Better Robots.txt vs Slim SEO (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick Slim SEO: it is first in our ranking of SEO plugins and apps, and it grades higher too, 3.4 against 2.4.
Checked Oct 23, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 23, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Slim SEO grades higher on value for money, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Better Robots.txt
WordPress plugin that builds robots.txt and llms.txt rules
Slim SEO
WordPress SEO plugin that sets meta tags and schema with no setup
Which one is for you
Pick Better Robots.txt if
- Fits if you run WordPress and want to say which AI crawlers may visit
- Works for site owners who want a wizard instead of editing robots.txt
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if your site is not on WordPress, since it only runs there
- Tight if you stay free: AI crawler rules, llms.txt and the AI-First preset need Pro at $89 a year
- Watch out: licences are per site, and paid features and updates stop when a licence ends
- Watch out: the free trial for Pro and Premium has no stated length, and Premium is $149 for one site
Pick Slim SEO if
- Fits if you want SEO tags handled with very few settings to touch
- Works for freelancers adding schema and link reports across up to 10 client sites
Look elsewhere if
- Watch out: AI meta writing runs on your own OpenAI, Gemini, Claude or OpenRouter key, billed by that provider
- Tight if you stay free, as the schema builder, link tools, Search Console reports and writing tips are Pro
- Skip it if your site isn't on self-hosted WordPress, as there's no standalone app
- Watch out: Pro includes a year of updates, refunds close after 14 days, and hosts and SaaS firms must ask for a quote
How we grade them
| 2.4GPABetter Robots.txtFair | 3.4GPASlim SEOVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | B$89 a year for one site, about $7.42 a month, inside the cheapest quarter of this category's WordPress plugins ($7.99). | APersonal is $59 a year for one site, about $4.92 a month, and renews at the same price. That's under 60% of this category's cheaper quarter. Ten sites are $119 a year and unlimited sites $179. |
| Free plan and trial | BA free edition on WordPress.org with the wizard, Essential preset and search engine controls, which one site can live on. | AThe free plugin has no caps: automatic meta and social tags, schema, XML, image and News sitemaps, breadcrumbs, redirects, 404 logs and AI meta writing with your own key. The schema builder and link tools are Pro. |
| Features | CWizard, four presets, crawler controls, llms.txt and a free audit. AI rules and llms.txt are paid features. | BMeta tags, connected schema, sitemaps, breadcrumbs, redirects, 404 logs and AI meta writing, then on Pro a schema builder with 30+ types, link suggestions, Search Console reports and a writing assistant. It covers the whole job. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. It is a WordPress plugin with a wizard, and you review your settings before saving. | BNo rating on record, but it works as soon as it's on: meta tags, schema and sitemaps are written from your posts with no setup. Only the AI writing needs a key pasted in. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWordPress and WooCommerce only. There is no standalone app. | BWeb only, inside WordPress. It connects to Search Console, Google Analytics and Tag Manager, and to OpenAI, Gemini, Claude and OpenRouter for AI writing. |
| Best for | robots.txt and AI crawler rules on WordPress | WordPress SEO with almost no settings |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Better Robots.txt and Slim SEO. How we grade
Price against what you get
Better Robots.txt starts at $7.42 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Slim SEO starts at $4.92 a month when paid by the year and scores 3.0.
Slim SEO scores higher and starts $2.50 a month lower. Of the other SEO plugins and apps on the chart, 15 score higher than Better Robots.txt for less, and none scores higher than Slim SEO for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Better Robots.txt also covers site audit and AI search visibility.
- Slim SEO also covers content optimization, schema markup and internal linking.
At a glance
| Better Robots.txt | Slim SEO | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $89 per year for 1 site | $59 per year for 1 site |
| Free plan | Free edition on WordPress.org with the setup wizard, Essential preset, search engine controls and basic bad bot blocking. | Free plugin on WordPress.org: automatic meta and social tags, schema, XML, image and news sitemaps, breadcrumbs, redirects, 404 monitoring and AI meta writing with your own API key. |
| Free trial | Free trial offered on Pro and Premium; length not stated | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Pagup | Slim SEO |
| Price read from | checkout.freemius.com (not the vendor's own page) | wpslimseo.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 23, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Better Robots.txt
- Runs only inside WordPress; the plugin has no standalone app.
- AI-specific crawler rules, llms.txt and the AI-First preset need a paid edition, from $89 per year for 1 site.
- Licenses are per site, and paid-only features and updates stop when a license expires.
- The pricing page shows no amounts; the prices here come from the Freemius checkout it links to.
Slim SEO
- It needs a self-hosted WordPress site; there is no standalone app.
- AI meta writing uses your own OpenAI, Gemini, Claude or OpenRouter key, so the AI provider bills you separately.
- The schema builder, link tools, Search Console reports and writing assistant all need Slim SEO Pro.
- Pro licences include a year of updates and support; refunds can be requested within 14 days.
Key features
Better Robots.txt
- Guided setup wizard
- A step-by-step wizard with plain-language explanations replaces editing the robots.txt file by hand.
- Four presets
- Essential, AI-First, Fortress and Custom give a starting policy, and each rule can still be changed afterward.
- Separate crawler families
- Search engines, AI and LLM crawlers, SEO tools, archive bots and bad bots are configured apart from each other.
- llms.txt and AI usage signals
- Pro and Premium can publish an optional llms.txt file and AI usage preferences alongside robots.txt.
- Review before saving
- A final step previews the generated robots.txt so the rules can be checked before they are published.
- Free crawl audit
- A web-based checker scans robots.txt, llms.txt and AI crawler coverage without a sign-up.
Slim SEO
- Automatic meta and social tags
- Writes meta titles, descriptions, robots tags, Open Graph, Twitter Card and LinkedIn tags from each post with no setup, all editable.
- AI titles and descriptions
- The free plugin writes meta titles and descriptions one by one or in bulk using OpenAI, Gemini, Claude or OpenRouter, with your own API key.
- Schema, sitemaps and breadcrumbs
- Adds connected JSON-LD schema automatically and builds XML, image and Google News sitemaps. Pro adds a visual builder with 30+ schema types and custom JSON-LD.
- Redirects and 404 monitoring
- Set redirect rules, force www or non-www, log 404s and redirect automatically when a post's slug changes, on the free plugin.
- Link manager
- Pro scans every link for status, suggests internal links from post content, fixes broken or redirected links in bulk and reports orphan pages.
- Search Console and writing assistant
- Pro shows Search Console performance, keyword and page reports in WordPress, and gives tips on keywords, images, links and readability while writing.
Plans
Better Robots.txt
Free$0
Setup wizard, review-and-save step, Essential preset, search engine controls and basic bad bot blocking.
Pro$89
per year for 1 site
Adds the AI-First and Custom presets, per-crawler AI rules, llms.txt and SEO tool controls. $139 for 3 sites, $179 for 5.
Premium$149
per year for 1 site
Adds the Fortress preset, archive and anti-scraping controls and wider bad bot coverage. $219 for 3 sites, $289 for 5.
Slim SEO
Slim SEO$0
The free WordPress.org plugin with automatic meta tags, schema, sitemaps, redirects and AI-written metadata.
Personal$59
per year for 1 site, renews at the same price
Slim SEO Pro on 1 site: visual schema builder, link suggestions and health monitoring, Search Console reports and the writing assistant.
Freelancer$119
per year for 10 sites, renews at the same price
The same Pro features on up to 10 sites, with a year of updates and support.
Agency$179
per year for unlimited sites, renews at the same price
The same Pro features on unlimited sites. Hosts, SaaS companies and maintenance services must ask for a quote.
Ways to pay less
Better Robots.txt
No public discounts listed.
Slim SEO
- Education
Education licence discount on request
The Slim SEO Pro page invites schools and other educational buyers to contact the team for a discounted licence. The amount is not stated.
- Nonprofit
Nonprofit licence discount on request
The Slim SEO Pro page invites nonprofits to contact the team for a discounted licence. The amount is not stated.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Better Robots.txt or Slim SEO?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Slim SEO is cheaper to start with: $4.92 a month when paid by the year, against $7.42 a month when paid by the year for Better Robots.txt. Better Robots.txt starts at $89 per year for 1 site, and Slim SEO starts at $59 per year for 1 site.
Which has a free plan, Better Robots.txt or Slim SEO?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Better Robots.txt and Slim SEO have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.