Surmado Scan vs SEO Audit Tools: A Complete Comparison

Reading time: 18 minutes

Shopping for SEO audit tools can be overwhelming. Semrush costs $139/month and shows 500+ metrics. Ahrefs is $129/month with its own complexity. Screaming Frog is free but requires technical expertise. PageSpeed Insights is free but focuses only on speed.

Here’s how Scan compares. And which tool fits different business needs.

TLDR

Scan gives you 5 priority SEO fixes for $25 or $50 one-time, not 500 overwhelming metrics. Tools like Semrush and Ahrefs cost $129-499 per month and are built for agencies managing dozens of clients. PageSpeed Insights is free but only checks speed. Scan tells you exactly what to fix first, why it matters, and how long it takes. Most small businesses need quarterly triage, not daily dashboards.

---

In This Article

• Quick Comparison Table
• The Core Positioning Difference
• Detailed Tool Comparison
  • Scan
  • Semrush
  • Ahrefs
  • Screaming Frog
  • Sitebulb
  • PageSpeed Insights
• Action List vs Metrics Dashboard
• One-Time Audit vs Ongoing Monitoring
• What SMBs Actually Need
• Real Business Scenarios
• Common Questions
• The Bottom Line

---

Quick Comparison Table

Tool	Pricing	Best For	Key Limitation
Scan	$25 or $50 one-time	SMBs needing prioritized action list, not scores	Single-use audit (not ongoing monitoring)
Semrush	$139-499/mo	Enterprise SEO teams, agencies, comprehensive data	Overwhelming for beginners, expensive for SMBs
Ahrefs	$129-449/mo	Backlink analysis, competitive research, content gaps	Cost prohibitive for small sites, steep learning curve
Screaming Frog	Free-$259/year	Technical SEO experts, large site crawls	Requires expertise to interpret, no action priorities
Sitebulb	$35-115/mo	Technical SEO consultants, visual site analysis	Desktop-only, requires technical knowledge
PageSpeed Insights	Free	Page speed testing only	Narrow focus, no content/structure audit

The Core Positioning Difference

Scan’s Philosophy: You don’t need 500 metrics. You need to know what’s broken, why it matters, and how to fix it. in priority order.

Competitor Philosophy: Comprehensive data dashboards, track everything, monitor trends over time.

Why This Matters

Most SMBs don’t have time to learn what “Cumulative Layout Shift” means or why “domain authority” fluctuates. They need answers to three questions:

1. What’s wrong with my site? (Not 500 things. The 5 that matter most)
2. Why does it matter? (Impact on rankings, traffic, conversions)
3. How do I fix it? (Step-by-step instructions, not jargon)

Scan answers those three questions. Other tools provide data. You figure out what it means.

KEY TAKEAWAY: Most SMBs don’t need 500 metrics. They need answers to three questions: What’s broken? Why does it matter? How do I fix it? The gap between comprehensive data dashboards and actionable priorities is where small businesses waste time and money.

Detailed Tool Comparison

Scan ($25 or $50 One-Time)

What You Get:

• Comprehensive site audit (technical SEO, content, structure)
• Prioritized action list (fix these 5 things first)
• Plain-English explanations of what’s wrong and why it matters
• Step-by-step fix instructions (not just “improve meta descriptions”)
• One-time triage report focused on quick wins

Best For:

• SMBs with limited SEO knowledge or budget
• Businesses wanting to understand SEO issues before hiring an agency
• Teams needing to prioritize fixes without learning complex tools
• Validating whether your site has fundamental SEO problems

Limitations:

• Not ongoing monitoring (single point-in-time audit)
• No keyword research or backlink analysis
• Can’t track ranking changes over time
• Requires re-purchasing for updated audits

Who Chooses Scan:

“We spent 3 months with Semrush trying to figure out which of the 387 issues actually mattered. Scan told us in 10 minutes: your title tags are duplicate, your images lack alt text, and your H1s aren’t structured. Fixed all three in an afternoon, rankings improved within 2 weeks.”. Local home services company

Semrush ($139-499/mo Subscription)

What You Get:

• SEO with 30+ checks toolkit (audits, keywords, backlinks, competitors)
• 100+ SEO tools in one platform
• Keyword research and tracking
• Backlink analysis and monitoring
• Competitor analysis and traffic estimates
• Content marketing tools
• Social media monitoring
• Advertising research

Best For:

• Enterprise SEO teams with dedicated resources
• Digital marketing agencies managing multiple clients
• Businesses with significant SEO budgets
• Teams needing all-in-one marketing intelligence platform

Limitations:

• Steep learning curve (weeks to master effectively)
• Expensive for small businesses ($1,668-$5,988/year)
• Overwhelming amount of data without clear priorities
• Many features go unused by typical SMB
• Requires SEO expertise to interpret metrics

When to Choose Semrush Over Scan:

• You need ongoing keyword tracking and rank monitoring
• You’re managing SEO for multiple sites/clients
• You have dedicated SEO staff to utilize all features
• Competitor analysis and backlink tracking are critical
• You need content marketing and social monitoring in one platform

Ahrefs ($129-449/mo Subscription)

What You Get:

• Industry-leading backlink analysis (largest link index)
• Keyword research and difficulty scoring
• Content gap analysis vs competitors
• Site audit and technical SEO monitoring
• Rank tracking and SERP analysis
• Content explorer for topic research

Best For:

• Link building campaigns and outreach
• Competitive SEO analysis
• Content strategy based on competitor gaps
• Large sites with complex backlink profiles

Limitations:

• Premium pricing ($1,548-$5,388/year)
• Complexity requires SEO expertise
• Many features irrelevant for local/small businesses
• Backlink focus less useful for service-area businesses
• Technical metrics without action priorities

When to Choose Ahrefs Over Scan:

• You’re actively building backlinks for SEO
• You need deep competitive research
• You have SEO expertise to leverage advanced features
• You’re targeting competitive national/international keywords
• Content gap analysis drives your strategy

Screaming Frog SEO Spider (Free-$259/year)

What You Get:

• Comprehensive website crawler (free up to 500 URLs)
• Technical SEO data extraction (titles, metas, H1s, response codes, etc.)
• Custom extraction and analysis
• Integration with Google Analytics, Search Console, PageSpeed Insights
• Bulk exports for further analysis

Best For:

• Technical SEO experts who know what to look for
• Large site audits (10,000+ pages)
• Agencies needing detailed crawl data
• Developers debugging technical issues

Limitations:

• Requires technical SEO knowledge to interpret
• Raw data dump, no prioritization or action items
• Desktop application (not cloud-based)
• Free version limited to 500 URLs
• No plain-English explanations or fix instructions

When to Choose Screaming Frog Over Scan:

• You’re a technical SEO professional
• You need to crawl very large sites (10,000+ pages)
• You want raw data to analyze in your own workflow
• You’re debugging complex technical issues
• You understand SEO metrics without guidance

Sitebulb ($35-115/mo Subscription)

What You Get:

• Visual site audit with intuitive interface
• Prioritized issue classification (critical, high, medium, low)
• PDF audit reports for clients
• Technical SEO crawling with context
• Integration with Google Analytics and Search Console
• Better UI/UX than Screaming Frog

Best For:

• SEO consultants needing client-ready reports
• Technical SEOs who want better UX than Screaming Frog
• Agencies auditing medium-to-large sites
• Teams wanting visual issue representation

Limitations:

• Desktop application only (Mac/Windows)
• Requires moderate technical SEO knowledge
• Subscription cost ($420-$1,380/year)
• Still technical. Not simplified for SMB owners
• Limited actionability for non-SEO professionals

When to Choose Sitebulb Over Scan:

• You’re an SEO consultant delivering audits to clients
• You want better visualization than Screaming Frog
• You have technical SEO knowledge
• You need to audit multiple sites regularly
• You value polished PDF reports for presentations

Google PageSpeed Insights (Free)

What You Get:

• Page speed analysis (mobile and desktop)
• Core Web Vitals scoring
• Performance recommendations from Lighthouse
• Real-world field data from Chrome User Experience Report

Best For:

• Testing page speed specifically
• Understanding Core Web Vitals impact
• Quick free analysis without account signup
• Developers optimizing performance

Limitations:

• Page speed only. No content, structure, or link analysis
• One page at a time (not site-wide audit)
• Technical recommendations without context
• Doesn’t prioritize speed vs other SEO factors
• No tracking or historical comparison

When to Choose PageSpeed Over Scan:

• You only need speed testing (not SEO with 30+ checks audit)
• You’re a developer focused on performance optimization
• You want free quick checks without commitment
• Core Web Vitals are your primary concern

The “Action List vs Metrics Dashboard” Divide

Here’s the fundamental difference that determines which tool you need:

Metrics Dashboard Approach (Semrush, Ahrefs, Screaming Frog)

What You See:

Site Audit Results: 387 Issues Found
- 12 Errors
- 94 Warnings
- 281 Notices

Issues by Type:
- Meta descriptions: 47 pages
- Title tags: 23 pages
- H1 tags: 34 pages
- Image alt text: 127 images
- Internal links: 89 pages
- Page speed: 15 pages
- Schema markup: 41 pages
... 350 more items

What You Have to Figure Out:

• Which issues actually impact rankings?
• Where do I start?
• What’s the difference between an “Error” and a “Warning”?
• How do I fix “duplicate meta descriptions” across 47 pages?
• Should I fix image alt text or page speed first?

Action List Approach (Scan)

What You See:

Priority Fixes (Do These First):

1. Fix Duplicate Title Tags (15 pages)
   Why it matters: Google may not rank pages with identical titles. You're competing with yourself.
   Impact: Medium-High (likely costing you 10-30% of potential organic traffic)
   How to fix:
   - Homepage: Change "Home | YourBiz" to "YourBiz: [Primary Service] in [City]"
   - Service pages: Change "Services | YourBiz" to "[Specific Service] Services | YourBiz"
   - See pages 12-14 for specific title recommendations per page
   Time estimate: 2-3 hours

2. Add Alt Text to Images (83 images missing)
   Why it matters: Google can't "see" images without alt text. You're invisible in image search.
   Impact: Low-Medium (missing about 5-10% potential traffic from image search)
   How to fix:
   - [Step by step instructions]
   Time estimate: 1-2 hours

3. Fix H1 Tag Structure (12 pages)
   Why it matters: [Plain English explanation]
   Impact: [Specific to your site]
   How to fix: [Step by step]
   Time estimate: 1 hour

... 2 more priority fixes, then lower-priority items

You Know Exactly:

• What to fix first (and why)
• Expected impact on your traffic
• How to fix it (step-by-step)
• How long it will take
• When to move on to next priority

KEY TAKEAWAY: The difference between enterprise tools and Scan isn’t data quality. It’s presentation. Enterprise tools show you 387 issues and let you figure out priorities. Scan shows you 5 priorities and tells you exactly how to fix them. Same underlying problems, radically different approach.

One-Time Audit vs Ongoing Monitoring

Choose One-Time Audit (Scan) If:

Your Site Changes Slowly:

• You update content monthly or less
• You’re not actively doing SEO campaigns
• You want to fix foundational issues once

You Need to Prove Value First:

• You want to test if SEO fixes actually help before committing to subscription
• You need to justify SEO investment to leadership
• You’re validating whether to hire an agency

You Have Limited Budget:

• $1,500+/year for subscriptions isn’t viable
• You’d rather pay per audit when needed ($25 or $50 each)
• You’re an early-stage business prioritizing cash flow

You Want to Learn SEO Basics:

• You don’t know what “meta descriptions” or “H1 tags” are
• You need educational context with your audit
• You want to build internal SEO competency

Choose Ongoing Monitoring (Semrush, Ahrefs, Sitebulb) If:

Your Site Changes Frequently:

• You publish content weekly or daily
• You’re actively running SEO campaigns
• You need to track impact of changes over time

You’re Managing Competitive Markets:

• You’re tracking keyword rankings against competitors
• You need to monitor backlink changes
• You’re in competitive national/international SEO battles

You Have Dedicated SEO Resources:

• You have SEO staff or agency managing ongoing optimization
• You can utilize advanced features effectively
• You need comprehensive data for strategic decisions

You’re an Agency or Consultant:

• You manage multiple client sites
• You need recurring audit data for client reporting
• Your business model supports tool subscriptions

What SMBs Actually Need (And What They Don’t)

After auditing 1,000+ small business websites, here’s what we’ve learned:

Most SMBs Don’t Need:

Backlink Analysis: Unless you’re actively doing link building (most local businesses aren’t), backlink tracking is overkill. You need 10-20 quality local citations and directory listings, not 10,000 backlinks.

Keyword Rank Tracking: If you serve a local market, you probably know your target keywords: “[your service] [your city]”. Daily rank tracking doesn’t change your strategy.

Competitor Traffic Estimates: Knowing your competitor gets “3,500-4,200 visits/month” doesn’t tell you how to outrank them. You need to know what they’re doing RIGHT that you’re not.

500+ Metrics: Most SEO issues on SMB sites are basic: missing title tags, duplicate H1s, broken images, slow page speed. You don’t need a PhD in SEO to fix these. You need to know they exist.

Most SMBs DO Need:

Clear Problem Identification: “Your title tags are duplicated on 15 pages” (not “title tag quality score: 42/100”)

Prioritized Action List: “Fix these 5 things first, they’ll have the biggest impact” (not “here are 387 issues sorted alphabetically”)

Plain-English Explanations: “Google can’t tell your pages apart when they have the same title” (not “duplicate title tags negatively impact crawl efficiency and indexation”)

Step-by-Step Fix Instructions: “Change homepage title from X to Y, here’s where to find it in WordPress” (not “optimize title tags for target keywords”)

Realistic Time/Impact Estimates: “This will take 2 hours and could improve traffic by 10-30%” (not “priority: high, difficulty: medium”)

Scan delivers what SMBs need. Enterprise tools deliver what agencies and SEO professionals need.

KEY TAKEAWAY: After auditing 1,000+ small business websites, we’ve learned that most SEO issues are basic: missing title tags, duplicate H1s, broken images, slow page speed. You don’t need a PhD in SEO or 500+ metrics to fix these. You need to know they exist and have clear instructions to resolve them.

Real Business Scenarios: Which Tool to Choose?

Scenario 1: “Our Website Isn’t Getting Traffic, We Don’t Know Why”

Your Situation: You have a website, maybe even paid someone to build it, but it doesn’t show up on Google. You don’t know if it’s broken or just needs time.

Best Tool: Scan ($25 or $50)

• Identifies fundamental SEO problems in plain English
• Tells you if issues are fixable or if you need professional help
• Costs less than one hour of agency consulting
• Educational. You’ll understand what was wrong

Why Not Semrush/Ahrefs: These tools assume you know what you’re looking for. They’ll show you 500+ data points, but you won’t know which ones explain why you have no traffic.

Scenario 2: “We Want to Start Doing SEO Ourselves”

Your Situation: You’re ready to invest time in SEO but don’t have budget for agency or expensive tools. You need to learn while doing.

Best Tool: Scan ($25 or $50) → Implement fixes → Scan again in 90 days ($25 or $50)

• First Scan identifies what’s wrong and teaches you SEO fundamentals
• You fix issues following step-by-step instructions
• Second Scan (90 days later) shows what improved and what’s next
• Total cost: $50-100 vs $1,200+ for one year of Semrush

Add Later if Needed: Google Search Console (free) for ongoing traffic monitoring

Scenario 3: “We Hired an Agency, They Say We Have Problems, We Want a Second Opinion”

Your Situation: Agency says you need $5,000 of SEO work. You want to verify what’s actually broken before committing.

Best Tool: Scan ($25 or $50)

• Independent audit shows if issues are real
• Validates whether agency’s priorities are correct
• Gives you negotiating leverage on scope/cost
• Costs $50 vs blindly spending $5,000

Scenario 4: “We’re an SEO Agency Managing 20+ Clients”

Your Situation: You need to audit multiple sites, track changes over time, and provide ongoing reporting to clients.

Best Tool: Semrush ($139-499/mo) or Ahrefs ($129-449/mo)

• Subscription cost spreads across multiple clients
• Ongoing monitoring and reporting features essential
• Comprehensive data needed for strategic recommendations
• Your expertise makes complex tools valuable

Why Not Scan: Scan is point-in-time audits, best for individual businesses, not agencies needing recurring client reporting.

Scenario 5: “We’re Technical SEO Consultants”

Your Situation: You’re an SEO professional debugging complex technical issues for clients. You know exactly what to look for.

Best Tool: Screaming Frog ($259/year) or Sitebulb ($420-1,380/year)

• You don’t need hand-holding. You want raw data
• Desktop crawling for large sites (10,000+ pages)
• Custom extraction and analysis workflows
• Your expertise turns data into actionable recommendations

Why Not Scan: Scan simplifies for non-experts; you’re an expert who wants full control.

Scenario 6: “We Just Need to Fix Page Speed”

Your Situation: You know your site is slow, you just need to understand why and how to fix it.

Best Tool: PageSpeed Insights (free) → Developer help

• Free, focused page speed analysis
• Core Web Vitals scoring matters for rankings
• If recommendations are too technical, get developer help

Add Scan if: You want to make sure speed is your ONLY issue (not missing titles, broken structure, etc.)

Scenario 7: “We Have Budget for Serious SEO Investment”

Your Situation: You’re ready to invest $5,000-$10,000/year in SEO tools and resources. You’re committed to competitive SEO.

Best Tool: Semrush or Ahrefs + professional SEO help

• Comprehensive tools justify cost when you have team/agency to use them
• Keyword research, backlinks, competitor analysis all valuable for competitive markets
• Ongoing monitoring tracks ROI of your SEO investment

Start with Scan: Even with big budget, run Scan first ($25 or $50) to identify quick wins before investing in subscriptions.

Common Questions

”Can I Use Scan First, Then Upgrade to Semrush Later?”

Absolutely. This is actually the smartest path for most SMBs:

1. Month 1: Run Scan ($25 or $50), identify foundational issues
2. Months 2-3: Fix priority issues from Scan report
3. Month 4: Run Scan again ($25 or $50) to validate improvements
4. Month 5+: If you’ve mastered basics and need ongoing tracking, consider Semrush/Ahrefs

Total cost for first 4 months: $50-100 vs $556-796 for Semrush over same period.

”Does Scan Replace Google Search Console?”

No. Scan and Search Console are complementary:

• Scan: Identifies what’s wrong with your site structure/content
• Search Console: Shows how Google sees your site and what queries bring traffic

Best workflow: Run Scan to fix issues → Monitor Search Console to see traffic improvements.

”Will Scan Tell Me Which Keywords to Target?”

No. Scan audits your existing site for technical and content issues. For keyword research, you’d use:

• Free: Google Keyword Planner, Google Search Console
• Paid: Semrush, Ahrefs (if budget allows)

“Can Scan Audit Really Large Sites?”

Scan is optimized for small-to-medium sites (up to about 500 pages). For larger sites:

• 500-5,000 pages: Screaming Frog SEO Spider (free up to 500 URLs, $259/year for unlimited)
• 5,000+ pages: Sitebulb or enterprise Semrush/Ahrefs plans

”How Often Should I Run Scan?”

If your site rarely changes: Quarterly or semi-annually After major changes: Immediately (new design, platform migration, content overhaul) If actively doing SEO: Monthly for first 3-6 months, then quarterly once issues are resolved

”Is Scan Good for E-commerce Sites?”

Yes, for fundamental SEO triage (duplicate titles, missing alt text, slow page speed, etc.). For advanced e-commerce SEO (product schema, faceted navigation, out-of-stock optimization), you may need Screaming Frog or specialized tools after fixing Scan basics.

The Bottom Line: Choose Based on Your SEO Maturity

SEO Maturity Level 1: “I don’t know what SEO is”

→ Choose Scan ($25 or $50)

• Learn SEO fundamentals while fixing your site
• Plain-English explanations educate as you implement
• Low-risk investment to see if SEO is worth pursuing

SEO Maturity Level 2: “I understand SEO basics, I need to fix my site”

→ Choose Scan ($25 or $50) initially, re-test quarterly

• You know enough to implement fixes yourself
• Don’t need daily monitoring yet
• Validate improvements over time

SEO Maturity Level 3: “I’m actively doing SEO, I need ongoing tracking”

→ Choose Semrush ($139/mo) or Ahrefs ($129/mo)

• You’ve fixed foundational issues (or used Scan to identify them)
• You’re publishing content regularly
• You need keyword tracking and competitor analysis

SEO Maturity Level 4: “I’m a technical SEO expert or agency”

→ Choose Screaming Frog ($259/year) or Sitebulb ($420+/year)

• You don’t need simplified reports. You want raw data
• You’re managing large/complex sites
• You have workflows for turning data into client recommendations

KEY TAKEAWAY: Choose tools based on SEO maturity, not budget alone. A $1,500/year Semrush subscription is wasted if you’re at maturity level 1-2. Start with Scan ($50-100/year) to fix foundational issues and learn SEO basics, then upgrade to enterprise tools only when you’ve mastered the fundamentals and need ongoing tracking.

Next Steps

If You’re Just Starting with SEO:

1. Get Scan Report ($25 or $50) to understand what’s broken
2. Fix priority issues using step-by-step instructions in report
3. Set up Google Search Console (free) to monitor traffic
4. Re-run Scan in 90 days to validate improvements
5. Upgrade to subscription tools only if ongoing tracking becomes necessary

If You’re Comparing Tools for Your Team:

1. Run Scan once ($25 or $50) to see prioritized action list approach
2. Try Semrush or Ahrefs free trial (7-14 days) to see comprehensive dashboards
3. Compare: Do you need the action list or the data dashboard?
4. Consider hybrid: Scan for quarterly triage, Search Console for daily monitoring

If You’re an Agency or Consultant:

1. Use Scan for client audits when simplified reports are needed
2. Use Semrush/Ahrefs/Sitebulb for ongoing client management
3. Position Scan as pre-engagement audits: “Let’s run a $50 Scan to see if you need our $5,000 SEO package”

Learn More About SEO Fundamentals:

• Title Tags 101
• H1 Tags and Heading Structure
• Meta Descriptions
• Choosing the Right Tool

---

Still Not Sure Which Tool Fits? Contact us with your specific situation. We’ll give you an honest recommendation. even if that means suggesting Semrush, Ahrefs, or Screaming Frog instead. Our goal is helping businesses fix their SEO, regardless of which tool gets you there.

---

Quick Answers

Scan vs Lighthouse in 50 words?

Lighthouse (free): Performance optimization, Core Web Vitals, about 50 accessibility checks, basic SEO validation. Great for dev workflow.

Scan ($25 or $50): Lighthouse + schema optimization, 150+ accessibility checks, real device testing, social preview validation, site-wide crawling. Pre-launch audits.

Key difference: Lighthouse optimizes performance. Scan audits comprehensive pre-launch readiness.

---

Scan vs Semrush in 50 words?

Semrush ($139-499/mo): Ongoing SEO suite. keyword research, rank tracking, backlink analysis, competitive intelligence.

Scan ($25 or $50 one-time): Pre-launch technical audit. schema optimization, accessibility (WCAG), Core Web Vitals, broken links.

Not competing: Semrush for daily SEO work, Scan for quarterly deep dives or pre-launch checks.

Full comparison →

---

Do I need Scan if I use Ahrefs?

Yes. complementary tools.

Ahrefs ($129-449/mo): Best-in-class backlink analysis, domain authority, competitive research, content gaps

Scan ($25 or $50 one-time): Technical SEO depth Ahrefs doesn’t cover. schema optimization (not just validation), 150+ WCAG checks, iOS Safari real-device testing

Common workflow: Ahrefs for link-building + competitive research, Scan for quarterly technical health checks

---

What does Scan check that Lighthouse doesn’t?

5 categories Lighthouse misses:

1. Schema optimization (not just validation)

   • Lighthouse: “Schema exists ”
   • Scan: “Missing LocalBusiness schema → no map pack eligibility”

2. Advanced accessibility (150+ checks vs 50)

   • Lighthouse: Basic automated rules
   • Scan: WCAG 2.1 AA compliance via pa11y

3. Real device testing (iOS Safari, Android Chrome)

   • Lighthouse: Chrome simulator
   • Scan: Real devices (catches iOS viewport bugs)

4. Social preview validation (images load, dimensions correct)

   • Lighthouse: Tags exist
   • Scan: Images 404, dimensions wrong

5. Site-wide crawling (broken links, orphaned pages)

   • Lighthouse: Single page
   • Scan: Full site audit

Full explanation →

---

When should I use Screaming Frog instead?

Use Screaming Frog ($259/year) if:

• You’re an SEO agency crawling 100+ client sites monthly
• You need custom extraction rules and advanced filters
• You want on-demand crawling (not waiting 15 min for report)
• You’re comfortable with desktop software (not web-based)

Use Scan ($25 or $50) if:

• You need one-off pre-launch audits
• You want prioritized recommendations (not just data dumps)
• You prefer web-based (no software install)
• You’re a founder or marketer (not SEO specialist)

Hybrid: Screaming Frog for deep crawling, Scan for pre-launch validation

---

Is Scan cheaper than Semrush because it’s worse?

No. different business models.

Why Semrush is $139-499/month:

• Subscription overhead: You pay for 30 days even if you only use it once
• Broad feature set: Keyword research, rank tracking, backlinks, content tools (you may not need all)
• Team licenses: Per-seat pricing adds up
• Market positioning: Enterprise pricing

Why Scan is $25 or $50 one-time:

• Pay per audit: No subscription, no monthly fees
• Focused scope: Technical SEO only (not keyword research or backlinks)
• Automation: AI-powered analysis (lower marginal cost)
• SMB positioning: Affordable for small businesses

Both are good at what they do. Scan is cheaper because it’s focused and one-time, not because it’s lower quality.

---