Beam Us Up

Overview

Beam Us Up is a downloadable SEO spider that runs on your computer. It suits site owners and teams who need technical audits and repeat crawls without a software fee. Its broad checks and command-line reports are compelling; the Excel row ceiling and the maker’s caution about professional requirements are reasons to consider alternatives.

Browse SEO Audit Software, SEO Crawler Software, and SEO tools for more options.

Key features

Technical audits and access checks

The crawler checks links, redirects, duplicate content, headings, metadata, sitemaps, crawl depth, blocked URLs, and Google PageSpeed. Version 2.0 also shows whether robots.txt permits or blocks 27 search engines and AI bots. Together, these checks help site owners review common technical issues and understand which automated readers can access their pages.

It can render JavaScript pages using Chrome or Edge already installed on the computer. Optional security checks cover Content-Security-Policy, HSTS, and X-Frame-Options headers, and the crawler flags expired or invalid SSL certificates. For browser-level password-protected sites, the password stays in memory while the app is open and is not saved.

Comparisons, exports, and automation

Compare two crawls to identify fixed, new, and remaining problems as well as page changes, then export the comparison as CSV files in a ZIP. That makes it useful for tracking whether site changes resolved issues. Command-line mode can crawl a site, write a JSON report, and return an error code when it finds problems at a chosen level, which supports automated checks.

The maker says version 2.0 can crawl sites with 100,000 or more pages. Excel exports, however, are capped at 65,536 rows per sheet; the app warns before exporting a larger crawl. That cap does not erase the crawler’s stated large-site support, but it can make Excel a poor destination for the full results of a big audit.

The installer can connect the crawler to AI assistants it finds—including Claude, Cursor, VS Code, Windsurf, Codex CLI, and Gemini CLI—through MCP. Support is via a comment on the release post with a real email address and URL for a reply.

Pricing

BeamUsUp SEO Crawler: free. The maker describes it as completely free with no limits. There is no free trial to distinguish from the ongoing free plan, and no paid tier is presented. The stated Excel export cap remains a practical constraint even with no stated crawl quota.

Platforms

Beam Us Up is available for Linux, macOS, and Windows, and is also categorized for API use. JavaScript rendering relies on Chrome or Edge installed on the computer.

Who it's for

Choose Beam Us Up for recurring technical audits, crawl comparisons, or command-line checks when avoiding a software fee matters. Its checks, AI-bot access view, and JSON reporting cover a wide range of routine work. The maker says it aims to produce actionable results for most users and websites, including professionals, while advising that Screaming Frog and NetPeak are better for professional needs. Teams with specialist requirements should take that qualification seriously.

Pros and cons

Pros

• No software cost or stated usage limit: the maker describes the crawler as completely free.
• Broad audit coverage: common SEO checks, security signals, JavaScript rendering, and AI-bot access rules are available in one crawler.
• Useful repeat-check workflow: comparisons surface what changed, while command-line mode can produce JSON and an error code based on chosen problem levels.

Cons

• Excel exports stop at 65,536 rows per sheet: larger crawls may need a different way to work with results.
• Professional needs may call for another product: the maker specifically points to Screaming Frog and NetPeak as better suited to them.
• Browser rendering depends on installed software: Chrome or Edge must already be on the computer to render JavaScript pages.

Alternatives

Lighthouse is another free option for automated web page audits, with API, extension, Linux, macOS, web, and Windows platforms. Pick it when that audit focus or platform mix is a better fit than Beam Us Up’s downloadable crawler.

Open SEO Crawler is free and MIT-licensed, self-hosted, and supports unlimited URLs without an account, API key, or per-URL billing. Choose it when those deployment and licensing terms matter.

A1 Website Analyzer offers a continuing free mode after a 30-day evaluation period, capped at 500 page URLs per website and 500 imported URLs. Its Windows and macOS availability and time-limited evaluation make it worth considering when those URL allowances are enough.

Checkbot has a free Basic plan with 100 URLs per crawl, unlimited crawls and sites, and ads; its Professional yearly plan is $10 a year. Consider it when the 100-URL crawl allowance suits the work.

Crab is free, open-source software for Linux, macOS, and Windows. Choose it if open-source availability is the deciding factor.

FreeCrawl offers free plans with unlimited URLs and is available for Linux, macOS, self-hosted use, and Windows. It may suit readers prioritizing those platform options and URL terms.

Greenflare is free and open source under GPLv3+ for Linux, macOS, and Windows. It is an alternative when that license and platform range fit.

Netpeak Spider has a free plan capped at 500 URLs, five threads, and two devices per user on Windows and macOS. The maker of Beam Us Up names NetPeak as better for professional needs, while its free URL and thread caps may constrain smaller evaluations.

Verdict

Beam Us Up is a strong fit for site owners and teams who want a free crawler for broad technical checks, repeat comparisons, and command-line reporting. The combination of those workflows and no stated usage limit is its main appeal. Look elsewhere if Excel is central to processing large crawls or if your work calls for the professional capabilities the maker associates with Screaming Frog and NetPeak.