All in One SEO alternatives: six lighter plugins, measured
Every other plugin we tested is lighter than All in One SEO, so the question is which trade you want. The SEO Framework is the cheapest (+8.0 ms and 0 queries against All in One SEO's +53.5 ms and 22) and prints more schema. If you want to keep a full dashboard, Hydrogen SEO and Yoast are the closer matches.
All seven plugins ran one at a time on the same WordPress 7.1 install, free editions only, so the gaps below are like for like (see the benchmark). Hydrogen SEO is our own plugin and one of the six picks.
Why people look for an alternative
All in One SEO posted the highest cost in every cost category it entered. The specific reasons people leave:
- Server cost. +53.5 ms of PHP time, +14.5 MB of memory and +22 queries per request, all the highest in the field, plus the largest
<head>growth (6,668 bytes). - Admin weight. A 511 KB dashboard, about four times bare WordPress, and 130 files (3,543 KB) in the block editor.
- Tables and leftovers. Nine custom tables, more than any other plugin, and deactivating it released none of its 14.6 KB of autoloaded options.
- Thin defaults in places. 6 Open Graph and 3 X tags, the thinnest social output of the major plugins, and no image entries in the free sitemap.
Reasons to stay: it is approachable, with a guided setup and clear screens. It stamped lastmod on all 73 sitemap URLs, printed 8 schema types and generates meta descriptions by default. It belongs to a large product family, which some site owners value. If your hosting has plenty of headroom and you or your clients like its interface, those are fair reasons. If you do leave, migrate before uninstalling, because its per-post data lives in its own tables.
The SEO Framework
Measured on 5.1.4: +8 ms front-end, +0 queries, 9 JSON-LD types, 0 custom tables
The largest possible cost reduction: +8.0 ms, zero queries, no tables, and 77.6 KB in the editor against 3,543 KB. It printed more schema (9 types in 1,881 bytes against 8 in 4,544) and more social tags. Its sitemap is smaller, a flat 51 URLs without archives. The head-to-head page has every row.
Hydrogen SEO
Measured on 0.0.18: +12.9 ms front-end, +1 queries, 10 JSON-LD types, custom tables in 0.0.31: 1 (2 with the 404 Monitor on)
Our plugin. It keeps a full dashboard, which matters if you liked having screens, while adding +12.9 ms and 1 query, with no tables in the benchmarked 0.0.18. Version 0.0.31 has a link-count table and, if you turn the 404 Monitor on, a log table. It printed 10 schema types, 10 Open Graph tags, 5 X tags and a sitemap with all 40 images and full
lastmod. It is Beta, and its 700 KB editor bundle is heavier than the lightest options. It imports All in One SEO and Pro data; see Hydrogen SEO vs All in One SEO.Slim SEO
Measured on 4.10.1: +10 ms front-end, +2 queries, 10 JSON-LD types, 0 custom tables
The smallest footprint in the field (1.4 MB package, +1,649 head bytes, no tables) with 10 schema types and a sitemap with images. It adds no admin menus at all, so it is the opposite of All in One SEO's guided interface. It left 23 sitemap URLs without
lastmod. See All in One SEO vs Slim SEO.Yoast SEO
Measured on 28.4: +39 ms front-end, +3 queries, 12 JSON-LD types, 6 custom tables
The move for people who want another mainstream name. It costs less (+39.0 ms, 3 queries, six tables, a 150 KB dashboard) and prints more: a 12-type schema graph and a 75-URL sitemap that includes images. It prints no meta description by default, and its 4,160 KB editor is heavier than All in One SEO's. See Yoast vs All in One SEO.
SEOPress
Measured on 10.2: +24.5 ms front-end, +1 queries, 0 JSON-LD types, 1 custom tables
Less than half the PHP time, one query, one table and 217 KB in the editor, with a restrained admin and fuller social tags. It shares All in One SEO's deactivation problem (nothing released) and its free version printed no schema. See All in One SEO vs SEOPress.
Rank Math
Measured on 1.0.278: +36.1 ms front-end, +16 queries, 6 JSON-LD types, 6 custom tables
Lighter than All in One SEO (+36.1 ms, 16 queries, six tables) with the fullest social tags we measured. It is still one of the heavier plugins, and its sitemap left out images and some archives at defaults. Choose it if you want more configuration, not less weight.
All seven, measured
| Measured | All in One SEO 5.0.1.1 | The SEO Framework 5.1.4 | Hydrogen SEO 0.0.18 | Slim SEO 4.10.1 | Yoast SEO 28.4 | SEOPress 10.2 | Rank Math 1.0.278 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Front-end PHP time added | +53.5 ms | +8 ms | +12.9 ms | +10 ms | +39 ms | +24.5 ms | +36.1 ms |
| Peak memory added | +14.5 MB | +2 MB | +4.5 MB | +2 MB | +10.5 MB | +6.5 MB | +8.5 MB |
| Database queries added | +22 | +0 | +1 | +2 | +3 | +1 | +16 |
| Hooks registered | +100 | +8 | +22 | +51 | +187 | +114 | +155 |
<head> bytes added | +6,668 | +3,821 | +4,259 | +1,649 | +5,656 | +2,380 | +4,965 |
| Meta description by default | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| JSON-LD types printed | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 0 | 6 |
| Open Graph / X tags | 6 / 3 | 10 / 5 | 10 / 5 | 11 / 2 | 10 / 5 | 10 / 6 | 11 / 8 |
| Sitemap URLs listed | 73 | 51 | 72 | 73 | 75 | 58 | 59 |
| Sitemap image entries | 0 | 0 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 0 |
lastmod coverage | 73 / 73 | 51 / 51 | 72 / 72 | 50 / 73 | 74 / 75 | 50 / 58 | 59 / 59 |
| Custom database tables | 9 | 0 | 1 (2 with the 404 Monitor on) | 0 | 6 | 1 | 6 |
| Autoloaded options added | +14.6 KB | +4.2 KB | +0.4 KB | -0.2 KB | +13.6 KB | +3.6 KB | +11.6 KB |
| Plugin package size | 24.4 MB | 2.9 MB | 4.6 MB | 1.4 MB | 21 MB | 11.7 MB | 15.1 MB |
| Block editor assets | 130 files, 3,543 KB | 25 files, 77.6 KB | 2 files, 700.4 KB | 14 files, 187.7 KB | 48 files, 4,160 KB | 17 files, 217 KB | 24 files, 1,792 KB |
| After deactivation | No reduction: 14.5 KB still autoloading | Releases everything (exact baseline) | +0.2 KB left autoloading | Releases everything | +2.6 KB left autoloading, 6 tables remain | No reduction at all | +11.0 KB still autoloading |
Measured on one WordPress 7.1 install (PHP 8.2, MySQL 8.0, Twenty Twenty-Five, 40 posts), each plugin alone with default settings, against a no-plugin baseline. Each column heading names the version that was measured. Bold marks the better number in each row. Full method: how we tested.
Hydrogen SEO's figures were measured on 0.0.18 and have not been re-run on later versions. The custom tables row is the exception: it is counted from the 0.0.31 source. A default install has one table, for the internal link counter. Switching on the 404 Monitor, which is off by default, creates a second for its log. Deleting the plugin removes both.
Features: free, paid or not offered
| Feature | All in One SEO 5.0.5 | The SEO Framework 5.2.1 | Hydrogen SEO 0.0.31 | Slim SEO 4.11.5 | Yoast SEO 28.8 | SEOPress 10.4 | Rank Math 1.0.282 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Search engine verification codes | Free | Free | Free | — | Free | Free | Free |
| IndexNow instant indexing | Paid | — | Free | — | Paid | Free | Free |
| Redirect manager | Paid | — | Free | Free | Paid | Paid | Free |
| 404 monitor | Paid | No | Free | Free | — | Paid | Free |
| SEO column on the Posts screen | Free | Free | Free | Free | Free | Free | Free |
| SEO fields in Quick Edit | — | Free | Free | Free | — | Free | Paid |
| Attachment page redirects | Free | — | Free | Free | Free | Free | Free |
| Author and date archive controls | Free | Free | Free | — | Free | Free | Free |
| RSS feed text | Free | — | Free | — | Free | — | Free |
| max-snippet and preview controls | Free | Free | Free | — | — | — | Free |
| Primary category | Paid | Free | Free | Free | Free | Free | Free |
| Internal link counts on the Posts screen | — | — | Free | — | Free | Free | Free |
| Automatic image alt attributes | Paid | — | Free | Free | — | Free | Free |
| Table of contents block | Free | — | Free | — | Paid | — | Free |
| HTML sitemap | Free | — | Free | — | — | Free | Free |
| Pillar or cornerstone content flag | Paid | — | Free | — | Free | — | Free |
| Crawl cleanup switches | — | — | Free | — | Free | Free | — |
| Video sitemap | Paid | — | Free | — | Paid | Paid | Paid |
| Google News sitemap | Paid | — | Free | Free | Paid | Paid | Paid |
| llms.txt | Free | — | Free | — | Free | Paid | Free |
This table is not benchmark data. It is based on each plugin's WordPress.org listing, the code of its free version there, and its official documentation and pricing pages, checked on 12 November 2026, for the version in each column heading. Free means the feature is in the plugin's own free version. Paid means it needs that plugin's paid version or a paid add-on. No means the plugin's listing says it does not offer it. A dash means we could not confirm it either way; it does not mean the feature is missing. A row says a feature exists, not how complete it is. Plugins change, so check the plugin's own site before relying on a cell. If a cell is wrong, tell us and we will correct it.
Common questions
What is the best lightweight alternative to All in One SEO?
The SEO Framework, in our benchmark: +8.0 ms and 0 queries against +53.5 ms and 22, with no custom tables against nine.
Do I need to keep All in One SEO installed to migrate?
Keep it installed until the import is done. Its per-post SEO data lives in its own tables, which can be lost if you uninstall first. Hydrogen SEO's importer works with it deactivated; check other importers' requirements.
Is there an alternative with a similar dashboard?
Yoast, Rank Math, Hydrogen SEO and SEOPress all have full settings interfaces. The SEO Framework's is minimal, and Slim SEO adds no admin menus.