Comparisons between SEO tools are inevitable since we spend quite a bit of time and money on them. So, who’s better when the comparison is between two industry leaders- Ahrefs or Screaming Frog?
In the world of SEO, selecting the right tools can make or break your digital marketing efforts. Two of the most popular options among SEO professionals are Ahrefs and Screaming Frog.
Each has unique strengths that cater to different aspects of SEO.
Ahrefs focuses on comprehensive backlink analysis and keyword research. Meanwhile, Screaming Frog is best known for its in-depth website crawling and technical SEO audits.
In this blog, we’ll compare these two powerful SEO tools, highlight their features, and determine which one might be best suited for your needs.
Table of Contents
Ahrefs Overview
Ahrefs is a comprehensive SEO toolset primarily known for its backlink analysis, keyword research, and site audit capabilities.
The tool has one of the largest and most frequently updated backlink indexes. It is often used for competitive analysis and identifying link-building opportunities.
Ahrefs also offers tools for tracking rankings, analyzing organic search traffic, and performing technical audits on websites.
This robust feature set has made Ahrefs one of the top choices for both SEO agencies and individual digital marketers.
Pros
- Extensive Backlink Database: Ahrefs’ backlink index is one of the largest in the industry, providing detailed insights into backlinks, referring domains, and link quality.
- Keyword Research: The keyword research tools are incredibly detailed, offering data on search volume, keyword difficulty, CPC, and more.
- Site Audits: Ahrefs provides a thorough site audit tool that identifies technical SEO issues, helping you optimize your website for better performance.
- Competitor Analysis: It excels in competitive research, allowing you to track your competitors’ backlinks, rankings, and keyword strategies.
- Constant Data Updates: Ahrefs is known for its frequent updates, ensuring that data is fresh and relevant.
Cons
- Expensive: Ahrefs can be pricey, especially for small businesses and freelancers, with its plans ranging from $99/month to $999/month.
- Learning Curve: With such a vast array of features, beginners may find it overwhelming.
- No Crawling: Unlike Screaming Frog, Ahrefs doesn’t specialize in detailed website crawling for technical audits.
Screaming Frog Overview
Screaming Frog SEO Spider is a website crawling tool designed to help SEO professionals perform detailed technical SEO audits.
It analyzes websites by crawling every URL to gather insights about critical on-site factors like-
- Page titles
- Meta descriptions
- Headers
- Broken links
-and more.
It’s especially useful for large websites, offering a granular look at potential SEO issues such as duplicate content, missing meta tags, or redirect loops.
Although it doesn’t offer backlink analysis or keyword research, its deep focus on on-site SEO makes it a vital tool for technical SEO audits.
Pros
- In-Depth Crawling: Screaming Frog is unparalleled in crawling websites and identifying technical issues, from broken links to missing alt text.
- Technical SEO Focus: It provides detailed insights into elements like page titles, meta descriptions, H1 tags, image alt attributes, and URL structure.
- Affordable: Compared to Ahrefs, Screaming Frog offers an affordable pricing structure with a one-time fee for the full version.
- Bulk Exporting: The tool allows for bulk exporting of crawled data, making it easy to generate reports for clients or teams.
- Customizable: Screaming Frog is highly customizable, allowing users to set crawl parameters and limit the depth of the crawl, which is great for large websites.
Cons
- Limited Features Beyond Crawling: Unlike Ahrefs, Screaming Frog doesn’t offer keyword research or backlink analysis, so it can’t be used for a full-scale SEO strategy.
- Steep Learning Curve: The interface can be complex for beginners, requiring some time to get used to.
- No Off-Site Data: It focuses only on on-site data and doesn’t provide insights into competitors, organic traffic, or backlinks.
A Comparison of Features
When comparing Ahrefs and Screaming Frog, their feature sets cater to different aspects of SEO.
Ahrefs is a more holistic tool that focuses on backlink analysis, keyword research, and competitive intelligence. Screaming Frog excels at website crawling and technical SEO audits.
Here’s a detailed look at how these two tools stack up against each other in key areas-
Backlink Analysis
- Ahrefs: This is one of Ahrefs’ standout features.
It boasts one of the largest backlink indexes, offering detailed insights into your own site’s backlinks, your competitors’ backlink strategies, and the quality of those links.
Ahrefs is crucial for off-site SEO tasks like link-building and competitor analysis.
- Screaming Frog: Screaming Frog does not offer backlink analysis. Its primary function is to crawl websites for technical SEO issues.
It can identify internal links, but for backlink data, you’ll need a separate tool like Ahrefs.
Keyword Research
- Ahrefs: Ahrefs excels at keyword research, offering tools that provide search volume, keyword difficulty, CPC, and other relevant metrics.
It allows users to track keyword rankings and assess competition for specific terms, making it an invaluable resource for SEO campaigns.
- Screaming Frog: Screaming Frog does not provide any keyword research features. It focuses purely on on-site SEO, including title tags, headings, and content issues.
Site Auditing and Technical SEO
- Ahrefs: Ahrefs offers a site audit tool that detects technical SEO issues, but it’s less granular than Screaming Frog’s audit tool.
It focuses more on content-related problems, like broken links or duplicate content, rather than deep technical issues.
- Screaming Frog: Screaming Frog’s core strength is its website crawling capabilities.
It provides detailed reports on issues like broken links, redirects, meta descriptions, page titles, and header tags, making it an essential tool for deep technical SEO analysis.
Competitor Analysis
- Ahrefs: A major advantage of Ahrefs is its ability to perform detailed competitor analysis. It lets you see competitors’ backlinks, keywords, and content strategies.
- Screaming Frog: No competitor analysis functionality. It focuses entirely on your site.
In summary, Ahrefs provides a more comprehensive SEO toolkit, while Screaming Frog specializes in technical SEO audits.
Pricing Comparison
Pricing plays a significant role in deciding which SEO tool to choose, especially for freelancers and small businesses. Here’s a comparison of the pricing models for Ahrefs and Screaming Frog–
Ahrefs Pricing
Ahrefs operates on a subscription-based model, offering four pricing tiers. They are-
- Lite: $129/month, ideal for smaller businesses with limited needs.
- Standard: $249/month, providing more comprehensive features like increased data limits for keyword research and site audits.
- Advanced: $449/month, designed for large businesses with multiple team members and advanced functionality.
- Agency: $1499/month, with the highest data limits, making it ideal for agencies managing multiple clients.
Ahrefs is powerful but can be quite expensive, especially for freelancers or small businesses.
It’s best suited for users who need a broad set of features and who are working on larger projects with bigger budgets.
Screaming Frog Pricing
Screaming Frog offers a more affordable pricing structure with a one-time fee for the paid version.
- Free Version: Limited to crawling 500 URLs.
- Paid Version: $259 per year. This unlocks unlimited crawling, integration with Google Analytics, and additional customization options.
- Per License: The default paid version provides 1-4 licenses ($259 each). You can choose to buy more at once. Each license is for one user.
- Getting 5-9 licenses at once costs- $245 each
- Getting 10-19 licenses at once costs- $235 each
- Getting 20+ licenses at once costs- $225 each
Compared to Ahrefs, Screaming Frog is a much more affordable option. That’s especially helpful for individuals or smaller companies that focus primarily on technical SEO.
However, it lacks Ahrefs’s broader capabilities, such as backlink analysis and keyword research.
Who Is the Winner?
When it comes to determining the winner between Ahrefs and Screaming Frog, the choice ultimately depends on your SEO needs.
If you’re looking for a comprehensive SEO tool that covers-
- Backlink analysis
- Keyword research and
- Competitor analysis
-then Ahrefs is the clear winner.
It provides a broad suite of features that can help businesses tackle off-site and on-site SEO. Hence, it’s a go-to for those looking to execute a full-scale SEO strategy.
However, if your primary focus is on technical SEO and you need a tool that specializes in crawling websites for issues like-
- Broken links
- Meta tags or
- Site structure
–Screaming Frog might be the better choice. It is incredibly affordable and specialized, making it an essential tool for technical SEO audits.
Ultimately, the winner depends on whether you need a complete SEO solution (Ahrefs) or a technical audit tool (Screaming Frog).
Can You Use Both?
Yes, you can absolutely use both Ahrefs and Screaming Frog together for a more comprehensive SEO strategy. By combining the strengths of both tools, you can cover all aspects of SEO.
For instance, you can use Screaming Frog to conduct a deep technical audit. It will ensure your site is free from issues like broken links, slow page load times, or duplicate content.
Then, use Ahrefs to gain insights into how your competitors are ranking, identify backlink opportunities, and perform thorough keyword research.
Using both tools gives you a holistic approach to SEO. It guarantees that your website is optimized technically, making it ideal for businesses aiming for long-term SEO success.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Ahrefs and Screaming Frog both have unique strengths that can greatly benefit SEO professionals and businesses.
If you need a comprehensive SEO toolkit for backlink research, keyword analysis, and competitor insights, Ahrefs is the ideal choice.
On the other hand, if your focus is on technical SEO and conducting detailed site audits, Screaming Frog shines.
Ultimately, both tools complement each other well, and using them together can help you build a robust SEO strategy.
The right tool depends on your specific needs, but combining both will give you the best of both worlds.
