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SEO · head to head

Lighthouse vs OnCrawl

Lighthouse logo

Lighthouse

SEO

Audit web page performance and quality

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
OnCrawl logo

OnCrawl

SEO

Technical SEO crawler that joins crawl data with server log files

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Lighthouse has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Lighthouse performance scores vary significantly due to A/B testing, device differences, browser extensions, and antivirus software affecting results; OnCrawl no pricing is published anywhere on the site, so early-stage comparison against Botify or Lumar requires getting quotes from all three before any evaluation can start.
  • They diverge on capability: Lighthouse covers Performance scoring, OnCrawl covers Log file analysis.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Lighthouse and OnCrawl actually diverge.

Attributes where Lighthouse and OnCrawl differ
AttributeLighthouseOnCrawl
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelfreequote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsChrome, EdgeWeb
Founded1998Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (SEO).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Lighthouse

  • Performance scoring
  • Accessibility audit
  • SEO check
  • PWA validation
  • Chrome support
  • Edge support

Only in OnCrawl

  • Log file analysis
  • Crawl and log cross-analysis
  • Structured data and Core Web Vitals checks
  • Data Explorer
  • Google Search Console integration
  • API access

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Lighthouse

  • Performance auditing to identify page loading speed improvementsnot OnCrawl
  • Accessibility compliance checking for users with disabilitiesnot OnCrawl
  • SEO optimization verification for search engine compatibilitynot OnCrawl
  • Security and best practices scanning for code healthnot OnCrawl
  • Progressive web app validation and CI/CD pipeline integrationnot OnCrawl

OnCrawl

  • A large publisher or marketplace diagnosing wasted crawl budget on parameterised or low-value URLsnot Lighthouse
  • A technical SEO team that needs server log data joined to crawl data, not just a crawl report on its ownnot Lighthouse
  • An enterprise site comparing crawl-plus-log platforms against Botify or Lumar before committing to a multi-year contractnot Lighthouse
  • A team wanting custom segmentation of crawl and log data without writing SQL against a raw exportnot Lighthouse

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Lighthouse

  • Performance scores vary significantly due to A/B testing, device differences, browser extensions, and antivirus software affecting results
  • Limited to metrics that contribute to scores; Opportunities and Diagnostics don't directly impact scoring
  • Diminishing returns above 0.96 score, making perfect 100 scores extremely challenging
  • Scores based on HTTP Archive data which may not reflect all performance scenarios

OnCrawl

  • No pricing is published anywhere on the site, so early-stage comparison against Botify or Lumar requires getting quotes from all three before any evaluation can start.
  • Log file analysis requires the customer to actually supply raw server logs, which many marketing teams cannot get from their infrastructure team without a separate internal project.
  • It is a smaller company than Botify, so enterprise buyers evaluating vendor stability and roadmap longevity weigh that against the lower likely price.
  • The interface and terminology assume a working knowledge of crawl budget and log analysis concepts, so it is a poor fit for a generalist marketer without technical SEO background.
  • Data retention periods are tied to plan tier, so historical trend analysis beyond the contracted retention window is not available without upgrading before the data would otherwise be purged.

Pricing, plan by plan

Lighthouse

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Performance audit
    • Accessibility check
    • SEO analysis

OnCrawl

On request
  • OnCrawl$undefined/month
    • Priced by monthly crawl volume, log line volume and data retention
    • Small-site, mid-market and enterprise tiers, all quote-based
    • Free trial available on request

Which should you pick?

Choose Lighthouse if

  • You need performance scoring.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Chrome, Edge.
  • You also want accessibility audit.
Lighthouse review

Choose OnCrawl if

  • You need log file analysis.
  • You also want crawl and log cross-analysis.
OnCrawl review

Questions people ask

Is Lighthouse or OnCrawl better?
Neither clearly leads. Lighthouse starts at Free and OnCrawl at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Lighthouse or OnCrawl?
Lighthouse has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Lighthouse and On request for OnCrawl.
Does Lighthouse or OnCrawl run on more platforms?
Lighthouse runs on Chrome, Edge. OnCrawl runs on Web.
Can I use Lighthouse for free?
Yes. Lighthouse has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. OnCrawl starts at On request.
What is Lighthouse best used for?
Lighthouse is most often used for performance auditing to identify page loading speed improvements, accessibility compliance checking for users with disabilities, seo optimization verification for search engine compatibility, security and best practices scanning for code health. Of those, performance auditing to identify page loading speed improvements and accessibility compliance checking for users with disabilities are not what OnCrawl is typically brought in for.
What can Lighthouse do that OnCrawl cannot?
Lighthouse covers Performance scoring, Accessibility audit, SEO check, PWA validation. OnCrawl covers Log file analysis, Crawl and log cross-analysis, Structured data and Core Web Vitals checks, Data Explorer.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Lighthouse: Is Lighthouse free?

Yes. Lighthouse is completely free and open-source. It is developed by Google and integrated into Chrome DevTools, PageSpeed Insights, and available as a command-line tool. There are no licensing fees or premium tiers.

Source
OnCrawl: Do I need to provide my own server logs?

Yes, log file analysis is only available if you can export raw access logs from your web server or CDN; without them OnCrawl functions as a crawler only.

Lighthouse: Can I run Lighthouse offline?

Yes. Lighthouse can run offline in multiple ways: through Chrome DevTools (built into Chrome), as a command-line tool (Node.js), or as a Node.js module integrated into your build process. You do not need an internet connection after installing the tool.

Source
OnCrawl: How much does OnCrawl cost?

It is not published. Pricing is quoted based on crawl volume, log volume and retention period; get a quote before comparing it to Botify or Lumar.

Lighthouse: What pages can Lighthouse audit?

Lighthouse can audit any web page, including pages that require authentication. This is an advantage over some alternative tools that cannot test behind login screens. You can run audits on public pages or authenticated pages via command-line with custom headers.

Source
OnCrawl: Is this suitable for a small business site?

Generally not economically; the log analysis capability that justifies the cost only pays off once a site is large enough that Google is not crawling every page anyway.

Lighthouse: Can Lighthouse prevent performance regression during development?

Yes. Lighthouse CI is available to prevent performance degradation during development cycles. You can integrate Lighthouse CI into your continuous integration pipeline to automatically audit pages on every commit and fail builds if performance metrics fall below thresholds you define.

Source
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