Rank Math showing Free after a Pro purchase usually means the site is connected to the wrong Rank Math account, the Pro plugin is not active, or the feature belongs to a different plan. Check the account connection first. It is the safest fix and avoids unnecessary plugin changes.
Check the connected Rank Math account
In WordPress admin, open Rank Math SEO > Dashboard > Help and look at the connected account.
If the email address does not match the account that purchased Rank Math Pro, disconnect the site and reconnect with the correct account. This often fixes the problem immediately, especially when a site was first connected with a free account and Pro was bought later under another email address.
Rank Math explains that Pro access does not work through a traditional license key. The site needs the Pro plugin installed and must be connected to the Rank Math account that owns the subscription: Rank Math Pro license key documentation.
Confirm the Pro plugin is installed
Next, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins.
Check for both plugins:
- Rank Math SEO should be installed and active.
- Rank Math SEO PRO should also be installed and active.
- If only the free plugin is active, Pro features cannot unlock from the dashboard alone.
If the Pro plugin is missing, download the ZIP from the Rank Math account that owns the subscription, then upload it from Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin.
Before changing plugins on a live site, take a backup or confirm that your host has a recent restore point. Do not install a Pro ZIP from an unofficial source.
Confirm the subscription in Rank Math
Log in to your Rank Math account and confirm that the subscription is active. If no subscription appears, check whether the purchase used a different email address, work account, agency account, or social login.
Rank Math provides a separate account check for this situation: check whether your Rank Math subscription is active.
If the subscription is missing from the account, do not delete plugins or reset Rank Math settings. That points to an account or purchase issue, not a WordPress configuration problem.
Reconnect the site
In WordPress admin, go back to Rank Math SEO > Dashboard > Help.
Disconnect the current account, then reconnect using the account that shows the active subscription. After reconnecting, return to the Rank Math dashboard and check whether the Pro modules are available.
This is also worth doing when a developer or agency previously connected the site. Reconnecting with your own free account can remove access that was being supplied through another account.
Update both Rank Math plugins
If both plugins are installed but Pro features are still missing, update Rank Math SEO and Rank Math SEO PRO.
A version mismatch can make modules disappear, stay locked, or behave inconsistently. Update from WordPress admin when possible. If the update fails because of an upload limit or server error, use your host’s file manager, SFTP, or hosting support instead of repeatedly reinstalling from wp-admin.
Check whether the feature belongs to your plan
Some license confusion is really plan confusion.
For example, client-site usage and some higher-volume features depend on the plan level. Rank Math documents the differences between Pro, Business, and Agency plans here: choosing between Rank Math plans.
Use this quick read:
- Personal site, correct account, Pro plugin active: check whether the module is enabled in Rank Math.
- Client site on a personal plan: check plan eligibility before troubleshooting WordPress.
- Feature visible but locked: likely account, subscription, or plan issue.
- Feature missing entirely: likely plugin installation, plugin version, or module setting issue.
If Rank Math still shows Free after purchase
Find the purchase receipt email and compare it with the email shown in your Rank Math account. If they differ, follow Rank Math’s guidance for purchases that do not appear in the dashboard: purchased Pro but account shows Free.
If another person manages the site, ask which Rank Math account is connected. The WordPress user account and the Rank Math subscription account are separate things.
Optional SSH check
If you have SSH access, WP-CLI can confirm whether the free and Pro plugins are installed. This is only a status check. It does not fix the Rank Math account connection.
wp plugin list --name=seo-by-rank-math
wp plugin list --name=seo-by-rank-math-proIf the Pro plugin is not listed, install it through Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin using the ZIP from your Rank Math account.
If WP-CLI fails with a WordPress fatal error, switch back to wp-admin, your hosting file manager, SFTP, or your host’s support panel. A WP-CLI failure does not prove that the Rank Math license is broken.
Confirm the fix
After reconnecting, installing, or updating, check these places:
- Rank Math SEO > Dashboard > Help shows the correct connected account.
- Plugins shows both Rank Math SEO and Rank Math SEO PRO active.
- The affected Pro module or feature is no longer locked.
If a module still does not appear, open Rank Math SEO > Dashboard and confirm the module is enabled. Some features are available only after their module is switched on.
When to contact support
Deactivate Rank Math SEO PRO first if the site breaks after a Pro plugin update, and leave the free Rank Math plugin active. That keeps the main SEO plugin running while removing the Pro add-on from the active load path.
Contact Rank Math support when the correct account shows an active subscription but WordPress still shows Free after reconnecting, Pro modules remain locked with both plugins active and updated, or the purchase needs to be moved or merged into another account.
Contact your host for upload limits, plugin installation failures, file permission errors, or server-side fatal errors. Hosting support can help with the WordPress environment, but it cannot fix a Rank Math account mismatch.