SmartCrawl review (2026): is the free plan enough?
WordPress SEO plugin from WPMU DEV with audits, schema and autolinks
Our verdict
Third of our top three SEO plugins and apps
For: WordPress writers who want post checks in the free plugin
SmartCrawl's free WordPress plugin sets title formats, builds XML sitemaps, adds social tags and 301 redirects, has a schema types builder, and grades each post for keyword use and readability in the editor, after a setup wizard and an SEO checkup. Pro Basic is $50 a year for one site. It is third because there are title formats, sitemap types and schema to choose before it is done, where Slim SEO fills these in on its own, and Pro is not sold alone: every paid plan is WPMU DEV's bundle of Pro plugins, with scheduled audits, auto-linking, IndexNow and regex redirects held there.
See all three and how we rankSmartCrawl report card
Very good · out of 4.0 · graded Oct 23, 2026
Best for WordPress SEO inside WPMU DEV's plugin bundle
SmartCrawl's free plugin covers titles, sitemaps, social tags, a schema builder, 301 redirects and post checks, and Pro adds scheduled audits, auto-linking and IndexNow. Pro isn't sold on its own, though: you buy WPMU DEV's whole plugin bundle, from $50 a year for one site.
Who SmartCrawl is for
- Fits if you want a guided setup and a one-click SEO checkup in WordPress
- Works for agencies already running client sites from WPMU DEV's Hub
Who SmartCrawl is not for
- Watch out: Pro isn't sold alone, so every paid plan is WPMU DEV's whole bundle of Pro plugins
- Tight if you stay free, as scheduled audits, auto-linking, IndexNow, regex redirects and white label need Pro
- Watch out: Premium is $4.99 a month for the first 3 months, then $9.99
- Skip it if your site isn't on WordPress, as there's no standalone app
Why SmartCrawl gets a 3.2
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- AValue for moneyPro Basic is $50 a year for one site, about $4.17 a month, and brings WPMU DEV's other Pro plugins along. That's under 60% of this category's cheaper quarter. Premium is $9.99 a month for unlimited sites, after 3 months at $4.99.
- AFree plan and trialThe WordPress.org plugin has no caps: a setup wizard, SEO checkup, titles and meta, sitemaps, social tags, a schema builder, 301 redirects, breadcrumbs and post checks. Scheduled audits and auto-linking are Pro.
- BFeaturesKeyword and readability checks, sitemaps, social tags, a schema builder the product page puts at 150+ types, redirects, scheduled audits and crawls, auto-linking and IndexNow. It covers the whole job, with the audits on Pro.
- CEase of useNo rating on record. A setup wizard walks you through it inside WordPress, but there are title formats, sitemap types and schema to choose before it's done.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWeb only, inside WordPress. It connects to Moz and IndexNow, works with WooCommerce, and ties into WPMU DEV's Hub for managing client sites.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from WPMU DEV's own pages on 23 October 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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Paste this where you want the badge. It links here and follows the grade if it changes. About badges
<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/smartcrawl#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/smartcrawl.svg" alt="SmartCrawl: 3.2 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where SmartCrawl stands among SEO plugins and apps
SmartCrawl's GPA of 3.2 is higher than 76 of the 78 other SEO plugins and apps we grade, and level with 1.
It stands best on free plan and trial (A, above 63 of 78) and worst on ease of use (C, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $4.17 a month when paid by the year, against a middle price of $9.99 for the category: 5 of the 58 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 79 SEO plugins and apps we grade, cut by the letter each got. SmartCrawl’s own letter is outlined.
- AValue for moneyAbove 53 of 78, level with 25
- AFree plan and trialAbove 63 of 78, level with 15
- BFeaturesAbove 53 of 78, level with 25
- CEase of useAbove 0 of 78, level with 59
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 31 of 78, level with 47
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 70 SEO plugins and apps. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
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
Keep SmartCrawl, or make your own?
Keep it
The plain part of SmartCrawl you could make: schema markup and internal linking. What surrounds it you could not. The 3 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 3.2 is higher than 76 of the 78 other SEO plugins and apps we grade. It costs $50 a year.
What you could make
- Schema markup and internal linking: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- A crawler that checks every page of a site.
- A score built from what the top results for each keyword cover.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. SmartCrawl’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is SmartCrawl?
SmartCrawl is WPMU DEV's SEO plugin for WordPress. The free version handles titles and meta descriptions, XML sitemaps, Open Graph and Twitter cards, a schema types builder, 301 redirects, breadcrumbs and per-post SEO and readability checks. SmartCrawl Pro, sold as part of WPMU DEV's Pro plugin bundle, adds scheduled SEO audits and site crawls, automatic keyword linking, IndexNow, location-based redirects and white-label reports.
Worth knowing
- It runs only inside WordPress; there is no standalone app.
- Scheduled audits and crawls, automatic linking, IndexNow, advanced redirects and white label need a Pro plan.
- SmartCrawl Pro is not sold alone: every paid plan is WPMU DEV's bundle of Pro plugins, such as Smush Pro and Forminator Pro.
- Premium is $9.99 a month after a first 3 months at $4.99; paid plans have a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Key features
- SEO checkup and content analysis
- Runs a checkup with fixes to apply, and grades each post for keyword use and readability in the editor, on the free plugin.
- Titles, sitemaps and social tags
- Sets title and description formats, builds XML sitemaps with chosen post types and taxonomies, and adds Open Graph, Twitter cards and Pinterest verification.
- Schema types builder
- Adds and customizes schema for articles, web pages, reviews, products, local businesses and more; the product page counts 150+ schema types.
- Scheduled audits and crawls
- Pro runs SEO audits and URL crawls on a schedule, finding broken URLs, 404s and redirect chains, with white-label reports for clients.
- Automatic linking
- Pro turns chosen keywords into internal or external links across the site automatically.
- Redirects and indexing
- 301 redirects are free; Pro adds regex and location-based redirects and notifies search engines of changes through IndexNow.
SmartCrawl pricing
As of Oct 23, 2026, SmartCrawl has a free plan, and paid plans start at $50 per year for 1 site.
- Starts at
- $50 per year for 1 site
- Free plan
- Free plugin on WordPress.org: setup wizard, SEO checkup, titles and meta, XML sitemaps, social tags, schema types builder, 301 redirects, breadcrumbs and content analysis.
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | The WordPress.org plugin with on-page settings, sitemaps, schema, 301 redirects and an SEO checkup. |
| Pro Basic | $50per year for 1 site | SmartCrawl Pro and the rest of WPMU DEV's Pro plugins on 1 site, with a CDN allowance, backup storage and 24/7 support. |
| Pro Standard | $75per year for 3 sites | The same Pro plugin suite on 3 sites. |
| Pro Plus | $100per year for 10 sites | The same Pro plugin suite on 10 sites. |
| Premium | $9.99per month for unlimited sites | All Pro plugins on unlimited sites, plus hosting discounts, a reseller platform, unlimited seats and CRM. $4.99 a month for the first 3 months. |
Read from wpmudev.com on Oct 23, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with SmartCrawl before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Other savingsPremium at half price for 3 months
WPMU DEV's pricing page shows Premium at $4.99 a month for the first 3 months, then $9.99 a month.
Stated on wpmudev.com
Works with
- Moz
- WooCommerce
- IndexNow
- WPMU DEV The Hub
SmartCrawl alternatives
- SmartCrawl vs Yoast SEO
Free plan · from $118.80/yr
- SmartCrawl vs All in One SEO (AIOSEO)
Free plan · from $99/yr
- SmartCrawl vs SEOPress
Free plan · from $49/yr
- SmartCrawl vs Rank Math
Free plan · from €8.99/mo
- SmartCrawl vs Squirrly SEO
Free plan · from $19.99/mo
Common questions
Does SmartCrawl have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 23, 2026. SmartCrawl is listed for Web.
Does SmartCrawl have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 23, 2026. SmartCrawl is listed for Web.
Is SmartCrawl open source?
SmartCrawl is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 23, 2026.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 23, 2026.