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Screaming Frog SEO Spider vs SE Ranking

Screaming Frog SEO Spider logo

Screaming Frog SEO Spider

SEO

Desktop crawler for technical SEO audits and site analysis

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
SE Ranking logo

SE Ranking

SEO

SEO and AI visibility platform with daily rank tracking, priced on published tiers plus per-unit extras

From
$129/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Screaming Frog SEO Spider has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Screaming Frog SEO Spider free version limited to 500 URL crawl limit for meaningful analysis; SE Ranking keyword allowances are counted as targets, keyword multiplied by search engine, so a set tracked across Google desktop and mobile consumes twice the allowance and a plan sized on a raw keyword count runs out early.
  • They diverge on capability: Screaming Frog SEO Spider covers Crawl up to 500 URLs (free) or unlimited (paid), SE Ranking covers Daily rank tracking.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Screaming Frog SEO Spider and SE Ranking actually diverge.

Attributes where Screaming Frog SEO Spider and SE Ranking differ
AttributeScreaming Frog SEO SpiderSE Ranking
Starting priceFree$129/month
Pricing modelsubscriptionPer month by tracked keywords and projects
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWindows, macOS, LinuxWeb

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 Screaming Frog SEO Spider

  • Crawl up to 500 URLs (free) or unlimited (paid)
  • 300+ SEO issue checks
  • JavaScript rendering with Chromium
  • XML sitemap generation
  • Custom data extraction
  • Google integrations
  • Scheduled crawls and comparisons
  • Multi-language support

Only in SE Ranking

  • Daily rank tracking
  • Target-based keyword counting
  • Competitive and keyword research
  • Backlink research and monitoring
  • Website and on-page audit
  • On-page checker and SERP analyzer
  • AI search tracking
  • AI competitive research

What people use each for

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

Screaming Frog SEO Spider

  • Identify broken links and server errors on large sitesnot SE Ranking
  • Audit redirect chains during site migrationsnot SE Ranking
  • Analyze and fix duplicate content issuesnot SE Ranking
  • Extract and validate structured data on pagesnot SE Ranking
  • Monitor site health with scheduled crawlsnot SE Ranking

SE Ranking

  • Tracking daily keyword positions across up to 10 client projects on the entry plannot Screaming Frog SEO Spider
  • Auditing large sites, with 250,000 pages per month included on Core and 2 million on Growthnot Screaming Frog SEO Spider
  • Running SEO reporting for an agency that needs more than one manager seatnot Screaming Frog SEO Spider

Where each one falls short

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

Screaming Frog SEO Spider

  • Free version limited to 500 URL crawl limit for meaningful analysis
  • Desktop application required, not available as web-based tool
  • Unlimited crawls depend on system memory and storage capacity
  • Annual licensing model with no monthly option
  • Learning curve for advanced features like custom extraction

SE Ranking

  • Keyword allowances are counted as targets, keyword multiplied by search engine, so a set tracked across Google desktop and mobile consumes twice the allowance and a plan sized on a raw keyword count runs out early.
  • There is no free tier at all, only a 14-day trial, so evaluation is time-boxed rather than open-ended and comparison against Moz or Ahrefs free tools is not like for like.
  • Enterprise pricing is not published, so the only tier suited to large keyword volumes cannot be budgeted from the pricing page without contacting sales.
  • Core includes exactly one manager seat, so the second person needing full access means extra seats from 16 USD each or the jump to Growth at 279 USD.
  • Three of the add-ons, Agency Pack at 69 USD, the API at 45 USD and the discounted AI Search price, are available only on annual billing, so a monthly customer either pays more or commits for a year.
  • Audit capacity on Core is capped at 250,000 pages per project as well as per account, so a single large site consumes the whole allowance and leaves nothing for other projects that month.
  • Its keyword and backlink databases are smaller and less frequently refreshed than the Ahrefs first-party crawl, so it is a better tracking and reporting tool than a link discovery one.

Pricing, plan by plan

Screaming Frog SEO Spider

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 500 URL crawl limit
    • Core features included
    • Link checking and metadata analysis
  • Paid License$199/year
    • Unlimited URL crawls (limited by system memory/storage)
    • All free version features
    • Advanced features unlocked

SE Ranking

$129/month
  • Core$129/month
    • 103.20 USD per month billed annually, a 20 percent saving paid upfront
    • 10 projects and 1 manager seat
    • 2,000 daily keyword targets, counted as keyword times search engine
  • Growth$279/month
    • 223.20 USD per month billed annually, a 20 percent saving paid upfront
    • 30 projects and 3 manager seats
    • 5,000 daily keyword targets, 250 daily AI prompts, 15 AI research domains
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Custom limits and pricing, quoted by sales
    • Flexible terms
    • Full API and advanced integrations
  • Extra capacity$undefined/month
    • Extra manager seats from 16 USD each
    • Extra tracked keywords from 22.40 USD on Core and from 32 USD on Growth
    • Extra business locations from 18.40 USD each

Which should you pick?

Choose Screaming Frog SEO Spider if

  • You need crawl up to 500 urls (free) or unlimited (paid).
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows, macOS, Linux.
  • You also want 300+ seo issue checks.
Screaming Frog SEO Spider review

Choose SE Ranking if

  • You need daily rank tracking.
  • You also want target-based keyword counting.
SE Ranking review

Questions people ask

Is Screaming Frog SEO Spider or SE Ranking better?
Neither clearly leads. Screaming Frog SEO Spider starts at Free and SE Ranking at $129/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Screaming Frog SEO Spider or SE Ranking?
Screaming Frog SEO Spider has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Screaming Frog SEO Spider and $129/month for SE Ranking.
Does Screaming Frog SEO Spider or SE Ranking run on more platforms?
Screaming Frog SEO Spider runs on Windows, macOS, Linux. SE Ranking runs on Web.
Can I use Screaming Frog SEO Spider for free?
Yes. Screaming Frog SEO Spider has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. SE Ranking starts at $129/month.
What is Screaming Frog SEO Spider best used for?
Screaming Frog SEO Spider is most often used for identify broken links and server errors on large sites, audit redirect chains during site migrations, analyze and fix duplicate content issues, extract and validate structured data on pages. Of those, identify broken links and server errors on large sites and audit redirect chains during site migrations are not what SE Ranking is typically brought in for.
What can Screaming Frog SEO Spider do that SE Ranking cannot?
Screaming Frog SEO Spider covers Crawl up to 500 URLs (free) or unlimited (paid), 300+ SEO issue checks, JavaScript rendering with Chromium, XML sitemap generation. SE Ranking covers Daily rank tracking, Target-based keyword counting, Competitive and keyword research, Backlink research and monitoring.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Screaming Frog SEO Spider: What is the difference between free and paid Screaming Frog licenses?

The free version crawls up to 500 URLs with core features. The paid license (GBP 199/year) includes unlimited URL crawls limited only by system memory and storage, plus advanced features.

Source
SE Ranking: How much does SE Ranking cost?

Core is 129 USD a month, or 103.20 USD a month billed annually. Growth is 279 USD a month, or 223.20 USD billed annually. Annual billing is a flat 20 percent saving charged upfront. Enterprise is quoted by sales.

Screaming Frog SEO Spider: Can Screaming Frog crawl JavaScript-rendered content?

Yes. Screaming Frog renders JavaScript through headless Chromium, enabling crawls of React, Angular, Vue.js, and other JavaScript frameworks.

Source
SE Ranking: How does the price change with keyword volume?

Core includes 2,000 daily keyword targets and Growth 5,000. Beyond that you buy extra keywords from 22.40 USD a month on Core and from 32 USD on Growth rather than being forced onto the next tier. A keyword is counted once per search engine, so thirty keywords across two engines uses sixty targets.

Screaming Frog SEO Spider: What platforms does Screaming Frog support?

Screaming Frog SEO Spider is available for Windows, macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel), and Linux (Ubuntu and Fedora).

Source
SE Ranking: What is the difference between Core and Growth?

Growth triples projects to 30, raises daily keyword targets from 2,000 to 5,000 and prompts from 100 to 250, gives 3 manager seats instead of 1, lifts audit capacity from 250,000 to 2 million pages a month, raises on-page checks from 50 to 1,000, adds page changes monitoring, guest links, historical data across the project lifetime and dedicated support.

SE Ranking: Does SE Ranking have a free plan?

No. There is a 14-day trial with no credit card required, but no permanently free tier.

SE Ranking: What do the add-ons cost?

Agency Pack for white-label reporting and client seats is 69 USD a month on annual billing only. The AI Search toolkit is 89 USD monthly or 71.20 USD billed annually. The API add-on is 45 USD a month, annual billing only.

SE Ranking: Does it track rankings daily?

Yes, daily on both published tiers, through the full Google Top 100. Moz and Ahrefs both refresh rankings weekly.

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