Screaming Frog is a powerful desktop-based SEO tool designed to crawl websites and identify technical issues that impact search engine performance. It analyzes elements like broken links, duplicate content, page titles, meta descriptions, and site structure.
By providing detailed reports, it helps webmasters and SEO professionals optimize websites for better rankings and user experience. Its versatility and depth make it a go-to tool for improving on-page SEO effectively.
Broken Link Finder: Site crawls reveal 404 errors and server issues with exportable source URLs.
Redirect Audit: Detection of 301s, 302s, loops, and chains. Essential for clean SEO and smooth migrations.
Page Title & Metadata Analysis: Titles or meta descriptions flagged when too long, too short, missing, or duplicated.
Duplicate Content Discovery: Exact duplicates, partial duplicates, and thin pages identified as SEO risks.
Data Extraction with XPath: Custom data such as meta tags or SKUs pulled with CSS Path, XPath, or regex.
Robots & Directive Review: Blocked URLs, canonicals, and crawl directives displayed for correct indexing.
XML Sitemap Generator: Customizable XML and image sitemaps produced for better indexing.
Integrations: Connections to GA, Search Console, and PageSpeed Insights add performance and user data to crawls.
JavaScript Crawl Support: Full rendering of Angular, React, and other JS-heavy sites ensures complete content capture.
Site Architecture Visualization: Crawl diagrams and tree graphs expose linking patterns and overall structure.
Audit Scheduling: Crawls automated at chosen times with exports to Google Sheets and other tools.
Crawl & Staging Comparison: Changes highlighted between crawls or between staging and production environments.
Custom Data Extraction: Targeted data scraped with selectors or regex for tailored audits.
Structured Data Validation: Schema.org structured data extracted and validated for SERP enhancements.
Spelling & Grammar Review: Site text scanned for errors across 25+ languages to improve professionalism.
| Plan Type | Price (GBP per License, per Year) | URL Crawl Limit | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free (Lite) | £0 | Up to 500 URLs per crawl | Basic crawling: broken links detection, meta data audits, redirect checks, XML sitemaps, limited configuration |
| Paid License | £199/year (1–4 users) | Unlimited URLs per crawl, limited by your system’s capacity | Unlocks all features including: save & reopen crawls; advanced configuration; JavaScript rendering; custom extraction (CSS Path/XPath/regex); integrations with Google Analytics, Search Console, PageSpeed Insights; structured data validation; accessibility audits; OpenAI/Gemini AI integration; segmentation; Looker Studio reporting, and full technical support |
| Bulk License Discounts | £189 (5–9), £179 (10–19), £169 (20+ per license)** | Same as Paid License | Same full feature set; lower price per user for volume purchases |
Check pricing details: https://www.screamingfrog.co.uk/seo-spider/pricing/
Competitor |
Pros of Screaming Frog |
|---|---|
| Sitebulb | Screaming Frog gives you fast, raw access to data and lets you manipulate it right away. You don’t need to wait for cloud processing or pay monthly. It keeps crawling simple and powerful, and you can save and reopen scans as needed. Reviewers note how it “lets you find what you are looking for and sort data a lot faster” |
| Lumar (DeepCrawl) | When you just need deep, technical site crawling in a local environment, Screaming Frog works smoothly on your machine. If your setup handles large sites in segments, it can handle massive audits without the complexity of enterprise cloud workflows |
| Ahrefs | Screaming Frog is dedicated to on-site technical checks and lets you dive into metadata, broken links, redirects, and custom scraping. It gives you control down to each URL and page object and integrates directly with tools like Google Analytics and Search Console for detailed analysis. |
| Botify / OnCrawl | For straightforward, local crawling tasks, Screaming Frog stays simple yet powerful. It gives direct control without locking you into expensive enterprise plans. You can export data in formats your team already uses, like spreadsheets, and build your own dashboard instead of learning a whole new system. |
| Search Atlas / All-in-one tools | Screaming Frog avoids feature bloat. You focus on technical audits without being overwhelmed by content generation or automated fixes. You pay once a year and keep your workflow clean, especially if you prefer external content tools or manual intervention. |
Competitor |
Cons of Screaming Frog |
|---|---|
| Sitebulb | Screaming Frog lacks a cloud-based version, which makes it harder for teams to collaborate or audit huge sites together. It has no visual hints or helpful prompts, so it’s not as beginner-friendly. Users mention that “it’s not very intuitive” and that Sitebulb’s hints help spot issues more quickly. |
| Lumar (DeepCrawl) | Screaming Frog relies on your own computer’s hardware, so it may slow down or crash when working on enterprise-level site audits with tens of millions of URLs. DeepCrawl handles huge volumes faster and more reliably thanks to cloud infrastructure. |
| Ahrefs | While Screaming Frog excels at technical crawling, it doesn’t include backlink data or competitive analysis. If you need insight into link building or keyword competition, Screaming Frog can’t help on that front—those are Ahrefs’ strong areas. |
| Botify / OnCrawl | Screaming Frog lacks integration of crawl data with analytics or server logs. These platforms offer real-time site analytics and rich data layering, which Screaming Frog cannot replicate without piecemealing data yourself. |
| Search Atlas / All-in-one tools | Screaming Frog won’t automatically fix issues or generate content, so you must do everything manually. If you want one platform that crawls, fixes, and suggests improvements, you’ll find Screaming Frog is more limited compared to newer all-in-one SEO services. |
