The squirrelscan Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about squirrelscan in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
squirrelscan
The Insider’s Guide
Open-source site audit CLI whose fixes are written for coding agents
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among technical SEO tools, read from squirrelscan’s own pages.
Made by Nineprimes Pty Ltd · checked Oct 23, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from squirrelscan’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on squirrelscan’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 23, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.8
GPA, above 64 of the 83 other technical SEO tools we grade
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.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about squirrelscan, taken from its own pages and our grades.
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.
- 1
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.
- 2
Paid plans start at $19 a month
As its pricing page puts it: $19 per month, billed monthly.
- 3
There is a 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.
- 4
It runs on 4 platforms
Web, macOS, Windows and Linux.
- 5
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.
- 6
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.
- 7
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.
- 8
A 2.8 GPA, above 64 of 83
That is against the other technical SEO tools we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
Nothing squirrelscan does is plain enough to make in a weekend. The 4 things listed below take a company.
squirrelscan at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan, from $19 per month, billed monthly
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web, macOS, Windows, Linux
- Made by
- Nineprimes Pty Ltd
- Category
- Technical SEO & Site Audits
- Our grade
- 2.8 GPA, good
The report card
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.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | A | Local 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. |
| Free plan and trial | A | Local 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. |
| Features | C | 300+ 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. |
| Ease of use | D | No 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. |
| Platforms and integrations | B | Mac, 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. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
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 it 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
Good to know
Good for
- Developers who fix sites with Claude Code, Cursor or another coding agent
- Free, unlimited site audits from the command line
- CI pipelines that should fail a build when the audit score drops
- Agencies that need white-label audit reports, on the Team plan
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.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$19
A month to start. There is a free plan too
squirrelscan has a free plan. Paid plans start at $19 per month, billed monthly.
Local audits from the MIT-licensed CLI are free and unlimited on your own computer.
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
$19
per 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
$29
per 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.
The 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.
Read from squirrelscan.com on Oct 23, 2026.
Ways to pay less
Annual discount
Two 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
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
4
Places it runs: Web, macOS, Windows and Linux
Open-source site audit CLI whose fixes are written for coding agents. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: open source, public API, AI features, site audit.
The gaps: the terms call it beta, and browser rendering for JavaScript sites is cloud only.
- 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.
Where it runs
- Web
- macOS
- Windows
- Linux
What it works with
- Claude Code
- Cursor
- Codex
- GitHub Copilot
- Gemini CLI
- Windsurf
- ChatGPT
- GitHub
squirrelscan is made by Nineprimes Pty Ltd.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
64/83
Other technical SEO tools it is graded above
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
- AFree plan and trialAbove 62 of 83
- CFeaturesAbove 10 of 83
- DEase of useAbove 0 of 83
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 27 of 83
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 73 technical SEO tools. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. squirrelscan is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
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.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Unlighthouse, SiteOne Crawler, Screaming Frog SEO Spider, Lighthouse and Sitebulb
The 5 tools squirrelscan is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.6GPA
Unlighthouse
Free
Free open-source tool that runs Lighthouse on every page of a site.
- Only squirrelscan lists a web app.
- Unlighthouse also covers page speed.
- 3.0GPA
SiteOne Crawler
Free
Free open-source site crawler and audit report, as an app or CLI.
- Only squirrelscan lists a web app.
- 2.4GPA
Screaming Frog SEO Spider
Free plan · from $279/yr
Desktop website crawler for technical SEO audits.
- Only squirrelscan lists a web app.
- squirrelscan is open source, according to its own site.
- Screaming Frog SEO Spider also covers reports.
- 3.2GPA
Lighthouse
Free
Google's open-source audit of page speed, accessibility and SEO.
- Only squirrelscan lists macOS, Windows and Linux apps.
- Only Lighthouse lists a browser extension.
- Lighthouse also covers page speed.
- 2.6GPA
Sitebulb
Free trial · from $18/mo
Website auditing crawler for Windows and Mac, with a cloud edition.
- squirrelscan has a free plan. Sitebulb does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only squirrelscan lists a Linux app.
- squirrelscan is open source, according to its own site.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
14
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is squirrelscan free?
squirrelscan has a free plan. Local CLI audits are free and unlimited.
How much does squirrelscan cost?
squirrelscan lists 4 plans. Free: $0.
What platforms does squirrelscan work on?
squirrelscan is available on Web, macOS, Windows and Linux.
Does squirrelscan offer any discounts?
squirrelscan publicly lists the following: Two months free with annual billing.
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.
What does squirrelscan integrate with?
squirrelscan's listing names Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, ChatGPT and GitHub.
Who makes squirrelscan?
squirrelscan is made by Nineprimes Pty Ltd.
What are the alternatives to squirrelscan?
The closest alternatives to squirrelscan in our directory are Unlighthouse, SiteOne Crawler, Screaming Frog SEO Spider, Lighthouse and Sitebulb.
How does squirrelscan compare with other 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.
Is squirrelscan good value for money?
ToolGPA grades squirrelscan A for value for money. 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.
Could I make my own version of squirrelscan?
Nothing squirrelscan does is plain enough to make in a weekend. The 4 things listed below take a company.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from squirrelscan’s own pages on Oct 23, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 23, 2026. 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.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Nineprimes Pty Ltd. Prices change, so check squirrelscan.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
3,189
Tools graded, in 94 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
3,189
tools graded
94
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- squirrelscan, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/squirrelscan
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "squirrelscan: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 23, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/squirrelscan
Know someone choosing between technical SEO tools?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/squirrelscan/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded technical SEO tools after squirrelscan, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Technical SEO & Site Audits Insider's GuideEvery one of the 84 technical SEO tools we grade, compared
- Lighthouse Insider's GuideGoogle's open-source audit of page speed, accessibility and SEO3.2 GPA
- PageSpeed Insights Insider's GuideFree Google speed test with real-user Core Web Vitals and Lighthouse3.2 GPA
- Yellow Lab Tools Insider's GuideFree open-source audit of a page's speed and front-end code3.2 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what squirrelscan’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. squirrelscan is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Nineprimes Pty Ltd. Prices and plans change: check squirrelscan.com before you buy.