squirrelscan review (2026): is the free plan enough?
Open-source site audit CLI whose fixes are written for coding agents
squirrelscan report card
Good · out of 4.0 · graded Oct 23, 2026
Best for site audits whose fixes a coding agent can apply
squirrelscan is a free, open-source command-line auditor that checks a site against 300+ rules and writes each fix so Claude Code or Cursor can apply it. But it's a terminal tool still at version 0.0.x and called beta in its terms, and JavaScript rendering, AI analysis and scheduled runs come only with cloud audits that spend credits.
Who squirrelscan is for
- Fits if you fix sites with Claude Code, Cursor or another coding agent
- Works for CI pipelines that should fail a build when the audit score drops
Who squirrelscan is not for
- Skip it if you don't use a terminal, as it's a command-line tool first
- Watch out: the terms call it a beta product, and the CLI is still at version 0.0.x
- Tight if you lean on cloud audits, at 50 credits plus 2 a page, with credits that reset each month
- Tight if you stay free, as cloud audits stop at 500 pages and top-ups are for paid plans only
- Pricey if you want white-label reports or pooled credits, which need Team at 2 seats of $29
Why squirrelscan gets a 2.8
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- AValue for moneyLocal audits from the MIT-licensed CLI are free and unlimited on your own computer. Cloud audits go further on Pro at $19 a month ($190 a year), between this category's cheaper quarter and its middle.
- AFree plan and trialLocal CLI audits cost nothing and have no cap. A free account adds 500 cloud credits a month, about 5 cloud audits of up to 500 pages, and a weekly audit of one site, with no card.
- CFeatures300+ rules across SEO, crawlability, links, schema, hreflang, Core Web Vitals, security headers, accessibility and AI crawler readiness, with CI exit codes and an MCP server. The gaps: the terms call it beta, and browser rendering for JavaScript sites is cloud only.
- DEase of useNo rating on record. It's a command-line binary, so you work in a terminal or through a coding agent, and cloud audits mean watching a credit balance.
- BPlatforms and integrationsMac, Windows and Linux, with cloud audits and published reports on the web, and skills for Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI and Windsurf. No phone app.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from squirrelscan's own pages on 23 October 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
Make squirrelscan? Put this grade on your site
Paste this where you want the badge. It links here and follows the grade if it changes. About badges
<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/squirrelscan#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/squirrelscan.svg" alt="squirrelscan: 2.8 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where squirrelscan stands among technical SEO tools
squirrelscan's GPA of 2.8 is higher than 64 of the 83 other technical SEO tools we grade, and level with 8.
It stands best on free plan and trial (A, above 62 of 83) and worst on ease of use (D, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $19 a month, against a middle price of $22.41 for the category: 23 of the 52 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.0 out of 4. 25 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 84 technical SEO tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. squirrelscan’s own letter is outlined.
- AValue for moneyAbove 54 of 83, level with 29
- AFree plan and trialAbove 62 of 83, level with 21
- CFeaturesAbove 10 of 83, level with 66
- DEase of useAbove 0 of 83, level with 6
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 27 of 83, level with 56
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 73 technical SEO tools. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Keep squirrelscan, or make your own?
Keep it
Nothing squirrelscan does is plain enough to make in a weekend. The 4 things listed below take a company.
It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 2.8 is higher than 64 of the 83 other technical SEO tools we grade. It costs $228 a year. squirrelscan is open source, so there is a third way: take its code and run it yourself.
What you could not
- A crawler that checks every page of a site.
- Apps for macOS, Windows and Linux that stay in step with each other.
- It plugs into other products, Claude Code, Cursor and Codex among them, and has an API.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
What this rests on. squirrelscan’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is squirrelscan?
squirrelscan is an open-source (MIT) command-line website auditor that checks a site against 300+ rules for SEO, performance, security, accessibility and readiness for AI agents. Its reports are written so coding agents such as Claude Code and Cursor can apply the fixes. Local audits are free and unlimited; cloud audits with browser rendering, AI analysis and published reports run on monthly credits.
Worth knowing
- The terms call it a beta product, and the CLI is still at version 0.0.x.
- Cloud audits cost 50 credits plus 2 per page, and 1 more per external link checked; monthly credits reset and do not roll over.
- Free cloud audits stop at 500 pages with one weekly scheduled site, and only paid plans can buy top-ups ($1 per 100 credits, from $10).
- Team is sold per seat with a 2-seat minimum, and pooled credits, roles and white-label reports come only with it.
Key features
- 300+ audit rules in 22 categories
- Checks core SEO, crawlability, links, schema, hreflang, Core Web Vitals, security headers, accessibility, E-E-A-T signals and AI crawler readiness such as llms.txt.
- Fixes written for coding agents
- Every finding comes with its fix in output an agent can apply. Skills for Claude Code, Cursor, Codex and others run an audit, fix and re-audit loop.
- CLI, MCP server and CI gate
- A single binary for macOS, Windows and Linux, a local MCP server that exposes the audit as agent tools, and exit codes that can fail a build on score or severity.
- Incremental crawling
- Re-crawls use ETag, Last-Modified and content hashing to skip unchanged pages, and an interrupted crawl resumes from a checkpoint.
- Reports in seven formats
- A health score and letter grade, with output as a self-contained HTML file, Markdown or console text for people, and LLM, JSON, XML or text for agents.
- Cloud audits
- Signed in, audits add headless-browser rendering for JavaScript sites, AI page analysis, technology detection, dead-link checks, scheduled runs and published reports.
squirrelscan pricing
As of Oct 23, 2026, squirrelscan has a free plan, and paid plans start at $19 per month, billed monthly.
- Starts at
- $19 per month, billed monthly
- Free plan
- Local CLI audits are free and unlimited. A free account adds 500 cloud credits a month (about 5 cloud audits of up to 500 pages) and a weekly audit of one site.
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Unlimited local audits, 500 cloud credits a month, 500 pages per cloud audit and a weekly scheduled audit of one site. No card needed. |
| Pro | $19per month, billed monthly | 3,000 credits a month (an audit costs 50 plus 2 per page), 2,000 pages per audit, daily audits of all sites and score history. $190 a year. |
| Team | $29per seat / month, billed monthly | Minimum 2 seats. 3,000 pooled credits per seat, 10,000 pages per audit, roles, shared projects and white-label reports. $290 per seat a year. |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom contracts and invoiced billing for larger teams, with single sign-on on request. |
Read from squirrelscan.com on Oct 23, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with squirrelscan before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Annual discountTwo months free with annual billing
Annual billing is 12 months for the price of 10: Pro is $190 a year and Team $290 per seat a year, with credits still arriving monthly.
Stated on squirrelscan.com
Works with
squirrelscan alternatives
- squirrelscan vs Screaming Frog SEO Spider
Free plan · from $279/yr
- squirrelscan vs Sitebulb
Free trial · from $18/mo
Common questions
Does squirrelscan have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 23, 2026. squirrelscan is listed for Web, macOS, Windows and Linux.
Does squirrelscan have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 23, 2026. squirrelscan is listed for Web, macOS, Windows and Linux.
Is squirrelscan open source?
Yes. squirrelscan is open source, according to its own site.
Does squirrelscan have an API?
Yes. squirrelscan offers a public API, according to its own site.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 23, 2026.