SEO Score API vs Screaming Frog
Desktop SEO Spider for deep site-wide crawls · Pricing: $279 / yr (single seat)
Screaming Frog and SEO Score API both touch SEO, but they are different shapes of product. Screaming Frog is a Desktop application (Windows / Mac / Linux); SEO Score API is a hosted REST API that returns a scored audit as JSON in seconds. This page is an honest side-by-side — including when you should pick Screaming Frog over us. Still shopping around? See our roundup of Screaming Frog alternatives organized by use case.
Side-by-side
| Feature | Screaming Frog | SEO Score API |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | $279 / yr per seat | $0 free, $5+ / mo |
| Shape | Desktop crawler | Hosted REST API |
| Best at | Deep site-wide crawl | Single URL or batch on-demand audits |
| Run in CI/CD | Limited (CLI mode, manual setup) | GitHub Action ships ready to use |
| Run from a script | CLI flag, single OS at a time | Any language with HTTP |
| AI readability score | No | Yes |
| Schema validation | Yes | Yes |
| Lighthouse / Core Web Vitals | Limited | Performance checks included |
| Multi-site monitoring | Manual re-runs | Scheduled monitors with alerts |
| Cloud-hosted | No | Yes |
When each tool wins
Pick Screaming Frog when…
- You need to crawl an entire site (10k+ pages) and explore link graphs, redirect chains, and broken pages interactively.
- You like working in a desktop UI with filters and exports.
- You audit sites manually a few times a quarter, not continuously.
Pick SEO Score API when…
- You want audits to run automatically — in CI, on a schedule, or from an AI agent.
- You audit many sites or many specific URLs without doing a full crawl.
- You want a JSON response your code can act on, not a desktop spreadsheet to interpret.
Screaming Frog alternatives, by use case
Not sure an audit API is the right swap? Here are the strongest Screaming Frog alternatives and Screaming Frog competitors, grouped by what you actually need — so you pick on use case, not marketing budget.
If you want audits in code, CI, or an agent
- SEO Score API. Hosted REST API. Same checks, JSON output, returns in seconds. Free tier and SDKs. — learn more
- Lighthouse CI. Free, Google-maintained, focused on performance + accessibility. No SEO score abstraction.
If you want a desktop crawler with better reporting
- Sitebulb. Prioritized issues, sharper visualizations, friendlier than Frog for non-experts.
- JetOctopus. Cloud crawler at scale; good for enterprise sites.
If you want a hosted, scheduled crawler
- Ahrefs Site Audit. Scheduled crawls with a polished UI. Bundled in $129+/mo Ahrefs plan.
- Oncrawl. Log-file analysis + crawl. Strong for technical SEO at large sites.
Frequently asked
Can SEO Score API crawl an entire site like Screaming Frog?
Not in one call. SEO Score API audits a single URL per call (or many in a batch). For full-site crawls of 10k+ pages, Screaming Frog is the better tool. Many teams use both: Frog for periodic deep crawls, SEO Score API for automated per-URL checks in CI.
Does SEO Score API run in CI/CD?
Yes — we publish a GitHub Action and Python/Node SDKs. Screaming Frog has a CLI mode but it requires installing the desktop app on your runner.
Why is SEO Score API cheaper?
We run a focused product (on-demand audits via API) and don't pay for desktop UI, support staff for non-developers, or bundled features. Different scope, different price.
Can I get JSON output from Screaming Frog?
Frog exports CSV/Excel and has scheduled exports, but it isn't an API. You can't `curl` it. SEO Score API is JSON-first.
Audit your site free — no Screaming Frog subscription, no credit card.
Score any URL across 80+ checks in one API call. Free tier, key in seconds.