ToolFlock

Screaming Frog SEO Spider

Screaming Frog SEO Spider is a desktop website crawler that audits technical SEO issues such as broken links, redirect chains and duplicate content. It is mainly used by SEOs and agencies to audit large sites and generate XML sitemaps.

#3 in Marketing ToolsSEO ToolsFree plan

Who it's for

Best for

  • Technical SEOs auditing large sites for broken links and redirect chains
  • Agencies that need crawl-based XML sitemaps and custom extraction at scale

Not for

  • Beginners who need a guided, plain-language SEO dashboard
  • Site owners who need to audit over 500 URLs on a free tier

Pricing

Free plan$0
Paid Version$16.58/moBilled annually

Features

  • Free desktop download

    The SEO Spider runs on Windows, macOS and Linux and can be downloaded free. A paid licence adds advanced features and crawls beyond the 500 URL limit.

  • XML sitemap generation

    XML sitemap generation is one of the features listed for the paid licence. It appears alongside site visualisations, crawl configuration and scheduling on the pricing page.

  • JavaScript rendering

    JavaScript rendering is listed as a licence feature under crawl configuration. Mobile usability and custom extraction appear in the same feature group.

  • Custom extraction

    Custom extraction pulls chosen page elements into the crawl as structured data. Custom JavaScript sits next to it in the licence feature list.

  • Crawl comparison and segmentation

    Crawl comparison and segmentation are licence features listed on the pricing page. Scheduling and crawl configuration appear in the same group of paid options.

What users say

Pros

  • Crawls find broken links, redirect chains and duplicate on-page issues quickly, and reports export cleanly.
  • Email support replies the same day and ships fixes for reported bugs in the next update.
  • Custom extraction configurations work on the first attempt, pulling the exact page elements a crawl needs.

Cons

  • The interface feels technical and takes time to learn before a first audit runs cleanly.
  • The free version stops at 500 URLs, which covers almost no real site.
  • Non-persistent Windows VDI setups with App Volumes throw launch errors from version 24.0 onward.
  • The Redirects view lost its Source column after the v23.1 update.

A selection of the review sources we used:

Summarized from public user reviews and community discussions. View details

Global Traffic Rank

Top 500k

Alternatives

Screaming Frog SEO SpiderUbersuggestMangoolsAhrefs
Rank#3 in category#1 in category#2 in category#4 in category
Free planYesYesYesYes
ProFinds broken links fast, reliable custom extraction, same-day repliesFar cheaper than big SEO suites, quick keyword ideas and auditsCheap SEO suite, plain interface, fast replies, solid keywordsTrusted backlink index, sharp site audits, API data
Better forEveryday keyword research, SERP analysis and backlink checks in a beginner-friendly interfaceAnalyzing competitor backlinks, keyword gaps and search rankings from a live web index
Weaker atCrawling websites for technical SEO issues like broken links, redirect chains and XML sitemapsCustom data extraction and configurable local desktop crawling for deep technical audits