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Semrush Site Audit vs LibreCrawl

Semrush Site Audit (Cloud SEO platform module (technical site audit)) and LibreCrawl (Open-source web-based SEO crawler (self-hosted)) on the same 24 capabilities, with a source for every cell and charts counted from the table.

Checked 21 October 2026 against each vendor's own public pages. Sources below.

Semrush Site Audit

Cloud SEO platform module (technical site audit)

Subscription; SEO+AI Search Starter $165.17/mo annual ($199 monthly)Runs in the vendor cloud

LibreCrawl

Open-source web-based SEO crawler (self-hosted)

Free, $0; donations requestedRuns on your machine

Compatibility at a glance

Semrush Site Audit scores 63 on coverage and 75 on automation; LibreCrawl scores 29 and 50. Both out of 100, counted from the table.

Out of 24 capabilities we compare for every tool.

9both have
6only Semrush Site Audit
4only LibreCrawl

Market map

Crawl, audit and data coverage / Automation and AI agents: SpiderHead 71·83, Screaming Frog 92·75, Sitebulb 88·58, Ahrefs Site Audit 75·75, Semrush Site Audit 63·75, SEOnaut 8·25, LibreCrawl 29·50, advertools 21·2500252550507575100100Crawl, audit and data coverage →Automation and AI agents →SpiderHeadScreaming FrogSitebulbAhrefs Site AuditSemrush Site AuditSEOnautLLibreCrawlAadvertools
Scores are counted from the table: yes = 1, partly = ½, no or not found in public docs = 0, as a share of the rows on each axis. Horizontal: Crawl, audit and data coverage (12 rows). Vertical: Automation and AI agents (6 rows). Hover or focus a marker for the breakdown; click to keep it open.

Coverage by group

Share of rows each tool covers in a group, 0–100, counted from the table below.

20Price and setup5 rows90
0Interfaces2 rows25
100AI agents and integrations2 rows50
50Crawl3 rows33
60Audit5 rows50
75Data sources4 rows0
50Reports and follow-up3 rows50
50Overall24 rows46

Side by side

CapabilitySemrush Site AuditLibreCrawl
Price and setup
Free to usePartly: Subscription; SEO+AI Search Starter $165.17/mo annual ($199 monthly)Yes: Free, $0; donations requested
Open sourceNo: Proprietary SaaSYes: Yes, MIT licence
Runs on your machineNo: Crawl runs in Semrush cloudYes: Self-hosted; Local mode on 127.0.0.1
Works without an accountNo: Semrush account required (free account available)Partly: Not in Local mode; login in Standard mode
Free tierPartly: Free account with limited tools; free SEO checker pageYes: No URL cap stated; guests 3 crawls/24h
Interfaces
Desktop appNo: Web app onlyNo: Web UI in browser (Docker or Python)
Command lineNo: Not found in public docsPartly: python main.py --local; no crawl CLI
AI agents and integrations
MCP server for AI agentsYes: Official hosted MCP (SEO, Trends, read-only Projects API)Not found in public docs: Not found in public docs
APIYes: Projects API v3: run audit, snapshots, issuesYes: Session-auth HTTP API, 19 endpoints
Crawl
JavaScript renderingPartly: Plan-dependent; docs differ by plan tierYes: Yes, via Playwright (Chromium)
Scheduled crawlsYes: Scheduled recurring audits (e.g. weekly)Not found in public docs: Not found in public docs
Custom extractionNot found in public docs: Not found in public docsNot found in public docs: Not found in public docs
Audit
Audit checksYes: 140+ technical checks (feature page)Not found in public docs: No count; 13 check areas listed
HreflangYes: International SEO report: hreflang codes, conflictsYes: Listed among audit checks
Structured dataPartly: Markup checks listed among audit areasPartly: Schema listed among audit checks
Core Web Vitals / LighthousePartly: Lighthouse-based CWV report, 10 pages per auditYes: PageSpeed Insights Core Web Vitals
AccessibilityNot found in public docs: Not found in public docsNot found in public docs: Not found in public docs
Data sources
Google Search ConsoleYes: Via My Reports (Search Console data in PDF reports)Not found in public docs: Not found in public docs
Google Analytics 4Yes: GA connection in Site Audit and My ReportsNot found in public docs: Not found in public docs
Backlink dataNot found in public docs: Not found in public docsNot found in public docs: Not found in public docs
Keyword dataYes: Daily keyword tracking (Starter: 500 keywords)Not found in public docs: Not found in public docs
Reports and follow-up
Report exportsYes: Excel, CSV, PDF; limits depend on planYes: CSV, XLSX, JSON, XML (site: CSV/JSON/XML)
Task list and fix recheckPartly: Recurring re-audits and snapshot historyPartly: Issue filtering; no task tracking found
Reads Screaming Frog exportsNot found in public docs: Not found in public docsNot found in public docs: Not found in public docs
yespartlynonot found in public docs

Where each one is stronger

Semrush Site Audit

  • Fully hosted: no installation, no local resources, crawls run in the vendor cloud
  • Same account gives keyword tracking, competitor and other SEO tools alongside the audit
  • Scheduled recurring audits with a snapshot history of earlier crawls
  • Official hosted MCP server and Projects API for reading Site Audit project data
  • PDF and report building that combines audit data with Google Analytics and Search Console

LibreCrawl

  • Fully open source under MIT, so the code can be modified and self-hosted.
  • Multi-user mode with isolated sessions and tiers for teams sharing one server.
  • Browser plugin system: JavaScript files add custom tabs reading crawl data.
  • Documented HTTP API with crawl start, stop, pause, resume and export endpoints.
  • Built-in PageSpeed Insights and JavaScript rendering via Playwright.

Questions

Which is cheaper, Semrush Site Audit or LibreCrawl?
Semrush Site Audit: Subscription; SEO+AI Search Starter $165.17/mo annual ($199 monthly). LibreCrawl: Free, $0; donations requested. Prices as published on 21 October 2026; check the vendors' pricing pages before you buy.
Does Semrush Site Audit or LibreCrawl run on my own machine?
Semrush Site Audit: crawl runs in Semrush cloud. LibreCrawl: self-hosted; Local mode on 127.0.0.1.
Can AI agents use Semrush Site Audit or LibreCrawl?
MCP server — Semrush Site Audit: official hosted MCP (SEO, Trends, read-only Projects API); LibreCrawl: not found in public docs. API — Semrush Site Audit: projects API v3: run audit, snapshots, issues; LibreCrawl: session-auth HTTP API, 19 endpoints.
Does Semrush Site Audit run on my machine?
No. Crawls run in Semrush's cloud and are configured in the web app; a Semrush account is required.
Is LibreCrawl free?
Yes. The README and website state it is free and MIT-licensed; the author asks for optional donations.

How we compared

  • Every cell comes from the vendor's own public pages (product, documentation, pricing, release notes, repository) on 21 October 2026.
  • “Not found in public docs” means we could not confirm it from an official source, not that the feature is missing. Charts count it as 0.
  • Prices and plans change. Check the vendor's pricing page before you buy.
  • Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we will correct it.

Sources

Semrush Site Audit is a trademark of Semrush. LibreCrawl is a trademark of LibreCrawl project (open source). Names and icons identify the products compared; SpiderHead is not affiliated with, endorsed or sponsored by Semrush or LibreCrawl project (open source). Owners can ask us to remove an icon via contact.

Compare with SpiderHead

SpiderHead vs Semrush Site AuditCloud SEO platform module (technical site audit)SpiderHead vs LibreCrawlOpen-source web-based SEO crawler (self-hosted)All tools, one table8 SEO crawlers and audit tools

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