10 Best Screaming Frog Alternatives in 2025 [Complete Comparison]

Screaming Frog SEO Spider has dominated the website crawler market for years, but its desktop-only architecture, $259/year licensing, and 500 URL free limit are pushing SEO professionals to explore alternatives. In 2025, several tools match or exceed Screaming Frog's capabilities while offering better value, modern interfaces, and cloud-based convenience.

We've tested 10 leading Screaming Frog alternatives to help you find the perfect tool for your technical SEO needs. This comparison covers features, pricing, performance, and ideal use cases for each crawler.

Why Look for Screaming Frog Alternatives?

Before diving into alternatives, let's examine why SEO professionals are actively seeking replacements:

Limitations of Screaming Frog

• Desktop Only: Runs exclusively on your computer, using local memory and CPU resources
• 500 URL Free Limit: The free version is essentially useless for professional work
• $259/Year Per License: Costs multiply quickly for agencies and teams
• Memory Issues: Struggles with very large sites, leading to crashes and incomplete crawls
• No Collaboration Features: Can't share live sessions or work as a team
• Limited Visualization: Provides raw data but lacks intuitive visual reports
• Manual Updates Required: No automated scheduling or monitoring

Comparison Criteria

We evaluated each alternative based on:

• Crawl capabilities (URL limits, JavaScript rendering, speed)
• Pricing (free tiers, paid plans, value for money)
• Platform (desktop, cloud, or both)
• Features (unique capabilities, integrations, reporting)
• User experience (learning curve, interface, documentation)
• Scalability (performance with large sites)

The 10 Best Screaming Frog Alternatives

1. LibreCrawl (Our Pick)

Best For: Everyone, especially agencies and budget-conscious professionals

Platform: Web-based (self-hosted)

Pricing: Free forever (open source)

Overview

LibreCrawl is a powerful, completely free alternative built specifically to address Screaming Frog's limitations. It offers unlimited URL crawling, JavaScript rendering, and enterprise-grade features without any cost.

Key Features

• Unlimited URL crawling with no artificial caps
• Full JavaScript rendering via Playwright
• Real-time memory profiling for stable large-scale crawls
• Virtual scrolling for handling 1M+ URLs in the browser
• Multi-session support for agencies
• Modern web-based interface with dark mode
• Unlimited CSV, JSON, and XML exports
• Open source (MIT licensed) for full transparency
• Self-hostable for data privacy and compliance

Pros

• 100% free with no limitations or paywalls
• More features than paid Screaming Frog
• Open source for customization and transparency
• Modern architecture built for today's web
• No per-seat licensing costs

Cons

• Requires local installation (not cloud-hosted)
• Smaller community compared to established tools
• Documentation still growing

Verdict

LibreCrawl offers the best value proposition in the market. It's genuinely free, more powerful than Screaming Frog's paid version, and built with modern web technologies. Perfect for individuals, agencies, and enterprises who want professional-grade tools without the enterprise price tag.

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2. Sitebulb

Best For: SEO professionals who need beautiful visual reports

Platform: Desktop and Cloud

Pricing: $13.50-$245/month

Overview

Sitebulb is a sophisticated SEO auditing tool that excels at transforming technical data into visually appealing, easy-to-understand reports. It's particularly popular among agencies that need to present findings to non-technical clients.

Key Features

• 300+ automated issue checks with priority scoring
• "Hints" system that explains each issue in plain English
• Interactive visualizations and crawl maps
• Desktop and cloud versions available
• Accessibility auditing (WCAG compliance)
• Customizable PDF reports
• Audit comparison over time
• JavaScript crawling included

Pros

• Best-in-class visualizations and reporting
• Intuitive interface with excellent UX
• Helpful hints and prioritization
• Both desktop and cloud options
• Active development and regular updates

Cons

• More expensive than Screaming Frog
• Desktop version has same resource limitations
• Cloud version requires significant investment

Verdict

Sitebulb is excellent if you need to deliver polished reports to clients and budget isn't a major concern. The visual presentation and hints system are unmatched, but you'll pay a premium for these features.

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3. DeepCrawl (Lumar)

Best For: Enterprise teams with large, complex websites

Platform: Cloud

Pricing: Starting at $89/month (custom pricing for enterprise)

Overview

DeepCrawl, now rebranded as Lumar, is an enterprise-grade cloud crawler designed for massive websites and large SEO teams. It handles millions of URLs with ease and offers advanced automation features.

Key Features

• Scalable cloud crawling for millions of URLs
• Scheduled automated crawls
• Log file analysis for crawl budget optimization
• Custom alerts and notifications
• Team collaboration features
• Integrations with GA, GSC, and other platforms
• "Stealth mode" to prevent site overload
• API access for custom workflows

Pros

• Handles extremely large sites efficiently
• Robust automation and scheduling
• Excellent for team workflows
• Cloud-based (no local resources needed)
• Strong enterprise support

Cons

• Expensive, especially for smaller teams
• Overkill for small to medium sites
• Steeper learning curve
• Custom pricing makes budgeting difficult

Verdict

DeepCrawl/Lumar is the right choice for enterprises that need industrial-strength crawling, automation, and team collaboration. However, it's overkill (and overpriced) for smaller operations.

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4. OnCrawl

Best For: Data-driven SEOs who need log file analysis

Platform: Cloud

Pricing: Starting at €99/month (~$115 USD)

Overview

OnCrawl combines website crawling with log file analysis to provide a complete picture of how search engines interact with your site. It's particularly strong for crawl budget optimization.

Key Features

• Website crawling with technical SEO analysis
• Server log file analysis
• Crawl budget optimization insights
• Data cross-analysis (crawl + logs + analytics)
• Custom crawl parameters and settings
• Performance monitoring over time
• Data connectors for GA and GSC

Pros

• Unique log file analysis capabilities
• Combines multiple data sources
• Great for large e-commerce sites
• Cloud-based convenience

Cons

• Higher price point
• Complexity may overwhelm beginners
• Log file setup requires technical knowledge

Verdict

OnCrawl is excellent if you need deep crawl budget insights from log file analysis. The combination of crawling and log data is powerful, but comes at a premium price.

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5. JetOctopus

Best For: Fast cloud crawling of large sites

Platform: Cloud

Pricing: Starting at $49/month

Overview

JetOctopus is a high-speed cloud crawler designed for rapid audits of large websites. It emphasizes speed and efficiency without sacrificing depth.

Key Features

• Extremely fast crawl speeds
• Cloud-based infrastructure
• Log file analysis included
• GSA (Google Search Analytics) integration
• Scheduled crawls and monitoring
• Crawl comparison over time
• API access available

Pros

• Very fast crawling performance
• Reasonable pricing for cloud crawler
• Good for large sites
• Includes log analysis

Cons

• Interface less polished than competitors
• Smaller community and ecosystem
• Documentation could be better

Verdict

JetOctopus delivers solid value if speed is your priority. It's more affordable than DeepCrawl while still handling large crawls efficiently.

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6. Netpeak Spider

Best For: Budget-conscious users who need flexibility

Platform: Desktop

Pricing: Freemium (free version available, paid from $8/month)

Overview

Netpeak Spider is a desktop crawler popular in Eastern Europe that's gaining global recognition. It offers excellent value with extensive customization options.

Key Features

• Comprehensive technical SEO auditing
• Highly customizable crawl parameters
• Multi-website analysis
• Custom filters and rules
• Multiple export formats
• JavaScript rendering capability

Pros

• Very affordable pricing
• Highly customizable
• Good for beginners and advanced users
• Free version available

Cons

• Desktop-only (same resource limits as SF)
• Interface less modern than competitors
• Smaller English-language community

Verdict

Netpeak Spider provides solid functionality at a fraction of Screaming Frog's price. If you're comfortable with desktop tools and want to save money, it's a strong choice.

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7. Ahrefs Site Audit

Best For: Ahrefs users who want integrated crawling

Platform: Cloud

Pricing: Starting at $129/month (includes full Ahrefs suite)

Overview

If you're already using Ahrefs for backlink analysis and keyword research, the built-in Site Audit tool provides solid crawling capabilities integrated with other Ahrefs data.

Key Features

• Website crawling and technical analysis
• Integration with Ahrefs backlink data
• Health score and prioritization
• Scheduled automated crawls
• Data visualization and reports
• 100+ issue types detected

Pros

• Integrated with full Ahrefs platform
• Cloud-based convenience
• Combines technical SEO with backlink data
• Regular updates and development

Cons

• Expensive if only used for crawling
• Limited customization vs dedicated crawlers
• Credit-based system can be confusing

Verdict

Ahrefs Site Audit makes sense if you're already an Ahrefs subscriber. As a standalone crawler, it's expensive compared to dedicated alternatives.

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8. Semrush Site Audit

Best For: Semrush users wanting all-in-one solution

Platform: Cloud

Pricing: Starting at $139.95/month (includes full Semrush suite)

Overview

Similar to Ahrefs, Semrush includes a comprehensive Site Audit tool as part of its broader SEO platform. It's well-integrated but priced for the full suite.

Key Features

• Technical SEO auditing
• 140+ checks for technical issues
• Scheduled crawls
• Thematic reports (HTTPS, Core Web Vitals, etc.)
• Integration with other Semrush tools
• Site health scoring

Pros

• Part of comprehensive SEO platform
• Good documentation and support
• Regular feature updates
• Cloud-based

Cons

• Very expensive for just crawling
• Less depth than dedicated crawlers
• Project limits on lower tiers

Verdict

Like Ahrefs, Semrush Site Audit is best utilized as part of the broader platform. It's hard to justify the cost for crawling alone.

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9. Visual SEO Studio

Best For: Users wanting free Screaming Frog-like experience

Platform: Desktop (Windows only)

Pricing: Free (500 pages) and paid versions

Overview

Visual SEO Studio is a Windows-only desktop crawler that offers similar functionality to Screaming Frog with some unique visualization features.

Key Features

• Website crawling and analysis
• Visual sitemap representations
• Custom extraction rules
• JavaScript rendering support (paid)
• Excel integration

Pros

• Free version available
• Good visual representations
• Similar to Screaming Frog interface

Cons

• Windows only
• Free version limited to 500 pages (same as SF)
• Smaller community
• Desktop resource limitations

Verdict

Visual SEO Studio is a decent free option for Windows users, but has similar limitations to Screaming Frog's free version.

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10. Xenu Link Sleuth

Best For: Quick broken link checks on small sites

Platform: Desktop (Windows only)

Pricing: Free

Overview

Xenu is a classic, lightweight tool focused primarily on finding broken links. It's been around for decades and remains useful for simple link checking.

Key Features

• Fast broken link detection
• Basic site structure analysis
• Simple reporting
• Very lightweight

Pros

• Completely free
• Very fast and lightweight
• Simple to use

Cons

• Extremely limited features
• No modern SEO capabilities
• Outdated interface
• Windows only

Verdict

Xenu is fine for quick broken link checks but lacks the features needed for proper technical SEO audits in 2025.

Comparison Table

Which Should You Choose?

Choose LibreCrawl If You:

• Want professional features without paying
• Need unlimited URL crawling
• Value open source and transparency
• Run an agency with multiple team members
• Need self-hosting for compliance
• Want modern architecture and active development

Choose Sitebulb If You:

• Need beautiful client-facing reports
• Have budget for premium tools
• Value visual data presentation
• Want both desktop and cloud options

Choose DeepCrawl If You:

• Have enterprise budget and needs
• Crawl sites with millions of URLs regularly
• Need robust team collaboration
• Require enterprise support and SLAs

Choose OnCrawl If You:

• Need log file analysis capabilities
• Focus on crawl budget optimization
• Work with large e-commerce sites

Conclusion

While Screaming Frog remains a solid tool, the alternatives in 2025 offer compelling advantages. LibreCrawl stands out as the best value proposition, providing enterprise-grade features completely free. For those who need specific features like visual reports (Sitebulb) or log analysis (OnCrawl), paid alternatives justify their cost.

The best choice depends on your specific needs, budget, and workflow. But one thing is clear: you no longer need to accept Screaming Frog's limitations or pricing. Better alternatives exist at every price point, including free.