Side-by-side comparison · SEO & Analytics
Google Search Console vs Screaming Frog SEO Spider vs Semrush
Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.
Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.
At a glance
Pick it if: Anyone with a website. There's no reason not to set it up.
Pick it if: Anyone who needs a thorough technical check of a site, especially before or after a redesign or migration.
Pick it if: Agencies and marketers who do both search ads and SEO and want one subscription for both.
Overview
| Attribute | Google Search Console | Screaming Frog SEO Spider | Semrush |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | Google's free report on how your site shows up in search, AI results included. | Crawls your whole site the way Google does and lists what's broken. | Keyword, competitor and ad research with a bigger toolbox and a bigger bill. |
| Pricing model | Free | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | Free | £199/user/yr | $139/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Works with Claude Code | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | Google Search Console | Screaming Frog SEO Spider | Semrush |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.0 | 4.0 | 3.9 |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 4.0 | 2.5 | 3.5 |
| FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together. | 3.0 | 4.5 | 5.0 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.0 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 5.0 | 4.5 | 3.0 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 3.5 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | Google Search Console | Screaming Frog SEO Spider | Semrush |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | No | No | Yes |
| Desktop app | No | Yes | No |
| Browser extension | No | No | Yes |
| API access | Yes | No | Yes |
| Teams & business | |||
| Team workspace | Yes | No | Yes |
| Enterprise plan or SSO | No | No | Yes |
| Connects to other apps | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Open source or self-hosted | No | No | No |
| AI abilities | |||
| Works with your files | No | Yes | Yes |
| Understands images | No | No | No |
| Makes images | No | No | No |
| Makes video | No | No | No |
| Writes code | No | No | No |
| Runs agents or automations | No | No | No |
| Learns your brand or style | No | No | – |
| Works in many languages | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Capabilities score | 5/ 17 | 5/ 17 | 9/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | Google Search Console | Screaming Frog SEO Spider | Semrush |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | FreeOur pick Free Every website owner, with no exceptions. | Free Free Small sites and one-off checks. | Free Free A quick look before you commit. |
Paid licenceOur pick £199/user/yr Agencies and anyone with a site over 500 pages. | SEO $139/mo, or $117.33/mo billed yearly A business that wants classic SEO research without the AI extras. | ||
StarterOur pick $199/mo, or $165.17/mo billed yearly Marketers who want SEO plus AI visibility and the Claude connection. | |||
Pro+ $299/mo, or $248.17/mo billed yearly Agencies managing several clients. | |||
Advanced Custom Large teams and enterprise accounts. | |||
| Which plan to pick | There's only one plan and it costs nothing. Verify every site you own, including subdomains, and add your marketing person or agency as a user so they can see the data too. | The free version is enough for most small businesses because it includes every feature and only caps the crawl at 500 pages. Buy a licence when your site or your clients' sites go past that. The price is listed in pounds with dollar and euro options at checkout. | The free account is only good for a look around. If you want the Claude connection and AI visibility tracking, Starter is the one; the SEO plan is cheaper but leaves both out. Budget for extra users too, which start at $45 a month each. |
Key features
| Attribute | Google Search Console | Screaming Frog SEO Spider | Semrush |
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Pros and cons
| Attribute | Google Search Console | Screaming Frog SEO Spider | Semrush |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Google Search Console | Screaming Frog SEO Spider | Semrush |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, Google Search Console, Screaming Frog SEO Spider or Semrush?
They tie on our overall rating (Google Search Console 4.0/5, Screaming Frog SEO Spider 4.0/5 and Semrush 3.9/5). Google Search Console is best for seeing which searches bring visitors and finding indexing problems. Screaming Frog SEO Spider is best for finding broken links and checking redirects after a migration. Semrush is best for Competitor Google Ads research and keyword gap reports.
Which is cheaper, Google Search Console, Screaming Frog SEO Spider or Semrush?
Google Search Console: It's free to use. Screaming Frog SEO Spider: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at £199/user/yr. Semrush: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $139/mo.
Which is easier to use, Google Search Console, Screaming Frog SEO Spider or Semrush?
Google Search Console rates highest for ease of use in our scores. Anyone with a website. There's no reason not to set it up.
How we compare
Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability.
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