Permalink Manager vs Rank Math (2026): which should you pick?
As of Oct 23, 2026, Rank Math grades higher than Permalink Manager: 3.0 against 2.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Oct 23, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Oct 23, 2026 by ToolGPA
Rank Math grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Permalink Manager
WordPress plugin for editing full URLs and permalink formats
Rank Math
WordPress SEO plugin for meta tags, schema, sitemaps and rank tracking
Which one is for you
Pick Permalink Manager if
- Fits if your custom post types need their own URL structure
- Works for migrations from another CMS that must keep their old paths
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if your site isn't on WordPress, as there's no standalone app
- Too light for SEO on its own, since it changes URLs only and titles, sitemaps and schema need another plugin
- Tight if you stay on Lite, as category, custom taxonomy and custom field URLs and extra redirects need Pro
- Watch out: prices are in euros and exclude VAT, and there's no trial, only a 14-day money-back guarantee
- Watch out: the €49 license includes a year of updates, then renewal is €35, or lifetime updates cost €119
Pick Rank Math if
- Fits if your site runs on WordPress and you want SEO settings in the editor
- Works for someone with several sites of their own, since PRO covers unlimited owned sites
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if your site isn't on self-hosted WordPress or WordPress.com's Business plan, as it runs nowhere else
- Not for you if you need keyword, backlink or competitor research, which it doesn't do
- Tight if you build sites for clients, as PRO excludes them and Business is €27.99 a month at renewal
- Watch out: prices are in euros before VAT, billed yearly only, with a lower first year, and the 30-day refund skips renewals
- Pricey if you want AI writing, a separate Rank Math AI subscription from €6.99 a month billed yearly
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAPermalink ManagerGood | 3.0GPARank MathVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | APro is €49 once for 2 domains with a year of updates, under a year of this category's $10.99 middle, and it keeps working after updates stop. Lifetime updates are €119 for 2 domains, €199 for 5 and €399 for unlimited. | AGraded against its alternatives. PRO is €8.99 a month at renewal (€7.99 in the first year), billed yearly before VAT, for unlimited sites you own and 500 tracked keywords. That's under 60% of this category's cheaper quarter, even after converting from euros. |
| Free plan and trial | BLite is free on WordPress.org: edit post, page and custom post type URLs one by one or by format, with automatic redirects and WPML and Polylang URLs. Many sites could stop there; taxonomy and custom field URLs are Pro. | AThe free plugin from WordPress.org does the core job with no cap a normal site will reach: on-page checks, 16+ schema types, sitemaps, redirects, a 404 monitor and Search Console data every 7 days. |
| Features | CFull URL editing one by one or in bulk, formats per post type, automatic redirects, shorter WooCommerce URLs and a REST API on Pro. It does URLs fully, but that's a smaller job: no titles, sitemaps or schema. | COn-page scores against 30+ tests, schema, sitemaps, redirects and rank tracking fed by Search Console. It does its job fully, but that job is on-page SEO for WordPress, with no keyword research, backlinks or competitor data. |
| Ease of use | CNo rating on record. Editing one URL is simple, but formats per post type, taxonomy slugs and trailing slash rules take some reading before you change a live site. | CNo rating on record. Inside WordPress it feels familiar, but you need a self-hosted WordPress site or WordPress.com's Business plan first, then the setup and the Google connections. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, inside WordPress, with WooCommerce, WPML, Polylang, Yoast SEO, Rank Math, SEOPress, Advanced Custom Fields and Pods listed, and a REST API on Pro. | BRuns inside WordPress in the browser and connects to Search Console, Analytics, Google Trends, WooCommerce, Elementor, Divi, WP Rocket and WPML. Nothing for sites that aren't on WordPress. |
| Best for | custom URLs for any WordPress post or product | SEO settings inside 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: Permalink Manager and Rank Math. How we grade
Where they differ
- Permalink Manager is open source, according to its own site.
- Permalink Manager can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Rank Math also covers reports and rank tracking.
At a glance
| Permalink Manager | Rank Math | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | €49 one-time for 2 domains, with 1 year of updates | €8.99 per month at renewal, billed annually, after a first year at €7.99 |
| Free plan | Permalink Manager Lite on WordPress.org: edit post, page and custom post type URLs one by one or by format, automatic redirects, and WPML and Polylang URLs. | Free plugin from WordPress.org: content analysis, 16+ schema types, sitemaps, redirects, 404 monitor, and Search Console and Analytics data refreshed every 7 days. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Maciej Bis | Rank Math |
| Price read from | permalinkmanager.pro | rankmath.com |
| Checked | Oct 23, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Permalink Manager
- It runs only inside WordPress, and it changes URLs only; titles, sitemaps and schema need an SEO plugin.
- Prices are in euros and exclude VAT.
- Category and custom taxonomy URLs, custom fields in URLs and extra redirects need Pro.
- There is no trial, but Pro has a 14-day money-back guarantee; it keeps working after its update period ends.
Rank Math
- It runs only inside WordPress, on a self-hosted site or on WordPress.com's Business plan; there is no standalone app.
- The pricing page shows prices in euros before VAT, billed yearly only, with a lower first year; the 30-day refund does not cover renewals.
- PRO is for sites you own only; client sites need Business (100 sites) or Agency (500 sites).
- AI writing tools are a separate Rank Math AI subscription, from €6.99 a month billed annually, with a 15-day trial included on paid plans.
Key features
Permalink Manager
- Full URL editor
- Edit the whole permalink of a post, page or product, not just its slug, one at a time or in bulk from a single admin screen.
- Permalink formats per content type
- Set a URL format for each custom post type, with taxonomy slugs, .html suffixes or trailing slash rules, for new items or existing ones too.
- Automatic redirects
- Old URLs redirect to the new ones when a permalink changes. Pro adds extra redirects and external URL redirects for any post or term.
- WooCommerce URLs
- Lite removes /product/ from product URLs. Pro also removes /product-category/ and /product-tag/, adds SKUs to URLs and makes coupon links.
- Custom fields and taxonomies
- Pro edits category and custom taxonomy URLs and puts custom field values in permalinks, with ACF, Pods, Meta Box and Toolset Types.
- Multilingual URLs and REST API
- Different URL formats per language with WPML and Polylang on both editions; Pro reads and updates permalinks and redirects through the REST API.
Rank Math
- On-page content checks
- Scores each post against 30+ SEO tests in the editor, with focus keywords per post and suggestions for what to fix.
- Schema markup
- The free plugin covers 16+ schema types. Paid plans add a schema generator for building your own types and reusable templates.
- Sitemaps, redirects and 404s
- Builds XML sitemaps with custom post type support, manages redirects at scale and logs 404 errors, all from the WordPress dashboard.
- Rank tracker and analytics
- Pulls rankings and traffic from Google Search Console and Analytics into WordPress: 500 tracked keywords on PRO, 10,000 on Business.
- AI Link Genius
- Listed on the paid plans: internal link suggestions while writing, automatic keyword-to-page links and a broken link checker.
- WooCommerce and local SEO
- The free plugin adds schema and meta tags for WooCommerce products and local SEO tools; paid plans list WooCommerce SEO PRO and multiple locations.
Plans
Permalink Manager
Lite€0
The free WordPress.org edition for posts, pages and custom post types, with automatic redirects and multilingual URLs.
2 Domains, 1 year of updates€49
one-time for 2 domains; optional renewal of updates at €35
Every Pro feature as a perpetual license, with a year of updates and support. Prices exclude VAT.
2 Domains, lifetime updates€119
one-time for 2 domains, with lifetime updates
The same Pro license with all future updates and no renewal fee.
5 Domains, lifetime updates€199
one-time for 5 domains, with lifetime updates
Pro on 5 domains with all future updates. With 1 year of updates it is €79, renewing at €59 if you choose.
Unlimited Domains, lifetime€399
one-time for unlimited domains, with lifetime updates
Pro on any number of domains with all future updates. With 1 year of updates it is €159, renewing at €99 if you choose.
Rank Math
Free€0
The WordPress.org plugin: on-page checks, schema, sitemaps, redirects and Google Search Console and Analytics integration.
PRO€8.99
per month at renewal, billed annually (first year €7.99)
Unlimited sites you own, no client sites, and 500 tracked keywords. €7.99 a month for the first year, then €107.88 a year, ex VAT.
Rank Math + WP Rocket€13.99
per month at renewal, billed annually (first year €11.99)
PRO on unlimited sites you own plus the WP Rocket caching plugin for one site. €11.99 a month for the first year, ex VAT.
Business€27.99
per month at renewal, billed annually (first year €24.99)
Up to 100 client sites and 10,000 tracked keywords, with priority support. €24.99 a month for the first year, ex VAT.
Agency€64.99
per month at renewal, billed annually (first year €54.99)
Up to 500 client sites and 50,000 tracked keywords, with priority support. €54.99 a month for the first year, ex VAT.
Ways to pay less
Permalink Manager
- Lifetime license
Lifetime updates from €119
Each Pro tier can be bought with lifetime updates for one payment: €119 for 2 domains, €199 for 5 and €399 for unlimited domains.
Rank Math
- Other savings
Lower price for the first year
Paid plans cost less in the first year, ex VAT: PRO €7.99 a month then €8.99, Business €24.99 then €27.99, Agency €54.99 then €64.99.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Permalink Manager or Rank Math?
As of Oct 23, 2026, Permalink Manager starts at €49 one-time for 2 domains, with 1 year of updates, and Rank Math starts at €8.99 per month at renewal, billed annually, after a first year at €7.99.
Which has a free plan, Permalink Manager or Rank Math?
As of Oct 23, 2026, both Permalink Manager and Rank Math 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.