Screaming Frog alternative: Comparing Sitebulb vs Screaming Frog

We get asked all the time, "how is Sitebulb different to Screaming Frog?" We like Screaming Frog. We used to use it every day. But we found there were a few things we wanted to improve, so we built our own website crawler. And then we built a web-based version: [Sitebulb Cloud](/content/cloud/ "Cloud"/index.html)! So in LOTS of ways, Sitebulb is very different. In fact, you may decide – as many customers do – to use both!

Trusted and loved by 5,000+ SEOs across the globe.

“We’re big fans of Screaming Frog and we still use it now. However...as a tool, it’s not very intuitive, and it takes a long time to learn all the things you can do with it and how to do those things. Sitebulb Hints and issue prioritization has helped us spot those obvious things that are holding back client performance quicker. This means we can get results for our clients quicker.”
Sophie Gibson  Technical SEO Director at StudioHawk

Sitebulb vs Screaming Frog

Why is Sitebulb Cloud a superb alternative to Screaming Frog?

Sam Torres, CDO at Gray Dot Co, explains:

A key difference between the two tools is that Screaming Frog is desktop only, with no cloud capabilities. This means it may not be a user’s first choice for crawling larger websites or working collaboratively in a team.

Sitebulb on the other hand does offer a cloud version, which makes it the only crawler on the market with both desktop and cloud capabilities. We know SEOs love building their own solutions ( Screaming Frog even has a guide on how to make it run in the cloud) but it’s actually surprisingly expensive and slow.

Sitebulb has done the heavy-lifting for you, offering a cloud crawler that is a fraction of the cost of traditional enterprise crawlers and much more affordable than you might think, [starting from just £95 per month](/content/subscriptions/pricing/server/?annual=false ""/index.html).

Sitebulb Cloud pays for itself

“Sitebulb Cloud more than pays for itself versus the desktop software. ... We've always been fans of Sitebulb... To have it accessible all the time to everyone is exactly what we were looking for and didn't know we needed."

Intuitive Workflow and Interface

Something we hear all the time from Screaming Frog users is that the tool’s interface is outdated and not very user-friendly. When you're trying to do an audit using Screaming Frog, you have to:

• Look at a massive list of URLs
• Try to make sense of it
• Figure out the potential impact
• Realize you need to investigate further
• Return to the big list of URLs

By contrast, one of the main things Sitebulb users love is its audit-friendly workflow and user-friendly interface.

Once a crawl is started with Sitebulb, the tool begins the audit process for you, providing real-time feedback on issues it finds. Sitebulb then categorizes, prioritizes, and explains these issues, so you get an immediate sense of what needs doing to move the needle.

This is the Sitebulb way:

• Issues amalgamated and prioritized, so you can triage issues WITHOUT having to dig into data
• Potential severity presented from the outset
• Dig into a list of URLs and/or export only AFTER you’ve decided to investigate further

This upended workflow makes Sitebulb the perfect tool for experienced and beginner tech SEOs alike.

See how Sitebulb Cloud compares to legacy cloud crawlers

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Reviews and Ratings

With plenty of 5-star reviews on Capterra, Screaming Frog has a lot of fans. A UK-based SEO agency, their SEO Spider Tool is straightforward and the dashboard presents its technical SEO suggestions all in one place.

It’s a great crawler that can be used alongside tools such as GA and Semrush for a more powerful audit, though some reviewers feel that the need to use multiple tools to get the complete list of features they need makes it less appealing.

The main things Screaming Frog reviewers complain about on G2 are storage and functionality issues due to it being desktop only, and the UI needing refreshment and improvement. By contrast, these are some of the areas in which Sitebulb’s reviews really shine.

"Sitebulb - Swiss Army knife for SEO audits"

What do you like best about Sitebulb?

Usability and functionality really impress me.

"A website crawler that offers immediately implementable insights and analysis of meaningful data."

What do you like best about Sitebulb?

The thing I've noticed is that it is very easy to use. This app has an excellent user experience that is very simple to be used for any user level, whether it is a novice or a beginner or an expert. I use this platform regularly to detect bugs or any issues on our client pages. And I have to say that the hint function is very incredible.

Screaming Frog vs Sitebulb: 2 true heavyweights

We like to think of the battle between Sitebulb vs Screaming Frog as a friendly one. We’ve known each other a long time and think we make each other better. We’ve tried to be as objective as possible in this comparison; the bottom line is that Sitebulb and Screaming Frog have different strengths, which is why so many SEOs end up using both tools.

For auditing speed, ease of use, JavaScript crawling, and cloud capabilities, Sitebulb is the obvious choice. For a quick crawl that doesn't need to be shared, when you know what you're looking for, you can just as easily use Screaming Frog.

If you're new to Sitebulb, you can give it a 14-day free test drive, which will also give you a flavour of what to expect with Cloud. For larger SEO teams with substantial crawling needs, you can [book a demo of Sitebulb Cloud here](/content/book-a-demo/ "Book a Demo"/index.html).

Sitebulb vs Screaming Frog vs Enterprise Crawlers