META SEO inspector vs Sprout SEO (2026): which should you pick?
As of Oct 24, 2026, we pick Sprout SEO: it is second in our ranking of SEO browser extensions, and they share a 3.0 GPA.
Checked Oct 23, 2026 · graded Oct 23, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on all five counts.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
META SEO inspector
Free Chrome extension that lays out a page's hidden metadata
Free
Which one is for you
Pick META SEO inspector if
- Fits if you check titles, descriptions and social tags before a page goes live
- Works for teams that need the interface in a language other than English
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you're not on Chrome, as the developer names no other browser
- Too light for whole-site audits, since it inspects the page in front of you
- Not for you if you want search volumes or backlinks, which it doesn't show
- Watch out: the developer hasn't identified itself as a trader, so EU consumer rights don't apply
- Watch out: it's a one-person project, with requests and bug reports going by email or X
Pick Sprout SEO if
- Fits if you run quick on-page checks on client pages and want them in one panel
- Works for exporting a page's headings and copy for a content brief
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want rankings or backlinks, as it links out to Ahrefs and Semrush for those
- Too light for whole-site audits, since it checks one page at a time
- Not for you if you browse in Safari, as only Chrome, Firefox and Edge are named
- Tight if you're mapping a big migration, as the Wayback exporter stops at about 100,000 URLs
- Watch out: the developer hasn't identified itself as a trader, so EU consumer rights don't apply
How we grade them
| 3.0GPAMETA SEO inspectorVery good | 3.0GPASprout SEOVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree with no account, logins or fees; the developer takes optional donations through PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. | AFree, and the vendor's FAQ says it's completely free to use, with no paid version offered. |
| Free plan and trial | AEvery feature is free and there's no paid version, so nothing is held back. | AEvery check, export and SERP tool is free, with nothing held back. |
| Features | CTitles and descriptions with length checks, canonicals, meta robots, H1 to H6, alt text, Open Graph and Twitter tags, JSON-LD and a new broken link checker. The basics, with no search volumes, rankings or backlink data. | CIndexability, canonicals, headings, links with status, images, JSON-LD, hreflang, Core Web Vitals, a Trends and People Also Ask sidebar and a Wayback URL exporter. The gap the listing names: no ranking or backlink data of its own. |
| Ease of use | BNo rating on record, but no account and nothing to set up: click the icon, or dock it in the side panel, and the page's metadata is listed. | BNo rating on record, but nothing to set up: install it, open a page and the checks are in the panel. |
| Platforms and integrations | CMade for Chrome, so computers only, with no Firefox, Safari or Edge version named. No integrations, though it links out to site testers. | CChrome, Firefox and Edge, so computers only, with no Safari version. It links to Search Console, PageSpeed Insights, Trends, Ahrefs, Semrush and the Wayback Machine. |
| Best for | a page's hidden metadata in a side panel | on-page checks plus a Google results sidebar |
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: META SEO inspector and Sprout SEO. How we grade
Price against what you get
META SEO inspector has no paid plan and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Sprout SEO 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 META SEO inspector for less, and none scores higher than Sprout 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
- Sprout SEO also covers page speed.
In commonFree planBrowser extensionSite auditSchema markup
At a glance
| META SEO inspector | Sprout SEO | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Starts at | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Completely free with no account, logins or fees; the developer accepts optional donations through PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. | The whole extension is free; the vendor's FAQ says it is completely free to use, and no paid version is offered. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Omiod (Andrea Doimo) | User Growth |
| Price read from | omiod.com | sproutseo.io |
| Checked | Oct 23, 2026 | Oct 23, 2026 |
Worth knowing
META SEO inspector
- It is made for Chrome; the developer names no Firefox, Safari or Edge version.
- It inspects the page in front of you and does not crawl a whole site.
- The developer has not identified itself as a trader, so EU consumer rights do not apply, as the store listing notes.
- It is a one-person project; feature requests and bug reports go to the developer by email or X.
Sprout SEO
- It checks one page at a time and has no ranking or backlink data of its own; it links out to tools such as Ahrefs and Semrush for that.
- It runs in Chrome, Firefox and Edge; the vendor names no Safari version.
- The Chrome Web Store notes the developer has not identified itself as a trader, so EU consumer rights do not apply.
- The Wayback exporter stops at about 100,000 URLs per domain.
Key features
META SEO inspector
- Metadata with length checks
- Shows titles and descriptions with their character counts, canonicals and meta robots, and flags tags that are missing, cut off or too long.
- Headings and image alt text
- Lists the H1 to H6 headings in order and the ALT text of the page's images.
- Social tags and JSON-LD
- Displays Open Graph and Twitter tags and extracts the page's full JSON-LD schema in one click.
- Broken link checker
- A newly added checker tests the page's links; the store listing also counts internal and unique links.
- Docked side panel
- The inspector can stay open in Chrome's side panel while you browse, with dark or light and compact or comfortable themes.
- Exports and print reports
- Export meta values or a dataset, print a report, and jump to outside site testers and safety checkers from the panel.
Sprout SEO
- Indexability and canonicals
- Summarizes robots.txt status, meta robots and X-Robots-Tag headers, and flags a canonical that does not point back to the current URL.
- Headings, links and images
- Maps H1 to H6 with warnings, lists links with their HTTP status and anchor text, and groups images missing alt text or dimensions, all exportable to CSV.
- Schema and hreflang checks
- Detects JSON-LD types, exports each one and links to Google's Rich Results Test; the hreflang view checks each alternate's status and back-reference.
- Core Web Vitals snapshot
- Shows LCP, INP and CLS from Chrome user data with color cues, with a link to PageSpeed Insights for a fuller view.
- Google results sidebar
- Adds Google Trends data, keyword ideas, a People Also Ask extractor that exports to CSV and a simulator for searching from any location.
- Wayback URL exporter
- Pulls up to about 100,000 of a domain's URLs from archive.org within a date range, for mapping redirects after a site migration.
Plans
META SEO inspector
Free$0
Every feature, with no account needed; optional donations to the developer.
Sprout SEO
Free$0
Every check, export and SERP tool in the extension, free to install for Chrome, Firefox or Edge.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, META SEO inspector or Sprout SEO?
As of Oct 23, 2026, both META SEO inspector and Sprout SEO are free to use.
Which has a free plan, META SEO inspector or Sprout SEO?
As of Oct 23, 2026, both META SEO inspector and Sprout SEO have a free plan.
More comparisons
- META SEO inspector vs Detailed SEO Extension
- META SEO inspector vs SEO META in 1 CLICK
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- META SEO inspector vs HeadingsMap
- META SEO inspector vs SEO Pro Extension
- Sprout SEO vs Detailed SEO Extension
- Sprout SEO vs SEO Minion
- Sprout SEO vs SEOquake
- Sprout SEO vs SEO Pro Extension
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.