Slim SEO vs XML Sitemap Generator for Google (2026): which should you pick?
As of Oct 24, 2026, we pick Slim SEO: it is first in our ranking of SEO plugins and apps, and it grades higher too, 3.4 against 3.2.
Checked Oct 23, 2026 · graded Oct 23, 2026 by ToolGPA
Slim SEO 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.
Slim SEO
WordPress SEO plugin that sets meta tags and schema with no setup
XML Sitemap Generator for Google
Free WordPress plugin that builds and updates XML and HTML sitemaps
Which one is for you
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
Pick XML Sitemap Generator for Google if
- Fits if your SEO plugin has no sitemap, or you've switched its sitemap off
- Works for developers who want to change what the sitemap holds with PHP filters
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if your site isn't on WordPress, as there's no standalone app
- Too light for your whole SEO setup, since titles, meta tags, schema and redirects need another plugin
- Watch out: two sitemap generators at once can conflict, so switch the other one off first
- Watch out: Auctollo's site describes a Premium Edition with news and video sitemaps but gives no price or way to buy it
How we grade them
| 3.4GPASlim SEOVery good | 3.2GPAXML Sitemap Generator for GoogleVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | AFree under the GPL from WordPress.org, for personal or commercial sites, with no paid tier you can buy. XML and HTML sitemaps, exclusions, priorities and IndexNow pings all cost nothing. |
| Free plan and trial | 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. | AEverything listed is free and there's no paid plan holding anything back, so there's no cap to reach. The Premium Edition on Auctollo's site can't be bought. |
| Features | 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. | CXML and HTML sitemaps covering posts, pages, taxonomies, custom post types and WooCommerce products, with exclusions, priorities, IndexNow and PHP filters. It does sitemaps fully, but that's a smaller job: no titles, meta tags, schema or redirects. |
| Ease of use | 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. | BNo rating on record, but there's nothing to build: once it's on, the sitemap is served at /sitemap.xml and updates itself as posts change. Any other sitemap generator should be switched off first. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, inside WordPress. It connects to Search Console, Google Analytics and Tag Manager, and to OpenAI, Gemini, Claude and OpenRouter for AI writing. | BWeb only, inside WordPress, with WooCommerce, WPML, IndexNow, Google Search Console, Bing Webmaster Tools and Site Kit by Google listed, and PHP filters for developers. No standalone app. |
| Best for | WordPress SEO with almost no settings | a free XML sitemap on a WordPress site |
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: Slim SEO and XML Sitemap Generator for Google. How we grade
Price against what you get
Slim SEO starts at $4.92 a month when paid by the year and scores 3.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. XML Sitemap Generator for Google has no paid plan and scores 2.7.
Slim SEO scores higher, and starts $4.92 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other SEO plugins and apps on the chart, none scores higher than Slim SEO for less, and none scores higher than XML Sitemap Generator for Google 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
- XML Sitemap Generator for Google is open source, according to its own site.
- Slim SEO also covers content optimization, schema markup and internal linking.
At a glance
| Slim SEO | XML Sitemap Generator for Google | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | $59 per year for 1 site | Free |
| Free plan | 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. | The whole plugin is free under the GPL from WordPress.org: XML and HTML sitemaps, custom post types and taxonomies, priorities, exclusions, a robots.txt hint and IndexNow. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Slim SEO | Auctollo |
| Price read from | wpslimseo.com | wordpress.org |
| Checked | Oct 23, 2026 | Oct 23, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
XML Sitemap Generator for Google
- It runs only inside WordPress; there is no standalone app.
- It handles sitemaps only; titles, meta tags, schema and redirects need another plugin.
- Auctollo's site describes a Premium Edition with real-time updates and news, video and mobile sitemaps, but gives no price or way to buy it.
- Other sitemap generators should be switched off first, since two sitemaps at once can conflict.
Key features
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.
XML Sitemap Generator for Google
- Automatic XML sitemap
- Serves a sitemap at /sitemap.xml, generated on request since version 4, that updates itself when posts are published, edited or deleted.
- Content coverage
- Covers posts, pages, categories, tags, custom post types and taxonomies, WooCommerce products and external URLs you add by hand. WPML sites are supported.
- Priorities and exclusions
- Set change frequencies and priorities, let the plugin weight posts by comment count, and leave out chosen categories or pages.
- HTML sitemap
- An optional HTML version of the sitemap for visitors and for crawlers that do not read XML.
- Search engine notification
- Notifies Bing, Seznam, Naver and Yandex through IndexNow and can add the sitemap address to the virtual robots.txt file.
- Developer filters
- From version 4.1.20, PHP filters let a theme or plugin change sort order, entries per page, URLs and post types, or add other sitemaps to the index.
Plans
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.
XML Sitemap Generator for Google
Community Edition$0
The free WordPress.org plugin, for personal or commercial sites, with no published paid tier.
Ways to pay less
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.
XML Sitemap Generator for Google
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Slim SEO or XML Sitemap Generator for Google?
As of Oct 23, 2026, XML Sitemap Generator for Google is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $4.92 a month when paid by the year for Slim SEO. Slim SEO starts at $59 per year for 1 site, and XML Sitemap Generator for Google is free.
Which has a free plan, Slim SEO or XML Sitemap Generator for Google?
As of Oct 23, 2026, both Slim SEO and XML Sitemap Generator for Google have a free plan.
More comparisons
- Slim SEO vs The SEO Framework
- Slim SEO vs Yoast SEO
- Slim SEO vs SEOPress
- Slim SEO vs All in One SEO (AIOSEO)
- Slim SEO vs Rank Math
- XML Sitemap Generator for Google vs Yoast SEO
- XML Sitemap Generator for Google vs Rank Math
- XML Sitemap Generator for Google vs All in One SEO (AIOSEO)
- XML Sitemap Generator for Google vs The SEO Framework
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.