Exclude suddenly a premium only feature

I’m not sure what you mean by: “…spending hours getting it working.”. All you have to do is use the included sitemap block or add the [simple-sitemap] shortcode.

Also, the particular features included in free/pro are very clearly marked in the plugin settings/information pages.

And just to clarify, the exclude feature has been a pro feature for years. Your “Exclude is now a exclusively a premium feature” makes it incorrectly sound like this is a recent change.