The Yoast SEO Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Yoast SEO in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Yoast SEO
The Insider’s Guide
WordPress SEO plugin with content analysis, schema and sitemaps
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among SEO plugins and apps, read from Yoast SEO’s own pages.
Made by Yoast BV · checked Oct 23, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Yoast SEO’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Yoast SEO’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 23, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.6
GPA, above 49 of the 78 other SEO plugins and apps we grade
Yoast SEO is a WordPress plugin that sets titles, meta descriptions, canonical URLs, XML sitemaps and Schema.org structured data, and grades each post for SEO and readability as it is written. Yoast SEO Premium adds AI-drafted metadata, a redirect manager, internal linking suggestions and the Local, Video and News SEO plugins. Higher plans add WooCommerce tools and weekly checks of how AI chat answers mention a brand.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Yoast SEO, taken from its own pages and our grades.
The free plugin checks one keyphrase and has no redirects or link suggestions at all.
- 1
Best for SEO checks inside the WordPress editor
Yoast SEO writes your meta tags, sitemaps and schema, and grades each post for SEO and readability while you write it in WordPress.
- 2
Paid plans start at $9.90 a month when paid by the year
As its pricing page puts it: $118.80 per year for 1 site, ex VAT.
- 3
There is a free plan
Free plugin from WordPress.org: SEO and readability analysis for one keyphrase, meta tags, canonicals, XML sitemaps, schema, breadcrumbs, llms.txt and a bulk metadata editor.
- 4
It runs on Web
Web.
- 5
Content and readability analysis
Red, orange and green ratings in the editor for SEO and readability. The free plugin checks one keyphrase; Premium checks up to five, with word forms in 20+ languages.
- 6
Technical SEO and schema
Writes meta tags, canonical URLs, XML sitemaps, breadcrumbs and Schema.org data automatically. Premium outputs more schema types and joins them into one graph.
- 7
AI metadata drafts
Premium drafts SEO titles and meta descriptions page by page or in bulk, and nothing saves until it is approved. There is no separate AI subscription or credit pack.
- 8
A 2.6 GPA, above 49 of 78
That is against the other SEO plugins and apps we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
The plain part of Yoast SEO you could make: schema markup and internal linking. What surrounds it you could not. The 5 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
Yoast SEO at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan, from $118.80 per year for 1 site, ex VAT
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web
- Made by
- Yoast BV
- Category
- SEO Plugins & Apps
- Our grade
- 2.6 GPA, good
The report card
Best for SEO checks inside the WordPress editor
Yoast SEO writes your meta tags, sitemaps and schema, and grades each post for SEO and readability while you write it in WordPress. The free plugin checks one keyphrase and has no redirects or link suggestions at all. Premium is $118.80 a year for each site before VAT, and none of it runs outside WordPress.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C | Premium is $118.80 a year for one site before VAT, about $9.90 a month, a bit above this category's cheaper quarter ($8.25). WooCommerce SEO is $178.80 and AI+ is $358.80, each for one site or brand. |
| Free plan and trial | B | The free plugin writes meta tags, canonicals, sitemaps, schema, breadcrumbs and llms.txt, and checks one keyphrase per post. One site could run on it, but redirects, link suggestions and AI drafts aren't in it at all. |
| Features | B | Content and readability checks, meta tags, schema, sitemaps, redirects, internal link suggestions, Local, Video and News SEO, and an AI crawler blocker. It covers the whole job, with redirects and links on Premium only. |
| Ease of use | C | No rating on record. It sits in the WordPress admin, but each post needs a keyphrase set before the checks tell you much, and there are site-wide settings to go through first. |
| Platforms and integrations | B | Web only, inside WordPress, with no app of its own. It works with Semrush, Wincher, Elementor, Site Kit, WooCommerce, Advanced Custom Fields, Algolia and Jetpack. The Shopify version is a separate product. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Yoast SEO is for
- Fits if your site runs on WordPress and you want SEO checks shown while you write
- Works for writers who want readability notes next to the SEO ones
Who it is not for
- Skip it if your site isn't on WordPress, as Yoast for Shopify and the Google Docs add-on are separate products
- Tight if you stay free, since redirects, link suggestions and AI drafts all need Premium
- Pricey if you run several sites, as each needs its own $118.80 a year and bulk discounts start at 5
- Watch out: AI Brand Insights on AI+ checks 5 questions once a week, and another brand means another $358.80
Good to know
Good for
- WordPress site owners who want SEO guidance inside the post editor
- Writers who want readability feedback alongside SEO checks
- WooCommerce stores that need product schema and cleaner store sitemaps
Worth knowing
- It runs only inside WordPress; Yoast SEO for Shopify and the Google Docs add-on are separate products.
- Each paid subscription covers one site, billed yearly before VAT; bulk discounts start at 5 subscriptions bought together.
- Redirects, internal linking suggestions and AI drafting need Premium; the free plugin has none of them.
- AI Brand Insights runs one weekly analysis of 5 questions per brand, with no extra runs; another brand needs another subscription.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$9.90
A month to start, paid by the year. There is a free plan too
Yoast SEO has a free plan. Paid plans start at $118.80 per year for 1 site, ex VAT.
The free plugin writes meta tags, canonicals, sitemaps, schema, breadcrumbs and llms.txt, and checks one keyphrase per post.
Yoast SEO
$0
The free WordPress.org plugin: content and readability analysis, meta tags, sitemaps, schema, breadcrumbs and llms.txt.
Yoast SEO Premium
$118.80
per year for 1 site, ex VAT
AI titles and descriptions, 5 keyphrases per page, redirect manager, internal linking, Local, Video and News SEO plugins and 24/7 support.
Yoast WooCommerce SEO
$178.80
per year for 1 site, ex VAT
Everything in Premium plus product schema, product content checks, store sitemaps, canonicals and AI metadata for products.
Yoast SEO AI+
$358.80
per year for 1 brand, ex VAT
WooCommerce SEO plus AI Brand Insights: a weekly check of 5 brand questions in ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Perplexity, with sentiment and citations.
The free plan
Free plugin from WordPress.org: SEO and readability analysis for one keyphrase, meta tags, canonicals, XML sitemaps, schema, breadcrumbs, llms.txt and a bulk metadata editor.
Read from yoast.com on Oct 23, 2026.
Ways to pay less
Other savings
Bulk discount from 5 subscriptions
Yoast takes 5% off 5 or more subscriptions of the same product bought in one order, rising to 40% off 75 or more; 100 or more is quoted.
Stated on yoast.com
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
1
Place it runs: Web
WordPress SEO plugin with content analysis, schema and sitemaps. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: AI features, AI search visibility, content optimization, schema markup, internal linking.
It covers the whole job, with redirects and links on Premium only.
- Content and readability analysis
- Red, orange and green ratings in the editor for SEO and readability. The free plugin checks one keyphrase; Premium checks up to five, with word forms in 20+ languages.
- Technical SEO and schema
- Writes meta tags, canonical URLs, XML sitemaps, breadcrumbs and Schema.org data automatically. Premium outputs more schema types and joins them into one graph.
- AI metadata drafts
- Premium drafts SEO titles and meta descriptions page by page or in bulk, and nothing saves until it is approved. There is no separate AI subscription or credit pack.
- Redirects and internal links
- Premium prompts for a redirect when a page is moved or deleted, imports redirects by CSV, suggests internal links while writing and finds orphaned posts.
- AI crawler controls
- Manages an llms.txt file on every plan; Premium adds a bot blocker for AI training crawlers such as GPTBot, CCBot and Google-Extended.
- AI Brand Insights
- On the AI+ plan, a weekly report on whether 5 set questions in ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Perplexity mention the brand, with sentiment, citations and competitor ranking.
Where it runs
- Web
What it works with
- Semrush
- Wincher
- Elementor
- Google Site Kit
- WooCommerce
- Advanced Custom Fields
- Algolia
- Jetpack
Yoast SEO is made by Yoast BV.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
49/78
Other SEO plugins and apps it is graded above
Yoast SEO's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 49 of the 78 other SEO plugins and apps we grade, and level with 10.
It stands best on features (B, above 53 of 78) and worst on ease of use (C, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $9.90 a month when paid by the year, against a middle price of $9.99 for the category: 23 of the 58 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. 1 tool scores higher and costs less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 79 SEO plugins and apps we grade, cut by the letter each got. Yoast SEO’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 15 of 78
- BFree plan and trialAbove 47 of 78
- BFeaturesAbove 53 of 78
- CEase of useAbove 0 of 78
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 31 of 78
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 70 SEO plugins and apps. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Yoast SEO is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
The plain part of Yoast SEO you could make: schema markup and internal linking. What surrounds it you could not. The 5 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
It costs $118.80 a year.
What you could make
- Schema markup and internal linking: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- A score built from what the top results for each keyword cover.
- The same prompts asked of ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Google's AI answers every day, and the answers kept.
- It plugs into other products, Semrush, Wincher and Elementor among them.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Yoast SEO’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.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Rank Math, All in One SEO (AIOSEO), SEOPress, The SEO Framework and Slim SEO
The 5 tools Yoast SEO is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 3.0GPA
Rank Math
Free plan · from €8.99/mo
WordPress SEO plugin for meta tags, schema, sitemaps and rank tracking.
- Yoast SEO also covers AI search visibility, content optimization, schema markup and internal linking.
- Rank Math also covers reports and rank tracking.
- 2.8GPA
All in One SEO (AIOSEO)
Free plan · from $99/yr
WordPress SEO plugin with schema, redirects, link suggestions and AI.
- Yoast SEO also covers AI search visibility.
- All in One SEO (AIOSEO) also covers rank tracking and site audit.
- 3.0GPA
SEOPress
Free plan · from $49/yr
WordPress SEO plugin with a free edition and site licences from $49.
- Yoast SEO also covers AI search visibility.
- SEOPress also covers rank tracking, site audit and backlink analysis.
- 3.0GPA
The SEO Framework
Free plan · from $7/mo
WordPress SEO plugin that fills in meta tags and schema automatically.
- Yoast SEO also covers AI search visibility and internal linking.
- 3.4GPA
Slim SEO
Free plan · from $59/yr
WordPress SEO plugin that sets meta tags and schema with no setup.
- Yoast SEO also covers AI search visibility.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
13
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Yoast SEO free?
Yoast SEO has a free plan. Free plugin from WordPress.org: SEO and readability analysis for one keyphrase, meta tags, canonicals, XML sitemaps, schema, breadcrumbs, llms.txt and a bulk metadata editor.
How much does Yoast SEO cost?
Yoast SEO lists 4 plans. Yoast SEO: $0.
What platforms does Yoast SEO work on?
Yoast SEO is available on Web.
Does Yoast SEO offer any discounts?
Yoast SEO publicly lists the following: Bulk discount from 5 subscriptions.
Does Yoast SEO have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 23, 2026. Yoast SEO is listed for Web.
Does Yoast SEO have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 23, 2026. Yoast SEO is listed for Web.
Is Yoast SEO open source?
Yoast SEO is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 23, 2026.
What does Yoast SEO integrate with?
Yoast SEO's listing names Semrush, Wincher, Elementor, Google Site Kit, WooCommerce, Advanced Custom Fields, Algolia and Jetpack.
Who makes Yoast SEO?
Yoast SEO is made by Yoast BV.
What are the alternatives to Yoast SEO?
The closest alternatives to Yoast SEO in our directory are Rank Math, All in One SEO (AIOSEO), SEOPress, The SEO Framework and Slim SEO.
How does Yoast SEO compare with other SEO plugins and apps?
Yoast SEO's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 49 of the 78 other SEO plugins and apps we grade, and level with 10.
Is Yoast SEO good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Yoast SEO C for value for money. Its paid plans start at $9.90 a month when paid by the year, against a middle price of $9.99 for the category: 23 of the 58 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of Yoast SEO?
The plain part of Yoast SEO you could make: schema markup and internal linking.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Yoast SEO’s own pages on Oct 23, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 23, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Yoast's own pages on 23 October 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Yoast BV. Prices change, so check yoast.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
3,189
Tools graded, in 94 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
3,189
tools graded
94
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Yoast SEO, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/yoast-seo
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Yoast SEO: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 23, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/yoast-seo
Know someone choosing between SEO plugins and apps?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/yoast-seo/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded SEO plugins and apps after Yoast SEO, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- SEO Plugins & Apps Insider's GuideEvery one of the 79 SEO plugins and apps we grade, compared
- Slim SEO Insider's GuideWordPress SEO plugin that sets meta tags and schema with no setup3.4 GPA
- SmartCrawl Insider's GuideWordPress SEO plugin from WPMU DEV with audits, schema and autolinks3.2 GPA
- XML Sitemap Generator for Google Insider's GuideFree WordPress plugin that builds and updates XML and HTML sitemaps3.2 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Yoast SEO’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Yoast SEO is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Yoast BV. Prices and plans change: check yoast.com before you buy.