Screaming Frog vs Ahrefs

Tagline

The industry-standard SEO spider tool and full-service digital marketing agency.

AI Marketing Platform Powered by Big Data

Category

Pricing

Rating

Platforms

API

Open source

Description

Screaming Frog is a digital marketing agency that also develops the Screaming Frog SEO Spider, a widely used website crawler for analyzing and auditing technical SEO. The SEO Spider tool offers a free tier for crawling up to 500 URLs, alongside paid annual licenses that unlock unlimited crawling and advanced features. Screaming Frog also offers a dedicated Log File Analyser tool and expert agency services ranging from Technical SEO to PPC management and Digital PR.

Ahrefs is an AI-powered marketing platform designed to maintain brand visibility across search engines, AI search, content platforms, and social media. Using its proprietary index of the web, Ahrefs offers tools for technical SEO, competitive intelligence, content strategy, brand monitoring, and rank tracking.

Key features

• Technical SEO website crawling
• Free version crawling up to 500 URLs
• Paid license for advanced crawling features
• Log File Analyser tool
• Bulk licensing volume discounts
• AI Search Optimisation and Search Engine Optimisation
• Pay Per Click Management and Paid Social Media
• Google Analytics Consultancy and Google Ads Audits
• Technical SEO, Content Marketing, and Digital PR

• Site Explorer
• Site Audit
• Brand Radar AI
• Rank Tracker
• Competitor Ad Analysis
• Social Media Scheduling
• AI-powered SEO Fixes (Patches)
• API Access
• YouTube and Reddit Tracking
• AI Content optimization

Pros

• Offers a completely free version of the SEO Spider tool for up to 500 URLs.
• Provides multi-currency pricing options including GBP, USD, and EUR.
• Offers graduated bulk-purchase discounts when buying 5 or more licenses.
• Maintains an active Log File Analyser tool to inspect search engine bot activity.
• Offers professional Google Analytics Consultancy and Google Ads Audits alongside software tools.
• Provides structured online resources including a User Guide, Tutorials, and FAQs.
• Provides full digital agency services, including Content Marketing, Link Building, and Reactive PR.
• Supports users with direct support options, downloadable resources, and regular software training.

• Offers 'Ahrefs Free' providing web owners limited access to Site Explorer and Site Audit.
• Built on a massive proprietary web index that processes over 239 million prompts every month.
• Allows deployment of technical SEO fixes to websites without needing developer intervention.
• Brand Radar is available as a standalone tool which also includes an Ahrefs Free account.
• Enables brand visibility monitoring across diverse platforms including AI platforms, Google Search, YouTube, TikTok, and Reddit.
• Saves annual subscribers 20% compared to monthly billing rates.
• Provides flexible payment options including major credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, Amex, UnionPay) and wire transfers upon request for Enterprise tiers.
• Operates without locking contracts or setup fees, allowing users to switch options or cancel at any time.
• Includes a browser-based SEO toolbar and a dedicated WordPress plugin to streamline workflows.

Cons

• Licenses last for only 1 year and must be renewed annually.
• Licenses are assigned strictly per user, requiring individual licenses for multiple users.
• The maximum number of URLs you can crawl is restricted by your computer's allocated memory and storage.
• Log File Analyser's maximum processing capacity is limited by the system's hard drive capacity.
• No public API or API documentation details are mentioned in the provided web page content.
• No official mobile application (iOS/Android) was referenced in the provided text.

• Does not offer any commercial discounts or free trials.
• To transition a subscription plan to annual billing, users must manually contact the support team via email.
• YouTube, TikTok, and Reddit tracking are only available for paid tiers in beta and will move to paid add-ons later.
• Does not support or operate an affiliate program.
• Wire transfer support is restricted exclusively to requests made under the Enterprise pricing plans.
• Free account tiers limit web owners to partial, restricted access of Site Explorer & Site Audit.

Pricing plans

• SEO Spider Free VersionGBP0
  • • Free Version
  • • Download free version
• SEO Spider 1 to 4 LicencesGBP199/year
  • • Paid Version
  • • Custom robots.txt
  • • Custom Extraction
  • • Free Technical Support
• SEO Spider 5 to 9 LicencesGBP189/year
  • • Paid Version
  • • Custom robots.txt
  • • Custom Extraction
  • • Free Technical Support
• SEO Spider 10 to 19 LicencesGBP179/year
  • • Paid Version
  • • Custom robots.txt
  • • Custom Extraction
  • • Free Technical Support
• SEO Spider 20+ LicencesGBP169/year
  • • Paid Version
  • • Custom robots.txt
  • • Custom Extraction
  • • Free Technical Support
• SEO Spider 1 to 4 LicencesUSD279/year
  • • Paid Version
  • • Custom robots.txt
  • • Custom Extraction
  • • Free Technical Support
• SEO Spider 5 to 9 LicencesUSD265/year
  • • Paid Version
  • • Custom robots.txt
  • • Custom Extraction
  • • Free Technical Support
• SEO Spider 10 to 19 LicencesUSD249/year
  • • Paid Version
  • • Custom robots.txt
  • • Custom Extraction
  • • Free Technical Support
• SEO Spider 20+ LicencesUSD235/year
  • • Paid Version
  • • Custom robots.txt
  • • Custom Extraction
  • • Free Technical Support
• Log File Analyser Free VersionGBP0
  • • Free Version
  • • Download free version
• Log File Analyser 1 to 4 LicencesGBP99/year
  • • Paid Version
  • • Free Technical Support
• Log File Analyser 5 to 9 LicencesGBP89/year
  • • Paid Version
  • • Free Technical Support
• Log File Analyser 10 to 19 LicencesGBP79/year
  • • Paid Version
  • • Free Technical Support
• Log File Analyser 20+ LicencesGBP69/year
  • • Paid Version
  • • Free Technical Support

• LiteUSD129/month
  • • 5 projects
  • • 6 months of historical data
  • • 750 tracked keywords
  • • 5 tracked prompts
• StandardUSD249/month
  • • 20 projects
  • • 2 years of historical data
  • • 2,000 tracked keywords
  • • 10 tracked prompts
• AdvancedUSD449/month
  • • 50 projects
  • • 5 years of historical data
  • • 5,000 tracked keywords
  • • 20 tracked prompts
• EnterpriseUSD1499/month
  • • All Advanced features, plus
  • • SSO & enterprise-grade security
  • • Enterprise plan
• StarterUSD29/month
  • • See what people search
  • • Spy on competitors
• Ahrefs FreeUSD0
  • • Get Ahrefs data on your site
  • • Fix what matters
  • • Free limited access to Site Explorer & Site Audit
• Brand Radar AIUSD199/month
  • • Research any brand across 271M+ organic prompts
  • • Track your own custom prompts
  • • Available as a standalone tool
• BasicUSD50/month
  • • E.g. 80 prompts daily on 1 platform
  • • 2,500 checks/mo
  • • Custom prompt package
• GrowthUSD100/month
  • • E.g. 100 prompts daily on 2 platforms
  • • 7,000 checks/mo
  • • Custom prompt package
• ScaleUSD250/month
  • • High volume, lowest per-check rate
  • • 25,000 checks/mo
  • • Custom prompt package
• Content KitUSD99/month
  • • Optional add-on
  • • From $99/mo
• Report BuilderUSD99/month
  • • Optional add-on
  • • $99/mo
• Project Boost ProUSD20/month
  • • Optional add-on
  • • Per project pricing
• Project Boost MaxUSD200/month
  • • Optional add-on
  • • Per project pricing

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