Slickplan and Sitemap Generator both have "sitemap" in their feature lists. But they exist for entirely different reasons. Slickplan is a collaborative website planning platform — used by agencies, UX teams, and designers to plan the architecture of a new website before development begins. Sitemap Generator is an SEO and health monitoring tool for websites that already exist, helping site owners generate accurate XML sitemaps and catch 404 errors and redirects before they hurt rankings.
If you're planning a new site from scratch, Slickplan is the better fit. If your site is live and you need an accurate XML sitemap and ongoing health monitoring, Sitemap Generator is purpose-built for that.
The short answer
Choose Slickplan if you're a UX designer, agency, or web team collaboratively planning a new site architecture. Choose Sitemap Generator if your site is live and you need a valid XML sitemap, 404 detection, redirect monitoring, and scheduled auto-refresh.
Quick Comparison
| Sitemap Generator | Slickplan | |
|---|---|---|
| Primary use case | XML sitemap + URL health for live sites | Visual planning for new site builds |
| Ease of use | Very high — enter URL, done | Moderate — 4 modules with onboarding required |
| Pricing (entry) | Free tier available | Free (1 project); Basic from ~$8.99/mo |
| Installation | None — browser-based | None — browser-based |
| Auto-refresh scheduling | Yes — cloud-native | No — manual recrawl only |
| Broken link detection | Yes — standalone feature | Partial — requires GA integration |
| Redirect analysis | Yes | Not supported |
| Visual sitemap | Not applicable | Full — drag-and-drop visual builder |
| Team collaboration | Single-user focus | Full — real-time co-editing, Figma, Slack |
| API | Coming soon | Full — REST API v1 with OAuth 2.0 |
| Best for | Site owners, marketers, small businesses | Agencies, UX teams, web designers |
What Slickplan Is Built For
Slickplan has been around since 2009 and is used by over 200,000 teams. It brings together four modules in one workspace: a visual Sitemap Builder, a Diagram Maker for user flows and journey maps, a Content Planner for assigning copy to writers, and a Design Mockup tool. Agencies use it to plan client website architecture, get stakeholder sign-off via shared visual diagrams, and manage the content production process from planning to handoff.
It also has a site crawler — but the crawler is used to import an existing site's structure into the visual planner as a starting point, not to monitor that site's health on an ongoing basis. Slickplan does not offer automatic sitemap refresh, and it does not independently detect 404 errors or redirect chains.
Where Slickplan Is Clearly Better
- Visual site planning. The drag-and-drop visual builder is best-in-class for presenting site architecture to clients and stakeholders. Nothing in Sitemap Generator competes with this.
- Agency collaboration. Real-time co-editing, inline commenting, page status tracking, Figma integration, and Slack/Teamwork/Basecamp connections make Slickplan a genuine agency workflow tool.
- UX and IA workflows. User flow diagrams, journey maps, and content planning belong entirely to Slickplan. These are not features Sitemap Generator touches.
- Export variety. XML, HTML, TXT, CSV, PDF, PNG — Slickplan covers every stakeholder format.
- REST API. Slickplan has a documented REST API with OAuth 2.0 for programmatic integration, relevant for enterprise teams building custom workflows.
Where Sitemap Generator Is the Better Choice
- Auto-refresh scheduling. Slickplan has no scheduled auto-refresh. If you need your sitemap to stay current automatically as you publish new content, you need a tool that has this built in. Sitemap Generator's scheduling is cloud-native and runs without your involvement.
- URL health monitoring. Sitemap Generator detects 404 errors and redirect issues as a first-class feature on every crawl. Slickplan's broken link detection depends on a Google Analytics integration and is not a standalone audit.
- Redirect analysis. Sitemap Generator identifies redirect chains — Slickplan has no equivalent feature.
- Billing transparency. Slickplan has a 3.2/5 rating on Trustpilot, with the most common complaint being unexpected charges after cancellation attempts. Sitemap Generator has straightforward billing with no reported issues of this kind.
- Simpler scope for non-technical users. Slickplan's four-module platform is powerful but has a learning curve. For a site owner who just needs "generate my sitemap and tell me if anything is broken," Sitemap Generator is the faster path.
A Note on Slickplan's Billing History
Multiple verified reviews on Trustpilot report being charged for months or years after believing they had cancelled. One user documented $887 in unexpected charges over two years. While these may be isolated incidents, they are worth being aware of before subscribing. Always confirm cancellation via email and monitor your billing statements.
Who Should Choose Which
Choose Slickplan if you are:
- A digital agency or web design studio planning new client website architectures
- A UX designer who needs to build and share visual sitemaps during the planning phase
- A team that needs to track content assignments, due dates, and page statuses
- Anyone using Figma who wants design review integrated into the planning workflow
- A project manager coordinating the handoff from information architecture to development
Choose Sitemap Generator if you are:
- Managing an existing live website and need a current, accurate XML sitemap
- Looking for automatic scheduled sitemap regeneration without manual intervention
- Monitoring for 404 errors and redirect issues on an ongoing basis
- A small business owner or solo operator who doesn't need a four-module planning platform
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Slickplan auto-update my XML sitemap when I publish new pages?
No. Slickplan has no scheduled crawl or auto-refresh feature. You must manually return to the tool and re-crawl your site to update the sitemap. This makes it unsuitable for sites that publish frequently and need a current sitemap at all times.
Does Slickplan detect 404 errors?
Partially — Slickplan can surface broken links when connected to Google Analytics. It does not independently crawl and report on 404 status codes the way a URL health checker does.
Is Slickplan suitable for an existing site or only for planning new ones?
Slickplan's crawler can import an existing site's structure for visualization, which is useful at the start of a redesign. But its ongoing feature set — content planner, user flow diagrams, stakeholder collaboration — is oriented around the planning and build phase, not post-launch maintenance or SEO monitoring.
Does Slickplan have a free plan?
Yes — a permanent free plan with 1 user and 1 project. Basic sitemap builder only; no crawler access, no sharing beyond a web link, no XML download saved to your account. A 14-day trial of all features is also available with no credit card required.