Table Of Contents
Introduction
Website auditing is a crucial part of maintaining a healthy online presence. Whether you’re diagnosing SEO issues, checking for broken links, or auditing metadata, having a reliable site crawler is essential. Screaming Frog has long been a trusted tool for this purpose. Its detailed crawling capabilities, customizable settings, and straightforward interface have made it a favorite among SEO professionals and webmasters.
However, Screaming Frog isn’t the only option available. Depending on your specific needs – such as cloud-based crawling, larger site audits, better integrations, or different pricing models – you might find a better fit elsewhere. Some users prefer alternatives that handle massive websites more efficiently, while others seek tools that offer deeper reporting or integrate with SEO platforms like Ahrefs or Semrush.
If you’re wondering which other tools deserve a spot in your toolkit, you’re in the right place. Let’s explore some strong contenders that can match or even surpass Screaming Frog, depending on what you’re looking to achieve.
Sitebulb: Visual Insights for Website Audits
Sitebulb is often the first tool people try when seeking an alternative to Screaming Frog. It doesn’t just collect crawl data – it presents that information in an easily digestible visual format. Charts, flow diagrams, and issue breakdowns make Sitebulb particularly useful for agencies that need to present findings to clients.
Key Features:
- Visual crawl maps that highlight structural issues.
- Built-in hints that explain SEO issues and how to fix them.
- Smart prioritization so you know which problems to tackle first.
For instance, when working with a multi-layered ecommerce site, Sitebulb’s visualization helped an agency identify hidden sub-category pages buried four levels deep – an issue that wasn’t immediately obvious through traditional list-based crawlers.
Another advantage is Sitebulb’s licensing: it’s user-based rather than device-based, making it convenient for remote teams. However, it does require a strong machine to run heavy crawls since it’s a desktop application like Screaming Frog.
Ahrefs Site Audit: Comprehensive Health Monitoring
For those who already use Ahrefs for keyword research, backlink analysis, or content gap analysis, the Ahrefs Site Audit tool is an obvious candidate. Unlike Screaming Frog, which runs locally, Ahrefs’ crawler is cloud-based. This means no hardware limitations and the ability to set up scheduled audits.
Benefits of Ahrefs Site Audit:
- Automatic crawling schedules to maintain site health.
- A focus on SEO-related issues like internal link opportunities, orphaned pages, and content duplication.
- Easy comparison across multiple audits to track improvements over time.
An agency managing a travel website once found Ahrefs’ internal link opportunities feature particularly helpful. By crawling and cross-referencing pages with strong internal authority, they could distribute link equity better, resulting in a 15% traffic increase within four months.
Keep in mind, however, that Ahrefs Site Audit comes bundled with an Ahrefs subscription, which may be an additional expense if you are not already using their suite.
DeepCrawl (Now Lumar): Ideal for Large Enterprises
When websites stretch into tens or hundreds of thousands of URLs, traditional desktop crawlers often start to choke. That’s where DeepCrawl – rebranded as Lumar – comes in. Built to handle enterprise-scale sites, Lumar offers extensive cloud-based crawling without taxing your local machine.
What sets Lumar apart:
- Highly customizable crawling profiles.
- Detailed technical SEO analysis including JavaScript rendering.
- Integration with Google Search Console and BigQuery.
A publishing company with hundreds of thousands of news articles switched to Lumar to address technical debt. They used its reports to identify millions of duplicate pages created by faulty CMS templates – something that smaller crawlers struggled to surface efficiently.
While Lumar is excellent for deep technical audits, it’s often overkill for smaller businesses or freelancers due to its enterprise-focused pricing.
OnCrawl: SEO-Driven Data Analysis
OnCrawl is a powerful option if you’re interested in pairing SEO audits with data science. It stands out for its ability to integrate crawl data with your Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and server logs, giving you deeper insights into user behavior alongside crawl issues.
Highlights of OnCrawl:
- Correlation analysis between SEO metrics and technical indicators.
- Log file analysis for real-time crawl behavior tracking.
- Visual dashboards for SEO reporting.
An ecommerce store used OnCrawl’s log file analyzer to discover that Googlebot was wasting crawl budget on out-of-stock product pages. By identifying and pruning these pages, they improved the crawl rate of profitable category pages, which contributed to a 10% lift in organic revenue in six months.
OnCrawl is better suited to technically advanced users or teams that have an SEO data analyst onboard, as it leans heavily into custom reporting and data visualization.
Netpeak Spider: Budget-Friendly Yet Powerful
Netpeak Spider flies under the radar compared to bigger names but offers a feature-rich desktop crawler that comes at a fraction of the cost of others. It’s a great choice for solo SEO consultants or small agencies.
Why consider Netpeak Spider:
- Fast crawling speeds with low memory consumption.
- Built-in integrations with services like Google Analytics and Search Console.
- Exportable, customizable reports ready for client delivery.
For example, a freelance SEO consultant working with multiple small businesses found Netpeak Spider’s quick audit templates extremely efficient. Without needing to set up complex configurations, she could run audits, fix glaring issues, and deliver improvements – all without breaking her workflow or budget.
The main limitation is that it doesn’t scale as easily for massive websites, but for sites under 50,000 URLs, it’s more than capable.
How These Tools Compare
Here’s a quick overview for easier comparison:
| Tool | Best For | Strength | Limitation |
| Sitebulb | Visual reporting and client work | Crawl visualizations | Heavy local resource usage |
| Ahrefs Site Audit | Regular SEO audits with cloud crawl | Integration with Ahrefs suite | Subscription cost |
| Lumar (DeepCrawl) | Enterprise-scale websites | Large-scale crawling | Expensive for small users |
| OnCrawl | Data-heavy SEO analysis | SEO-data correlation | Steeper learning curve |
| Netpeak Spider | Freelancers and small agencies | Budget and simplicity | Not ideal for very large sites |
Choosing the right tool often comes down to balancing your immediate needs with your future growth plans. If you expect your website size or client portfolio to grow significantly, investing in a scalable solution early might save you from painful migrations later.
Conclusion
Screaming Frog has been a solid go-to for website audits, but it’s not the only tool capable of handling complex technical SEO tasks. Whether you’re drawn to the visual strengths of Sitebulb, the scalability of Lumar, the analytics integrations of OnCrawl, or the simplicity and affordability of Netpeak Spider, there are excellent alternatives available.
Selecting the right crawler depends largely on your specific needs – whether it’s handling massive sites, producing client-friendly reports, or combining SEO crawling with deep analytics. Each tool brings its strengths to the table, offering different paths to maintaining a healthier, more visible website.
When choosing a site crawler, consider not only where your site is today, but also where you want it to be six months or a year from now. The right tool isn’t just a crawler – it’s a silent partner in your website’s success story.
FAQs About Screaming Frog Alternatives
What are the best alternatives to Screaming Frog for website crawling?
Several good alternatives include Sitebulb, Ahrefs Site Audit, Lumar (DeepCrawl), OnCrawl, and Netpeak Spider. Each offers different features like cloud-based crawling, visual reports, or large-scale site auditing, depending on your needs.
How does Sitebulb compare to Screaming Frog?
Sitebulb provides visual audits, making it easier to spot structural website issues quickly. It also offers detailed hints for SEO fixes, whereas Screaming Frog focuses more on technical crawling and data extraction without extensive visual reporting.
Is there a cloud-based alternative to Screaming Frog?
Yes, Ahrefs Site Audit, Lumar (DeepCrawl), and OnCrawl are cloud-based alternatives. They allow you to schedule crawls, avoid hardware limits, and access audits remotely, making them suitable for larger websites and distributed teams.
Which Screaming Frog alternative is best for enterprise websites?
Lumar (formerly DeepCrawl) is ideal for enterprise websites. It handles large-scale site structures efficiently, supports JavaScript rendering, and offers integrations with tools like BigQuery for deeper data analysis.
What is the most budget-friendly alternative to Screaming Frog?
Netpeak Spider is a budget-friendly alternative for smaller businesses and freelancers. It delivers fast, effective crawling and audit reports without the higher subscription fees of cloud-based enterprise tools.
Can I use Ahrefs Site Audit without a full Ahrefs subscription?
No, Ahrefs Site Audit requires an active Ahrefs subscription. It is bundled within their SEO toolkit, giving users access to site audits along with backlink analysis, keyword research, and competitive analysis features.
Does OnCrawl analyze server logs along with site crawling?
Yes, OnCrawl combines crawl data with server log analysis. This allows users to see how search engines actually interact with their website, helping optimize crawl budgets and prioritize critical pages for indexing.
When should I choose a cloud crawler over a desktop crawler?
Choose a cloud crawler if you manage large websites, need automated audit scheduling, or want to avoid performance slowdowns on your local computer. Desktop crawlers are better for smaller, quicker audits on specific sites.
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