Google Search Console vs Site Kit by Google (2026): which should you pick?
As of Oct 23, 2026, Google Search Console grades higher than Site Kit by Google: 3.0 against 2.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 23, 2026 · graded Oct 23, 2026 by ToolGPA
Google Search Console grades higher on features. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Google Search Console
Free Google reports on a site's search traffic, indexing and issues
Free
Site Kit by Google
Google's free WordPress plugin for Search Console and Analytics stats
Free
Which one is for you
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
Pick Site Kit by Google if
- Fits if you want Search Console and Analytics figures without leaving WordPress
- Works for agencies setting up Google tools for clients and emailing them stats
Look elsewhere if
- Too light for SEO on its own, as it edits no titles, meta descriptions, schema or sitemaps
- Watch out: each admin who wants full access has to connect their own Google account
- Tight if your site is new, as data can take a few days to appear
- Skip it if your site isn't live and public on WordPress 5.2 or later with the REST API available
How we grade them
| 3.0GPAGoogle Search ConsoleVery good | 2.8GPASite Kit by GoogleGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | AFree and open source, and Google says it will stay free. Google products you connect through it, such as Google Ads, keep their own terms and any fees they charge. |
| Free plan and trial | 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. | AEvery feature is free. There's no paid plan, so nothing is held back. |
| Features | 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. | DIt reports Google's numbers and places tags for Tag Manager, AdSense and Ads, but its pages list no title, meta, schema or sitemap editing, and it shows nothing until Search Console or Analytics is connected. |
| Ease of use | CNo rating on record. You prove you own or manage the site before seeing anything, and the indexing and performance reports take some learning. | CNo rating on record. Every admin wanting full access connects their own Google account, and new sites or services can take a few days to show data. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with the Search Console API, a scheduled daily BigQuery export and Site Kit by Google. | BWeb only, inside WordPress, linked to Search Console, Analytics, PageSpeed Insights, Tag Manager, AdSense and Google Ads, and listed with Elementor and Hostinger. |
| Best for | Google search traffic and indexing data | Google's search and traffic numbers in WordPress |
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 Search Console and Site Kit by Google. How we grade
Where they differ
- Site Kit by Google is open source, according to its own site.
- Google Search Console also covers site audit and schema markup.
- Site Kit by Google also covers reports and web analytics.
In commonFree planWebPage speed
At a glance
| Google Search Console | Site Kit by Google | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Starts at | Free | Free |
| Free plan | 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. | The whole plugin is free and open source; Google products connected through it keep their own terms and any fees they charge. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | ||
| Price read from | support.google.com | wordpress.org |
| Checked | Oct 23, 2026 | Oct 23, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Site Kit by Google
- Runs only inside WordPress, on a live public site with WordPress 5.2, PHP 7.4 and the REST API available.
- It reports on Google's own services; its pages list no title, meta description, schema or sitemap editing.
- Each WordPress admin who wants full access connects their own Google account.
- New sites or newly connected services can take a few days before data appears.
Key features
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.
Site Kit by Google
- Search Console in WordPress
- Shows how often pages appeared in Google Search and which queries led there, for the whole site or, from the admin bar, for one page.
- Analytics dashboard
- Brings Google Analytics traffic and engagement figures into WordPress. IP addresses are anonymized by default when Analytics is connected.
- PageSpeed Insights
- Compares a page's speed with real-world sites and lists suggestions for making it faster.
- Setup without code
- Adds the snippets for Tag Manager, AdSense, Google Ads, Sign in with Google and Reader Revenue Manager without editing theme files.
- Email reports
- Since version 1.178.0, users can subscribe to a periodic email of key stats and invite other registered site users, such as clients, to get it too.
- View-only sharing
- Admins can share a read-only dashboard with other WordPress roles, choosing which Google services each role can see, with no Google sign-in needed.
Plans
Google Search Console
Free$0
Performance, indexing, Core Web Vitals and rich result reports, URL Inspection, sitemaps, alerts and the API.
Site Kit by Google
Free$0
Every feature, installed from WordPress.org. Google says the plugin is free and will remain so.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Google Search Console or Site Kit by Google?
As of Oct 23, 2026, both Google Search Console and Site Kit by Google are free to use.
Which has a free plan, Google Search Console or Site Kit by Google?
As of Oct 23, 2026, both Google Search Console and Site Kit by Google have a free plan.
More comparisons
- 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
- Site Kit by Google vs Google Analytics
- Site Kit by Google vs Yoast SEO
- Site Kit by Google vs Rank Math
- Site Kit by Google vs All in One SEO (AIOSEO)
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.