AppBreakup

Yoast SEO alternatives: 4 apps ranked by verified data

Facts checked Oct 25, 2026AppBreakup editorialHow we rank

Common reasons people leave Yoast SEO: redirects and internal linking need Premium, and scores can push writers toward keyword stuffing. We ranked 4 alternatives by how directly each one replaces Yoast SEO, then by reviews, real visits and how recently each app's facts were checked against its own website. Rank Math currently ranks first.

Quick comparison

#AppPricingOpen sourcePlatformsVerified factsScore
1Rank Math logoRank MathFree plan + paidNoSelf-hosted4 of 466.5
2Seobility logoSeobilityFree plan + paidNoWeb4 of 462.6
3Screaming Frog SEO Spider logoScreaming Frog SEO SpiderFree plan + paidNoWindows, macOS, Linux4 of 459.6
4Surfer logoSurferPaidNoWeb3 of 357.2
  1. Rank Math logo

    1. Rank MathTop pick

    Best for: WordPress users who want many SEO features in the free plugin

    Free plan + paidSelf-hostableSelf-hosted

    66.5

    score / 100

    Why switch from Yoast SEO

    A feature-rich WordPress SEO plugin with more in the free version.

    Pros

    • Generous free version with schema and redirects
    • Search Console data inside WordPress
    • PRO plans scale to agency client sites

    Cons

    • Many settings can overwhelm beginners
    • Renewals cost more than first-year prices
    • AI features need separate credits
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.3100
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Rank Math a good Yoast SEO alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    Free version
    Yes
    Checked Oct 25, 2026rankmath.com(opens source in a new tab)
    PRO builds on free
    Both plugins required
    Checked Oct 25, 2026rankmath.com(opens source in a new tab)
    PRO renewal
    €8.99/month billed annually
    Checked Oct 25, 2026rankmath.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Business plan sites
    100 client websites
    Checked Oct 25, 2026rankmath.com(opens source in a new tab)
  2. Seobility logo

    2. Seobility

    Best for: Small businesses wanting clear site audits and rank tracking on a budget

    Free plan + paidWeb

    62.6

    score / 100

    Why switch from Yoast SEO

    Site-wide audits that catch issues a plugin can't see.

    Pros

    • Free Basic plan for one site
    • Audits explained in plain language
    • No cancellation period on paid plans

    Cons

    • Free plan crawls only 100 pages
    • Smaller keyword and backlink data than leaders
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.387
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Seobility a good Yoast SEO alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    Free plan
    Basic, 100 pages per crawl
    Checked Oct 25, 2026seobility.net(opens source in a new tab)
    Free trial
    14 days
    Checked Oct 25, 2026seobility.net(opens source in a new tab)
    Professional plan
    €99.90/month
    Checked Oct 25, 2026seobility.net(opens source in a new tab)
    Annual discount
    20%
    Checked Oct 25, 2026seobility.net(opens source in a new tab)
  3. Screaming Frog SEO Spider logo

    3. Screaming Frog SEO Spider

    Best for: Technical SEOs who want a fast, flexible crawler on their own machine

    Free plan + paidWindows, macOS, Linux

    59.6

    score / 100

    Why switch from Yoast SEO

    A crawler for checking the whole site's technical health.

    Pros

    • Free for small sites up to 500 URLs
    • Extremely detailed and configurable crawls
    • Runs on Windows, macOS and Linux

    Cons

    • Spreadsheet-style interface with a learning curve
    • Large crawls limited by local memory
    • Licence must be renewed every year
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.377
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Screaming Frog SEO Spider a good Yoast SEO alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    Free version
    Up to 500 URLs
    Checked Oct 25, 2026screamingfrog.co.uk(opens source in a new tab)
    Licence price
    £199 per year
    Checked Oct 25, 2026screamingfrog.co.uk(opens source in a new tab)
    Platforms
    Windows, macOS, Linux
    Checked Oct 25, 2026screamingfrog.co.uk(opens source in a new tab)
    Licence term
    1 year
    Checked Oct 25, 2026screamingfrog.co.uk(opens source in a new tab)
  4. Surfer logo

    4. Surfer

    Best for: Content teams optimising articles to compete with top-ranking pages

    PaidWeb

    57.2

    score / 100

    Why switch from Yoast SEO

    Deeper content optimisation against ranking pages.

    Pros

    • Real-time content score against ranking pages
    • Briefs, drafts and audits in one tool
    • Tracks brand citations in AI search

    Cons

    • Can push writers toward formulaic content
    • Not a full SEO suite
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.369
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Surfer a good Yoast SEO alternative?

    Verified facts

    3 of 3 verified
    Standard plan
    99 USD/month billed yearly
    Checked Oct 25, 2026surferseo.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Pro plan
    182 USD/month billed yearly
    Checked Oct 25, 2026surferseo.com(opens source in a new tab)
    AI visibility tracking
    82 USD/month billed yearly
    Checked Oct 25, 2026surferseo.com(opens source in a new tab)

The best Yoast SEO alternative for…

The highest-ranked app in this list for each need.

Rank Math logo

Best Yoast SEO alternative for most people

Rank Math

A feature-rich WordPress SEO plugin with more in the free version.

Seobility logo

Best Yoast SEO alternative for a free plan you can upgrade

Seobility

Site-wide audits that catch issues a plugin can't see.

Rank Math logo

Best Yoast SEO alternative for self-hosting

Rank Math

A feature-rich WordPress SEO plugin with more in the free version.

Screaming Frog SEO Spider logo

Best Yoast SEO alternative for Mac

Screaming Frog SEO Spider

A crawler for checking the whole site's technical health.

Screaming Frog SEO Spider logo

Best Yoast SEO alternative for Windows

Screaming Frog SEO Spider

A crawler for checking the whole site's technical health.

Screaming Frog SEO Spider logo

Best Yoast SEO alternative for Linux

Screaming Frog SEO Spider

A crawler for checking the whole site's technical health.

Surfer logo

Best Yoast SEO alternative for working in the browser

Surfer

Deeper content optimisation against ranking pages.

Yoast SEO alternatives: common questions

What is the best alternative to Yoast SEO?

Rank Math ranks first right now. A feature-rich WordPress SEO plugin with more in the free version. Seobility and Screaming Frog SEO Spider follow it in our ranking.

Is there a free alternative to Yoast SEO?

Yes. Rank Math (free plan + paid), Seobility (free plan + paid) and Screaming Frog SEO Spider (free plan + paid) have a free option. Check each app's verified facts for current plan limits.

Is there an open-source alternative to Yoast SEO?

None of the 4 alternatives in this list is open source.

Which Yoast SEO alternatives work on Linux?

Screaming Frog SEO Spider runs on Linux.

Why do people switch from Yoast SEO?

The complaints we hear most: redirects and internal linking need Premium; scores can push writers toward keyword stuffing.

How is this list ranked?

Every app is scored with the same published formula: how directly it replaces Yoast SEO, reviews (weighted by verification), visits from AppBreakup, how recently its facts were checked against its own website, and reader votes.