SEOPress alternatives: six plugins measured on the same site
Most people leaving SEOPress free want structured data without paying for it. The SEO Framework is the best fit on our numbers: it printed 9 schema types where SEOPress printed none, and it is lighter too (+8.0 ms against +24.5 ms). Slim SEO and Hydrogen SEO also print schema and include images in their sitemaps, as SEOPress does.
Figures come from our seven-plugin benchmark, free versions at defaults on one WordPress 7.1 install. We build Hydrogen SEO, one of the six below.
Why people look for an alternative
SEOPress was the cheapest of the long-established, feature-rich plugins in our test, so weight is rarely the main reason to leave. The reasons the data points to:
- No schema in the free version. On a standard post at default settings it printed no JSON-LD at all, the biggest single output gap in the benchmark. Its paid version covers structured data.
- Deactivation leaves everything. Deactivating it released none of its autoloaded options (3.6 KB, a small amount) and its one custom table remains.
- Sitemap gaps. 58 URLs with 8 of them missing
lastmod, served at the unusual/sitemaps.xmlpath. - Hooks. 114 registered hooks, more than every lighter plugin here.
Reasons to stay: it added only one query per request, its editor footprint is small (217 KB), its sitemap includes featured images, and its admin is restrained. Its paid tier is popular with agencies that manage many sites. If you are on the paid version or add schema another way, SEOPress is a sound choice and switching may not gain you much.
Two practical points if you do switch. Every alternative below uses a different sitemap path from SEOPress, so resubmit the new one in Search Console. And if your theme or a separate plugin already prints schema, check for duplicate structured data once your new SEO plugin starts printing its own.
The SEO Framework
Measured on 5.1.4: +8 ms front-end, +0 queries, 9 JSON-LD types, 0 custom tables
Lighter on every cost that matters (+8.0 ms, 0 queries, 8 hooks, no tables, 77.6 KB editor) and it printed 9 schema types in 1,881 bytes. The trade is its sitemap: a flat 51-URL file without archives or images, where SEOPress includes 40 featured images. See SEOPress vs The SEO Framework.
Slim SEO
Measured on 4.10.1: +10 ms front-end, +2 queries, 10 JSON-LD types, 0 custom tables
Printed 10 schema types, keeps featured images in the sitemap like SEOPress, and costs less (+10.0 ms, 1.4 MB package, no tables). It adds no admin menus, so you give up SEOPress's settings. Its sitemap also skipped some
lastmodvalues (23 of 73), and it printed 2 X tags against SEOPress's 6. See SEOPress vs Slim SEO.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 adds one query like SEOPress, uses about half the PHP time (+12.9 ms), created no tables in the benchmark (by 0.0.31 there are two: link counts, and the 404 log if that feature is on) and printed 10 schema types, with a sitemap that has all 40 images and
lastmodon every URL. Its editor is heavier (700.4 KB against 217 KB) and it is Beta. It imports SEOPress and SEOPress PRO data, including redirects; see Hydrogen SEO vs SEOPress.Yoast SEO
Measured on 28.4: +39 ms front-end, +3 queries, 12 JSON-LD types, 6 custom tables
The richest schema we measured (12 types) and the most complete sitemap (75 URLs with images). It costs more than SEOPress on every server metric (+39.0 ms, six tables) and loads 4,160 KB in the editor, and it prints no meta description by default. Choose it for output and maturity. See Yoast vs SEOPress.
Rank Math
Measured on 1.0.278: +36.1 ms front-end, +16 queries, 6 JSON-LD types, 6 custom tables
Prints 6 schema types and the fullest social tags we measured, with full
lastmod. It is heavier than SEOPress (16 queries against 1, six tables, 1,792 KB editor) and leaves featured images out of its sitemap by default. See Rank Math vs SEOPress.All in One SEO
Measured on 5.0.1.1: +53.5 ms front-end, +22 queries, 8 JSON-LD types, 9 custom tables
Prints 8 schema types and full
lastmod, but it is the heaviest plugin we measured (+53.5 ms, 22 queries, nine tables, 511 KB dashboard) and shares SEOPress's habit of releasing nothing on deactivation. Only a fit if you want its guided interface. See All in One SEO vs SEOPress.
All seven, measured
| Measured | SEOPress 10.2 | The SEO Framework 5.1.4 | Slim SEO 4.10.1 | Hydrogen SEO 0.0.18 | Yoast SEO 28.4 | Rank Math 1.0.278 | All in One SEO 5.0.1.1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Front-end PHP time added | +24.5 ms | +8 ms | +10 ms | +12.9 ms | +39 ms | +36.1 ms | +53.5 ms |
| Peak memory added | +6.5 MB | +2 MB | +2 MB | +4.5 MB | +10.5 MB | +8.5 MB | +14.5 MB |
| Database queries added | +1 | +0 | +2 | +1 | +3 | +16 | +22 |
| Hooks registered | +114 | +8 | +51 | +22 | +187 | +155 | +100 |
<head> bytes added | +2,380 | +3,821 | +1,649 | +4,259 | +5,656 | +4,965 | +6,668 |
| Meta description by default | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| JSON-LD types printed | 0 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 6 | 8 |
| Open Graph / X tags | 10 / 6 | 10 / 5 | 11 / 2 | 10 / 5 | 10 / 5 | 11 / 8 | 6 / 3 |
| Sitemap URLs listed | 58 | 51 | 73 | 72 | 75 | 59 | 73 |
| Sitemap image entries | 40 | 0 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 0 | 0 |
lastmod coverage | 50 / 58 | 51 / 51 | 50 / 73 | 72 / 72 | 74 / 75 | 59 / 59 | 73 / 73 |
| Custom database tables | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 (2 with the 404 Monitor on) | 6 | 6 | 9 |
| Autoloaded options added | +3.6 KB | +4.2 KB | -0.2 KB | +0.4 KB | +13.6 KB | +11.6 KB | +14.6 KB |
| Plugin package size | 11.7 MB | 2.9 MB | 1.4 MB | 4.6 MB | 21 MB | 15.1 MB | 24.4 MB |
| Block editor assets | 17 files, 217 KB | 25 files, 77.6 KB | 14 files, 187.7 KB | 2 files, 700.4 KB | 48 files, 4,160 KB | 24 files, 1,792 KB | 130 files, 3,543 KB |
| After deactivation | No reduction at all | Releases everything (exact baseline) | Releases everything | +0.2 KB left autoloading | +2.6 KB left autoloading, 6 tables remain | +11.0 KB still autoloading | No reduction: 14.5 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 | SEOPress 10.4 | The SEO Framework 5.2.1 | Slim SEO 4.11.5 | Hydrogen SEO 0.0.31 | Yoast SEO 28.8 | Rank Math 1.0.282 | All in One SEO 5.0.5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Search engine verification codes | Free | Free | — | Free | Free | Free | Free |
| IndexNow instant indexing | Free | — | — | Free | Paid | Free | Paid |
| Redirect manager | Paid | — | Free | Free | Paid | Free | Paid |
| 404 monitor | Paid | No | Free | Free | — | Free | Paid |
| 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 | Free | Free | Free | Free | Free | Free | Paid |
| Internal link counts on the Posts screen | Free | — | — | Free | Free | Free | — |
| Automatic image alt attributes | Free | — | Free | Free | — | Free | Paid |
| Table of contents block | — | — | — | Free | Paid | Free | Free |
| HTML sitemap | Free | — | — | Free | — | Free | Free |
| Pillar or cornerstone content flag | — | — | — | Free | Free | Free | Paid |
| Crawl cleanup switches | Free | — | — | Free | Free | — | — |
| Video sitemap | Paid | — | — | Free | Paid | Paid | Paid |
| Google News sitemap | Paid | — | Free | Free | Paid | Paid | Paid |
| llms.txt | Paid | — | — | Free | Free | Free | 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
Does SEOPress free support schema?
At default settings it printed no JSON-LD on a standard post in our benchmark. Structured data is part of its paid version.
Which SEOPress alternative is lightest?
The SEO Framework: +8.0 ms and 0 queries against SEOPress's +24.5 ms and 1. Slim SEO is close behind at +10.0 ms.
Which alternatives keep images in the sitemap?
Slim SEO, Hydrogen SEO and Yoast all included the 40 featured images at defaults, as SEOPress does. The SEO Framework, Rank Math and All in One SEO free did not.