HeadingsMap vs Web Developer (2026): which should you pick?
As of Oct 23, 2026, HeadingsMap and Web Developer share a 3.0 GPA, both are free, so the choice depends on whether you care more about platforms, where HeadingsMap grades higher, or features, where Web Developer does.
Checked Oct 23, 2026 · graded Oct 23, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
HeadingsMap
Free extension that maps a page's headings and flags broken levels
Free
Web Developer
Free browser toolbar of page inspection and validation tools
Free
Which one is for you
Pick HeadingsMap if
- Fits if you check that a page's headings run in order before publishing
- Works for accessibility reviews of heading and landmark structure
Look elsewhere if
- Too light for on-page SEO checks, as titles, meta tags, links and schema need another extension
- Skip it if you browse in Safari or Edge, as no store listing for either is named
- Watch out: the developer hasn't identified itself as a trader, so EU consumer rights don't apply
Pick Web Developer if
- Fits if you check alt text, hidden elements and markup by hand
- Works for people who switch between Firefox, Edge and Chrome and want the same tools in each
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want search, ranking or backlink data, as it has none
- Watch out: the latest release is 3.0.1 from June 2024, built in the developer's spare time with no release dates
- Skip it if you're on Opera, where the version is 0.2.2 from February 2017
- Tight if you're on Firefox, which lacks the disable features, Display Style Information and the context menu
How we grade them
| 3.0GPAHeadingsMapVery good | 3.0GPAWeb DeveloperVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree from the Chrome Web Store and Firefox Add-ons, with no account and no paid version listed. | AFree and open source in the Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Opera stores; the developer asks for optional donations. |
| Free plan and trial | AFree outright: every view in the extension, with nothing held back. | AFree outright: every tool, on all four browsers, with nothing held back. |
| Features | DOne narrow function: headings, sections and landmarks, skipped levels marked, click to jump, frames read and hidden headings left out. Titles, meta tags, links and schema need another extension, as the listing says. | CAlt and title attributes, broken images, element outlines, hidden elements, live CSS, cookies, forms, rulers, responsive previews and validator links. A large toolbox, but only part of it is SEO, and there's no search or ranking data. |
| Ease of use | BNo rating on record, but nothing to set up: click the icon and the outline appears beside the page. | BNo rating on record, but nothing to set up: click the toolbar button and pick a tool from the menu. |
| Platforms and integrations | BChrome and Firefox, including Firefox for Android, so it reaches a phone as well as a computer. No Safari or Edge listing is named, and there are no integrations. | CChrome, Edge, Firefox and Opera on Windows, macOS and Linux, but computers only, with no integrations. |
| Best for | checking a page's heading order | a toolbar of page inspection tools |
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: HeadingsMap and Web Developer. How we grade
Price against what you get
HeadingsMap has no paid plan and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Web Developer has no paid plan and scores 2.3.
On this chart the two sit in the same place: the same score for the same starting price. Of the other SEO browser extensions on the chart, none scores higher than HeadingsMap for less, and none scores higher than Web Developer 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
- Web Developer is open source, according to its own site.
- HeadingsMap also covers content optimization.
In commonFree planBrowser extensionSite audit
At a glance
| HeadingsMap | Web Developer | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Starts at | Free | Free |
| Free plan | The whole extension is a free install from the Chrome Web Store and Firefox Add-ons, with no account and no paid version listed. | The whole extension is free in the Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Opera add-on stores; the developer asks for optional donations. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Jorge Rumoroso | Chris Pederick |
| Price read from | chromewebstore.google.com | chrispederick.com |
| Checked | Oct 23, 2026 | Oct 23, 2026 |
Worth knowing
HeadingsMap
- It checks headings, sections and landmarks only; titles, meta tags, links and schema need another extension.
- It is listed for Chrome and Firefox, including Firefox for Android; no Safari or Edge store listing is named.
- The Chrome Web Store notes the developer has not identified itself as a trader, so EU consumer rights do not apply.
Web Developer
- The latest release, 3.0.1, dates from June 2024; the developer works on it in spare time and gives no release dates.
- The Opera version is much older, version 0.2.2 from February 2017.
- The Firefox version lacks the disable features, Display Style Information and the context menu, because Firefox removed the APIs.
- It is a general web developer toolbox, with no search or ranking data; its SEO uses are page-level checks.
Key features
HeadingsMap
- Heading outline
- Lists every heading with its level and, optionally, marks where a level is skipped or out of order.
- Sections and landmarks
- Also lists HTML sections and page landmarks, with optional notes on structural errors in each.
- Click to jump
- Clicking an item scrolls the page to that heading and outlines it, so long pages can be checked or read quickly.
- Frames and live pages
- Reads documents inside frames through a document selector, and refreshes the outline when the page changes.
- Copyable anchor links
- When a heading has an anchor, the outline links to it, and an optional link copies that address to the clipboard.
- Hidden headings left out
- Headings hidden from assistive technologies are not shown, so the outline matches what screen readers announce.
Web Developer
- Image and attribute checks
- Display alt attributes, image dimensions and title attributes on the page, replace images with their alt text, and find broken images.
- Outline and element information
- Outline elements with optional labels, show hidden elements and tag names, and inspect an element's details as you point at it.
- Validators
- Send the page to online HTML and accessibility validators from the toolbar; the help says these third-party features are the only ones that pass data on.
- Edit CSS and print styles
- Edit a page's CSS live in a panel, view print styles, and hide background or all images to see the page without them.
- Cookies, forms and JavaScript
- View, add and edit cookies, view form information, populate form fields, remove form validation and view a page's JavaScript.
- Rulers and responsive layouts
- A ruler, line guides and a color picker, plus responsive layout previews and resize sizes you configure yourself.
Plans
HeadingsMap
Free$0
Every view in the extension, free from the Chrome Web Store or Firefox Add-ons.
Web Developer
Free$0
Every tool in the extension, free on all four browsers, with optional donations to the developer.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, HeadingsMap or Web Developer?
As of Oct 23, 2026, both HeadingsMap and Web Developer are free to use.
Which has a free plan, HeadingsMap or Web Developer?
As of Oct 23, 2026, both HeadingsMap and Web Developer 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.