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Most buyers should pick Screaming Frog SEO Spider.
Choose Screaming Frog SEO Spider if technical SEO crawling is the priority: its free version covers 500 URLs, and the paid licence lists unlimited* URLs for $199 per user, billed yearly. Choose A1 Website Analyzer if you want a lower one-time price: its free mode also caps crawls at 500 URLs, while Professional costs $49 once with no fixed crawl limit. A1 lists a 30-day trial; Screaming Frog trial terms are not published here.
01Side by side
| Screaming Frog SEO Spider | A1 Website Analyzer | |
|---|---|---|
| Paid starting price | $199 per user yearly; free version available | $49 one-time Professional license; free mode available |
| Free plan | 500-URL crawl limit; core crawling and audit features | 500 crawl URLs and 500 import URLs per website |
| Best for | Technical SEO audits and larger website crawls | Finding site issues without a recurring license fee |
| Core strength | Website crawling for technical SEO audits | Broken links, duplicate content, code errors and typos |
| Learning curve | Not published on the vendor's site | Not published on the vendor's site |
| Integrations / data | Not published on the vendor's site | Not published on the vendor's site |
| Team / seat costs | $199 yearly per user; bulk discounts listed in GBP | One user per license; additional-user price not published |
| Support | Free technical support included on both plans | Support terms not published on the vendor's site |
Screaming Frog SEO Spider Choose Screaming Frog SEO Spider if
- Choose Screaming Frog if technical SEO audits are the priority.
- Choose Screaming Frog for crawls above 500 URLs and annual billing.
- Choose Screaming Frog if included free technical support matters.
A1 Website Analyzer Choose A1 Website Analyzer if
- Choose A1 if you want a one-time $49 Professional license.
- Choose A1 if you need uncapped crawl volume without annual billing.
- Choose A1 if its 500-URL free mode and 30-day trial fit.
02Pricing compared
Both tools have a free option capped at 500 crawl URLs per website. Screaming Frog’s paid licence costs $199 per user per year, listed as $16.58 per user per month when billed annually. It adds unlimited* URLs and advanced features; the pricing details do not explain the asterisk. Licences last one year and need renewal, with no monthly billing option listed. A1 Website Analyzer Professional costs $49 once, with no fixed crawl or import URL limit and one user per licence. Its free mode has a 500-URL crawl limit and a 500-URL import limit. A1 also lists a 30-day trial. Screaming Frog trial terms are not published here. For a single user, A1 has the lower upfront price; Screaming Frog’s free tier offers a way to start without paying.
03Features and depth
Screaming Frog is described as a desktop website crawler for technical SEO audits. Its free version includes core crawling and audit features, while a paid licence adds advanced features; the pricing details do not specify exactly which features are paid-only. The software is listed for Windows, Mac and Linux. A free download is available, but the free crawl is limited to 500 URLs.
A1 Website Analyzer’s feature list is more explicit about the problems it identifies: broken links, duplicate titles, headers and content, non-optimal internal linking, crawling problems, HTML and CSS errors, and spelling typos. Its free mode covers up to 500 crawl URLs and 500 import URLs per website. Professional removes the fixed URL limit, according to the pricing details, for a one-time fee. The published product information does not list supported operating systems. If the priority is a technical SEO crawler, Screaming Frog is the more direct fit; if you want the listed checks for content and code issues, A1 spells those out more clearly.
04Ease of use and learning curve
Neither product’s published information gives much detail about setup, interface design or onboarding, so there is not enough evidence to call either one easier to learn. The listed review scores give Screaming Frog 6/10 for ease of use and A1 Website Analyzer 5/10, but those scores do not explain the reasons behind the ratings.
Screaming Frog is desktop software with versions listed for Windows, Mac and Linux. A1 offers a free mode and a 30-day trial, so you can assess its workflow before buying; the published details do not describe its platform support. Both free options cap crawls at 500 URLs, which gives you a way to try basic checks before deciding whether the paid option fits.
Questions people ask
Which is cheaper, Screaming Frog or A1 Website Analyzer?
A1 Website Analyzer Professional has the lower listed upfront price: $49 once. Screaming Frog’s paid licence is $199 per user per year, billed annually. Both offer a free option, with a 500-URL crawl limit. A1 also lists a 30-day trial; Screaming Frog trial terms are not published here.
What are the URL limits on each tool?
Both free versions are listed with a 500-URL crawl limit. A1’s free mode also allows 500 import URLs per website. A1 Professional has no fixed crawl or import URL limit. Screaming Frog’s paid licence lists unlimited* URLs, but the published pricing details do not explain the asterisk.
Can I use Screaming Frog or A1 Website Analyzer for free?
Yes. Screaming Frog has a free version with core crawling and audit features and a 500-URL crawl limit. A1 Website Analyzer has a $0 free mode with a 500-URL crawl limit and a 500-URL import limit per website. A1 also lists a 30-day trial.
Which operating systems do these tools support?
Screaming Frog lists versions for Windows, Mac and Linux. The A1 Website Analyzer information provided here does not specify supported operating systems, so check its current product documentation before choosing it based on your computer or operating system.