Screaming Frog SEO Spider screamingfrog.co.ukFree alternatives to Screaming Frog SEO Spider
Screaming Frog SEO Spider costs $23.55/mo on the SEO Spider licence (1–4 users) plan, or $282.60 a year. Here are 5 free and open-source options, what each one does, and what you give up compared with paying.
01At a glance
| Alternative | Type | Where it runs | Works on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crawly | Free | On your device | Mac |
| FreeCrawl | Open source | On your device | Windows, Mac, Linux, Command line |
| LibreCrawl | Open source | You host it | Web, Your server |
| SEOnaut | Open source | You host it | Web, Your server |
| SiteOne Crawler | Open source | On your device | Windows, Mac, Linux, Command line |
02Each alternative, in detail
Unlimited local crawling, JavaScript rendering and crawl diffs in a native Mac app; other operating systems get nothing.
Versus paying: It is macOS-only, lacks JavaScript rendering and offers far fewer crawl controls, extraction options, reports and integrations than Screaming Frog.
Setup: Download and install the native universal macOS app
Watch for: macOS only
getcrawly.com →A finished desktop crawler with 200 checks, JavaScript rendering, projects and exports; unusually close to the actual frog.
Versus paying: It is less battle-tested and has fewer mature configuration, extraction and integration workflows than Screaming Frog.
Setup: Windows installer or portable build, macOS DMG, or Linux AppImage, deb or rpm
Watch for: The prebuilt apps install normally, but the macOS build may require bypassing Gatekeeper for an unsigned application
87 GitHub stars (checked Aug 6, 2026)
freecrawl.net →An unlimited browser-based crawler with JavaScript rendering; free, capable and one Docker stack away from useful.
Versus paying: It requires a Docker or Python and Playwright stack and offers less advanced crawl configuration, exports and integrations.
Setup: Docker Compose, or a Python environment plus Playwright
Watch for: Docker or Python plus Playwright is required, and local mode has no authentication unless the operator adds it
827 GitHub stars (checked Aug 6, 2026)
librecrawl.com →A workmanlike crawler with issue severity, audit history and exports; less microscope, more dependable checklist.
Versus paying: It is a dependable checklist crawler but gives up Screaming Frog's raw-data depth, granular configuration, extraction and integration breadth.
Setup: Docker Compose with MySQL 8.4, then expose the web UI behind HTTPS
Watch for: Docker, MySQL and a reverse proxy are required; its default exposed port is plain HTTP
751 GitHub stars (checked Aug 6, 2026)
seonaut.org →A proper cross-platform crawler with JavaScript rendering, reports and raw exports; no license key hiding under the lily pad.
Versus paying: It covers the common audit job, but it still has fewer deeply mature crawl controls, custom extraction workflows and integrations than Screaming Frog.
Setup: Download a prebuilt desktop or CLI binary for Windows, macOS or Linux
Watch for: None for ordinary crawling; JavaScript rendering needs Chrome or Chromium, or the one-time headless-shell download
841 GitHub stars (checked Aug 6, 2026)
crawler.siteone.io →03Screaming Frog SEO Spider's own free plan
The same frog, permanently free for 500 URLs; JavaScript rendering, saved crawls and scheduling stay licensed.
04What you give up by leaving Screaming Frog SEO Spider
- years of crawl edge cases, JavaScript rendering, integrations, and desktop performance
- massive hosted crawl capacity
- proprietary scoring
- continuous monitoring
- agency reporting and support
People still pay for Screaming Frog SEO Spider because a crawler is buildable; professionals pay for years of edge-case handling and reports they can trust with clients. The recurring cost buys robots handling, rendering, canonicalization, deduplication, crawl traps, rule maintenance, scheduling, storage, and false positives, not just the visible interface.
05Questions
Is there a free alternative to Screaming Frog SEO Spider?
Yes. This page compares 5: Crawly, FreeCrawl, LibreCrawl, SEOnaut and SiteOne Crawler. 4 of them are open source, so you can run them yourself.
How much does Screaming Frog SEO Spider cost?
$23.55/mo on the SEO Spider licence (1–4 users) plan (annual billing, per user per month), which is $282.60 a year. Prices checked Aug 14, 2026.
What do you give up with a free alternative to Screaming Frog SEO Spider?
Most often: years of crawl edge cases, JavaScript rendering, integrations, and desktop performance, massive hosted crawl capacity, proprietary scoring and continuous monitoring. Each alternative on this page lists its own gap under “Versus paying.”
Can AI build me my own version of Screaming Frog SEO Spider?
Bot. The core loop is small enough for a capable coding agent to produce a useful local version in one sitting. For Screaming Frog SEO Spider, crawl an owned site locally, inspect technical signals, and export raw audit data. The hard boundary is years of crawl edge cases, javascript rendering, integrations, and desktop performance, plus crawl scale, rule depth, and operational polish.
Prices change; confirm on the vendor's site before you decide.
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