LibreCrawl vs Sitebulb (2026): which should you pick?

Pick LibreCrawl if

• Fits if you want a crawler with no URL limit and no licence fee
• Works for agencies hosting one crawler for a whole team on their own server

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you don't want to install anything, as there's no hosted version and the demo is down
• Watch out: on Windows the automatic Python install is off, so you need Docker or a manual setup
• Not for you if you'll put it on a shared network as it comes, since it runs without sign-in by default
• Watch out: one developer maintains it with outside help, and support goes through GitHub

Pick Sitebulb if

• Fits if you want each audit finding ranked by priority with an explanation of what to do
• Works for freelancers auditing sites under 10,000 URLs, from $180 a year on Lite

Look elsewhere if

• Tight if your site is big, as Lite stops at 10,000 URLs per audit and lacks scheduling, comparisons and several reports
• Pricey if you want it in the browser, as Sitebulb Cloud starts at $125 a month and needs at least 2 users
• Skip it if you need keyword research or rank tracking, as it only audits
• Watch out: desktop crawls depend on your computer; Pro's default cap is 500,000 URLs, and more users are from $11 a month each
• Watch out: there's no free plan after the 14-day trial, and paying by invoice or purchase order is for yearly plans only

LibreCrawl

• There is no hosted version: you install it with Docker or Python 3.8 or later, and the public demo has been taken down.
• On Windows the startup script's automatic Python install is temporarily disabled, so Docker or a manual Python setup is needed.
• It runs in local mode without sign-in by default; sharing it on a network means setting a secret key and turning authentication on.
• It is maintained by one developer, PhialsBasement, with outside contributors; bugs and feature requests go through GitHub.

Sitebulb

• Lite caps each audit at 10,000 URLs and lacks scheduling, comparisons and several report types.
• Desktop crawls are limited by the computer: Pro's default cap is 500,000 URLs, raisable to 2 million.
• Sitebulb Cloud is priced separately, from $125 a month, and needs at least 2 users.
• Purchase order and invoice payment is only for yearly plans.

LibreCrawl

Technical SEO checks

Finds broken links, redirect chains and loops, duplicate content, title and meta problems, schema errors, hreflang and canonical issues, and missing alt text.

JavaScript rendering

Uses Playwright and Chromium to crawl React, Vue, Angular and Next.js sites, in headless mode for speed or headed mode for debugging.

Large crawls

No URL cap; memory profiling and virtual scrolling are there to keep crawls of a million or more URLs stable, with the limit set by your hardware.

Exports

Export crawl data as CSV, Excel, JSON or XML, picking the fields you want, with no limit on the number or size of exports.

Multi-user sessions

Several users can crawl at the same time in separate sessions; a production mode adds sign-in and user tiers, and a local mode skips them.

Plugins and REST API

A plugin is one JavaScript file that adds a tab with the crawl data, shared through a Plugin Workshop; a REST API starts, stops and exports crawls.

Sitebulb

Prioritized hints

Each audit flags issues against 100+ hints on Lite or 300+ on Pro, ranked by priority and explained in plain terms.

JavaScript crawling

Render JavaScript-heavy sites during a crawl on every plan, at no extra cost.

Audit comparison and scheduling

On Pro, compare audits to see what changed and schedule audits to run automatically, with auto-export to Google Sheets.

Crawl maps and reports

See site structure as visual crawl maps, and on Pro produce customized PDF reports for clients.

Pro-only checks

Pro adds performance and mobile, structured data, hreflang, spelling, accessibility and AMP reports.

MCP access

Connect audits to Claude, ChatGPT and other AI tools through Sitebulb's MCP server, included on every plan.

LibreCrawl

• Free$0

  The full crawler, which you install and host yourself with Docker or Python. Every feature is included.

Sitebulb

• Lite$18

  per month, billed monthly

  Desktop, 1 user, 10,000 URLs per audit, 100+ hints, JavaScript crawling, crawl maps and GA, GSC and Sheets integration.

• Pro$42

  per month, billed monthly

  Desktop price for 1 user; more users from $11 a month each. 500,000 URLs per audit, 300+ hints, scheduling, comparisons, PDF reports.

• Sitebulb Cloud$125

  per month and up, billed monthly

  Browser-based cloud crawling for 2+ users, no project limits, recurring crawls and Data Studio integration.

LibreCrawl

No public discounts listed.

Sitebulb

• Annual discount

  Save 15% with yearly plans

  Paid yearly, Lite is $180 a year and Pro $425 for 1 user, with extra users at $115.60 a year; Sitebulb Cloud starts at $1,500 a year.