Screaming Frog Alternatives
If you’re looking for an alternative to Screaming Frog, we’re probably not the best people to offer an impartial review. Naturally, we think our products are the best, and we’re not really fans of cherry-picked product comparison tables.
However, while we prefer to let our tools do the talking, needs must in a space that’s growing more competitive.
We’ve spent hours scouring the internet for worthy Screaming Frog alternatives, pitting them against each other to find out who comes out on top.
Why Are We Called Screaming Frog?
Before we dive into the head-to-head comparisons, we thought it was important to address the question we get asked on a daily basis.
The name came to Dan, our founder, when his two cats cornered a frog in his back garden and to his surprise, it let out a loud scream. There’s really not that much more to the story, but the name Screaming Frog is unique, memorable and acts as a great icebreaker during client meetings and networking events.
Which Frog Species Screams?
In the UK we have two native frog species as well as several non-native species. It’s highly likely that the frog Dan encountered in his back garden was the humble common frog, which lets out a shrill, piercing scream in an attempt to startle predators. It can last for several seconds, and it has been said to resemble the scream of a crying baby.
Now that we’ve established the likely breed of the Screaming Frog, we can make direct and totally unbiased comparisons against the alternatives.
Top 4 Screaming Frog Alternatives
Howler Monkey
Scientific name: Alouatta
Type: Mammal
Diet: Omnivore
Found: Tropical rainforests or dry forests across South America
The howler monkey is considered one of the loudest animals on the planet, able to clock an impressive 140 decibels with their calls. For context, a jet engine taking off is around 150 decibels and is loud enough to rupture your eardrums.
The calls of a howler monkey can be heard up to three miles away, and are used to establish their territory and avoid rival troops. Their signature howl is produced by drawing air through a greatly enlarged hyoid bone, acting as a resonating chamber to amplify their howls.
Howler Monkey vs Screaming Frog
The howler monkey would, without a doubt, beat a Screaming Frog in a one-on-one fight on a level playing field. The howler monkey can grow up to 36 inches in height and weigh up to 22 pounds, dwarfing the common frog, which can only muster up around 5 inches in length.
A key advantage that the howler monkey has is opposable thumbs, allowing them to pick objects up much like a human would, such as a large stick or a rock.
| Metrics |  |
|
|---|---|---|
| Opposable thumbs | ||
| Size & weight advantage | ||
| Cuteness | ||
| Loudness | ||
| Permeable Skin | ||
| Offspring feeds on troublesome algae | ||
| Survived Earth for more than 200 million years | ||
| Ability to compare crawls for site auditing purposes | ||
| Compares itself to others |
Snapping Shrimp
Scientific name: Alpheidae
Type: Crustacean
Diet: Carnivore
Found: Tropical and subtropical coastal waters worldwide
Despite its tiny size, the snapping shrimp (also known as the pistol shrimp) competes with the likes of the sperm and beluga whale for the loudest animal in the ocean. Measuring just 2 inches in length, the snapping shrimp gets its name from its massive claw, which it can close at such a high speed it generates a bubble that is louder than a bullet when it implodes.
Some species of snapping shrimp can produce sounds measuring upwards of 200 decibels, which is louder than an actual gunshot. This loud pop is used to stun prey before they promptly dismember and devour them.
Snapping Shrimp vs Screaming Frog
This matchup isn’t as straightforward as the howler monkey. The snapping shrimp resides in the sea, whereas the Screaming Frog is amphibious, meaning it’s suited for both land and water. As such it only seems fair to assume that this head-to-head battle would take place in the ocean.
It’s a close matchup on paper, but let’s see what the totally unbiased table says.
| Metrics | |
|
|---|---|---|
| 200 decibel stun gun | ||
| Size & weight advantage | ||
| Cuteness | ||
| Loudness | ||
| Permeable Skin | ||
| Offspring feeds on troublesome algae | ||
| Capable of crawling both small and very large websites |
Laughing Hyena
Scientific name: Crocuta crocuta
Type: Mammal
Diet: Carnivore
Found: Savannas, grasslands, woodlands, subdeserts, and mountains
Often the star of wildlife documentaries, the spotted hyena is renowned for its iconic but chilling laugh. On occasion the sounds of a laughing hyena have been recorded as high as 112 decibels, and are used to signal different situations to other hyenas.
While they may seem like savages on the surface, laughing hyenas have advanced social groups that are female dominated. Initially this was thought to be because of the heavier and more aggressive build when compared to males, but research revealed it’s based on stronger social support toward females.
Laughing Hyena vs Screaming Frog
With a clear size and weight advantage, and a bite force measuring 1,100 pounds per square inch, it’s going to get ugly for our favourite noisy amphibian. On top of this, hyenas are pack hunters and there’s no guarantee that their friends won’t get involved should the Screaming Frog get the upper hand.
| Metrics | |
|
|---|---|---|
| Size and weight advantage | ||
| Webbed Feet | ||
| Cuteness | ||
| Loudness | ||
| 1,100 PSI bite force | ||
| Able to jump up to 20 times their own body length in a single leap | ||
| Available for Windows, macOS and Ubuntu | ||
| Dark mode |
Screaming Hairy Armadillo
Scientific name: Chaetophractus vellerosus
Type: Mammal
Diet: Omnivorous
Found: Central and Southern areas of South America
Decked out in its very own armour, the screaming hairy armadillo is not shy of voicing its concern when threatened, much like the Screaming Frog. This eccentric little critter has a shield covering their head and a carapace that covers the rest of their body, with powerful claws that make them expert burrowers.
The ‘hairy’ aspect of their name comes from the thick hair that protrudes between the plates of their shell, which helps them to control their temperature, especially at night.
Screaming Hairy Armadillo vs Screaming Frog
They both scream, but which one is louder? The screaming hairy armadillo is bigger, stronger and has powerful claws, allowing them to quickly bury themselves to cover their vulnerable underbelly. While not as flexible as some of their armadillo cousins, they are still able to curl up into a ball, though it leaves them pretty immobile.
The impenetrable armour of the screaming hairy armadillo will be the Screaming Frog’s biggest hurdle yet, but let’s see what the cherry picked comparison table says.
| Metrics | |
|
|---|---|---|
| Size and weight advantage | ||
| Tough, bony shell | ||
| Cuteness | ||
| Protruding eyes for a broad field of view | ||
| Rapidly extending tongue | ||
| Expert burrowers | ||
| GA4 integration | ||
| Site architecture & crawl visualisations |
Conclusion
In case it wasn’t painstakingly obvious enough, this isn’t a serious comparison of Screaming Frog SEO Spider alternatives. It’s merely a bit of fun, and a light-hearted jab at ‘X vs Y’ product pages that often have the odds heavily stacked in the favour of the product that’s publishing it.
We prefer to let our product do the talking, which is why the SEO community repeatedly chooses the SEO Spider as their tool of choice over any other competitor (by quite a stretch!)
