Websites using Screamingfrog

Okay, let s break down Screaming Frog, covering its overview, revenue, alternatives, pricing, and customer care.

Screaming Frog SEO Spider: Overview

• What it is: Screaming Frog SEO Spider is a desktop-based website crawler (spider) used by SEO professionals to audit and analyze websites. It acts like a search engine bot, crawling a website s URLs to gather key data for SEO purposes.
• Main Function: It crawls websites and gathers data about links (internal and external), images, pages, content, metadata, page titles, headings, status codes (200, 404, 301, etc.), and much more.
• Target Audience: Primarily aimed at SEO professionals, digital marketers, website developers, and agencies.
• Key Benefits:
  • Comprehensive Analysis: Provides a wealth of data for identifying technical SEO issues.
  • Time-Saving: Automates the website auditing process, saving considerable time compared to manual analysis.
  • Cost-Effective: Relatively affordable compared to some enterprise-level SEO tools.
  • Customizable: Offers various configuration options and filtering capabilities to analyze specific data points.
  • Local Crawling: Crawls websites that are not publicly accessible (e.g. on a local development server).

Screaming Frog Revenue (Estimated)

Screaming Frog is a privately held company, so their exact revenue figures are not publicly available. However, based on the following factors, we can make an educated estimate:

• Pricing Structure: They operate on a licensing model (annual fee for a license). They have both paid and free versions.
• Popularity: It s one of the most popular and widely-used SEO tools in the industry.
• Market Share: They hold a significant share of the desktop crawler market.

Estimates: Industry observers estimate that Screaming Frog likely generates tens of millions of dollars in annual revenue. While an exact number is difficult to pinpoint, it s safe to say they are a successful and profitable software company.

Screaming Frog Alternatives

There are several alternatives to Screaming Frog, each with its own pros and cons. Here are some of the most popular:

1. Sitebulb:

   • Pros: Offers excellent visualization, in-depth analysis, and a user-friendly interface. Often considered a more modern option than Screaming Frog.
   • Cons: Can be more expensive than Screaming Frog.
   • Best For: Users who need great visualizations and a more user-friendly experience

2. Deepcrawl (Now Lumar):

   • Pros: A cloud-based, enterprise-level crawler with extensive features. Excellent for larger and complex websites.
   • Cons: Significantly more expensive than Screaming Frog. Can have a steeper learning curve.
   • Best For: Large organizations and enterprise-level users who need advanced crawling and analysis capabilities.

3. OnCrawl:

   • Pros: Cloud-based platform offering log file analysis and SEO monitoring along with crawling. Good for technical SEO.
   • Cons: Can be more expensive than Screaming Frog and is more complex for basic audits
   • Best For: Technical SEO experts and users focused on log file analysis and overall SEO strategy.

4. Ahrefs Site Audit:

   • Pros: Part of the comprehensive Ahrefs SEO suite. Offers a good range of site audit features.
   • Cons: May be less in-depth on specific areas than a dedicated crawler. You must pay for the entire Ahrefs suite to access this feature.
   • Best For: Users who are already subscribed to Ahrefs and prefer an all-in-one SEO tool.

5. Semrush Site Audit:

   • Pros: Similar to Ahrefs, part of the Semrush SEO suite, with easy-to-use interface.
   • Cons: May be less in-depth on specific areas than a dedicated crawler. You must pay for the entire Semrush suite to access this feature.
   • Best For: Users who are already subscribed to Semrush and prefer an all-in-one SEO tool.

6. Xenu s Link Sleuth:

   • Pros: Free desktop crawler and very simple to use.
   • Cons: The tool has not been updated in several years. Very outdated and limited functionality compared to modern alternatives.
   • Best For: Users on a very tight budget for simple tasks.

Screaming Frog Pricing

Screaming Frog operates with a tiered pricing model, with a free and paid version. As of October 2023:

• Free Version:

  • Limited to crawling a maximum of 500 URLs.
  • Some features are disabled (e.g., saving crawls, custom extractions)
  • Great for trying out the software before purchasing.

• Paid Version (Annual License):

  • Removes the URL limit.
  • Enables all features and full functionality.
  • Priced on an annual license for each user. As of October 2023 the license price is £219/year
  • Discounts available for educational institutions.

Important Note: Screaming Frog prices are usually charged in GBP, so the exact cost will fluctuate with the exchange rate.

Customer Care

• Support Channels:
  • Email Support: The primary method for support with response times varying from one business day or less.
  • Documentation: Extensive documentation, including tutorials, FAQs, and user guides, is available on their website.
  • Blog: They have a blog with articles about use cases and product updates.
• User Community: While they don t have a community forum, there is a large community that actively discusses the tool on social media and forums like Reddit.
• Response Time: Email support response times are generally good.
• Support Focus: Their support focuses on technical issues and bug fixes.

Summary Table

| Feature | Screaming Frog | Sitebulb | Lumar (Deepcrawl) | Ahrefs Site Audit | Semrush Site Audit | |-------------------|-------------------------|-------------------|-----------------------|----------------------|----------------------| | Type | Desktop | Desktop | Cloud-Based | Part of Suite | Part of Suite | | Cost | Affordable | More Expensive | Expensive | Part of Ahrefs Sub | Part of Semrush Sub | | Ease of Use | Moderate | Very User-Friendly | Can be complex | Easy | Easy | | Features | Extensive, Customizable | Very Detailed | Enterprise-Level | Good, but part of suite | Good, but part of suite | | Best For | Most SEO Professionals| Visuals, Usability | Large Websites | Ahrefs users | Semrush Users | | Customer Care| Email, Documentation | Email, Documentation | Email, Support Team | Suite Support | Suite Support |

Final Thoughts

Screaming Frog remains a popular choice due to its power, flexibility, and affordability. It s an essential tool for many SEO professionals. However, depending on your needs and budget, alternatives like Sitebulb, Lumar, or even the auditing tools within the big SEO suites might be a better fit.

When making your decision, consider your team s experience, the complexity of your websites, and your overall budget.