Rank Math vs Slim SEO (2026): which should you pick?
As of Oct 23, 2026, Slim SEO grades higher than Rank Math: 3.4 against 3.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Oct 23, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Oct 23, 2026 by ToolGPA
Slim SEO grades higher on features and ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Rank Math
WordPress SEO plugin for meta tags, schema, sitemaps and rank tracking
Slim SEO
WordPress SEO plugin that sets meta tags and schema with no setup
Which one is for you
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
Pick Slim SEO if
- Fits if you want SEO tags handled with very few settings to touch
- Works for freelancers adding schema and link reports across up to 10 client sites
Look elsewhere if
- Watch out: AI meta writing runs on your own OpenAI, Gemini, Claude or OpenRouter key, billed by that provider
- Tight if you stay free, as the schema builder, link tools, Search Console reports and writing tips are Pro
- Skip it if your site isn't on self-hosted WordPress, as there's no standalone app
- Watch out: Pro includes a year of updates, refunds close after 14 days, and hosts and SaaS firms must ask for a quote
How we grade them
| 3.0GPARank MathVery good | 3.4GPASlim SEOVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | APersonal is $59 a year for one site, about $4.92 a month, and renews at the same price. That's under 60% of this category's cheaper quarter. Ten sites are $119 a year and unlimited sites $179. |
| Free plan and trial | 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. | AThe free plugin has no caps: automatic meta and social tags, schema, XML, image and News sitemaps, breadcrumbs, redirects, 404 logs and AI meta writing with your own key. The schema builder and link tools are Pro. |
| Features | 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. | BMeta tags, connected schema, sitemaps, breadcrumbs, redirects, 404 logs and AI meta writing, then on Pro a schema builder with 30+ types, link suggestions, Search Console reports and a writing assistant. It covers the whole job. |
| Ease of use | 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. | BNo rating on record, but it works as soon as it's on: meta tags, schema and sitemaps are written from your posts with no setup. Only the AI writing needs a key pasted in. |
| Platforms and integrations | 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. | BWeb only, inside WordPress. It connects to Search Console, Google Analytics and Tag Manager, and to OpenAI, Gemini, Claude and OpenRouter for AI writing. |
| Best for | SEO settings inside WordPress | WordPress SEO with almost no settings |
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: Rank Math and Slim SEO. How we grade
Where they differ
- Rank Math also covers reports and rank tracking.
- Slim SEO also covers content optimization, schema markup and internal linking.
At a glance
| Rank Math | Slim SEO | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | €8.99 per month at renewal, billed annually, after a first year at €7.99 | $59 per year for 1 site |
| Free plan | 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 plugin on WordPress.org: automatic meta and social tags, schema, XML, image and news sitemaps, breadcrumbs, redirects, 404 monitoring and AI meta writing with your own API key. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Rank Math | Slim SEO |
| Price read from | rankmath.com | wpslimseo.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 23, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Slim SEO
- It needs a self-hosted WordPress site; there is no standalone app.
- AI meta writing uses your own OpenAI, Gemini, Claude or OpenRouter key, so the AI provider bills you separately.
- The schema builder, link tools, Search Console reports and writing assistant all need Slim SEO Pro.
- Pro licences include a year of updates and support; refunds can be requested within 14 days.
Key features
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.
Slim SEO
- Automatic meta and social tags
- Writes meta titles, descriptions, robots tags, Open Graph, Twitter Card and LinkedIn tags from each post with no setup, all editable.
- AI titles and descriptions
- The free plugin writes meta titles and descriptions one by one or in bulk using OpenAI, Gemini, Claude or OpenRouter, with your own API key.
- Schema, sitemaps and breadcrumbs
- Adds connected JSON-LD schema automatically and builds XML, image and Google News sitemaps. Pro adds a visual builder with 30+ schema types and custom JSON-LD.
- Redirects and 404 monitoring
- Set redirect rules, force www or non-www, log 404s and redirect automatically when a post's slug changes, on the free plugin.
- Link manager
- Pro scans every link for status, suggests internal links from post content, fixes broken or redirected links in bulk and reports orphan pages.
- Search Console and writing assistant
- Pro shows Search Console performance, keyword and page reports in WordPress, and gives tips on keywords, images, links and readability while writing.
Plans
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.
Slim SEO
Slim SEO$0
The free WordPress.org plugin with automatic meta tags, schema, sitemaps, redirects and AI-written metadata.
Personal$59
per year for 1 site, renews at the same price
Slim SEO Pro on 1 site: visual schema builder, link suggestions and health monitoring, Search Console reports and the writing assistant.
Freelancer$119
per year for 10 sites, renews at the same price
The same Pro features on up to 10 sites, with a year of updates and support.
Agency$179
per year for unlimited sites, renews at the same price
The same Pro features on unlimited sites. Hosts, SaaS companies and maintenance services must ask for a quote.
Ways to pay less
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.
Slim SEO
- Education
Education licence discount on request
The Slim SEO Pro page invites schools and other educational buyers to contact the team for a discounted licence. The amount is not stated.
- Nonprofit
Nonprofit licence discount on request
The Slim SEO Pro page invites nonprofits to contact the team for a discounted licence. The amount is not stated.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Rank Math or Slim SEO?
As of Oct 23, 2026, Slim SEO is cheaper to start with: $4.92 a month when paid by the year, against about $10.07 a month for Rank Math. Rank Math starts at €8.99 per month at renewal, billed annually, after a first year at €7.99, and Slim SEO starts at $59 per year for 1 site.
Which has a free plan, Rank Math or Slim SEO?
As of Oct 23, 2026, both Rank Math and Slim SEO 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.