Yoast vs Rank Math: comparing WordPress SEO plugins and what happens when you switch
Yoast vs Rank Math is a choice between two mature, free SEO plugins. Rank Math gives you more features for free, such as redirects and several keyphrases per post. Yoast SEO is simpler to use and has been around longer. For most small sites either is enough, and what matters more than the choice is not losing titles and descriptions when you switch.
Author: The TellMyShop team. A guide for WordPress site and WooCommerce store owners: the cause, the manual fix and the same work in a chat conversation.
Last updated: · 6 min read
What both plugins do the same way
Before you look at the differences, see what they share. Both plugins:
- give you a field for the Google title and description on every post, page and category,
- create a sitemap, usually at sitemap_index.xml,
- let you set noindex and a canonical URL for a single item and for whole content types,
- have a field for the Google Search Console verification code,
- add structured data and a preview of the Google result,
- assess content against a chosen keyphrase.
You can install the free versions of both from the plugin directory in the WordPress admin, under Plugins → Add New Plugin. Both also have paid versions with extra features.
Comparison table
As of October 2026, based on the developers' descriptions and the independent comparisons linked below. Plugin features change from version to version, so check the developers' current pages before deciding.
| Yoast SEO | Rank Math | |
|---|---|---|
| Free version | yes, in the wordpress.org directory | yes, in the wordpress.org directory |
| Keyphrases per post in the free version | one, more in Premium | several |
| Redirects | in Premium | in the free version, as a module |
| Content assessment | coloured dots, from red to green | a score out of 100 |
| Ease of use at the start | simple, fewer settings | easy and advanced mode, some options only in advanced |
| Google verification code | settings, site connections section | general settings, webmaster tools section |
| Import from the other plugin | documented switch from Rank Math | import wizard for Yoast during setup |
The differences in keyphrases, redirects and content assessment are described, among others, in the comparison on the Pressable blog. That is a hosting company's site, not the developer of either plugin. We do not quote prices for the paid versions, because they change more often than this post. Check them on the developers' sites before you buy.
Which to choose: a short decision path
- You already have one of them and it works? Stay with it. Switching is work and a risk of missing something, and the gain is often small.
- You need redirects and do not want another plugin? Rank Math has them in the free version. With Yoast you need Premium or a separate plugin, such as Redirection.
- You want simplicity and few settings? Yoast will usually be easier for someone who wants to type a title and description and not think about the rest.
- You want lots of settings in one place? Rank Math has more modules, but you only see some of them in advanced mode.
- An agency or a freelancer runs the site? Ask which plugin they use day to day. Knowing the tool can matter more than the feature differences.
Neither plugin will put a site in high positions on its own. Content, links and technical order do that. An SEO plugin only gives you fields and settings that need filling in well. We explain how in the guide to the WordPress meta title.
What happens to your meta when you switch plugins
Each plugin keeps titles, descriptions and noindex settings in its own fields in the database. When you deactivate Yoast, its data stays, but the site stops using it. The new plugin only sees it after an import.
Rank Math has a Yoast import in its setup wizard. The wizard detects Yoast, offers to deactivate it and shows which data it will carry over. Redirects from Yoast Premium are imported separately, in the import and export tools. This is described in Rank Math's guide to migrating from Yoast. In the other direction, Yoast has a guide to migrating from Rank Math.
After the import, check a sample of pages, not just the home page:
- titles and descriptions on a few posts, pages and categories,
- noindex on pages meant to stay out of Google, and on those meant to be in it,
- canonical URLs set by hand,
- the sitemap, because its address may change, and you then need to submit the new one in Search Console,
- redirects, if the old plugin handled them,
- the Google verification code, if it was entered in a field of the old plugin.
A missing verification code is a common surprise after a switch. We describe how to add it again in the post on Google Search Console verification in WordPress.
How the chat checks the switch and works with both plugins
The TellMyShop plugin for WordPress and WooCommerce works with Yoast SEO and with Rank Math. Your chat (Claude or ChatGPT) recognises the active plugin and saves the meta in its fields, so you do not have to set anything up. After a switch you can ask it to check whether titles and descriptions came across.
You: I have moved from Yoast to Rank Math. Check whether the titles and descriptions came across.
Your chat: The active SEO plugin is Rank Math. I went through 112 posts and 14 pages. 109 posts and all pages have a title and description. 3 posts have an empty description, although judging by their content one had been written by hand. The sitemap works at /sitemap_index.xml.
I suggest filling in the descriptions for those 3 posts. Sample:
You: Fill in all three.
Your chat: I will prepare a preview of the three descriptions in the Rank Math fields. I'll save it after your ‘yes’.
Card status: waiting for your “yes”How to protect roses over winter
old version: (no description)
new version: When and how to cover roses for winter in the garden and in pots. Fleece, an earth mound and the mistakes that harm the shrubs.
The values in this conversation are examples.
In TellMyShop Free the chat runs an SEO review of all content and shows where titles and descriptions are missing, including after a switch. In TellMyShop Pro it fills them in the active plugin's fields, right after you activate the licence, always with a preview and after your approval. Every change goes into the history, and you can undo most of them.
What the chat will not do without extra permission: the import between plugins and their general settings belong to the Plugins switch, which you turn on in the panel for 24 hours. The simpler route is the plugin's own wizard, with the chat checking the result. You will find details on the TellMyShop for WordPress and WooCommerce page, prices on the pricing page, and a wider checklist in the post on the WordPress SEO audit. More guides are on the blog.
Questions and answers
Which SEO plugin is better, Yoast or Rank Math?
Neither wins at everything. Rank Math offers more features in its free version, such as redirects and several keyphrases per post. Yoast is simpler to start with and has a longer track record. If one of them already runs on your site and does the job, there is usually no reason to switch.
Will switching SEO plugins hurt my Google rankings?
The switch itself should not, as long as titles, descriptions, noindex settings, canonical URLs and the sitemap carry over intact. The risk comes when the import misses something, such as redirects or archive settings. That is why you should check a sample of pages after the switch.
Can I have Yoast and Rank Math active at the same time?
Do not do it. Both plugins add a title, description and tags for Google to the page, so the page may end up with them twice. When you install Rank Math, it detects Yoast and offers to deactivate it before importing the data.
Will I lose titles and descriptions when I deactivate Yoast?
The data stays in the database, but it stops working on the site until the new plugin carries it over. So run the import in the new plugin first and only deactivate the old one. Delete it only once you have checked that everything came across.
Which SEO plugin does TellMyShop work with?
The TellMyShop plugin for WordPress and WooCommerce works with Yoast SEO and with Rank Math. The chat recognises the active plugin by itself and saves titles, descriptions, noindex and canonical URLs in its fields. When there is no SEO plugin, it saves the meta in its own fields.
WordPress is a trademark of the WordPress Foundation. WooCommerce is a trademark of Automattic Inc. Claude is a trademark of Anthropic PBC. ChatGPT and OpenAI are trademarks of OpenAI. TellMyShop is not affiliated with these companies.