Rank Math vs. Yoast SEO: Which WordPress Plugin is Best?
Key takeaways
- For most users, Rank Math presents a more comprehensive solution due to its extensive feature set and competitive pricing.
- Despite Rank Math’s feature-rich offerings, Yoast SEO’s long-standing presence and established name might appeal to users who prioritize a well-proven option.
- Regardless of your choice, both Rank Math and Yoast SEO are designed for ease of use, catering to beginners and offering modular features to simplify interfaces.
- If basic on-page SEO is your priority, either plugin works. However, for advanced features and better value, Rank Math may be a better option.
Can’t decide between Rank Math vs Yoast SEO as your WordPress website’s plugin?
The two are currently the most popular SEO plugins to help you succeed in search engines like Google. However, there are some subtle differences between Yoast SEO and Rank Math, so you’ll need to understand the differences between them to choose the best tool for your needs.
In our head-to-head comparison of Rank Math and Yoast SEO, we’ll discuss the important differences to help you decide. Let’s get started!
Introduction – popularity and ratings
To start things off, let’s turn to the crowd and look at how popular Rank Math and Yoast SEO are in terms of user reviews. This offers some insightful context for why both of these plugins are excellent options in their own right.
Yoast SEO has been around since 2010 and is one of the biggest names in WordPress SEO. It’s by far the most popular SEO plugin to this day. Rank Math, on the other hand, was released in 2018, making it relatively new in the WordPress SEO space. Since its inception, it has quickly gained popularity due to its valuable features, which we will cover in the next section.
Features
With the introduction set and done, let’s compare Rank Math vs Yoast SEO for the features they offer. We’ll make it easier by using the table format:
| Feature | Rank Math | Yoast SEO |
| SEO title/description templates | Available for free | Available for free |
| Focus keyword analysis | Available for free | Available for free |
| Multiple focus keywords | Available for free | Available in Premium version |
| Focus keyword suggestions | Available for free | Available in Premium version |
| Pro-content schema markup | Available for free with more functionality | Available for free |
| Google Search Control integration | Available for free | Available for free |
| Google Analytics integration | Available for free | Unavailable |
| 404 page monitor | Available for free | Unavailable |
| Keyword rank tracking | Available in Premium version | Unavailable |
| Full Elementor integration | Available for free | Available in Premium version |
Keep in mind that this is not a complete list of every single feature the plugins offer, but we just pull out the features that most marketing analysts will care about.
As seen in the table, Rank Math is the clear winner in terms of the available features and the number of free features it offers. Indeed, having more features doesn’t make it a better option; it all depends on which ones are useful to you.
In addition, both plugins offer a modular approach to their features that lets you disable any features you aren’t interested in using. This helps simplify the interfaces. More on interfaces in the next section.
Ease of use
Both Rank Math and Yoast SEO are beginner-friendly and easy to use. Both plugins can utilize the classic TinyMCE editor and the new default WordPress block editor. However, as the block editor is the default editor today, that’s what we’ll focus on here.
Rank Math
Rank Math places its settings in a sidebar panel that users can access in the top right corner. The icon to open settings also offers a summary of your content’s optimization.
Rank Math’s analysis offers a score out of 100, providing the details of every optimization. You can control the SEO title/description and social media information when clicking the Edit Snippet button. The other tabs in the sidebar also let you:
- Manage technical details like canonical URLs and Robots meta.
- Edit social media information.
- Configure schema markup.
Access Yoast SEO
You can access Yoast SEO’s settings by going through:
- A meta box below the editor, just like how it works in the classic TinyMCE editor.
- A sidebar like Rank Math.
The two offer similar settings, so it’s really up to you. The meta box has four tabs. In the SEO tab, you can also add a focus keyphrase and check SEO analysis tips, which show three overall scores: green (good), yellow (bad), and red (bad). In addition, you can set up details such as Robots meta and canonical URLs. The Readability tab provides suggestions for improving your content with scoring similar to SEO optimization.
Pricing
Now, let’s move on to how much all this cool stuff will cost you. First, both plugins offer free versions that will work with most websites. But we’ll be looking at the premium pricing of each plugin below:
Rank Math
There are two pricing plans for its premium plan:
- Pro – $59 – suitable for solo website owners who want to use Rank Math on personal websites.
- Business – $199 – For agencies or enterprises looking to use Rank Math for their clients’ websites.
You can scroll down to the Rank Math pricing page for a detailed feature comparison between the free, Pro, and Business plans.
Yoast SEO
You can purchase two types of premium plans for Yoast SEO:
- The core premium plugin.
- Specialized add-ons for specific use cases like WooCommerce SEO, news SEO, local SEO or video SEO.
The core plugin costs $89 for a single site. For additional sites, you’ll get a 15% discount on additional licenses.
Rank Math vs Yoast SEO: Which should you choose?
Ultimately, choosing between Rank Math vs. Yoast SEO comes down to the value you seek in an SEO plugin.
When comparing features, interfaces, and pricing, Rank Math clearly comes out on top in all three areas. From that standpoint, it’s likely the best choice for most users.
That said, whether those differences truly matter depends on how you use your SEO plugin. If you want to stick to the basics—optimizing on-page elements, setting SEO titles, and adding meta descriptions. You don’t need advanced features like a redirect manager or multi-keyword analysis.
However, one thing Yoast SEO has in its favor is its long-standing reputation. While there’s no real concern about Rank Math disappearing, some users prefer to stick with the well-established option—and in that case, Yoast SEO remains a solid choice.
Therefore, here are our thoughts summarized:
- For the most features that offer the best value, Rank Math is the winner.
- If you’re just looking for a plugin to set SEO titles and descriptions, either plugin will work fine, but you may want to consider Yoast SEO for its established name.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you’re still on the fence about choosing between the two, here are some common questions users often ask about Rank Math and Yoast SEO.
Is Rank Math Better Than Yoast SEO?
Rank Math does offer more built-in features, which makes it appealing to power users. That said, Yoast SEO still covers all the essentials that most site owners need. So, the “better” choice really depends on your specific goals and preferences.
Can You Use Both Plugins Together?
No, you should only use one SEO plugin at a time. Running both Rank Math and Yoast SEO at the same time can create conflicts and negatively impact your site’s performance.
Do I Really Need an SEO Plugin for WordPress?
Yes! An SEO plugin is crucial for optimizing your WordPress site. Both Rank Math and Yoast SEO are excellent options—just ensure you choose the one that aligns best with your needs.
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Over 10 years of experience in SaaS UX design, built 150 projects, owns two SaaS businesses in the iGaming space, and is passionate about tennis & books.
