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Marketing · head to head

Moz vs Yoast SEO

Moz logo

Moz

Marketing

SEO platform built around Domain Authority, local listings management and a weekly campaign workflow

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Yoast SEO logo

Yoast SEO

SEO

The longest-established WordPress SEO plugin, free core with a flat-rate Premium tier

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Moz moz refreshes its link index less often and discovers fewer links than Ahrefs, so a new backlink frequently appears in Ahrefs days before it shows up in Link Explorer, which matters if link acquisition reporting is your job.; Yoast SEO premium is licensed per site, so an agency or publisher managing many WordPress installs pays linearly per site with no volume discount tier published, unlike Rank Math's site-count-bundled plans.
  • They diverge on capability: Moz covers Keyword Explorer, Yoast SEO covers Readability and SEO analysis.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Moz and Yoast SEO actually diverge.

Attributes where Moz and Yoast SEO differ
AttributeMozYoast SEO
Pricing modelPer month by usage limitsFreemium, per site per year
CategoryMarketingSEO
Founded2004Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Moz

  • Keyword Explorer
  • Link Explorer
  • Site Crawl
  • Rank Tracking
  • Page Optimization
  • Competitive research
  • Local SEO tools
  • Fresh Web Explorer

Only in Yoast SEO

  • Readability and SEO analysis
  • Redirect manager
  • Multi-keyphrase optimisation
  • Bundled add-ons
  • AI-assisted metadata
  • Google Docs add-on

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Moz

  • SEO auditsnot Yoast SEO
  • Keyword researchnot Yoast SEO
  • Link buildingnot Yoast SEO
  • Local SEOnot Yoast SEO
  • Competitive analysisnot Yoast SEO

Yoast SEO

  • A WordPress site owner who wants a predictable flat annual price with no renewal surprise, unlike some competitor pricing patternsnot Moz
  • A multi-site publisher needing Local, Video and News SEO functionality bundled rather than bought as three separate add-onsnot Moz
  • A small blog that can run indefinitely on the free tier without hitting a feature wall that forces an upgradenot Moz
  • A content team wanting AI-assisted bulk metadata generation to clear a backlog of missing titles and descriptionsnot Moz

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Moz

  • Moz refreshes its link index less often and discovers fewer links than Ahrefs, so a new backlink frequently appears in Ahrefs days before it shows up in Link Explorer, which matters if link acquisition reporting is your job.
  • Rank tracking is weekly on every tier, so a site watching a volatile SERP or validating a same-week change cannot see daily movement without buying a separate rank tracker.
  • The Standard plan allows only 150 keyword queries a month, which a single afternoon of research exhausts, and the jump to a workable 5,000 queries means paying 179 USD a month rather than 99.
  • Almost every limit is separately metered and separately billable: extra seats are 49 USD each, campaigns 10 USD, tracked keywords 20 USD per 200, crawl capacity 15 USD per 50,000 pages, so the real bill drifts well above the plan price.
  • Domain Authority is a Moz score, not a Google ranking factor, and teams that optimise for it directly are optimising for a proxy that its own vendor sells.
  • Moz Local is a separate subscription per location, so a business with twenty sites is buying a second product at twenty times the per-location price on top of Moz Pro.

Yoast SEO

  • Premium is licensed per site, so an agency or publisher managing many WordPress installs pays linearly per site with no volume discount tier published, unlike Rank Math's site-count-bundled plans.
  • The free tier's schema output is more basic than Rank Math's free tier, which ships more predefined schema types at no cost.
  • There is no rank tracking feature at all, free or paid, so any team wanting to monitor rankings needs an entirely separate tool regardless of Yoast tier.
  • Some previously free features have migrated behind Premium over successive releases, so long-time users have seen the free-to-paid boundary move against them.
  • The AI-assisted content and metadata features are newer additions and reviewers note they are less mature than dedicated AI content tools such as Surfer SEO or Frase.

Pricing, plan by plan

Moz

Free
  • Free toolsFree
    • Domain Analysis and Domain Authority lookups
    • Limited Keyword Explorer and Link Explorer queries
    • Competitive Research and Brand Authority checks
  • Starter$49/month
    • Entry plan for an individual managing a single website
    • Sits below Standard on the published pricing page
    • Upgrade path into the campaign-based tiers
  • Standard$99/month
    • 79 USD per month billed annually, 950 USD for the first year
    • 1 user seat
    • 3 campaigns and 300 tracked keyword rankings
  • Medium$179/month
    • 143 USD per month billed annually, 1,719 USD for the first year
    • 2 user seats
    • 10 campaigns and 1,500 tracked keyword rankings

Yoast SEO

Free
  • FreeFree
    • SEO and readability analysis
    • XML sitemaps and basic schema output
    • Google Search Console integration
  • Premium$118.8/year
    • Flat rate with no renewal price increase, per site
    • Redirect manager and multi-keyphrase optimisation
    • Local, Video and News SEO plugins included

Which should you pick?

Choose Moz if

  • You need keyword explorer.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want link explorer.
Moz review

Choose Yoast SEO if

  • You need readability and seo analysis.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want redirect manager.
Yoast SEO review

Questions people ask

Is Moz or Yoast SEO better?
Neither clearly leads. Moz starts at Free and Yoast SEO at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Moz or Yoast SEO?
Moz starts at Free and Yoast SEO at Free.
Does Moz or Yoast SEO run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Moz for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Moz best used for?
Moz is most often used for seo audits, keyword research, link building, local seo. Of those, seo audits and keyword research are not what Yoast SEO is typically brought in for.
What can Moz do that Yoast SEO cannot?
Moz covers Keyword Explorer, Link Explorer, Site Crawl, Rank Tracking. Yoast SEO covers Readability and SEO analysis, Redirect manager, Multi-keyphrase optimisation, Bundled add-ons.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Moz: How much does Moz Pro cost?

Starter is 49 USD a month for a single site. Standard is 99 USD a month or 79 USD billed annually, Medium 179 or 143, and Large 299 or 239. Moz lists first-year annual totals of 950, 1,719 and 2,868 USD respectively.

Yoast SEO: Does the price go up after the first year?

No. Yoast charges the same flat 118.80 US dollars a year per site every year, unlike some competitors that discount the first year and raise the renewal price.

Moz: Is Moz or Ahrefs better?

Ahrefs is the stronger choice for backlink depth, index freshness and competitive research, and its Lite plan is 129 USD against Moz Standard at 99. Moz is the better buy if you need Domain Authority as a reportable metric, if local listings management matters, or if 49 USD a month for a single site is the budget.

Yoast SEO: Is the free version usable long-term, or is it a trial?

It is a genuinely usable free tier; many small sites run on it indefinitely without ever needing Premium.

Moz: What do the Moz free tools give you?

Free Domain Analysis with Domain Authority, limited Keyword Explorer and Link Explorer queries, Competitive Research, a Brand Authority check and MozCast volatility tracking. Campaigns, site crawls and rank tracking all require a paid plan.

Yoast SEO: Can one Premium licence cover multiple sites?

No. Premium is licensed per site; multiple sites each need their own licence.

Moz: Is Domain Authority a Google ranking factor?

No. It is a Moz model that predicts ranking strength on a 1 to 100 scale. Google does not use it. It is useful as a comparative shorthand, not as a target.

Moz: How often does Moz update rankings?

Weekly on every Moz Pro tier. Competitors such as SE Ranking update daily as standard.

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