shouldiuse.io

VERDICT

Should I use Rank Math?

WordPress SEO plugin to rank higher in search engines, free to download. - rankmath.com

Worth it. Buy if your site runs on WordPress: the free tier is generous and paid plans undercut Yoast. Skip it on non-WordPress stacks, or if you won't apply security updates within days of release.

Confidence

High. Based on 20+ public sources: Reddit threads, security trackers (NVD, Patchstack, Wordfence), G2/Trustpilot reviews, and vendor pricing pages.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support qualityNo support evidence in reviewed sources
  • Security posture

Pricing

$0

Free

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes
Profrom ~$5/mo
Business$299.88/yr
Agency$659.88/yr

Best for

  • WordPress bloggers and content sites
  • Small businesses on WordPress
  • Agencies managing many client sites
  • Budget-conscious owners wanting a free tier

Not for

  • Non-WordPress sites (Shopify, Webflow, custom builds)
  • Teams that delay plugin security updates
  • Buyers wanting zero-config, hands-off SEO
  • Orgs needing enterprise SEO platforms like Siteimprove

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

CVE-2025-12714 auth bypass: update the plugin immediately after install

high

Patched path-traversal/local file inclusion bug; staying current is mandatory

medium

Vendor was accused of taking admin access, then paused the feature

low

Business and Agency tiers billed yearly: $299.88 and $659.88

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Free tier covers unlimited sites with core SEO features
  • Rated 4.9/5 on
  • Users consistently praise ease of use
  • More affordable than Yoast at paid tiers
  • Agency plan manages 500 client websites

Cons

  • Repeated CVEs: auth bypass, XSS, SSRF, path traversal
  • 2025 controversy over plugin secretly taking admin access
  • Plugin prices were adjusted upward

Sources & method

Analyzed 9/20/2026 - 10 sources - Active 2025-2026 CVE history (auth bypass, XSS, SSRF, LFI); vendor claims third-party audits.

official x1review x5security x2news x2
  • CVE-2025-12714: authentication bypass, Rank Math SEO plugin had an authentication bypass vulnerability.
  • Path traversal leading to local file inclusion, Authenticated path traversal in the plugin could lead to LFI; since patched.
  • Cross-site scripting (XSS), versions <= 1.0.274.1, XSS vulnerability affecting plugin versions up to 1.0.274.1.
  • Server-side request forgery (SSRF), version 1.0.95, SSRF vulnerability reported in version 1.0.95.
  • Accused of secretly taking admin access (2025), Researchers flagged the plugin for taking admin access; the feature was paused.

Key stats

  • Value for money: 5/5

    Rating

  • $0

    Starting price

  • 10

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 5/5. Strong free tier; cheaper than Yoast
  • Ease of use: 4/5. G2 users praise ease of use
  • Feature depth: 5/5. Called 'Swiss Army knife'; all-in-one suite
  • Support quality. No support evidence in reviewed sources
  • Security posture: 2/5. Multiple CVEs plus admin-access controversy
  • 4.9/5 WordPress.org rating community reviews
  • 4/5 Trustpilot customer reviews
  • $0 Starting price Pro from ~$5/mo
  • 5M+ Install base sites using the plugin

Pricing

Free

$0

  • Unlimited sites
  • Core SEO tools

Pro

from ~$5/mo

  • Personal/business sites
  • Advanced schema and tracking

Business

$299.88/yr

  • ~$27.99/mo
  • Client sites included

Agency

$659.88/yr

  • 500 client websites
  • Client management

Security

Active 2025-2026 CVE history (auth bypass, XSS, SSRF, LFI); vendor claims third-party audits.

  • CVE-2025-12714: authentication bypassRank Math SEO plugin had an authentication bypass vulnerability.⁶
  • Path traversal leading to local file inclusionAuthenticated path traversal in the plugin could lead to LFI; since patched.⁷
  • Cross-site scripting (XSS), versions <= 1.0.274.1XSS vulnerability affecting plugin versions up to 1.0.274.1.
  • Server-side request forgery (SSRF), version 1.0.95SSRF vulnerability reported in version 1.0.95.
  • Accused of secretly taking admin access (2025)Researchers flagged the plugin for taking admin access; the feature was paused.⁸

What users say

Users widely praise its ease of use and value, and Reddit comparisons mostly favor it over Yoast.

“To me the clear winner was Rank Mat”
Reddit, r/Wordpress
“Users consistently praise the ease of”
G2 reviews
“Rank Math is an excellent catalog of”
HackTheSEO review
Full analysis

Based on 20+ public sources: Reddit threads, security trackers (NVD, Patchstack, Wordfence), G2/Trustpilot reviews, and vendor pricing pages.

Great free WordPress SEO plugin, cheaper than Yoast — but its CVE history means you must update fast.

Methodology

Based on 20+ public sources: Reddit threads, security trackers (NVD, Patchstack, Wordfence), G2/Trustpilot reviews, and vendor pricing pages.

Sources

  1. Rank Math Pricing: Pro, Business, and Agencywprblogger.com
    official
  2. Rank Math SEO Reviews (Trustpilot)trustpilot.com
    review
  3. Rank Math vs Yoast SEO: Which Is Better in 2026?wp-rocket.me
    review
  4. Rank Math Review 2026 (WordPress.org 4.9/5)ai-cmo.net
    review
  5. Rank Math vs Yoast Reddit threadreddit.com
    review
  6. CVE-2025-12714 Detail (NVD)nvd.nist.gov
    security
  7. Rank Math path traversal LFI (Patchstack)patchstack.com
    security
  8. Rank Math pauses controversial admin-access feature (SEJ)searchenginejournal.com
    news
  9. Rank Math Review (5M+ users)searchlogistics.com
    review
  10. Rank Math Revenue: $2.9M est. ARRgetlatka.com
    news

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