Screaming Frog vs Semrush

Which one do AI engines recommend, and how do they differ on price, fit and features?

The short answer

Semrush is the stronger AI pick in SEO Tools: it has a visibility score of 64.3 versus 17.4 for Screaming Frog, and ranks ahead in 97% of the answers that name both.

Choose Screaming Frog if…

AI answers describe it more positively (73% vs 49% positive)
Deep technical website crawling
Broken link and site architecture audits
Free version for crawling up to 500 URLs

Choose Semrush if…

You want the brand AI engines rank higher (64.3 vs 17.4)
You prefer a larger, established vendor (1,001–5,000 employees)
Widely recommended as a top-tier all-in-one platform for broad suites
Strong keyword research, competitor analysis, and site auditing

AI visibility side by side

Latest weekly run · Nov 2

Metric	Screaming Frog	Semrush
Visibility score	17.4%	64.3%
Change vs last week	New	New
Rank in SEO Tools	#7	#1
Share of voice	6.4%	12.3%
Mentions this run	33	63
Positive in AI answers	73%	49%

The stronger value in each row is marked with a ✓.

Visibility score trend

Weekly runs over the last 60 days

Screaming Frog 0pp · Semrush 0pp over 0 weekly runs.

Engine by engine

Semrush leads on 3 of 3 engines

ChatGPT

17%

77%

AI Mode

15.9%

64.3%

Perplexity

19.1%

51.7%

Screaming FrogSemrush

Head to head in AI answers

30 engine answers name both brands

1Screaming Frog ranked higher

29Semrush ranked higher

Prompt	Engine	Screaming Frog	Semrush
How do I choose an SEO tool for a mid-market team?	Perplexity	#6	#3
What features matter most in an SEO tool?	ChatGPT	#6	#4
What is the difference between an SEO tool and Marketing Automation?	ChatGPT	#4	#1
What are the best SEO Tools tools in 2026?	ChatGPT	#4	#2
What are the best SEO Tools tools in 2026?	AI Mode	#8	#1
What are the best SEO Tools tools in 2026?	Perplexity	#4	#2
Top SEO tool options for B2B SaaS companies	ChatGPT	#5	#1
Top SEO tool options for B2B SaaS companies	AI Mode	#5	#2
Top SEO tool options for B2B SaaS companies	Perplexity	#5	#3
Best SEO tool for startups	ChatGPT	#8	#3
Best SEO tool for startups	AI Mode	#8	#7
Best SEO tool for startups	Perplexity	#6	#5

Features, pricing & fit

Dimension	Screaming Frog	Semrush
Pricing model	—	Flat tiers
Entry price	—	Free; paid from $139 / mo
Free plan	—	Yes
Deployment	Desktop application installed locally on Windows, macOS or Linux	—
Support	Support ticket form, Email support, Free technical support included in free and paid versions	Help Center and Basic Onboarding, Enterprise SLA and 24/7 support, Dedicated account manager
Founded	2010	2008
Headquarters	Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom	Boston, MA
Employees	11–50	1,001–5,000
Funding	Bootstrapped	IPO
Best for	Technical SEOs and SEO agencies who audit websites for technical SEO issues	Freelancers and small businesses through to agencies and enterprises managing multiple brands, regions and teams.