Screaming Frog SEO Spider vs Semrush
- ✦ Website Crawling
- ✦ Broken Link Detection
- ✦ Redirect Auditing
- ✦ Keyword Research
- ✦ Site Audit
- ✦ Rank Tracking
Screaming Frog SEO Spider and Semrush are both SEO Tools tools. Screaming Frog SEO Spider starts at $199/mo, Semrush at $139/mo. Compare features, pricing, and ratings below to find the best fit for your team.
When to Choose Screaming Frog SEO Spider vs Semrush
The question that matters: “In what situation will I regret choosing A over B after 3 months?”
SEMrush Keyword Gap identifies keywords a competitor ranks for that you don't, with search volume and difficulty data that prioritizes which gaps are worth pursuing first.
SEMrush's Backlink Audit scores every inbound link for toxicity and generates a disavow file for Google Search Console, enabling proactive link cleanup before algorithmic or manual penalties impact rankings.
SEMrush On Page SEO Checker analyzes each target page against the top 10 ranking competitors for that keyword, delivering specific recommendations tied to what the SERP actually rewards.
Pricing Comparison & PlansHigh· Verified Jul 8, 2026
Screaming Frog SEO Spider Plans
Free tier available
Semrush Plans
Free tier available
Pro
$139/moBest for: Beginners and individual projects
- ✓Up to 5 websites to monitor
- ✓Keyword research tools
- ✓Competitor analysis tools
- ✓Position Tracking
- ✓Backlinks
Guru
$249/moBest for: Small businesses
- ✓Up to 15 websites to monitor
- ✓Historical data
- ✓Multi-location and device data
- ✓Content optimization tools
- ✓1,500 keywords to track daily
Capability Breakdown
13 differences found across 15 standardized features
- •Website Crawling
- •Broken Link Detection
- •Redirect Auditing
- •Meta Data Analysis
- •XML Sitemap Generation
- •Duplicate Content Detection
- •JavaScript Rendering
- •Google Analytics Integration
- •Custom Extraction
- •PageSpeed Integration
- •Log File Analysis
- •Scheduled Crawls
- •XML/CSV Export
- •Visualizations
- •Structured Data Validation
- •Keyword Research
- •Site Audit
- •Rank Tracking
- •Competitor Analysis
- •Backlink Analysis
- •Content Marketing
- •Local SEO
- •Social Media Tools
- •PPC Research
- •On-page SEO
- •Topic Research
- •Traffic Analytics
- •API Access
- •White Label Reports
- •Market Explorer
Strengths & Limitations
Evaluative strengths and weaknesses: not feature lists
- +Custom extraction using XPath, CSS Path, or Regex
- +Direct integration with GA, GSC, and PageSpeed Insights APIs
- +Visualise site architecture with interactive crawl diagrams
- +Generates and validates XML sitemaps and hreflang attributes
- +No crawl limits; data is stored locally on your machine
- −Desktop app consumes significant local CPU and RAM on large crawls
- −No scheduled crawls or automated reporting like cloud-based crawlers
- −UI can be overwhelming and unintuitive for new users
- −Collaboration is difficult as crawl data is stored locally, not shared
- −Requires a separate rendering service (WRS) for full JS crawling
- +Unrivaled competitor analysis for paid and organic search
- +Massive keyword database (26B+) with deep filtering options
- +Integrated Content Marketing Platform with SEO writing assistant
- +Powerful backlink analytics and gap analysis tools
- +Comprehensive local SEO features including listing management
- −Steep learning curve due to the sheer number of tools and reports
- −High starting price makes it inaccessible for freelancers or small sites
- −Project limits and keyword tracking caps on lower-tier plans are restrictive
- −Mobile app has significantly limited functionality vs. desktop
- −Data accuracy for very low-volume keywords can be inconsistent
At a Glance
Recent Price History
Screaming Frog SEO Spider "Paid Version" price changed from $279/mo to $199/yr
Price change · Jul 6, 2026
Screaming Frog SEO Spider renamed the "Free" plan to "Free Version"
Update · Jun 28, 2026
Screaming Frog SEO Spider added the "Paid Version" plan at $279/mo
Plan added · Jun 28, 2026
Screaming Frog SEO Spider removed the "Paid License" plan
Plan removed · Jun 28, 2026
Semrush added the "Enterprise/Custom" plan
Plan added · Jun 28, 2026
Semrush removed the "Custom Plan" plan
Plan removed · Jun 5, 2026
Screaming Frog SEO Spider updated "Paid License" from $21.58/mo to Custom
Price change · May 30, 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Comparisons
Screaming Frog SEO SpiderFree · from $199/mo
SemrushFree · from $139/moSources & Data Trail · Screaming Frog SEO Spider
- 1.Official Pricing Page·Source of verified tiers(Checked: 2026-07-08)
- 2.Official Website·Official vendor website
- 3.G2·G2 verified reviews · 4.7/5 · 102 reviews
- 4.Capterra·Capterra verified reviews · 4.8/5
- 5.TrustRadius·TrustRadius verified reviews
Sources & Data Trail · Semrush
- 1.Official Pricing Page·Source of verified tiers(Checked: 2026-07-08)
- 2.Official Website·Official vendor website
- 3.G2·G2 verified reviews · 4.5/5 · 3,382 reviews
- 4.Capterra·Capterra verified reviews · 4.7/5
- 5.TrustRadius·TrustRadius verified reviews