Screaming Frog SEO Spider is 100% cheaper
than Ahrefs
$0/mo (Free Version) vs Ahrefs Starter at $29/mo — covering 17% of the 12 compared capabilities.
Same job. Way less money.
Comparison scenario
Every cheaper-than claim is tied to a defined scenario — never a bare list price.
single user, monthly billing · USD · prices as observed on official pricing pages.
Starter plan at $29/mo, the cheapest paid plan.
Free Version: 0 USD/yearly.
Ahrefs costs $29/mo on the Starter plan at single user, monthly billing. We found 1 assessed alternative that is cheaper in this scenario; 0 of them cover at least 75% of the 12 compared capabilities.
Capability comparison
Screaming Frog SEO Spider covers 17% of the 12 capabilities compared against Ahrefs. ✓ native · ◐ via integration · ✗ not found.
| Capability | Screaming Frog SEO Spider | Ahrefs |
|---|---|---|
| Rank tracking | ✗ | ✓ |
| Keyword research | ✗ | ✓ |
| Backlink analysis | ◐ | ✓ |
| Site audit | ✓ | ✓ |
| Competitor analysis | ✗ | ✓ |
| API access | ✗ | ✓ |
| AI search visibility | ✗ | ✓ |
| Content optimization | ✗ | ✓ |
| Local SEO | ✗ | ✓ |
| Pageview analytics | ✗ | ✓ |
| Data export | ✗ | ✓ |
| Analytics API | ✗ | ✓ |
What you give up
Capabilities Ahrefs has that Screaming Frog SEO Spider lacks.
- Rank tracking — Track keyword rankings over time.Missing from Screaming Frog SEO Spider.
- Keyword research — Research keywords and their search volume.Missing from Screaming Frog SEO Spider.
- Competitor analysis — Compare your site's SEO performance against competitors.Missing from Screaming Frog SEO Spider.
- API access — Pull SEO data programmatically via an API.Missing from Screaming Frog SEO Spider.
- AI search visibility — Track how a site appears in AI-generated search answers.Missing from Screaming Frog SEO Spider.
- Content optimization — Get suggestions to improve a page's content for search rankings.Missing from Screaming Frog SEO Spider.
- Local SEO — Track and optimize rankings for local search results.Missing from Screaming Frog SEO Spider.
- Pageview analytics — Track how many times each page is viewed.Missing from Screaming Frog SEO Spider.
- Data export — Export raw analytics data for use in other tools.Missing from Screaming Frog SEO Spider.
- Analytics API — Pull analytics data programmatically via an API.Missing from Screaming Frog SEO Spider.
Plans & pricing, side by side
Advertised prices in USD as observed on the official pricing pages — per-seat and transaction-fee plans are marked.
| Free Version | Free |
| Paid Version (licence) | $16.58/mo (billed yearly) |
| Ahrefs Free | Free |
| Starter | $29/mo |
| Lite | $129/mo |
| Standard | $249/mo |
| Advanced | $449/mo |
| Enterprise | $1499/mo (billed yearly) |
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Frequently asked
How much cheaper is Screaming Frog SEO Spider than Ahrefs?
100% cheaper in our scenario (single user, monthly billing): $0/mo on Free Version vs $29/mo on Starter. That is $348 a year.
What does Screaming Frog SEO Spider lack compared with Ahrefs?
Rank tracking, Keyword research, Competitor analysis, API access, AI search visibility, Content optimization, Local SEO, Pageview analytics, Data export, Analytics API — 10 of the 12 compared capabilities.
When were these prices checked?
Ahrefs: 2026-08-26; Screaming Frog SEO Spider: 2026-09-07 — on the official pricing pages.
Sources & freshness
- https://ahrefs.com/pricing (official_pricing, checked 2026-08-26)
- Screaming Frog SEO Spider data last verified 2026-09-07