The right website crawler is the one that can reach your pages, handle your site's size and tell you what to fix first. Choose between desktop, cloud and all-in-one suite crawlers by how you work, then run the same site through two trials and compare the issue lists.
Sitebulb is a website crawler for SEO audits, available as desktop software and in the cloud. When people look for a replacement, it's usually for one of these reasons:
- They want something lighter for a small site.
- They need cloud crawling that runs on a schedule without their laptop.
- They want server log analysis next to the crawl.
- They run an agency and need a client-friendly dashboard.
- They'd rather have crawling inside a wider SEO suite they already pay for.
Each reason points to a different kind of tool, which is why the nine below are grouped by approach first and then listed in no particular order.
Desktop, cloud or suite: three ways to crawl
On your own computer. Screaming Frog is the desktop crawler here. It runs on Windows, macOS and Ubuntu, and suits SEOs who like to dig into raw crawl data themselves. Because it uses your machine, very large crawls depend on your hardware.
In the cloud. Four of the nine crawl from the vendor's servers, so crawls can run on a schedule without your laptop. Oncrawl and Seolyzer add log analysis, which shows how search engine bots move through your site. Audisto leans towards ongoing monitoring, while Botify is built for very large sites focused on AI search.
Inside a wider suite or dashboard. SE Ranking and Moz include a site crawler alongside keyword research and rank tracking. Sitechecker is aimed at agencies watching many client sites, and SiteGuru turns audit findings into a step-by-step to-do list for marketers who don't want to read raw data.
Three checks before you trust a crawler
A crawler only reports what it can reach. That sounds obvious, but it's where most audits go wrong. Before you choose, check three things.
Can it crawl JavaScript-built pages? If your site relies on JavaScript to load content or links, a crawler that only reads the raw HTML may miss whole sections and report problems that aren't there.
How many URLs will it crawl? Plans and free versions cap crawl size. Screaming Frog's own page states the limit on its free version, and other tools set limits by plan, so compare that number with how many pages your site really has.
Does it tell you what to fix first? Some tools hand you a prioritised list of issues. Others give you a wall of raw data and leave the sorting to you. For a small site, a readable issue list matters far more than crawl scale.
Nine crawlers and audit tools, alphabetically
Audisto
Best for: Technical SEOs who want a cloud crawler with unlimited crawls and historical trends, per the vendor, plus pattern-based monitoring tests.
Botify
Best for: Enterprise sites focused on AI search and organic revenue at scale, wanting to be found by shoppers, bots and AI agents.
Moz Pro Site Crawl
Best for: Existing Moz Pro users who want crawl issues found and alerts sent when new problems appear, inside the suite they already use.
Oncrawl
Best for: Larger sites wanting a cloud crawler joined to a log analyser and third-party data, with an AI search lens.
Screaming Frog SEO Spider
Best for: Hands-on SEOs who want a desktop crawler on Windows, macOS or Ubuntu for technical audits; the free version caps crawl size.
SE Ranking
Best for: Agencies and in-house teams who want site audits next to keyword research and rank tracking in one platform.
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Seolyzer
Best for: Site owners wanting crawl, server log and Search Console data together, to see which pages Googlebot crawls.
Sitechecker
Best for: Agency teams monitoring client sites and rankings, with invited users and data export included per the vendor, and an MCP connection for AI assistants.
SiteGuru
Best for: Marketers and Shopify store owners who want step-by-step guidance and a clear action plan instead of raw crawl data.
All nine in one table
| Tool | Approach | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Audisto | Cloud crawler and monitoring | Technical audits plus ongoing monitoring |
| Botify | Enterprise search platform | Very large sites focused on AI search |
| Moz Pro Site Crawl | Crawler inside an SEO suite | Crawl alerts inside an existing Moz Pro setup |
| Oncrawl | Cloud crawler plus log analysis | Crawl data joined to logs and outside data |
| Screaming Frog SEO Spider | Desktop crawler | Hands-on technical audits on your own computer |
| SE Ranking | All-in-one suite with audit | Audits next to keywords and rank tracking |
| Seolyzer | Crawler with log analysis | Seeing which pages Googlebot crawls |
| Sitechecker | Agency monitoring dashboard | Agencies watching many client sites |
| SiteGuru | Guided audits for marketers | A step-by-step plan instead of raw data |
My advice on switching crawlers
Run the same site through two trials, side by side. Don't judge on the number of issues found, because a longer list isn't a better audit. Judge on which tool tells you, in plain terms, what to fix first and why. That's the one you'll keep using.
If your site is small and you're doing your own SEO, a guided tool or a suite you already use is often enough. If you manage large or complex sites, look harder at cloud crawling and log analysis. For a refresher on what an audit should cover, my guide to what's included in technical SEO is a good checklist, and my free SEO audit page shows where to start. Once the crawl shows weak spots in your site structure, my guide to internal linking for business owners helps you fix them.
Your first crawl on a new tool
- Crawl a site you know well, so you can tell real problems from false alarms.
- Check the page count against what you expect, to make sure nothing was missed.
- Look at the top issues the tool flags and confirm two or three by hand.
- Export the issue list and see whether it's something you could hand to a developer.
- Schedule a second crawl after your fixes and check the issues have gone.
If a tool passes those five steps on a site you know, you can trust it on the sites you don't.
Do you make a website crawler? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
Want your tool on this list? Featured spots and reviews here are paid partnerships. Here's how to partner with me.
Frequently asked questions
What does a website crawler do for SEO?
It visits the pages on your site the way a search engine bot would, then reports problems such as broken links, missing titles, redirect chains and pages that can't be reached.
Is a desktop or cloud crawler better?
Neither is better for everyone. Desktop crawlers run on your own computer and suit hands-on audits. Cloud crawlers run on the vendor's servers and suit scheduled monitoring and very large sites.
Can I crawl my website for free?
Some crawlers offer a free version, but free versions cap how many URLs they'll crawl. That's often enough for a small site, so check the limit against your page count.
Do I need log file analysis?
Log analysis shows which pages search engine bots visit. It matters most on large sites where bots may miss important pages, and less on small sites with simple structures.
How often should I crawl my website?
Crawl after any big change, such as a redesign or migration, and on a regular schedule for busy sites. Small sites that rarely change can crawl less often.
