The free desktop alternative to JetOctopus
JetOctopus is a powerful cloud crawler - but it starts at $49/month. Crawly is a free, native Mac SEO crawler with no subscription, no page cap, and Claude Code MCP built in.
JetOctopus vs Crawly: different tools for different use cases
JetOctopus is built for enterprise SEO teams that need log file analysis, JavaScript rendering at scale, and deep integration with Google Search Console data. It is a cloud product - your crawls run on their servers, your data lives in their platform, and you pay a monthly fee to access it.
Crawly is a desktop-first tool. Crawls run on your Mac, data stays local, and there is no subscription. For agencies and in-house teams running regular site audits, that means zero ongoing cost and no data leaving your machine.
Where Crawly leads is the built-in Claude Code MCP integration - something JetOctopus does not have. Connect Crawly to your AI coding tool and query crawl data in plain English from your terminal. Ask which pages are missing meta descriptions, what changed between crawls, or which URLs are returning 4xx - without opening a dashboard.
Crawly vs JetOctopus
Feature comparison - desktop vs cloud.
| Feature | Crawly Free | JetOctopus |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | From $49 / month |
| Page limit | Unlimited | By subscription tier |
| Deployment | Native desktop app | Cloud SaaS |
| Data storage | Local - your machine | Cloud servers |
| Platform | macOS (Apple Silicon + Intel) | Browser-based |
| Claude Code MCP | Yes | No |
| Crawl comparison (diff) | Yes | Yes |
| Issues dashboard | Yes | Yes |
| Image audit | Yes | No |
| Security header checks | Yes | No |
| Hreflang audit | Yes | Yes |
| Custom CSS extraction | Yes | No |
| XML sitemap export | Yes | No |
| Log file analysis | No | Yes |
| JavaScript rendering | No | Yes |
| Licence / subscription required | No | Yes |
JetOctopus pricing correct as of May 2026. Based on publicly available feature documentation.
See it in action
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Frequently asked questions
- What is JetOctopus?
- JetOctopus is a cloud-based technical SEO crawler aimed at enterprise teams and large sites. It is known for log file analysis, JavaScript rendering, and integration with Google Search Console data. It is a paid SaaS product with pricing from around $49 per month.
- Is there a free alternative to JetOctopus?
- Yes. Crawly is a free desktop SEO crawler for macOS with no page cap and no subscription. It covers the core technical audit workflow: issues detection, image audit, crawl comparison, hreflang, security headers, and custom extraction. It does not include log file analysis or server-side JavaScript rendering, which are JetOctopus strengths.
- When should I use JetOctopus instead of Crawly?
- JetOctopus is better suited to enterprise sites where log file analysis is a priority, or where server-side JavaScript rendering is required for accurate crawls. Crawly is a better fit for agencies and in-house teams that need fast, frequent desktop crawls without a SaaS subscription.
- Does Crawly store data in the cloud?
- No. All crawl data is stored locally on your Mac. Crawly does not upload your crawl data to any server. This makes it suitable for clients or industries with data sensitivity requirements.
- What SEO issues does Crawly detect?
- Crawly automatically detects 19 issue types including missing and duplicate titles, missing and duplicate H1s, missing meta descriptions, missing alt text, 4xx and 5xx errors, redirect chains, non-indexable pages, mixed content, security headers, near-duplicate content, hreflang errors, Schema.org issues, and Open Graph tags.
- Does Crawly have a Claude Code MCP integration?
- Yes. Crawly ships with a built-in MCP server that connects your crawl data to Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, and other MCP-compatible AI tools. You can query your crawl data in plain English from your terminal - no export, no spreadsheet.
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Want to use Crawly with Claude Code? Read the Claude Code MCP setup guide
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