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Comparison · honest, side by side

A Screaming Frog & Ahrefs alternativeWithout the $100+ a month.

The same site-wide technical crawl and real PageSpeed metrics: battle-tested on our own 10+ production sites. No desktop install, no annual licence, no subscription. Try it free, then $9–49 one-time only when you need more.

Last reviewed · 1 Oct 20266 primary sources →Kalenux engineering
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Try it instantly: no signup. The same engine we run on 10+ of our own products.
what a year of audits costslist prices
Kalenux SEO Audit$9–49 one-time
credits never expire
Screaming Frog~£199 / year
after 500 free URLs
Ahrefs / Semrush$1,200–3,000+ / year
$100–250+ every month
≈ 30×cheaper than a keyword suite for technical audits alone
kalenux vs screaming frog vs ahrefs / semrush

An honest, side-by-side look.

Different tools win at different jobs. Here’s where each one fits.

240+technical checksvs 170+ and 140+ published
0checks locked behind a planevery one included
$9to audit 10 client sitesless than one month of a suite
OURSKalenux SEO AuditDESKTOP CRAWLERScreaming FrogKEYWORD SUITEAhrefs / Semrush
Price$9–49 one-timeFree to 500 URLs, then ~£199/yr$100–250+ / month
Billing modelOne-time credits, never expireAnnual licenceMonthly subscription
Site-wide technical crawl✓Yes✓Yes✓Yes
Published technical checks240+, all included170+140+
Real PageSpeed / Core Web Vitals✓YesVia integration✓Yes
Search Console data per page✓impressions, clicks, positionVia API export✓Yes
Crawl budget from server logsIncluded, verified Googlebot onlySeparate Log File AnalyserHigher plans
Rendered vs raw HTML✓headless Chrome✓YesLimited
Internal PageRank / link equity✓across the whole crawl✓Yes✓Yes
Cost to audit 10 client sitesFrom $9 one-time~£199/yr licence$100–250+ every month
AI & answer-engine readiness✓llms.txt, answerable headings✕No✓Yes
SetupWeb app, nothing to installDesktop app + RAMWeb app
Health tracking run-over-run✓YesManual✓Yes
CSV export✓Yes✓Yes✓Yes
Keyword gaps on your pages✓demand, suggestions, cannibalization✕No✓Yes
Lost-backlink alerts✓from Search Console data✕No✓Yes
where each tool wins

Pick the tool for the job.

PICK THIS WHENKalenuxYou need technical SEO + PageSpeed audits across whole sites, cheaply and often, especially many client sites, without a monthly bill or a desktop crawler.Many sitesRepeat auditsNo install
PICK THIS WHENScreaming FrogYou want a deep desktop crawler with very granular configuration, and don’t mind the annual licence and local RAM for very large sites.Granular configDesktopPower users
PICK THIS WHENAhrefs / SemrushYour core work is keyword research, rank tracking and backlink analysis: things a broad suite does that a focused audit tool deliberately doesn’t.KeywordsRank trackingBacklinks
the math for an agency

The difference compounds fast.

If you audit client sites, here’s a year side by side.

A KEYWORD SUITE$129/mo × 12$1,548a year, every year: whether you run 2 audits or 200.
KALENUX PRO PACKone-time, never expires$49≈ 500 small-site audits. Buy again only when you run out.
WHAT THAT BUYSAn audit for every client at onboarding, then monthly re-audits to show progress.For the price of one month of a suite.See pricing →
swapping tools

What changes when you switch.

⇄Instead of a desktop crawlerSame site-wide crawl, links, redirects, canonicals, hreflang, schema, sitemaps, plus PageSpeed, from a browser. Free to start vs a yearly licence.
½Instead of half a keyword suiteIf you mainly need technical site health, $9–49 one-time covers it. No keyword research, no backlink index, by design.
＋Where a suite still winsKeyword research, rank tracking and backlinks. Many agencies run Kalenux for audits and keep a suite for research.
∞Across many client sitesCredits are shared across every site and never expire. A $49 pack covers ~500 small-site audits, with health tracked per site.
frequently asked questions

Short answers, no spin.

Q1

Is Kalenux a replacement for Ahrefs or Semrush?

NO

They’re keyword and backlink suites; Kalenux is a focused technical and PageSpeed auditor. Many people use both.

Q2

Is Kalenux a replacement for Screaming Frog?

FOR THE CRAWL, YES

Same site-wide technical crawl plus PageSpeed, in a browser. Frog still wins on very granular manual config.

Q3

Why is Kalenux priced so differently?

PER AUDIT, NOT PER MONTH

One-time credit packs from $9. You spend a credit only when you crawl, and credits never expire.

Q4

Which tool if I only do technical audits?

A FOCUSED AUDITOR

Paying $100+ a month for keyword and backlink modules you won’t open isn’t the fit.

Q5

Can I use Kalenux alongside my existing tool?

YES

Common setup: a suite for research and rank tracking, Kalenux for repeatable technical crawls.

in depth · 6 primary sources

Where the comparison facts come from.

The facts behind this page, from search-engine documentation and each vendor’s own pages. Prices change, so check the linked pages for current figures.

01Screaming Frog

A desktop crawler you install and run locally. The free version crawls up to 500 URLs; the paid licence is annual and per user [1][2].

02Ahrefs and Semrush

Full SEO suites with site audits alongside keyword research, backlinks and rank tracking, sold as tiered plans [3][5].

Ahrefs also offers free Webmaster Tools, including a site audit for verified sites [4].

KEY FACTPlans and limits change often. Treat the vendor pages as the source of truth [2][3][5].

03The shared reference point

Every tool is modelling what Google does. Search Console’s Page indexing report is the one view of what Google actually indexed, and a fair way to check any tool’s output [6].

References

  1. [1]SEO Spider overview · Screaming Frogwww.screamingfrog.co.uk/seo-spider/
  2. [2]Screaming Frog SEO Spider pricing · Screaming Frogwww.screamingfrog.co.uk/seo-spider/pricing/
  3. [3]Ahrefs pricing · Ahrefsahrefs.com/pricing
  4. [4]Ahrefs Webmaster Tools · Ahrefsahrefs.com/webmaster-tools
  5. [5]Semrush plans and pricing · Semrushwww.semrush.com/prices/
  6. [6]Page indexing report · Search Console Helpsupport.google.com/webmasters/answer/7440203
CITE THIS PAGEKalenux. (2026). Kalenux vs Screaming Frog vs Ahrefs vs Semrush. Kalenux SEO Guide. Last reviewed 1 Oct 2026. kalenux.com.tr/seo-audit-tool-comparison
keep comparing
★GUIDE · FREEBest free SEO audit tools
11 free tools tested and compared, grouped by the job they do.
USE IT WHENYou want to audit thoroughly without spending anything.
  • ✓Free Google baseline tools
  • ✓Site-wide crawlers and their caps
  • ✓Focused checkers for one issue
Read the guide→
⇆GUIDE · COMPARISONScreaming Frog alternatives
Web-based crawlers with no install, no RAM limit and no 500-URL cap.
USE IT WHENYou’ve hit the free cap, your laptop struggles, or you need history.
  • ✓The three reasons people switch
  • ✓Which alternative fixes which
  • ✓Same core checks, compared
Read the guide→
$GUIDE · PRICINGAffordable SEO audit
Every tier from free to $49, what each covers, and why cheap isn’t cut-down.
USE IT WHENYou want a full technical audit without a monthly bill.
  • ✓Free instant check + free first audit
  • ✓Credit packs from $9
  • ✓Software vs a consultant
Read the guide→
◎PACKSPricing
Four packs, what a credit buys, and the 14-day refund on unused credits.
USE IT WHENYou’re ready to pick a pack or want the exact credit costs.
  • ✓Free, $9, $19 and $49 packs
  • ✓1 credit per 500 pages; PageSpeed 2
  • ✓Credits never expire
See pricing→

Get the audit, skip the $100+/mo bill.

Your first full audit is free. After that it’s $9–49 one-time, and credits never expire. No card to start.

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