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Head-to-head · SEO Tools

Ahrefs vs Screaming Frog SEO Spider

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 7 checks side by side
Higher score Ahrefs #2 in SEO Tools 9.3/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 6 of 6 features Visit Ahrefs
Screaming Frog SEO Spider #5 in SEO Tools 9.0/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 3 of 6 features Visit Screaming Frog

Ahrefs leads on 0 checks, Screaming Frog SEO Spider on 0, and 7 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 7 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreAhrefs · 9.3/10
  • Free planboth
  • Most featuresAhrefs · 6 of 6

Ahrefs scores higher on our rubric for seo tools: 9.3 against 9.0 out of 10; our editors rank them #2 and #5.

Ahrefs is the better fit for all-in-one SEO teams seeking strong value. Screaming Frog SEO Spider is the better fit for technical SEO crawling specialists.

  • Ahrefs fits best

    All-in-one SEO teams seeking strong value

  • Screaming Frog SEO Spider fits best

    Technical SEO crawling specialists

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature Ahrefs 9.3/10 Visit ↗ Screaming Frog SEO Spider 9.0/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.3 9.0
Ranking #2 in SEO Tools #5 in SEO Tools
Best for All-in-one SEO teams seeking strong value Technical SEO crawling specialists
Pricing model Free plan + paid Free plan + paid
Starting price $29/mo —
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — —
Deployment Cloud, Browser extension Desktop
Platforms Web, Chrome extension Windows, macOS, Linux
Support Email, Live chat, Docs · 24/7 Email, Tickets, Phone, Docs
Integrations 3 integrations 10 integrations
Built for Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Ahrefs 6/6 · Screaming Frog SEO Spider 3/6
Keyword research ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Rank tracking ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Site audit ✓ ✓
Backlink analysis ✓ ✓
Competitor research ✓ (best) Not checked yet
API access ✓ ✓
Specs
Tracked keywords Not checked yet Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • Covers keywords, competitors, audits, rankings, backlinks, content, and reporting
  • Free plan plus monthly entry pricing at $29
  • Seven integrations, API access, and web-based workflows
  • Deep crawling, rendering, duplicate analysis, and issue detection
  • Custom extraction with XPath, CSS Path, or regex
  • Windows, macOS, and Linux support with broad integrations
Cons
  • Starter limits tracking to 50 keywords and includes 200 monthly credits
  • Advanced and Enterprise pricing rises to $449 and $1,499 per month
  • Enterprise requires an annual commitment
  • Free crawls are limited to 500 URLs per crawl
  • SEO Spider itself has no API access
  • Does not provide verified keyword research or rank tracking
Our verdict

Ahrefs is an SEO and marketing platform for marketers, agencies, SEO professionals, businesses, and content teams. Its toolkit spans keyword research, competitor analysis, backlink analysis, technical site auditing, rank tracking, content…

Read the review →

Screaming Frog SEO Spider is a desktop website crawler for SEOs, agencies, and brands conducting technical SEO audits. It examines broken links, errors, redirects, page titles, meta descriptions, robots directives, hreflang, duplicate…

Read the review →
  1. AhrefsSEO Tools 9.3Free plan
  2. Screaming Frog SEO SpiderSEO Tools 9.0Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Ahrefs — where it wins

    • Covers keywords, competitors, audits, rankings, backlinks, content, and reporting
    • Free plan plus monthly entry pricing at $29
    • Seven integrations, API access, and web-based workflows

    Where it doesn't

    • Starter limits tracking to 50 keywords and includes 200 monthly credits
    • Advanced and Enterprise pricing rises to $449 and $1,499 per month
    • Enterprise requires an annual commitment

  • Screaming Frog SEO Spider — where it wins

    • Deep crawling, rendering, duplicate analysis, and issue detection
    • Custom extraction with XPath, CSS Path, or regex
    • Windows, macOS, and Linux support with broad integrations

    Where it doesn't

    • Free crawls are limited to 500 URLs per crawl
    • SEO Spider itself has no API access
    • Does not provide verified keyword research or rank tracking

More comparisons

All SEO tools comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update