The best WordPress SEO plugin for database performance, measured

Deactivation is not uninstallation

If you are trialling SEO plugins, what stays behind matters. A deactivated plugin's autoloaded options are still read on every request, and its tables stay in every backup. In our run, deactivating All in One SEO or SEOPress did not reduce their autoloaded footprint by a single byte, and Rank Math kept almost all of its 11.6 KB.

To check your own site, record the autoloaded total before installing and again after deactivating:

SELECT ROUND(SUM(LENGTH(option_value)) / 1024, 1) AS autoload_kb
FROM   wp_options
WHERE  autoload IN ('yes', 'on', 'auto', 'auto-on');

Modern WordPress uses several autoload values, so matching only 'yes' under-reports. Then diff SHOW TABLES for new tables. A persistent object cache such as Redis narrows the query gap between plugins, because repeated reads stop reaching MySQL, but it does not remove tables. The full procedure is in our benchmark method, and if slow responses are the real problem, see reducing TTFB in WordPress.

All seven, measured

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

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.