SmartCrawl vs. Yoast SEO offer two distinct experiences tailored to different types of users when it comes to SEO plugins for WordPress. Both aim to enhance your site’s visibility in search engines, but the way they deliver those results can vary significantly.
Yoast SEO has long been a staple in the WordPress ecosystem. It’s known for its methodical approach to on-page optimization, detailed SEO checklists, and content readability scoring. It’s a tool that leans into precision and step-by-step control.
SmartCrawl, on the other hand, focuses on speed and automation. Developed by WPMU DEV, it simplifies many technical SEO tasks with one-click features, automatic sitemaps, and built-in integrations—all designed to get your content indexed and ranking faster.
In this side-by-side comparison between SmartCrawl vs. Yoast, we’ll explore how these plugins differ in features, usability, and overall impact, so you can choose the one that aligns with your SEO strategy in 2025.
What Is SmartCrawl?
SmartCrawl is an SEO plugin for WordPress developed by WPMU DEV, focused on making essential optimization features simple and efficient. Instead of overwhelming users with endless configuration options, SmartCrawl prioritizes clarity and ease of use, while still covering key SEO needs like meta tags, sitemaps, schema, and content feedback.
The plugin provides real-time optimization tips directly inside the WordPress editor and connects with tools like Google Analytics and Moz for performance insights. It includes smart features like automatic sitemap generation, internal linking, and SEO-friendly URLs to help improve visibility across search engines.
While it doesn’t offer the advanced automation or AI-driven insights found in more complex platforms, SmartCrawl remains a capable tool for users who want a lightweight, reliable SEO solution without the clutter.
SmartCrawl Popular Features
SmartCrawl includes a variety of tools to support basic and technical SEO efforts:
- Content and SEO Analysis. Get instant recommendations for keyword use, meta tags, readability, and more, as you write.
- Smart Page Analyzer. Analyze keyword density, title structure, and overall SEO strength for each page or post.
- SEO-Friendly Titles & Meta Descriptions. Customize how your pages appear in search engine results.
- Automatic XML Sitemaps. Ensure search engines can index your content quickly and accurately.
- Schema Markup Support. Add structured data to enhance how your content appears in rich search results.
- URL Redirection. Manage 301 redirects and fix broken links to maintain a healthy site structure.
SmartCrawl Pricing Structure
SmartCrawl is available through WPMU DEV’s Pro membership tiers.
- Basic. $3/month billed yearly, 1 site license, 5GB CDN, 5GB backup storage, access to all WPMU DEV Pro plugins, 24/7 WordPress support.
- Standard. $5/month billed yearly, 3-site license, 10GB CDN, 10GB backup storage, access to all WPMU DEV Pro plugins, 24/7 WordPress support.
- Plus. $10/month billed yearly, 10-site license, 20GB CDN, 20GB backup storage, access to all WPMU DEV Pro plugins, 24/7 WordPress support.
- Premium. $20/month billed yearly, unlimited sites license, 50GB CDN, 50GB backup storage, access to all WPMU DEV Pro plugins, 24/7 WordPress support.
What Is Yoast SEO?
Yoast is one of the most well-known and widely used SEO plugins for WordPress. Designed with both beginners and seasoned professionals in mind, it offers a practical way to improve how your website performs in search engines.
The plugin provides real-time SEO insights directly within the WordPress editor, helping you optimize posts and pages as you create them. Whether you’re targeting a specific keyword, fine-tuning your metadata, or improving content readability, the color-coded indicators and actionable tips keep you on track.
Yoast SEO is available in both a free and a premium version. The free plan covers essentials like keyword targeting, readability checks, and XML sitemaps. Upgrading to premium unlocks features like AI-powered meta descriptions, smart internal linking, and redirect management.
Yoast Popular Features
Yoast SEO comes with a comprehensive suite of tools designed to optimize every part of your on-page SEO strategy.
- SEO & Readability Analysis. Receive immediate feedback on keyword usage, sentence structure, passive voice, and overall readability.
- Focus Keyword Targeting. Optimize each page or post around a primary keyword and receive tailored suggestions to boost relevance.
- Snippet Preview Tool. Visualize how your title and meta description will appear in Google search results before you publish.
- Internal Linking Suggestions. Automatically generate relevant internal link ideas to strengthen your site’s architecture.
- Redirect Management. Create and manage 301 redirects with ease, reducing broken links and preserving SEO equity.
- Structured Data & Schema Support. Add schema markup to improve search engine comprehension and enhance rich result eligibility.
Yoast Pricing Structure
Yoast SEO is priced to be accessible while also offering deeper functionality for those ready to scale.
- Free Plan. Keyword optimization, readability checks, and basic SEO settings.
- Premium Plan. $99/year, includes advanced keyword support (up to 5 keyword variations), smart internal linking, automatic redirects, and AI-powered suggestions.
- Plugin Plan. $229/year, adds specialized plugins for WooCommerce SEO, local SEO, video SEO, and news content.
SmartCrawl vs. Yoast SEO: Which Plugin Is Best for WordPress Optimization?
SmartCrawl and Yoast SEO are two popular plugins built to help WordPress users boost search rankings and improve on-page SEO. Now, we’ll break down how each plugin performs across key SEO categories so you can choose the one that best supports your site’s needs and strategy.
1. On-Page SEO Features
SmartCrawl includes core on-page features like keyword optimization, meta tag editing, title formatting, and automatic permalinks. It provides real-time SEO and readability feedback, including keyword density checks and suggestions for content clarity.
Yoast SEO goes deeper with keyword targeting (up to 5 phrases in premium), snippet previews, and canonical URL controls. It provides granular guidance for optimizing titles, meta descriptions, and headers.
In addition, it offers more refined readability analysis, with checks for passive voice, transition words, sentence length, and paragraph structure
Winner: Yoast SEO
Yoast offers more robust on-page optimization tools, especially for users managing large content libraries or targeting multiple keyword variations.
2. Schema Markup and Structured Data
SmartCrawl supports basic schema types such as articles, local businesses, and WooCommerce products. It allows you to add structured data manually through a simple interface.
Yoast SEO automates schema implementation and connects different content types in a logical schema graph. It’s particularly effective for rich snippets and structured content visibility.
Winner: Yoast SEO
Yoast’s automated, contextual schema output is more sophisticated and easier to scale across a site.
3. Site Crawling and Indexation Control
SmartCrawl includes a built-in crawler that mimics search engine behavior to scan your entire site. It evaluates how your pages are structured, detects crawl issues, and helps you optimize internal linking, meta tags, and indexing settings.
It also automatically pings search engines when new content is published, ensuring faster indexing.
Yoast provides basic indexation settings and XML sitemap management, but it doesn’t include a site-wide crawler to simulate how search engines experience your site. For more detailed crawl insights, you’ll need to integrate a separate tool.
Winner: SmartCrawl
SmartCrawl gives users native crawling and indexation tools within the plugin—making it easier to troubleshoot crawl issues and optimize visibility without needing external tools.
4. Redirect Management
SmartCrawl includes built-in 301 redirect functionality, allowing users to manage redirects manually or automatically from removed content.
Yoast SEO only includes redirect management in the premium version, offering features like auto-redirects for deleted or changed URLs and customizable redirect rules.
Winner: SmartCrawl
Redirects are available in all SmartCrawl plans, while Yoast requires a premium upgrade, giving SmartCrawl the edge in accessibility.
5. AI & Automation Tools
SmartCrawl does not currently offer AI-generated content or automation tools for meta generation or SEO analysis.
Yoast SEO Premium includes AI-powered meta description and title generation, helping users scale SEO efforts faster. It features automatic internal linking suggestions and orphaned content detection.
Winner: Yoast SEO
Yoast’s AI enhancements make it more scalable for growing content operations.
6. Built-In SEO Audits
SmartCrawl includes a built-in SEO audit tool that scans your entire site for technical SEO issues. It checks for problems like broken links, duplicate content, and missing metadata, without requiring a separate plugin or tool. The audit results are actionable, making it easier for users to fix issues quickly.
While Yoast provides real-time content analysis and optimization guidance, it doesn’t offer a full-site SEO audit. Site-wide technical audits generally require third-party tools or premium features.
Winner: SmartCrawl
SmartCrawl’s site-wide audit capabilities give users a better overview of their technical SEO health without extra cost or integrations.
7. Pricing
SmartCrawl offers access to all Pro features starting at just $3/month (billed yearly), and it comes bundled with other WPMU DEV plugins, hosting tools, and CDN credits.
Yoast SEO has a solid free version. The premium upgrade is $99/year for one site, while the plugin bundle costs $229/year for access to Local, WooCommerce, Video, and News extensions.
Winner: No clear winner
SmartCrawl is more affordable and feature-rich at lower tiers. Yoast’s premium tools are more advanced but come at a higher price. The best choice depends on your priorities, and there may be better options altogether, as you’ll see next.
Search Atlas Is a Better Alternative to SmartCrawl vs. Yoast
Search Atlas is the platform to consider if you’re ready for a more advanced, all-in-one SEO solution that goes beyond the basics
Search Atlas Features
Search Atlas is built to serve marketers, agencies, and growing businesses that need more than on-page suggestions. It’s a fully integrated SEO operating system—with robust tools for content strategy, technical audits, AI automation, and link building, all backed by real-time performance data.
Content Genius
At the heart of Search Atlas is Content Genius—an AI-powered content suite that goes far beyond the in-editor checklists of SmartCrawl and Yoast. It allows you to plan, write, optimize, and publish directly to WordPress from one dashboard.
- Live Optimization. Get real-time feedback on keyword usage, semantic terms, internal linking, word count, and readability as you write.
- Topical Mapping. Build interlinked content clusters using keyword intent, topical relevance, and SERP data.
- 1-Click WordPress Publishing. Push new posts, updates, or landing pages directly to your site without switching tools.
Why it beats plugins: SmartCrawl and Yoast offer page-level suggestions, but they don’t support end-to-end content production. Search Atlas eliminates the need for Google Docs, Surfer, or separate AI tools.
Technical SEO and Site Auditing
Search Atlas offers a robust suite of technical SEO tools designed for scale and precision. It goes far beyond the basic audits you find in most plugins by combining deep site analysis with intelligent automation.
At the core is OTTO, an SEO automation engine that continuously monitors your site’s performance using data from Google Search Console, GA4, and live rankings. OTTO proactively suggests and applies fixes like rewriting metadata or optimizing internal links.
The platform supports auto-generated structured data and instant indexing, so new content is quickly discovered and qualified for rich results without manual setup.
While SmartCrawl offers decent site audits and Yoast includes basic schema support, neither provides this level of automation, depth, or integration. Search Atlas brings it all together in one seamless, high-performance platform.
Backlink Strategy
Unlike WordPress SEO plugins, Search Atlas includes native tools for link acquisition and competitor tracking, helping you build authority and close performance gaps.
- Competitor Keyword & Backlink Discovery. Analyze your competitors’ SEO strategies and find gaps to target.
- Backlink Analyzer. See which domains link to your competitors but not to you, and get suggestions to earn them.
- Built-in Outreach CRM. Launch email campaigns, track contacts, and pitch backlinks—all from the Search Atlas dashboard.
Search Atlas Pricing
Every plan includes full access to the content engine, SEO automation, backlink tools, and GSC integration—no upsells or feature lockouts.
| Starter plan | Growth plan | Pro plan | |
| Price | $99/month | $199/month | $399/month |
| Free OTTO activation | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| User seats | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| GSC Site Projects | 5 | 15 | Unlimited |
| Content Assistant Keywords | 120 | 300 | 600 |
| On-Page In-Depth Audits | 40 | 100 | 200 |
| Content Plans | 40 | 100 | 200 |
| Pages / Articles Created | 40 | 100 | 200 |
| Full Article Generation Quota | 30 | 60 | 90 |
| Regular AI Quota | 100 | 250 | 99,999 |
| Site Auditor Projects | 5 | 10 | 100 |
| Keyword Rank Tracking Projects | 20 | 50 | 1,000 |
| Keyword Research Lookups | 500 | 2,000 | 5,000 |
| Competitor Research Credit | 2,000 | 20,000 | 50,000 |
See the SEO Platform in Action—Start Your Free Trial Today
It’s time to go beyond plugins if you’re serious about scaling your SEO performance across content, technical health, and competitive advantage.
Search Atlas gives you a unified platform where everything works together—content strategy, on-page optimization, technical audits, internal linking, backlinks, and real-time automation—powered by data from your own site.
Whether you’re managing one site or dozens, building content at scale, or trying to outrank established competitors, Search Atlas gives you the infrastructure to move faster and grow smarter.
Start your free trial today and see how Search Atlas can transform the way you approach search visibility.
