · from $59/yr
3.4
SmartCrawl
Free plan · Free plan · from $50/yr
3.2
XML Sitemap Generator for Google
Free
3.2
404 to 301
Free
3.0
AI SEO Copilot
Free
3.0
Avada AEO SEO Optimizer LLMs
Free
3.0

Part 04 · Grades

The grades

The highest graded, and how the whole category does on each subject

3.4

The highest GPA, Slim SEO's

Every tool gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. Here are the 12 highest graded SEO plugins and apps, then how the whole category does on each subject.

Tool	Value	Free	Features	Ease	Platforms	GPA
Slim SEO	A	A	B	B	B	3.4
SmartCrawl	A	A	B	C	B	3.2
XML Sitemap Generator for Google	A	A	C	B	B	3.2
404 to 301	A	A	C	C	B	3.0
AI SEO Copilot	A	A	C	B	C	3.0
Avada AEO SEO Optimizer LLMs	A	A	C	B	C	3.0
Redirection	A	A	C	C	B	3.0
SEO Image Optimizer Wizard	A	A	C	B	C	3.0
SEOPress	A	B	B	C	B	3.0
SiteSEO	A	B	B	C	B	3.0
The SEO Framework	B	A	C	B	B	3.0
WPSSO Core	A	A	C	C	B	3.0

How the whole category does

Each bar is every SEO plugins and app we grade, cut by the letter it got on that subject.

Value for money
avg 2.6
Free plan and trial
avg 2.4
Features
avg 2.2
Ease of use
avg 2.2
Platforms and integrations
avg 2.6

Part 05 · Keep or make

Keep or make?

Which are worth paying for, and which you could make yourself

4

Simple enough to make yourself, of 79

Some software does something you couldn’t reasonably build yourself. Some is simple enough that an AI app builder could make the core of it in an afternoon. Here’s where SEO plugins and apps land, by the same rules for every tool.

62
Keep it
It does something you could not reasonably make for yourself, or it costs nothing.
13
Your call
You could make the core of it, and you would give something up.
4
You could make this
What it does is the kind of thing an AI app builder makes well, and it charges every month.

Worth keeping

Slim SEO
The plain part of Slim SEO you could make: schema markup and internal linking. What surrounds it you could not. The 4 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
SmartCrawl
The plain part of SmartCrawl you could make: schema markup and internal linking. What surrounds it you could not. The 3 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
XML Sitemap Generator for Google
XML Sitemap Generator for Google is free, so making your own would save you nothing.
404 to 301
404 to 301 is free, so making your own would save you nothing.

You could make these yourself

404/301 SC Easy URL Redirects$179.88 a year
301 Redirects - Redirect Manager$119.88 a year
Schema Pro$79 a year
Media File Renamer$39 a year

What each costs a year on its cheapest paid plan, which is what making your own would save. A judgement from each listing.

Part 06 · Every tool

Every tool

All of them, best graded first, with what each costs

79

Tools, best graded first

Every SEO plugins and app we grade, with its GPA and what it costs. Each one has a page of its own on toolgpa.com, with its Insider’s Guide.

Part 07 · Questions

Quick answers

The questions people ask when choosing, each answered in a line or two

8

Questions, each answered in a line or two

What are the best SEO plugins and apps?

Slim SEO first, SEO King second, SmartCrawl third. Slim SEO is for most WordPress site owners.

Which SEO plugins and apps give the most for the money?

Slim SEO and XML Sitemap Generator for Google. Each is the highest-scoring tool at its price or below: XML Sitemap Generator for Google scores 2.7 out of 4 and is free; Slim SEO scores 3.0 out of 4 and starts at $4.92 a month when paid by the year.

Which are the best free SEO plugins and apps?

Of the 11 SEO plugins and apps here with no paid plan at all, XML Sitemap Generator for Google scores highest, at 2.7 out of 4.

Which SEO plugins and apps are best for under $5 a month?

Slim SEO, with a score of 3.0 out of 4: the highest among the 21 that start at $5 a month or less.

Which SEO plugins and apps cost the most for what they offer?

On this chart, AI Visibility Booster (starts at $25 a month, scores 2.0 out of 4, and 42 tools score higher for less), Amasty SEO Toolkit (starts at $17.92 a month when paid by the year, scores 2.0 out of 4, and 35 tools score higher for less) and SEOly (starts at $15 a month, scores 2.0 out of 4, and 34 tools score higher for less).

How much do SEO plugins and apps cost?

The middle starting price is $9.99 a month: half of the 59 SEO plugins and apps with a recurring price start below that and half above.

How is the score on this chart worked out?

It is the average of three of the five grades ToolGPA gives every tool: features, ease of use, and platforms and integrations, with an A worth 4 and an F worth 0.

How does ToolGPA grade SEO plugins and apps?

Five grades, A to F, for value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them.

Part 08 · About

About ToolGPA

Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it

3,189

Tools graded, in 94 categories

ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.

Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.

3,189
tools graded
94
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries

What else is on toolgpa.com

Scan for the live page

Prices and grades as they are today

Quoting this guide?

Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:

ToolGPA, "SEO Plugins & Apps: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 23, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/categories/seo-plugins

Know someone choosing between SEO plugins and apps?

Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/categories/seo-plugins/guide

ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa

See our other guides

The top three SEO plugins and apps have guides of their own, and so does every category near this one.

ToolGPA

Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.

Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›

Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what each tool’s pages, app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Product names are trademarks of their owners, and no maker made, paid for or approved this guide. Prices and plans change: check each maker’s own site before you buy.