Plug In SEO and Avada SEO are two of the most-installed SEO apps on Shopify — and they’re built around genuinely different ideas of what an SEO app should do. Here’s an honest, feature-by-feature look at which one fits which kind of store.
We make Plug In SEO, so treat this as informed rather than neutral — but we’ve kept it factual, and every number here comes from each app’s live Shopify App Store listing. Both are good apps. They’re just good at different things, and the right choice depends on what you actually need.
Want to see what Plug In SEO flags on your store? Start a 14-day free trial and run a full SEO scan before you decide.
The short answer
Choose Plug In SEO if you want to find and fix SEO problems with guided, step-by-step instructions, do AI-powered keyword research, and monitor rankings over time — an app that teaches you SEO as it cleans it up.
Choose Avada SEO if your priority is image optimization and page speed, and you want a free plan to start — its strengths lean technical and image-led.
Many stores honestly need both jobs done — the deciding factor is which one is your bigger pain right now.
Side by side
| Plug In SEO | Avada SEO | |
|---|---|---|
| Developer | Plug In Useful | Avada SEO Suite |
| App Store rating | 4.6★ (660 reviews) | 4.9★ (4,453 reviews) |
| Free plan | No — 14-day free trial | Yes, free tier available |
| Paid plans | $29.99 / $49.99 / $79.99 per month | $34.95 (Pro) / $99 (Enterprise) per month |
| Core strength | SEO audits, guided fixes, keyword research, rank tracking | Image optimization, speed, technical SEO |
| Keyword research | Yes (AI-powered) | Not its focus |
| Image optimization | Separate app (Plug In Speed) | Yes (core feature) |
| Structured data (JSON-LD) | Yes | Yes |
| Built for Shopify badge | Yes | — |
Pricing, ratings and features as listed on the Shopify App Store, June 2026. Check each listing for the latest.
What Plug In SEO is best at
The bottom line: Plug In SEO is built to diagnose your SEO problems and walk you through fixing them — with keyword research and ongoing monitoring built in.
Its core loop is scan → explain → fix. It scans your store for issues like missing meta, broken links, and duplicate tags, then gives plain-English, step-by-step instructions for each one — so you learn what you’re fixing, not just click a button. On top of that it does AI-powered keyword research, bulk meta editing with templates (your words around a variable like %% product.title %%, so every page stays unique), JSON-LD structured data, and rank tracking to watch progress over time. It also carries Shopify’s Built for Shopify badge for meeting the platform’s performance and design standards.
It’s the better fit if your real need is “I know my SEO has problems but I don’t know what they are or how to fix them” — and you want the keyword research and monitoring in the same place.
What Avada SEO is best at
The bottom line: Avada SEO leans technical and image-led, and its free plan makes it an easy place to start.
Avada’s app (listed as Avada AI SEO Image Optimizer) is strongest on image optimization and page-speed boosting, alongside technical features like structured data, sitemap and robots.txt control, broken-link management and on-page audits. It has a large, very positive review base and a genuine free tier, with paid plans adding unlimited image optimization, more AI credits, and faster speed tooling.
It’s the better fit if your main pain is image-heavy pages loading slowly and you want to begin on a free plan before committing.
The honest trade-offs
The bottom line: the headline differences are the free plan, the pricing structure, and the philosophy — and none of them make one app simply “better.”
On reviews and maturity: Avada has the larger install base by review count (4,453 vs 660), which reflects a big, image-optimization-led user base. Plug In SEO carries Shopify’s Built for Shopify badge, awarded for meeting the platform’s performance, design, and integration standards. Both signal a trustworthy, actively-maintained app — review volume isn’t a quality score, just a sign of reach.
On price: the two structure it differently. Avada lets you start free and step up to $34.95/month for its Pro tier. Plug In SEO has no free plan but its entry tier ($29.99/month, after a 14-day trial) is cheaper than Avada’s Pro — so “which is cheaper” genuinely depends on whether the free tier covers what you need or you’d be on a paid plan anyway. If you’ll only ever use basic features, Avada’s free tier wins on cost; if you need real audit-and-fix depth, compare paid tier to paid tier.
On philosophy: this is the real fork. Plug In SEO is built to teach and fix — it finds issues and walks you through them, with keyword research and rank tracking for ongoing strategy. Avada is built to optimize technically — especially images and speed. One treats SEO as an ongoing practice you get better at; the other as a set of technical boxes to tick. Neither is wrong; they suit different owners.
— Shopify App Store listings, June 2026
How to choose
Strip away the feature lists and it comes down to your biggest current problem:
- “I don’t know what’s wrong with my SEO.” → Plug In SEO — its audit-and-guide approach is built exactly for that.
- “I want to research keywords and track rankings.” → Plug In SEO — both are built in.
- “My images are huge and my store is slow.” → Avada SEO — image and speed optimization are its core.
- “I want to start for free.” → Avada SEO has a free tier; Plug In SEO offers a 14-day free trial instead.
The honest summary: if SEO strategy and diagnosis is your gap, Plug In SEO is built for it; if image and speed performance is your gap, Avada SEO is built for that. Match the app to your bigger problem and you won’t go wrong with either.
FAQ: Plug In SEO vs Avada SEO
Is Plug In SEO or Avada SEO better?
Neither is universally “better” — they’re built for different needs. Plug In SEO is stronger for diagnosing SEO issues, guided fixes, keyword research and rank tracking. Avada SEO is stronger for image optimization and page speed, and offers a free plan. Pick based on whether your bigger problem is SEO strategy/diagnosis or technical/image performance.
Does Plug In SEO have a free plan?
No. Plug In SEO offers a 14-day free trial, then plans start at $29.99/month (Lite), with Standard at $49.99 and Premium at $79.99. Avada SEO, by contrast, does offer a free tier with limited features.
How much does Avada SEO cost?
Avada SEO has a free plan, a Pro plan at $34.95/month, and an Enterprise plan at $99/month, with annual discounts and a 7-day free trial on paid tiers (as listed on the Shopify App Store, June 2026).
Can I use both Plug In SEO and Avada SEO together?
Technically yes, but be careful with overlapping features — running two apps that both inject structured data (JSON-LD) can create duplicate markup, and two apps managing sitemaps or meta tags can conflict. If you do run both, assign each a clear job and disable overlapping features in one of them.
Which app is better for keyword research?
Plug In SEO. It includes AI-powered keyword research as a core feature, whereas Avada SEO focuses on technical and image optimization rather than keyword discovery.
See what Plug In SEO finds on your store
The fastest way to decide is to run a scan. Plug In SEO audits your store, shows you exactly which SEO issues are costing you, and walks you through fixing each one — plus keyword research and rank tracking in the same place. Start with a 14-day free trial and see the list before you commit.