Screaming Frog SEO Spider vs Sitebulb: which should you choose?
Quick answer: Screaming Frog SEO Spider is built for technical-seo, while Sitebulb suits technical-seo. For most users Sitebulb is the stronger default, but Screaming Frog SEO Spider can be the better fit depending on your budget and use case. Screaming Frog SEO Spider has the lower entry price.
If you're weighing Screaming Frog SEO Spider against Sitebulb, the right answer depends on your priorities. Below we compare them on pricing, strengths and the use cases each one fits, then give a clear verdict.
Side-by-side
| Screaming Frog SEO Spider | Sitebulb | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Technical Seo | Technical Seo |
| What it's known for | The de-facto desktop crawler for technical SEO audits: crawls sites for broken links, redirects, duplicate content, metadata and more, with a flat-fee unlimited model. | Desktop and cloud SEO crawler with 300+ prioritised audit hints, visual crawl maps and built-in accessibility checks, designed to make technical audits actionable. |
| Pricing | Free up to 500 URLs; ~£199/year (~$279) per licence for unlimited crawling and advanced features; volume discounts from 5 licences | ~$18/mo Lite, ~$42/mo Pro (desktop, annual cheaper); Cloud from ~$245/mo; free trial |
| Best audience | Technical SEOs and agencies running in-depth site audits and crawls. | Technical SEOs and agencies wanting guided, presentable site audits. |
| Best for | technical-seo, site-audits | technical-seo, site-audits |
| Entry price | Free | ~$13.50-18/mo |
| Biggest strength | The de-facto industry standard for technical SEO crawling. | Audit hints are prioritised and explain the why and how to fix. |
| Main caveat | Desktop app; crawl size limited by your machine's RAM/storage. | Cloud plan is comparatively expensive (~$245/mo). |
Features compared
Where they really diverge is in the day-to-day feature set:
Screaming Frog SEO Spider key features
- Desktop website crawler for technical SEO audits
- Detects broken links, redirects, duplicate content and metadata issues
- JavaScript rendering via headless Chromium
- Custom extraction (XPath/CSS/regex)
Sitebulb key features
- Desktop and cloud SEO crawler
- 300+ prioritised audit hints with severity and remediation
- Visual crawl maps and diagrams
- Built-in accessibility checks
Pricing tiers side by side
Screaming Frog SEO Spider plans
| Plan | Price | What's included |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | up to 500 URLs per crawl, core features only |
| Paid licence | £199 / €245 / ~$279 per year | unlimited URLs, JS rendering, custom extraction, integrations |
Sitebulb plans
| Plan | Price | What's included |
|---|---|---|
| Lite (desktop) | ~$13.50-18/mo | up to 10,000 URLs per crawl |
| Pro (desktop) | ~$35-42/mo | default 500k URLs, raisable to ~2M |
| Cloud | ~$245/mo | up to ~10M URLs per audit, team collaboration |
Tiers compiled from the vendors' published plans and independent reviews; prices are approximate and change often, so confirm current figures (and your region's taxes) on each vendor's site.
Strengths compared
Where Screaming Frog SEO Spider wins
The reference desktop crawler for technical SEO, with a simple flat annual licence.
- The de-facto industry standard for technical SEO crawling.
- Flat annual fee with unlimited URLs (no per-seat metering of crawl size).
That makes it the stronger pick for technical SEOs and agencies running in-depth site audits and crawls.
Where Sitebulb wins
Turns technical audits into prioritised, visual, client-ready actions.
- Audit hints are prioritised and explain the why and how to fix.
- Visual reports make technical findings actionable for clients.
That makes it the stronger pick for technical SEOs and agencies wanting guided, presentable site audits.
Verdict: choose by fit
Both are good at the job, so let your priorities decide.
- Choose Screaming Frog SEO Spider if you fit its core audience — technical SEOs and agencies running in-depth site audits and crawls.
- Choose Sitebulb if you fit its core audience — technical SEOs and agencies wanting guided, presentable site audits.
FAQ
Is Screaming Frog SEO Spider better than Sitebulb?
Sitebulb is the stronger default for most users, but Screaming Frog SEO Spider can be the better fit depending on your budget and use case.
What is the main difference between Screaming Frog SEO Spider and Sitebulb?
Screaming Frog SEO Spider is the reference desktop crawler for technical SEO, with a simple flat annual licence. Sitebulb is turns technical audits into prioritised, visual, client-ready actions.
Which is cheaper, Screaming Frog SEO Spider or Sitebulb?
Entry pricing differs: Screaming Frog SEO Spider offers a free tier, while Sitebulb starts at ~$13.50-18/mo. Compare the tiers above against your usage.
Sources
Facts above are drawn from these independent reviews and the vendors' own pages for Screaming Frog SEO Spider and Sitebulb: