Name: LibreCrawl
Author: PhialsBasement

Our Mission

LibreCrawl exists to democratize technical SEO analysis. We believe that powerful website crawling and auditing tools shouldn't be locked behind expensive paywalls or artificial limitations. Every SEO professional, developer, and website owner deserves access to enterprise-grade tools without breaking the bank.

While tools like Screaming Frog have served the SEO community well, their limitations have become increasingly apparent. The free version's 500 URL cap makes it impractical for real-world use, and the $259/year licensing fee multiplies quickly for agencies and teams. Even paid versions lack modern features like real-time memory profiling, multi-session support, and a contemporary web-based interface.

We built LibreCrawl to change that equation entirely.

Why We Built LibreCrawl

The inspiration for LibreCrawl came from years of frustration with existing SEO crawlers. As SEO professionals ourselves, we encountered the same issues repeatedly:

Artificial Limitations: Why should we pay $259/year per user when the technology to crawl unlimited URLs has existed for decades?
Memory Issues: Desktop crawlers crash when analyzing large sites because they lack proper memory management
No Transparency: Proprietary tools operate as black boxes, making it impossible to understand their algorithms or customize behavior
JavaScript Support Paywalls: Modern websites use React, Vue, and Angular, yet JavaScript rendering is locked behind premium tiers
Poor Collaboration: Desktop-only tools don't support team workflows or shared sessions

We realized we could solve all these problems with modern web technologies, open-source principles, and smart engineering. LibreCrawl was born from that realization.

What Makes LibreCrawl Different

100% Free, Forever

LibreCrawl will never have paid tiers, subscription fees, or artificial limitations. Every feature we build is available to everyone, from solo freelancers to Fortune 500 enterprises. This isn't a freemium model or a trial period. It's genuinely free software, licensed under MIT.

Open Source Transparency

Every line of code is available on GitHub. You can audit our algorithms, understand exactly how we analyze your websites, and even contribute improvements. No black boxes, no proprietary secrets, no vendor lock-in.

Built for Scale

Unlike desktop tools that struggle with large websites, LibreCrawl uses advanced memory profiling and virtual scrolling to handle millions of URLs smoothly. We've crawled 1M+ URL sites without crashes or performance degradation.

Modern Architecture

We built LibreCrawl with modern web technologies from the ground up. Full Playwright integration for JavaScript rendering, real-time memory monitoring, multi-session support, and a beautiful web-based interface that works on any device.

Community-Driven Development

Feature requests, bug reports, and improvements come directly from users like you. We're not beholden to investors or revenue targets. We build what the SEO community needs.

The Technology

LibreCrawl is built with:

Python Backend: Fast, efficient crawling with asyncio for concurrent requests
Playwright Integration: Full JavaScript rendering using real Chromium browsers
Virtual Scrolling: Custom-built table virtualization for handling millions of rows in the browser
Memory Profiling: Real-time memory monitoring and reporting using Python's tracemalloc
Web-Based UI: Modern, responsive interface built with vanilla JavaScript (no framework bloat)

We prioritize performance, reliability, and user experience in every technical decision. The result is a tool that feels fast, handles massive sites, and provides detailed insights without overwhelming users.

Our Principles

1. No Artificial Limits

We don't believe in restricting features or URLs to drive upgrades. If you can crawl 500 URLs, you can crawl 5 million. The only limit should be your hardware.

2. Privacy First

We don't track you, collect analytics, or phone home with your crawl data. What you analyze stays on your machine. Self-hosting is encouraged for maximum privacy.

3. Open Development

All development happens in the open on GitHub. Feature roadmaps, bug discussions, and architectural decisions are public and community-driven.

4. Documentation Matters

We write clear documentation, explain our technical decisions, and provide examples. Good tools deserve good documentation.

5. Sustainable Development

We build LibreCrawl for the long term. No venture capital pressure, no pivot to SaaS, no rug pulls. Just steady, sustainable open-source development.

Who We Are

LibreCrawl is created and maintained by PhialsBasement, with contributions from developers and SEO professionals around the world. We're a distributed team united by frustration with expensive SEO tools and a passion for open-source software.

Our contributors include:

SEO consultants tired of paying per-seat licensing fees
Agency developers building custom crawling workflows
Enterprise SEO teams needing compliance-friendly self-hosted solutions
Open-source enthusiasts who believe in software freedom

The Road Ahead

LibreCrawl is actively developed with new features shipping regularly. Our roadmap includes:

Enhanced log file analysis capabilities
Advanced custom extraction with XPath and CSS selectors
Scheduled crawls and automated monitoring
API access for programmatic crawling
Integration with popular SEO platforms
Performance optimizations for even larger crawls

But the roadmap isn't set in stone. It's driven by community feedback and real-world needs. If there's a feature you need, open an issue on GitHub and let's discuss it.

Join Us

LibreCrawl is more than software. It's a community of SEO professionals who believe powerful tools should be accessible to everyone. Whether you're using LibreCrawl for client work, contributing code, or spreading the word, you're part of making technical SEO more accessible.

About LibreCrawl