8 Best FREE Website Crawler Tools (2026)

Ever felt stuck trying to understand why your site’s SEO performance keeps slipping despite endless tweaks? The truth is, relying on poor-quality or unverified web crawler tools can wreak havoc. You could end up with incomplete data, inaccurate reports, broken link oversight, missed indexing issues, security flaws, and even false SEO insights that misguide your strategy. Faulty crawling methods don’t just waste time—they can damage visibility, rankings, and user trust. The right tools, however, deliver accurate data, deep audits, and actionable insights that help you fix issues faster and grow smarter.

I spent over 130+ hours researching and testing 40+ web crawler tools to bring you this expertly curated guide. Each tool listed here is backed-by firsthand experience and hands-on testing to ensure accuracy and relevance. This article covers the key features, pros and cons, and pricing of the best website crawling tools available today. I’ve done the hard work so you can make an informed decision—read the full article to find out which tool fits your needs perfectly. Read more…

Best Web Crawler Software & Tools

Name	Key Features	Integrations & API	Free Trial	Link
Sitechecker.pro	• Flexible Crawling Settings • Full Technical SEO Audit	WordPress, Shopify, Joomla, etc.	14-Days Free Trial	Learn More
Apify	• Anti-Scraping Measures • Advanced Crawling Capabilities	Zapier, Telegram, Slack, Asana, Make, etc.	Lifetime Free Basic Plan	Learn More
Semrush	• On-Page SEO Checker • Traffic Analytics	Google Sheets, WordPress, HubSpot, etc.	7-Days Free Trial	Learn More
Hexometer	• SEO Monitoring and Optimization • On-Demand Page Audits	Slack, Zapier, Pabbly Connect, etc.	Lifetime Free Basic Plan	Learn More
Link-Assistant	• Optimization Reports • Customizable Settings	Desktop Software, SEO PowerSuite	Download for Free	Learn More

1) Sitechecker.pro

Sitechecker.pro is one of the most intuitive SEO audit and website crawler tools I’ve used to date. It quickly scans every corner of a site—internal links, broken pages, duplicate content, and indexing errors—to give a clear picture of overall health. Its visual dashboard makes complex SEO data easy to understand, even for beginners. I really like how it highlights the most urgent issues and helps me structure fixes step by step.

When I tested it on a client’s eCommerce site, the on-page SEO audit instantly flagged duplicate meta tags and slow-loading landing pages that were dragging down rankings. Once I optimized them, site visibility noticeably improved. With its free 14-day trial, Sitechecker.pro is a dependable way to audit, monitor, and enhance your website’s SEO performance without guesswork.

Features:

• Link Scanning: This feature scans both internal and external website links to locate broken or redirected ones. It provides actionable insights to fix these links quickly. I like how efficiently it keeps your site structure healthy and optimized.
• Website Speed Measurement: It helps you assess how fast your web pages load across devices. This feature identifies scripts or media slowing down performance. I have used it to cut down load time by 30%, which directly improved engagement.
• Structure Visualization: This feature visually maps your site’s architecture, giving you a clear view of hierarchy and depth. It simplifies complex structures and helps prioritize SEO fixes. You can easily detect orphan pages or misplaced elements.
• Landing Page Indexing: It ensures your landing pages are indexed correctly on major search engines. This tool identifies blocked or unindexed pages instantly. It is crucial for avoiding ranking penalties and ensuring full visibility in SERPs.
• Prevent Cyber Attacks: This feature detects vulnerabilities that could lead to data breaches or injection attacks. It proactively warns you about risky scripts and outdated plugins. You can address potential threats before they escalate into real issues.

👉 How to Get Sitechecker.pro for Free?

• Go to Sitechecker.pro
• Select the “Get Started” button to create an account and begin your 14-day free trial—no credit card required.

Visit Sitechecker.pro

14-day free trial (No credit card required)

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2) Apify

Apify is a powerful, free web scraping and crawling platform built for flexibility and scale. It effortlessly handles both static and JavaScript-heavy websites, making data collection fast and clean. What stood out to me is how it automatically removes unnecessary clutter—ads, cookie banners, and pop-ups—leaving only relevant content for analysis. Its cloud-based scalability means you can crawl anything from a small blog to a multi-million-page portal without lag.

In one project, I used Apify’s dynamic crawler to gather structured data across hundreds of product pages. It handled pagination and AJAX content flawlessly, something most basic crawlers stumble with. I could export everything to JSON and CSV formats in seconds. For anyone serious about large-scale data extraction, Apify is a reliable, free option that streamlines even the most complex scraping workflows.

Features:

• Dynamic Website Crawling: This feature efficiently extracts data from both static and JavaScript-rendered websites. It ensures no page or hidden element is missed. I have used this feature to crawl dynamic e-commerce sites without losing essential product data.
• Scalability: You can easily scale your web scraping tasks from small jobs to millions of pages. It leverages Apify’s cloud infrastructure to handle complex, large-scale operations. This flexibility is perfect for growing projects or enterprise-level data extraction.
• JavaScript Rendering: This feature utilizes headless browsers such as Firefox or Chrome to process JavaScript-heavy sites. It mimics real user interactions, which is helpful for sites that rely on dynamic content. You can extract complete and accurate information every time.
• Customizable Content Output: Apify lets you export extracted content in formats like JSON, HTML, or Markdown. This flexibility helps you tailor the data to your preferred format. It saves time in transforming and integrating the output into your workflow.
• Content Cleaning Options: It automatically removes unnecessary elements such as ads, cookie pop-ups, or irrelevant banners. This creates clean, focused data that is ready for analysis. I found this especially useful when cleaning datasets from multiple content-heavy websites.

👉 How to Get Apify for Free?

• Go to Apify Website Content Crawler.
• Click “Start Free Trial” to explore its capabilities without any initial cost.

Visit Apify >>

Lifetime Free Basic Plan

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3) Semrush

Semrush is an all-in-one SEO crawler and analytics powerhouse that goes beyond just scanning web pages. It performs deep technical SEO audits, checks site architecture, analyzes internal links, and flags HTTP or duplicate content issues before they affect rankings. I love how its visual reports make sense even to non-technical users while offering advanced metrics for pros.

During one site audit, Semrush helped me detect hundreds of orphaned URLs and redirect loops that were silently hurting SEO. Within days of fixing them, I saw noticeable ranking gains. Beyond crawling, its integration with keyword tracking and competitor analysis tools makes it invaluable for improving both technical and strategic SEO. With its free 7-day trial, Semrush is a solid pick for anyone aiming to elevate their entire digital presence.

Features:

• Comprehensive Testing: This feature performs a complete site-wide check, scanning metadata, HTTP/HTTPS issues, duplicate content, and status codes. It helps identify errors that slow down SEO growth. I found it highly effective for pinpointing technical SEO gaps during audits.
• User-Friendly Interface: The interface feels intuitive and responsive, even for non-technical users. You can quickly access reports without digging through complex menus. It makes learning SEO analysis easier for beginners and saves time for experts.
• Log File Analysis: This feature examines server logs to reveal how search engines interact with your website. It helps uncover crawl inefficiencies and indexing issues. I personally used it to identify crawl waste and optimize my site’s architecture.
• Website Auditing: It enables detailed site auditing that covers performance, accessibility, and SEO. The process is automated yet customizable for different project scopes. It is ideal for users who want consistent and actionable improvement reports.
• Dashboard Insights: The dashboard provides a visual summary of website health, ranking status, and technical errors. It helps prioritize tasks using color-coded alerts and progress indicators. You can manage multiple projects from a single unified view.

👉 How to Get Semrush for Free?

• Go to Semrush
• Click the “Start Your Free Trial” button to register and enjoy a 7-day trial—no payment details required.

Visit Semrush >>

7-Days Free Trial

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4) Hexometer

Hexometer is one of the most intelligent website performance monitoring tools I’ve used. It constantly checks a site’s uptime, SEO, and security status, scanning more than 2,800 data points to identify potential issues before they escalate. Its dashboard is clean and intuitive, helping even non-technical users stay on top of performance. I particularly like how it integrates with Slack, Telegram, and Gmail, allowing instant alerts whenever something goes wrong.

While using it to track one of my client projects, Hexometer caught a broken SSL configuration and SEO indexing issue in real time — saving hours of manual checking. That kind of proactive insight made me appreciate its depth and reliability. For anyone serious about maintaining a healthy, high-performing website, Hexometer’s free plan is a perfect place to start.

Features:

• Website Security Analysis: This feature continuously scans your website for vulnerabilities, expired certificates, and outdated plugins. It helps prevent data leaks or attacks before they occur. I have used it to identify weak security headers that were easily fixed.
• SEO with White Label: Hexometer allows you to rebrand SEO reports under your own business name. It gives marketing agencies a professional edge when sharing results with clients. You can maintain brand consistency while delivering detailed audit data.
• Search Engine Ranking: This feature tracks your site’s performance across major search engines. It monitors keyword fluctuations and ranking improvements over time. I found it helpful in understanding how technical fixes influence visibility and traffic growth.
• Integrates with Tools: It connects seamlessly with Slack, Telegram, and Gmail for instant notifications. These integrations ensure you never miss important alerts or SEO warnings. This feature streamlines collaboration between marketing and development teams effectively.
• Track Website Updates: You can monitor every website change, including content edits and layout modifications. It ensures your updates are tracked and properly logged for accountability. This helps avoid unexpected changes that could affect site performance or SEO.

👉 How to Get Hexometer for Free?

• Go to Hexometer
• Click “Get Started in Minutes” to quickly sign up and create your free account instantly.

Visit Hexometer >>

Life Time Free Basic Plan

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5) Link-Assistant

Link-Assistant is a robust SEO analysis and crawler suite that combines website optimization, keyword tracking, and backlink analysis in one platform. It’s designed to simplify the technical side of SEO, and I found its interface refreshingly straightforward. What makes it stand out is the ability to generate customizable optimization reports that clearly highlight areas for improvement — something that’s invaluable when managing multiple projects.

During one audit, the site configuration tool helped me quickly identify underperforming landing pages and reorganize them for better ranking results. The experience felt seamless, especially with its flexible settings. For anyone looking to improve site visibility without drowning in complexity, Link-Assistant’s free download version is an excellent way to get started.

Features:

• Optimization Reports: This feature generates detailed website optimization reports that highlight SEO errors, keyword opportunities, and on-page health. It helps you identify performance gaps quickly. I used it to streamline my content audit and noticed visible ranking improvements.
• Customizable Settings: You can adjust this feature to match your unique SEO strategy and reporting preferences. It lets you define metrics, frequency, and output formats. I appreciate its flexibility, especially when tailoring audits for different client goals.
• Site Configuration: It allows smooth configuration of multi-language websites for improved visibility across global markets. This feature ensures proper URL structures, hreflang tags, and metadata localization. I found it helpful when managing multi-regional websites efficiently.
• Keyword Grouping and Tracking: You can group related keywords and track their progress collectively. It simplifies management of keyword clusters and campaign-level insights. I have found this particularly useful for monitoring topic-based SEO growth.
• SEO-Friendly Setup: This feature optimizes your website for search engines using structured guidelines. It improves crawlability, metadata structure, and internal linking. Beginners will find this particularly helpful in creating an SEO foundation without complex configurations.

👉 How to Get Link-Assistant for Free?

• Go to Link-Assistant
• Click “Download for FREE” to register and instantly access your free download.

Link: https://www.link-assistant.com/

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6) Screaming Frog

Screaming Frog is a powerful website crawler built for technical SEO professionals and newcomers alike. It scans up to 500 URLs for free, identifying issues like broken links, duplicate pages, and metadata errors that can silently harm SEO. I’ve always appreciated how fast and detailed its audits are, making it one of the most dependable tools in my testing stack.

In one case, I used Screaming Frog to crawl a large corporate website and discovered hundreds of redirect chains slowing down indexing. The fixes were straightforward once the crawler laid everything bare. What I like most is its ability to integrate with Google Analytics and Search Console, turning data into actionable insights. If you want a free, desktop-based SEO crawler that delivers precision and control, Screaming Frog is hard to beat.

Features:

• Broken Link Detection: This feature quickly identifies broken links and server errors across your website. It ensures that all internal and external links work properly. I used it to uncover dozens of 404 pages that silently hurt user experience and SEO rankings.
• Analyze SEO Elements: Screaming Frog analyzes essential SEO components like page titles, metadata, and headers. It helps detect missing or duplicated tags efficiently. This feature is especially valuable for beginners optimizing websites for search engine visibility.
• Duplicate Content Finder: This feature identifies identical or near-duplicate pages within your site. It helps prevent keyword cannibalization and ranking dilution. You can quickly fix or consolidate duplicate pages to improve overall site quality.
• Web Data Collection & Sitemaps: You can extract structured web data using XPath and generate XML sitemaps automatically. It simplifies organizing and maintaining URL structures for large websites. I have used this to streamline sitemap submissions across multiple domains.
• Integrations: This feature integrates with Google Analytics, Search Console, and PageSpeed Insights. It brings performance and user data directly into your crawl reports. This cross-platform insight helps you correlate technical issues with real-world user behavior effectively.

👉 How to Get Screaming Frog for Free?

• Go to Screaming Frog
• Click “Download” to instantly access your free download.

Link: https://www.screamingfrog.co.uk/seo-spider/

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7) 80legs

80legs is a high-performance web crawling platform designed for large-scale data extraction. It allows you to build custom crawls, monitor online trends, and control speed automatically to avoid server overloads. What impressed me most was its scalability—it can handle millions of pages without lag. I liked how its multi-server setup enables faster access from different IP addresses, ensuring broader web coverage and accuracy.

In one project, I configured a custom crawl for SEO analysis and was amazed at how quickly I could download clean, structured data for offline study. The real-time results helped me identify broken URLs and update site architecture efficiently. For anyone looking for a free, customizable crawler, 80legs offers both flexibility and raw power for professional-grade web data collection.

Features:

• Custom Crawling: This feature allows you to design and run tailored web crawls based on specific URLs or patterns. It gives precise control over what data is extracted. I have used this to focus crawls on product categories, saving both time and bandwidth.
• Trend Monitoring: It helps you track and analyze online trends by gathering live web data over time. This feature is valuable for identifying market shifts and competitor activities. You can use it to support data-driven decisions in fast-changing industries.
• Auto Speed Control: This feature automatically adjusts crawling speed based on target site load and bandwidth availability. It prevents server overloads and respects website rate limits. I found this particularly useful for maintaining compliance with ethical scraping practices.
• Scheduling and Automation: This feature would allow you to schedule recurring crawls at set intervals. It is ideal for users needing continuous monitoring of website changes. Automation also reduces manual overhead and ensures consistent data collection.
• Download Results: You can export and download crawl data directly to your computer for offline analysis. It supports multiple formats like CSV or JSON. I liked how quickly I could retrieve clean, structured datasets ready for visualization or machine learning workflows.

👉 How to Get 80legs for Free?

• Go to 80legs
• Click “Signup or Login” to create your free account or access your existing one instantly.

Link: http://80legs.com/products/custom-web-crawling/

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8) Dyno Mapper

Dyno Mapper is an intelligent visual sitemap and website analysis tool that transforms site architecture into an interactive, easy-to-understand layout. It’s excellent for those who want to organize complex websites visually. I particularly liked how it tracks device performance across desktops, tablets, and mobiles—ensuring your site delivers a consistent experience everywhere.

When I used Dyno Mapper for an SEO audit, its ability to crawl private pages and reveal structural weaknesses gave me a clear view of how to improve site navigation and keyword alignment. The content auditing and keyword tracking features made optimization straightforward. If you want a free, visual crawler that simplifies technical audits and helps strengthen SEO strategy, Dyno Mapper is a must-try.

Features:

• Device Tracking: This feature monitors how websites perform across desktops, tablets, and mobile devices. It highlights layout inconsistencies and speed variations across different screens. I used it to ensure uniform performance and accessibility across all device types.
• Access Private Pages: Dyno Mapper can crawl password-protected or restricted pages with proper credentials. It ensures no section of a website is missed during audits. This feature is especially helpful when testing staging environments or gated content areas.
• Identify Weaknesses: This feature detects performance and SEO gaps such as broken links, thin content, and duplicate pages. It provides actionable insights to strengthen website structure. I found it valuable for improving both page authority and site usability.
• Keyword Ranking Tracking: You can monitor keyword rankings locally and internationally for your web pages. It shows ranking progress, competition, and historical performance trends. I have used this to identify keyword drops early and adjust my SEO strategy effectively.
• SEO-Friendly Development: Dyno Mapper encourages SEO compliance throughout website design and updates. It provides visibility into metadata, content hierarchy, and URL structures. This helps developers build pages that align with search engine best practices from the start.

👉 How to Get Dyno Mapper for Free?

• Go to Dyno Mapper
• Click “FREE TRIAL” to sign up and begin your 14-day free trial—no payment required.

Link: https://dynomapper.com/

What are the legal and ethical considerations when using a website crawler?

When you use a website crawler, you need to think about a few legal and ethical points. Start by checking a site’s Terms of Service, because some websites do not allow automated tools. Look at the robots.txt file so you know what the site owner wants you to avoid. Keep your crawl speed gentle, because a heavy crawl can stress someone’s server. Never gather personal data you do not need, because that creates real risks. Remember that much online content is copyrighted, so treat it with care. A crawler should act like a polite visitor, not a troublemaker.

How Did We Choose Best Website Crawler Tools?

At Guru99, we are committed to delivering accurate, relevant, and objective information through rigorous content creation and review processes. After 80+ hours of research and exploring 40+ Best Free Website Crawler Tools, I curated a list of 13 top choices, covering both free and paid options. This well-researched guide offers trusted insights to help you make the best decision. When choosing website crawler tools, we focus on performance, usability, speed, accuracy, and features. These elements are essential for optimizing a website’s crawling capabilities, ensuring the tools are efficient and accessible to users at all levels.

• Efficiency: The most efficient tools aim to crawl websites quickly and accurately.
• Scalability: It is important to consider tools that allow you to scale as your needs grow.
• Feature Set: One of the best tools offers robust features like data extraction and customization.
• User Interface: The easy-to-use interface allows seamless navigation for both beginners and professionals.
• Robots.txt & Sitemap Detection: It must detect the robots.txt file and sitemap effortlessly to ensure optimal crawling efficiency.
• Broken Links & Pages Detection: A web crawler should find broken pages and links quickly, saving time and improving site performance.
• Redirect & Protocol Issues: It must identify redirect issues and HTTP/HTTPS inconsistencies for better website optimization.
• Device Compatibility: A web crawler must support multiple devices for versatility and flexibility in various environments.

How can AI enhance security checks during a site crawl?

AI can enhance security checks during a site crawl by spotting risks that traditional scanners often miss. It can learn normal patterns, so it notices strange behaviors fast. It can flag suspicious scripts, unsafe redirects, or hidden malware with better accuracy. AI can also track misconfigurations, because it understands how secure sites usually behave. It reviews large volumes of pages quickly, so it catches problems before attackers exploit them. AI can even predict likely weaknesses by looking at related code structures. This gives teams an early warning system. With AI watching the crawl, you get smarter detection, fewer false alarms, and a clearer view of real security threats.

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