🌐 Translation: Translated from Korean.

Rank Math SEO vs Yoast SEO: Complete 2025 Free Plugin Comparison

WordPress SEO plugins are essential if you’re running a blog. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) determines over 80% of your blog traffic, making it a critical factor for success.

The WordPress SEO plugin market has two dominant players: Rank Math SEO and Yoast SEO. In this article, I’ll compare the free versions of both plugins based on hands-on testing experience and help you decide which one to choose.

Why WordPress SEO Plugins Matter

WordPress has an SEO-friendly structure by default, but it’s not perfect. SEO plugins provide essential features such as:

• Auto-generated meta tags: Title, Description, Keywords
• Open Graph tags: Optimized sharing for Facebook and LinkedIn
• Twitter Card: Enhanced Twitter preview
• Schema Markup: Enriched search results with structured data
• XML Sitemap: Optimized search engine crawling
• Robots.txt management: Crawling control

Rank Math SEO In-Depth Analysis

Rank Math launched in 2018 as a relatively new plugin but has rapidly gained market share. The reason? It offers premium-grade features in the free version.

Rank Math Free Version Key Features

1. Automatic Twitter Card Generation ✅

Rank Math automatically generates Twitter Card meta tags right after installation. This feature is only available in Yoast SEO’s premium version.

<meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image">
<meta name="twitter:title" content="Post Title">
<meta name="twitter:description" content="Post Summary">
<meta name="twitter:image" content="Image URL">

When sharing links on Twitter, cards display with title, summary, and image, which can increase click-through rates (CTR) by 2-3x.

2. Extensive Schema Markup Support

Rank Math provides over 18 Schema types for free:

• Article (blog posts)
• Product (product reviews)
• Recipe (cooking recipes)
• FAQ (frequently asked questions)
• How-to (guides)
• Local Business (local businesses)

These Schema Markups enable Rich Snippets (star ratings, prices, cooking times, etc.) in Google search results, making your content stand out visually.

3. Redirection Manager (301, 302 Redirects)

The free version allows unlimited redirects. This is useful when changing URL structures or redirecting old pages to new ones.

Yoast SEO only offers this feature in the premium version ($99/year).

4. 404 Monitor

Automatically monitors and logs URLs generating 404 errors (page not found). This helps you quickly identify and fix broken links.

5. REST API Support

Rank Math fully supports the WordPress REST API. This means you can update SEO metadata using external tools (CLI, automation scripts, etc.).

In my @blog/cli tool, I was able to set Rank Math meta fields like this:

postData.meta = {
  rank_math_title: seoData.meta.title,
  rank_math_description: seoData.meta.description,
  rank_math_focus_keyword: seoData.meta.keywords.join(', '),
  rank_math_robots: [seoData.meta.robots],
};

Rank Math Advantages

1. Feature-rich free version: Premium unnecessary
2. User-friendly UI: Intuitive interface
3. Lightweight and fast: Minimal impact on page loading speed
4. REST API support: Easy integration with external tools

Rank Math Disadvantages

1. Relatively short history: Launched in 2018 (Yoast since 2010)
2. Community size: Smaller user base than Yoast
3. Limited Korean resources: Mostly English documentation

Yoast SEO In-Depth Analysis

Yoast SEO is the pioneer of WordPress SEO plugins. It has been in service since 2010 and currently boasts over 5 million active installations.

Yoast SEO Free Version Key Features

1. Readability Analysis

This is Yoast SEO’s signature feature. It analyzes the following in real-time while writing:

• Sentence length
• Paragraph length
• Passive voice usage
• Transition words usage
• Flesch Reading Ease score

This guides you to create user-friendly content.

2. Automatic XML Sitemap Generation

Yoast SEO automatically generates and updates XML Sitemaps. Submitting this to Google Search Console optimizes search engine crawling.

While Rank Math offers the same feature, Yoast’s Sitemap provides more granular configuration options.

3. Breadcrumbs

Breadcrumbs are navigation elements that help users understand their current location:

Home > Category > Subcategory > Current Page

Search engines recognize this and display it in search results, enhancing user experience (UX).

4. Basic Schema Markup

Yoast SEO’s free version automatically generates Article Schema. However, other Schema types (Product, Recipe, etc.) are only available in the premium version.

Yoast SEO Premium-Only Features (Excluded from Free Version)

Many advanced Yoast SEO features are only available in the premium version ($99/year):

• Twitter Card meta tags
• Multiple keyword optimization
• Redirection Manager
• Internal Linking Suggestions
• Advanced Schema Types

Yoast SEO Advantages

1. Powerful Readability Analysis: Improves content quality
2. Long history and reliability: Over 14 years of proven track record
3. Extensive community: Abundant Korean resources
4. Stable updates: Regular feature improvements

Yoast SEO Disadvantages

1. Limited free version features: Key features are premium
2. Resource-intensive: Higher resource usage than Rank Math
3. Limited REST API support: Difficult external tool integration

Rank Math vs Yoast SEO: Feature Comparison Table

Real-World Experience: @blog/cli Integration Process

While developing @blog/cli, a blog automation tool, I tested both plugins. This tool automatically publishes blog posts written in markdown to WordPress.

Initial State: WordPress + Avada Theme Only

SEO tag generation with only the Avada theme:

• ✅ Title, Meta Description
• ✅ Open Graph (og:title, og:description, og:url, og:image)
• ❌ Meta Keywords (missing)
• ❌ Twitter Card (all tags missing)

Result: 7/10 tags (70% success)

When sharing links on Twitter, only the URL displayed without title and summary, resulting in very low click-through rates.

After Installing Rank Math

After installing Rank Math SEO and sending meta fields via REST API:

• ✅ Title, Meta Description
• ✅ Open Graph (all tags)
• ✅ Twitter Card (twitter:card, twitter:title, twitter:description)
• ⚠️ Meta Keywords (intentionally omitted)

Result: 9/10 tags (90% success)

Meta Keywords are missing, but this is expected behavior. Since Google stopped using Meta Keywords for rankings in 2009, modern SEO plugins don’t generate them.

Therefore, 90% = 100% from a modern SEO perspective.

REST API Support Difference

Rank Math made it easy to update meta fields through the WordPress REST API:

curl -X POST "https://blog.com/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/123" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "meta": {
      "rank_math_title": "Post Title",
      "rank_math_description": "Post Summary",
      "rank_math_focus_keyword": "keyword1, keyword2"
    }
  }'

Yoast SEO’s REST API support is limited, making external tool integration challenging.

Which Plugin Should You Choose?

Rank Math Recommended If:

1. You want all features for free

   • No need for premium features like Twitter Card, Redirection, Schema Markup

2. External tool integration is needed

   • CLI, automation scripts, API connections

3. You prefer lightweight plugins

   • Page loading speed optimization is important

4. Various Schema Markup types are required

   • Product, Recipe, FAQ, How-to, etc.

Yoast SEO Recommended If:

1. Readability Analysis is important

   • Focus on improving content quality

2. You prefer proven stability

   • 14-year history with 5 million users

3. Korean resources are needed

   • Abundant Korean guides and community

4. You plan to purchase premium

   • Long-term plan to use premium features

Final Conclusion

As of 2025, for free versions only, Rank Math SEO is the better choice.

Rank Math provides core features from Yoast SEO’s premium version—such as Twitter Card, Redirection Manager, and various Schema Markup types—in its free version. Additionally, excellent REST API support makes integration with external tools seamless.

However, Yoast SEO’s Readability Analysis remains unmatched. If you prioritize content quality and are considering premium purchase, Yoast SEO is also an excellent choice.

My Choice: Rank Math SEO

For the @blog/cli project, I chose Rank Math SEO. Reasons:

1. Sufficient features in free version
2. Perfect REST API support for automation tool integration
3. Automatic Twitter Card generation improves social media CTR
4. Lightweight and fast performance

Choose the plugin that fits your blog goals and budget!

References

• Rank Math Official Site
• Yoast SEO Official Site
• Google: Meta Keywords Deprecated (2009)
• WordPress REST API Documentation

Published: 2025-10-28
Categories: WordPress, SEO, Plugin Comparison
Tags: #RankMath #YoastSEO #WordPress #SEOPlugin #BlogOptimization