Google Rich Results Test vs Google Search Console (2026): which should you pick?
As of Oct 24, 2026, we pick Google Search Console: it is first in our ranking of technical SEO tools, and it grades higher too, 3.0 against 2.8.
Checked Oct 23, 2026 · graded Oct 23, 2026 by ToolGPA
Google Rich Results Test grades higher on ease of use. Google Search Console grades higher on features and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money and the free plan.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Google Rich Results Test
Free Google check of which rich results a page's structured data earns
Free
Google Search Console
Free Google reports on a site's search traffic, indexing and issues
Free
Which one is for you
Pick Google Rich Results Test if
- Fits if you're checking structured data before a page goes live
- Works for finding out why a rich result stopped showing for a page
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you need general schema.org checks, as it only knows Google's rich result types
- Not for you if the page is behind a login, firewall or robots.txt block, unless you paste the code or use a tunnel
- Watch out: passing the test doesn't mean Google will show the rich result, as it picks layouts per search
- Watch out: shared links and saved history last about 90 days, and anyone with the link can open them
Pick Google Search Console if
- Fits if you own a site and want to know which Google searches bring visitors
- Works for finding out why pages are missing from Google's index
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you need Bing, Yandex, Baidu or Naver data, as it covers Google Search only
- Not for you if you can't prove you own or manage the site, as nothing shows until you do
- Tight if you pull a lot through the API, which stops at 50,000 rows a day per search type and 25,000 per request
- Watch out: the BigQuery export needs a Google Cloud project with billing, and use beyond the free level is charged
- Too light for big teams on one property, which allows at most 100 non-owner users
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAGoogle Rich Results TestGood | 3.0GPAGoogle Search ConsoleVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree, from Google, with URL and code tests, search previews and shareable results. Nothing to buy. | AFree, from Google, with every report, URL Inspection, email alerts, the API and up to 100 non-owner users per property. There is no paid plan. |
| Free plan and trial | AOpen to anyone in a browser with no account, as often as you like. | AEverything is free once you verify the site. The caps are on the API, 50,000 rows a day per search type, which most sites won't reach. |
| Features | DOne narrow job: rich result eligibility for the types Google supports, with crawl checks, previews and a code explorer. For general schema.org checks Google points you to the Schema Markup Validator. | CPerformance by query and page, indexing and URL Inspection, Core Web Vitals, rich result and links reports, alerts and a BigQuery export. The gap: it's Google's view only, with no crawl you run yourself, and Bing, Yandex, Baidu and Naver need their own tools. |
| Ease of use | BNo rating on record, and nothing to set up: enter a URL or paste code and run it. Clicking an error opens the source at that line. | CNo rating on record. You prove you own or manage the site before seeing anything, and the indexing and performance reports take some learning. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only, linked to Google Search Console, with no API on record. | BWeb only, with the Search Console API, a scheduled daily BigQuery export and Site Kit by Google. |
| Best for | checking a page qualifies for Google rich results | Google search traffic and indexing data |
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: Google Rich Results Test and Google Search Console. How we grade
Price against what you get
Google Rich Results Test has no paid plan and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Google Search Console has no paid plan and scores 2.3.
Google Search Console scores higher for the same starting price. Of the other technical SEO tools on the chart, none scores higher than Google Rich Results Test for less, and none scores higher than Google Search Console 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
- Google Search Console also covers page speed.
In commonFree planWebSite auditSchema markup
At a glance
| Google Rich Results Test | Google Search Console | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Starts at | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Open to anyone in a browser with no account: test any public URL or a code snippet as often as you like, and share results by link for about 90 days. | Free with a Google account for any site whose ownership you verify: every report and tool, email alerts, the API and up to 100 non-owner users per property. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | ||
| Price read from | search.google.com | support.google.com |
| Checked | Oct 23, 2026 | Oct 23, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Google Rich Results Test
- Checks only the rich result types Google Search supports; Google points to the Schema Markup Validator for general schema.org checks.
- Pages behind a firewall or login, or blocked by robots.txt, cannot be tested by URL; you need a tunnel or a code snippet.
- A passing test does not guarantee a rich result: Google says it chooses result layouts per search.
- Shared results links and saved test history last only about 90 days, and anyone with a bookmark can open it.
Google Search Console
- Covers Google Search only; Bing, Yandex, Baidu and Naver each run their own webmaster tools.
- You must prove you own or manage the site before you see any data, and a property allows at most 100 non-owner users.
- The API exposes at most 50,000 rows a day per search type, at up to 25,000 rows per request.
- The BigQuery export needs a Google Cloud project with billing; storage and queries beyond the free usage level are charged.
Key features
Google Rich Results Test
- Test a URL or a code snippet
- Enter a public URL, or paste code and edit and rerun it as often as needed; JSON-LD, RDFa and Microdata are supported.
- Rich result detection
- Lists the rich result types found, such as Article, Breadcrumb, Event, Job posting, Product snippet, Recipe and Review snippet, with each item's errors and warnings.
- Crawl checks
- Reports whether Google could crawl and fetch the page, whether robots.txt allows it, and which page resources failed to load.
- Search result preview
- For some rich result types, shows how the result might look in Google Search on desktop and mobile.
- Code explorer
- Clicking an error opens the rendered source at the line in question.
- Shareable results and history
- Share a results link that anyone can open, and bookmark runs to keep a test history, each kept for about 90 days.
Google Search Console
- Performance report
- Clicks, impressions, click-through rate and average position, by query, page, country, device, search appearance and date, for web, image, video and news results.
- Indexing and URL Inspection
- Review which pages Google has indexed, submit sitemaps and single URLs, and inspect a URL for its crawl, index and serving details straight from the Google index.
- Issue alerts
- Email alerts when Google finds indexing, spam or other problems, with the affected URLs and a way to tell Google once they are fixed.
- Experience and enhancement reports
- Core Web Vitals on mobile and desktop, plus reports on rich results from structured data such as recipes and jobs, and on AMP pages.
- Links report
- Shows which other sites link to yours, as part of the same set of reports as search traffic and indexing.
- API and BigQuery export
- The Search Console API queries search data, lists sites and manages sitemaps; a scheduled daily export sends all performance data, except anonymized queries, to BigQuery.
Plans
Google Rich Results Test
Free$0
URL and code tests for JSON-LD, RDFa and Microdata, smartphone or desktop crawler, previews and shareable results.
Google Search Console
Free$0
Performance, indexing, Core Web Vitals and rich result reports, URL Inspection, sitemaps, alerts and the API.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Google Rich Results Test or Google Search Console?
As of Oct 23, 2026, both Google Rich Results Test and Google Search Console are free to use.
Which has a free plan, Google Rich Results Test or Google Search Console?
As of Oct 23, 2026, both Google Rich Results Test and Google Search Console have a free plan.
More comparisons
- Google Rich Results Test vs Schema Markup Validator
- Google Rich Results Test vs Schema App
- Google Rich Results Test vs Schemantra
- Google Rich Results Test vs Schema.dev
- Google Search Console vs Bing Webmaster Tools
- Google Search Console vs Yandex Webmaster
- Google Search Console vs SEO Gets
- Google Search Console vs Search Analytics for Sheets
- Google Search Console vs Ahrefs
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.