SEOPress optimizes your tags. Hack The SEO builds your entire semantic cocoon.
SEOPress is an excellent French WordPress SEO plugin: serious, unbeatable on price, and now “AI-ready” (native llms.txt + Agent Readiness). If you are looking for a SEOPress alternative that goes beyond tags and audits, one that builds the editorial architecture, writes the long-form articles and applies the internal linking automatically, here is what Hack The SEO does on top. SEOPress settings imported in 1 click, migrated in 5 minutes.
Book a free 20-min demoSEOPress covers the basics (well). Beyond that, five pieces are missing.
SEOPress is a respected French WordPress SEO plugin: 350,000+ sites since 2017, unbeatable pricing (PRO from $49/year), privacy-first and white-label. On the fundamentals (tags, schemas, sitemaps, redirects, GSC) and even on AI (an AI Assistant that writes, llms.txt + Agent Readiness, MCP via the Abilities API, v10), it is solid. What Hack The SEO adds on top comes down to five points: the architecture that builds authority, not just the one that signals it. Here is what SEOPress users come looking for in a demo when they want to go further.
Link suggestions, not an architected cocoon
SEOPress PRO ships an Internal Linking Suggestions module (TF-IDF analysis) that suggests relevant contextual links per article. Useful to fill occasional gaps. But no notion of pillar, child, satellite or orphan page, and no site-wide editorial architecture. Internal linking stays hand-crafted, page by page.
Pay-per-use AI: credits or your own key
SEOPress 10 generates titles, meta descriptions, Open Graph, X cards and alt texts through OpenAI, Gemini, Claude, Mistral or DeepSeek. The good news: you can use SEOPress AI credits (bought on seopress.org) or your own API key. Either way, it is billed per use: the more you generate, the more you top up.
An assistant that helps you write vs a system that produces the volume
New in v10: SEOPress's AI Assistant writes full articles in the editor (/write command) and chats with you. A real step forward. But it is an assistant you drive article by article, by hand, billed per use (credits), with no link to a cocoon architecture or an editorial plan that decides what to write.
Displays Search Console, does not learn from it
SEOPress PRO shows your GSC data in the post lists (clicks, impressions, CTR, position) and offers GSC-backed recommendations in the Site Audit. Very useful. But no module measures the real impact of an action you took: you change a title, you never know whether it helped. SEOPress shows the data; it does not learn from your site.
Metadata MCP vs deep-diagnosis MCP
SEOPress 10 supports the WordPress Abilities API (MCP) to connect your AI app: the agent can read and generate metadata. A smart move. The difference is the scope: the AI acts on tags, not on the deep strategy (cocoon, impact-based prioritization).
Three things SEOPress does not do. Three things Hack The SEO does natively.
Validated on 30+ WordPress sites in production, and used daily by 1,200+ SaaS users.
A pyramid architecture, not just a keyword cluster.
The semantic cocoon is a three-level editorial structure where every page knows its role. Hack The SEO detects it automatically through TF-IDF analysis combined with OpenAI vector embeddings.
- ● Pillar: exhaustive content, targets the main query
- ● Children: detailed subtopics, link back to the pillar
- ● Satellites: long-tail variants, feed the children
- ● Orphans: disconnected pages diluting authority (auto-detected)
Differentiator 1
An AI semantic cocoon, not a mere link suggestion
Hack The SEO scans your article catalog, computes embedding vectors with OpenAI text-embedding-3-small, detects the pillars through multi-criteria scoring, and builds the pillar → children → satellites tree. Ultra weaves the AI internal linking on top, and updates itself when a piece of content changes. Orphan pages are identified and flagged in the Inbox.
On the SEOPress side: an Internal Linking Suggestions module (TF-IDF) that suggests contextual links per article. No pillar/children/satellites architecture, no orphan-page detection, no automatic cross-cocoon link push.
Differentiator 2
A system that learns from your Search Console
Every time an SEO action is applied, Hack The SEO measures its real impact on your GSC data at D+7 and D+30. The actions that work on your site move up the priorities. The ones that do nothing get downgraded. It is a Thompson Sampling bandit algorithm combined with pattern mining, the same type of model e-commerce uses to optimize product recommendations.
On the SEOPress side: GSC data is displayed in the post lists and feeds the Site Audit recommendations. But no causal D+7/D+30 impact measurement per action, and no learning from your site over time.
Differentiator 3
Claude MCP: your deep SEO diagnosis
SEOPress 10 has an AI Assistant (chat + /write) and connects to AI apps through the WordPress Abilities API (MCP). Hack The SEO plays on a different field: a purpose-built MCP where, from claude.ai, Claude reads your cocoon, your GSC impact and your audit, then delivers a reasoned diagnosis + a prioritized action plan. It is your SEO consultant plugged straight into your site, at any hour, with no SEO credits to top up.
On the SEOPress side: a conversational AI Assistant + MCP via the Abilities API (v10), excellent, but billed in credits (or your key) and focused on metadata and content. No MCP that reads the cocoon architecture or the GSC impact prioritization.
89 modules in 1 subscription. AI hosting included, no API key to provide.
Hack The SEO bundles 89 modules: AI semantic cocoon, audit, scoring, long-form writing, internal linking, schema, MCP, AI tracking. All under a single Pro or Ultra subscription. Here are the 12 most visible ones, the ones that make the difference in a demo. The “SEOPress” column states honestly what it does on each line.
AI semantic cocoon
Pillar/child/satellite architecture + applied linking.
SEOPress: Internal Linking Suggestions (TF-IDF), per-article suggestions. No cocoon architecture.
Pro+UltraAI audit
Detects and recommends (Pro) → applies in 1 click via the Inbox (Ultra).
SEOPress: React Site Audit + GSC-backed recommendations, without automatic cross-page fixes.
Pro+UltraTechnical audit
Speed, indexing, tags, 404 redirects.
SEOPress: 404 Monitor + unlimited redirects (regex, CSV, htaccess). Very complete on this point.
Pro+UltraAI internal linking
Semantic-graph suggestions (Pro) → automatic application (Ultra).
SEOPress: link suggestions (TF-IDF) per article. No automatic cross-cocoon WP push.
Pro+UltraContinuous SEO analysis
On-page & technical monitoring · 91 checks.
SEOPress 10: Site Audit (52 tests) + AI Assistant. HTS: continuous analysis + conversational diagnosis via MCP.
Pro+UltraLong-form AI SEO writing
2,000+ word articles · Top 10 SERP · NLP.
SEOPress 10: the AI Assistant writes articles (/write), credit-based. HTS: 30/month aligned with the cocoon, included in the subscription.
UltraCannibalization detected
Competing URL pairs + a fix plan.
SEOPress: no dedicated cannibalization detection.
Pro+UltraAdvanced JSON-LD schema
24 auto schemas + manual editing.
SEOPress: schema editor with live preview, Article / Product / LocalBusiness / FAQ / HowTo / Course / Recipe / Event... Very complete.
Pro+UltraAdvanced WooCommerce SEO
Cocoons connected to products, category-driven SEO articles.
SEOPress: WooCommerce SEO in PRO, Product JSON-LD (GTIN/MPN/brand), Enhanced Ecommerce. Covered.
Ultrallms.txt + GEO Score
Per-page AI citability score + cocoon.
SEOPress: native llms.txt + Agent Readiness (v9.8, free). HTS adds the per-page GEO Score and wires it into the cocoon.
UltraSearch Console: measured impact
Positions, impressions, CTR + D+7/D+30 impact per action.
SEOPress: shows GSC in the post lists + GSC-backed Site Audit. No causal D+7/D+30 impact measurement.
Pro+UltraFounder-led support
Answers from the founders themselves (EN + FR).
SEOPress: FR + EN support (French team, Benjamin Denis). A real strength too.
Pro+UltraSEOPress connects AI to your tags. Hack The SEO plugs it into your deep strategy.
SEOPress 10 supports the WordPress Abilities API (MCP) and ships an AI Assistant: an agent can read and generate your metadata and content. That is solid. Hack The SEO exposes a purpose-built SEO MCP: you connect Claude to your site, it reads your Hack The SEO data, your Google Search Console and your pages live, then delivers a deep diagnosis + a prioritized action plan (cocoon, linking, order of impact). The AI moves from optimizing tags to strategic advice, in a natural conversation, at any hour.
You ask the question
“Which pages should I migrate first from SEOPress?”
Claude reads and analyzes
Reads your site, your GSC and your HTS audit
You get the plan
Diagnosis + prioritized action plan
SEOPress alternative: 22 criteria. Verifiable. No superlatives.
Cross-checked against official SEOPress sources (wordpress.org/plugins/wp-seopress v10 + seopress.org), June 2026. A green check wherever each plugin actually covers the criterion. ~ = partial. Where SEOPress has the feature, we say so: the goal is accuracy.
| Criterion | SEOPress | Hack The SEO |
|---|---|---|
| Native WordPress plugin | ||
| Country of origin | 🇫🇷 France | 🇫🇷 France |
| Installed base | 350,000+ sites since 2017 | 30 plugin clients · 1,200+ SaaS |
| Semantic cocoon · pillar/children/satellites architecture | link suggestions (TF-IDF), no architecture | embeddings + a role per page |
| Orphan-page detection (architecture) | ||
| Applied internal linking (WordPress push) | ~Internal Linking: suggestions (TF-IDF) | Smart Link Swap applied from Pro |
| Cannibalization: URL pair detection | ||
| Multiple keywords per page | unlimited from Free | unlimited from Pro |
| Learns from Search Console · D+7 and D+30 impact | shows GSC, no causal impact | |
| Actions ranked by measured impact (not by opinion) | ||
| Auto propagation of winning patterns to similar pages | ||
| Long-form AI writing (a system, at volume) | ~AI Assistant /write, by hand + credits | 30/month aligned with the cocoon, included |
| AI included at a flat price (no credits to top up) | SEOPress credits or key (per use) | included in the subscription |
| Conversational AI without SEO credits | ~AI Assistant chat, credit-based | via Claude MCP, no SEO credits |
| MCP (AI agent connected to your site) | Abilities API (metadata/content) | purpose-built: cocoon, GSC, audit (diagnosis) |
| Advanced JSON-LD schema | 15+ types · live preview (PRO) | 24 advanced types |
| Advanced WooCommerce SEO | included in PRO (GTIN/MPN/brand) | included in Ultra |
| Local SEO (LocalBusiness schema) | Local Business schema (PRO) | native schemas included |
| Native llms.txt (AI-readiness) | llms.txt + Agent Readiness (v9.8) | llms.txt + per-page GEO Score + cocoon |
| AI visit tracking (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini) | Agent Readiness (readability), no tracking | AI visits/crawls + citations |
| Full-version pricing · 1 equipped site | PRO from $49/YR+ AI credits or key · + Insights (optional) | 99 €/MONTH Proall included, no add-ons |
| Co-authors of a Dunod SEO book (E-E-A-T) | "Le SEO pour booster sa croissance" |
What you really pay each month. All included.
SEOPress is very affordable (PRO from $49/year). But the real cost adds your AI API key (BYO-LLM) and, above all, the human time to build the cocoon and write the articles by hand. Calculated at the senior SEO consultant rate in France (Malt 2025 barometer · 70 €/h).
= ~ 40 € + 1,050 € = ~ 1,090 €
= 99 € + 280 € = ~ 379 €
You keep 100% of your SEOPress settings. Zero data loss.
The native migration assistant reads your SEOPress configuration (titles, meta descriptions, schemas, sitemaps, redirects, focus keywords) and re-injects it into Hack The SEO. Manual validation available at every step.
You know who visits your site from Google. Not from ChatGPT.
SEOPress prepares your site for the AIs (Agent Readiness, llms.txt) so they understand you, but no module tracks the AI bots passing over your pages. Hack The SEO shows you who visits your site from ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini or Meta AI, how often, on which pages. The AI Analytics module detects these LLM bots and cross-references their visits with Google Search Console in a single dashboard.
“In 2026, ranking on Google is no longer enough. You need to know what the AIs see and read about you, so you can steer it.”
SEOPress alternative pricing: 99 €/month all included. No API key to provide, no add-ons to stack.
Choosing a SEOPress alternative is also choosing a readable price. SEOPress is very affordable (PRO from $49/year), but AI is billed per use (SEOPress credits or your own key) and the Insights add-on is billed separately. Hack The SEO is 99 €/month all included, AI at a flat price, in two clear plans.
Hack The SEO Ultra at 249 €/month ≈ an SEO agency at 1,500 €/month. Without the meeting schedule.
Based on how you use SEOPress today, here is the Hack The SEO plan that matches.
The 8 questions we hear before people leave SEOPress.
01Can you migrate from SEOPress without losing your existing SEO settings?
02Does Hack The SEO import SEOPress PRO schemas?
03What happens to the SEOPress XML sitemaps after the migration?
04Does Hack The SEO replace SEOPress's Internal Linking module?
05SEOPress PRO costs $49/year, Hack The SEO 99 €/month. Why the gap?
06Does SEOPress's AI write articles?
07SEOPress has Agent Readiness with MCP support. How is Hack The SEO's MCP different?
08Should you keep SEOPress running in parallel during the transition?
SEOPress vs Hack The SEO comparison: every data point can be verified.
Updated June 2026, based on SEOPress v10. SEOPress pricing and feature scope evolve quickly: when in doubt, the official wordpress.org/plugins/wp-seopress page prevails.
- 01.WordPress.org/plugins/wp-seopress · official SEOPress v10 page by Benjamin Denis, 350,000+ sites since 2017. Includes the AI Assistant (chat + article writing via /write), SEOPress AI credits or your own key, MCP support via the WordPress Abilities API, llms.txt + Agent Readiness, Command Palette, GSC-backed Site Audit. Accessed June 2026.
- 02.SEOPress.org/pricing · PRO from $49/year (1 site), unlimited $149/year; Insights (rank tracking) as a separate add-on. Accessed June 2026.
- 03.SEOPress · changelog v9.8 → v10 (wordpress.org) · AI Assistant (chat + /write), AI credits, Agent Readiness, MCP via the Abilities API, multilingual llms.txt.
- 04.SEOPress · official AI documentation: generation of titles, meta descriptions, OG / X tags and alt texts via OpenAI / Gemini / Claude / Mistral / DeepSeek (user's own API key).
- 05.Official Anthropic documentation · Model Context Protocol (MCP). SEOPress connects through the Abilities API (metadata/content); Hack The SEO exposes a purpose-built SEO diagnosis MCP (cocoon, GSC, audit).
- 06.OpenAI Platform Pricing · GPT-4o / GPT-4o Mini · per-token billing, $5 minimum initial deposit (reference for an average usage on a SEOPress API key).
- 07.Hack The SEO · internal plugin and SaaS data, June 2026: 30 production plugin clients (89 modules), 1,200+ SaaS users.
- 08.Bruno Ibanez & Eric Ibanez · "Le SEO pour booster sa croissance", Dunod, 2025 (E-E-A-T).
- 09.Malt 2025 barometer · SEO consultant day rate in France (senior median ~ 500 €/day, or ~ 70 €/h).
Comparing other WordPress SEO plugins too?
Our complete “alternative to” series: 22 criteria per page, each with its real-cost calculation (tools + human time) and a 3-step migration.
Move on from SEOPress and its tags, without denying its strengths. Gain 89 modules that steer together.
The French-built WordPress SEO plugin that is the most integrated SEOPress alternative. Book 20 minutes with Eric Ibanez, co-founder and CTO of Hack The SEO. An SEO audit of your current SEOPress site, the real-cost calculation (PRO + API key + human time), and a live migration.