SEO Skills by PENRA vs Claude SEO: free or paid?
By Adrien Pennetier, PENRA · updated
Pick Claude SEO if you work in Claude Code and want a free pack you can read. Consider SEO Skills by PENRA if you work in the Claude apps and accept a paid, closed pack. Pick neither if Anthropic's free marketing plugin already does the job. We make PENRA's pack, so this is not an independent review.
Claude SEO's facts come from its GitHub repository, read on 1 November 2026. Ours come from our own site, same day. We did not run both packs on the same site for this page, and we know of no independent head-to-head test.
Is there a free option you should try first?
Yes. Anthropic's marketing plugin is free under Apache 2.0 and has a /seo-audit command. Its readme says it is primarily designed for Cowork and also works in Claude Code. Without a connected SEO tool, the skill uses web search for keyword research and suggests connecting a tool such as Ahrefs or Semrush for more precise volume and difficulty data. Try it on one page you know well before choosing a pack.
Which one fits your situation?
| Your situation | Lean towards | Why | Check before you commit |
|---|---|---|---|
| You want to spend nothing on a pack | Claude SEO | MIT licence, "Free, with your Claude Code plan" | You still need a Claude plan |
| You want to read every file before installing | Claude SEO | Public repository | Review install.sh or install.ps1 before running it, as its readme suggests |
| You work in Claude Code with Python 3.11 to 3.14 | Claude SEO | That is its stated requirement | A full audit uses more of your plan than a single-page check |
| You work in Claude.ai or Cowork, with no terminal | SEO Skills by PENRA, or Anthropic's plugin | PENRA lists Claude.ai, Desktop and Cowork. The Claude SEO readme describes it running inside Claude Code | PENRA is closed, with no refund once delivered |
| You have Python 3.9 or 3.10 only | SEO Skills by PENRA | It states Python 3.9+, for its scripts only | Claude SEO dropped Python 3.10 in v2.5.0 |
| You want local, e-commerce and agent-readiness checks | Claude SEO | Its readme lists them | Some extensions connect to paid services |
| You want live volumes or backlink counts | Neither alone | Both need a data source for this | Claude SEO: extensions or Google APIs. PENRA has none |
| A plain prompt already answers your question | Neither | A pack adds method and scripts, not data | Try the prompt on one page first |
What actually costs money?
The pack is only one cost. Both need a Claude plan, and on Claude.ai custom skills are available on Pro, Max, Ultra, Team and Enterprise plans with code execution on, according to Anthropic's documentation.
| Cost | Claude SEO | SEO Skills by PENRA |
|---|---|---|
| Pack | Free, MIT | €25 tax included until 17 November 2026, €99 from 18 November 2026 |
| Billing | None for the public version | One payment, no subscription |
| Paid data | Optional. "A few optional extensions connect to paid services where you bring your own account" | None. It works from your pages, public results and Search Console exports |
| Extra tier | Private version for AI Marketing Hub Pro members, price not stated in the readme | None |
How do they compare side by side?
| Point | Claude SEO | SEO Skills by PENRA |
|---|---|---|
| Licence | MIT, public repository | Paid personal licence, closed source. Sharing or changing the files is forbidden |
| Contents | 26 sub-skills and 19 sub-agents | 14 skills, 28 Python scripts, 57 templates, 72 reference notes |
| Requirements | Claude Code 1.0.33 or newer, Python 3.11 to 3.14 | A Claude plan that supports skills. Python 3.9+ for the scripts |
| Latest version | v2.5.0, 22 October 2026 | v1.4.2, 13 October 2026 |
| Public signal | 25,302 GitHub stars, 3,339 forks | No public repository. No independent review known |
| Refund | Not applicable | None once delivered. Statutory rights remain if faulty or not as described |
Claude SEO: what is it better at, and what is the catch?
Better at: breadth and openness. Its repository lists technical SEO, E-E-A-T, schema, GEO, agent readiness, backlinks, local, e-commerce and international SEO, with PDF and Excel reports. It works with no API key, and you can add Google's APIs with your own credentials.
The catch: the readme describes it running inside Claude Code and raises the Python floor to 3.11. "Five agents that need more judgment run on Opus", and a full audit uses more of your plan than a single-page check. New features reach a members-only private version first.
- Claude SEO repository: readme, licence and releases
- Claude SEO changelog: the Python change in v2.5.0
SEO Skills by PENRA: what are its limits, and what does it do?
Limits first: it is paid and closed, so you cannot read the files before buying. There is no refund once delivered. It has no search volumes or backlink counts, its crawler runs no JavaScript, and it is new.
What it does: 14 skills, one per job, from audit and indexing to briefs, comparison pages, fact-checking and AI-answer visibility. It runs in Claude Code, Claude.ai, Claude Desktop and Cowork, and needs no paid SEO tool.
Evidence, self-reported: macplus.pro, a new domain, reached 4.47k Google clicks and 59k impressions between 14 July and 12 October 2026. That is one site, not a forecast for yours.
- SEO Skills by PENRA: the product page
- Best Claude skills for SEO: our comparison of seven packs
Where do the sources disagree?
| Topic | One source says | Another says | What you can do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extensions | Repository description: 9 optional extensions | Readme section: five listed | Read the extension list you need |
| Claude Desktop | Changelog v2.5.0: "Claude Desktop installs claude-seo again" | Readme describes running inside Claude Code | Test the install on your own setup |
| GitHub stars | ClaudeFast's SEO page: 4.1k | GitHub API: 25,302 | Read the repository, with its date |
Who should pick neither?
Anyone who needs search volumes or backlink data first: neither pack holds them. Anyone with one small site and no time to act on an audit: a plain request to Claude, or Anthropic's free plugin, may be enough. No skill can promise rankings. Google's own page says "No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google."
How was this page checked?
We read Claude SEO's readme, changelog and GitHub API record, plus our own site, on 1 November 2026. We compared published terms, not audit quality. Prices, versions and star counts change: that date is the last full read.
Found an error? Write to penra.contact@gmail.com. Vendors can ask for a correction or reply, and we fix factual errors quickly. Changelog: 1 November 2026, first version.
Claude is a trademark of Anthropic. We are not affiliated with or endorsed by Anthropic or by the Claude SEO project.
- Claude SEO alternatives (2026): sorted by why you would leave it
- Can Claude do an SEO audit without Ahrefs or Semrush?: what to give Claude, and what it cannot know
Questions people ask
Is Claude SEO really free?
The pack is free and MIT-licensed. You still need a Claude plan, and optional extensions can connect to paid services with your own account.
Is SEO Skills by PENRA worth paying for if free packs exist?
It can be if you work in the Claude apps rather than Claude Code and want its written method. If you can use Claude Code, try Claude SEO first: it costs nothing.
Can I use both?
Nothing we read prevents it. Skills with overlapping descriptions can compete, so enable the one you need for each job.
Does either one guarantee rankings?
No. Neither can, and neither has access to Google's systems.
Which one audits JavaScript sites better?
We did not test this. Our crawler runs no JavaScript. Claude SEO's setup installs a headless browser.
Where these facts come from (read on 1 November 2026)
If you work in the Claude apps and accept a paid, closed pack.
SEO Skills by PENRA: 14 skills that work from your pages, public search results and your Search Console exports. €25 launch price until 17 November 2026, then €99.