Screaming Frog vs Seoxpert: Which Is Right for Agencies?
By Seoxpert Editorial · Published · Updated
Both tools can crawl a website. The differences that matter for agency work are where the crawl happens, how results get delivered to clients, and whether scans can run without a person at a keyboard.
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At a Glance — Feature Comparison
| Feature | Screaming Frog | Seoxpert |
|---|---|---|
| Cloud-based | No — desktop only | Yes — no install required |
| Scheduling | CLI only, requires local machine | Native, per-domain, cloud |
| Security audit | Not included | Yes — HSTS, CSP, X-Frame-Options, mixed content |
| AI / GEO citability checks | No | Yes — llms.txt, AI bot disallow, Org schema, answer-first |
| Content-gap LLM analysis | No | Yes — surfaces missing landing pages with cited evidence |
| PDF export | No | Yes — with health score and prioritised findings |
| White-label PDF reports | No | Yes — Agency tier (logo + accent colour + footer) |
| Deploy hook (CI trigger) | CLI flag, manual | Yes — per-domain `sxp_deploy_…` token, signed |
| Signed event webhooks | No | Yes — Stripe-style HMAC, scan.completed / score.dropped / etc |
| Public REST API with scoped tokens | No (CLI only) | Yes — Pro and Agency, 600 req/min on Agency |
| Client portal (live, per-client URL) | No | Yes — Pro and Agency |
| Team workspaces with RBAC | No | Yes — owner / admin / editor / viewer, server-enforced |
| E-E-A-T and GDPR checks | No | Yes — author signals, cookie consent, privacy policy |
| Pricing model | £199/yr (paid), free tier 500 URLs | Free tier or €19.99/mo subscription |
Screaming Frog: What It Does Well
Screaming Frog is the established standard for large-scale desktop crawls. Its JavaScript rendering via an integrated Puppeteer instance handles single-page applications reliably, making it a strong choice for sites where client-side rendering changes the DOM after the initial load. Custom extraction rules, regex-based filtering, and direct Google Analytics integration make it highly configurable for advanced technical SEO work.
For SEO specialists who primarily work at the command line and need fine-grained crawl control over large, complex sites, Screaming Frog remains a powerful tool. The paid licence is an annual cost (£199/year) rather than a monthly subscription, which suits some budget models.
Where Seoxpert Goes Further
Cloud-based — no install, no crawl-limit workarounds
Seoxpert runs entirely in the cloud. There is no software to install, no machine that must be on during the crawl, and no licence key to manage. Audits can be triggered from any browser, by any team member, at any time.
Scheduled scans and regression alerts
Native per-domain scheduling means audits run automatically on a weekly or daily cadence without manual intervention. When a new scan completes, findings are compared against the previous run so regressions — issues that appeared after a deployment — are flagged immediately.
Security, Performance, E-E-A-T, and AI citability in a single pass
Every Seoxpert scan checks security headers, Core Web Vitals signals, E-E-A-T indicators, GDPR consent, AI content signals, AI / GEO citability (llms.txt, AI-bot disallows, Organization schema, answer-first paragraphs), and content gaps (missing landing pages and pillar pages) alongside traditional SEO factors. Screaming Frog focuses on crawl data and on-page signals; these additional categories require separate tools.
Native CI / pipeline integration
Per-domain deploy hooks let CI pipelines trigger a scan with a single curl after every deploy (rate-limited 1 / 5 min). Signed event webhooks (Stripe-compatible HMAC) deliver scan.completed / score.dropped / issue.new_critical / credits.low events to Slack, Linear, internal tooling. Screaming Frog supports CLI invocation but offers no managed event delivery — you wire up your own polling.
PDF exports and shareable client reports
Completed scans export to PDF with a health score, letter grade, and prioritised findings list. Shareable scan links let you send results directly to clients without requiring them to create an account. HTML exports support custom reporting workflows.
Signup-first onboarding with domain handoff
Enter a URL on the homepage and Seoxpert carries it into signup, then prefills the add-domain form in the dashboard after account creation. The user confirms the domain first and starts the scan from the workspace, which prevents typo-driven setup mistakes and keeps onboarding explicit.
Pricing Comparison
Screaming Frog is free for crawls up to 500 URLs. The paid licence is £199/year with no per-seat or per-domain restrictions.
Seoxpert has a free tier (4 scans/month, 1 domain), Pro at €19.99/month (10 domains, 100 scans/mo), and Agency at €89/month (50 domains, 500 scans/mo, white-label). See the full pricing page for current rates.
Which Tool Should Agencies Choose?
If your workflow requires very large crawls on complex JavaScript-rendered sites with custom extraction rules, Screaming Frog remains a valid choice. It is well-suited to technical SEO specialists who work primarily in their own environment and do not need to hand off results directly to clients.
For agencies that need cloud scheduling, security audits, client-ready PDF reports, and the ability to run audits without a dedicated local machine, Seoxpert covers more ground in less time. The agency SEO platform page covers the full feature set in detail.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Screaming Frog free?
Screaming Frog is free for crawls up to 500 URLs. The paid licence is £199/year. Seoxpert has a free tier with 4 full scans per month on a single domain — no credit card required, no URL-count restriction.
Does Screaming Frog run in the cloud?
No. Screaming Frog is a desktop application that requires a local install on Windows, macOS, or Linux. The machine must be running during the crawl. Seoxpert is entirely cloud-based.
Can Screaming Frog schedule automatic scans?
Screaming Frog can be triggered via command line on a local machine, but has no built-in cloud scheduling UI. Seoxpert provides per-domain scheduling with automatic advancement and no local dependency.
Which tool is better for security audits?
Seoxpert includes a dedicated security scanner covering HTTPS, HSTS, CSP, X-Frame-Options, mixed content, and additional headers. Screaming Frog does not include security header checks as a built-in feature.
Can I export PDF reports from both tools?
Screaming Frog exports CSV and some HTML reports. Seoxpert exports PDF and CSV — and on the Agency tier the PDF carries the agency's logo, accent colour, and footer (no Seoxpert branding visible). Screaming Frog has no PDF export and no white-label option.
Does Screaming Frog check whether AI search engines can cite my site?
No. Screaming Frog focuses on crawl data and on-page signals — it does not check for /llms.txt, AI-bot disallows in robots.txt, Organization JSON-LD schema, or answer-first paragraph structure. Seoxpert's AI search citability checks run all four together.
Does Seoxpert support CI / pipeline integration?
Yes. Per-domain deploy hooks let CI pipelines trigger a scan with a single curl. Signed event webhooks (Stripe-compatible HMAC) deliver scan.completed, scan.failed, score.dropped, issue.new_critical, and credits.low events to any HTTPS endpoint. Screaming Frog supports CLI invocation but offers no managed event delivery.
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