Crowl

Free plan LinuxMacWindows

What Crowl is

Crowl is a free, open-source SEO crawler made for SEO professionals. It runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux, with the installation guide saying UNIX-like systems such as Linux and macOS work best. Crowl extracts links, anchor text, and page content, and supports unlimited URLs by default through a MAX_REQUESTS value of 0. Crawls can be stopped and resumed. Results can be exported to CSV or stored in MySQL. Project-specific INI files control request behavior, extraction, and output, including custom user agents, proxies, robots.txt compliance, delays, concurrency, HTTP basic authentication, exclusion patterns, rotating user agents, duplicate-link removal, and custom XPath extractors. Language detection uses a FastText model that must be downloaded separately. Built with Python and Scrapy, Crowl works best with Python 3.6 or later. It is distributed under GNU GPL v3, permitting private or commercial use when modified or redistributed code remains under that license. The latest release shown is version 0.3.1, dated July 27, 2021.

Who it suits

Crowl suits SEO professionals and contributors comfortable configuring an open-source crawler. It fits users who want adjustable crawling, CSV or MySQL output, and cross-platform desktop support.

What it does well

Free under GNU GPL v3
Unlimited URLs by default
Stops and resumes crawls
CSV export and MySQL storage
Customizable crawl settings

What to know first

Provided without warranty
FastText model requires separate download
Works best with Python 3.6 or later
Latest listed release is dated July 27, 2021

Getting started

Open the Crowl website
Install it on Windows, macOS, or Linux
Use Python 3.6 or later
Create a project-specific INI configuration
Set crawl, extraction, and output options
Export results to CSV or store them in MySQL

Verdict

Crowl offers broad crawl controls and open-source flexibility without a subscription cost. Its older listed release and separate language-model download are important considerations for setup and maintenance.

Questions

Is Crowl free?

Yes. Crowl has a free plan and is distributed under GNU GPL v3.

Which platforms does Crowl support?

Crowl works on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Its installation guide says UNIX-like systems, including Linux and macOS, work best.

How many URLs can it crawl?

The feature list supports unlimited URLs. MAX_REQUESTS defaults to 0, meaning no limit, but it can be configured.

Where can crawl data go?

Crowl provides CSV export and supports storing crawl data in MySQL.

Does Crowl connect to third-party SEO services?

The documented output options are CSV files and MySQL; third-party SEO integrations are not described.

Facts from Crowl's own pages

Additional crawl features: Release notes list exclusion patterns, proxies, rotating user-agents, HTTP authentication, request limits, duplicate-link removal and custom XPath extractors among Crowl features. · crowl.tech, 9 Oct 2026
Authentication: Crowl supports HTTP basic authentication settings for crawling environments that require a username and password. · crowl.tech, 9 Oct 2026
Crawl control: Crowl can stop and resume crawls. · crowl.tech, 9 Oct 2026
Crawl controls: Crowl supports stopping and resuming crawls and allows a custom user-agent. · crowl.tech, 9 Oct 2026
Crawl data: Crowl extracts links and anchor texts, and can extract page content. · crowl.tech, 9 Oct 2026
Customization: Crowl settings are configured in project-specific INI files, with options for request behavior, extraction, and output. · crowl.tech, 9 Oct 2026
Exports: Crowl provides CSV export by default and supports storing crawl data in MySQL. · crowl.tech, 9 Oct 2026
Exports and storage: The maker lists CSV export and MySQL storage as built-in output options. · crowl.tech, 9 Oct 2026
Free plan: Yes · crowl.tech, 21 Sept 2026
Integrations: The documentation describes CSV files and MySQL as output options; it does not state integrations with third-party SEO services. · crowl.tech, 9 Oct 2026
Intended users: The maker describes Crowl as designed for SEO professionals and invites contributors to join its volunteer community. · crowl.tech, 9 Oct 2026
Language detection: Crowl can identify the language of crawled page content using a FastText model, which must be downloaded separately. · crowl.tech, 9 Oct 2026
License: Crowl is distributed under GNU GPL v3, which allows private or commercial use provided modified or redistributed code is shared under the same license. · crowl.tech, 9 Oct 2026
Maintenance: The release notes list version 0.3.1 dated July 27, 2021, as the latest release shown there. · crowl.tech, 9 Oct 2026
Platform: Crowl works with Windows, Mac OS, and Linux; its installation guide says it works best on UNIX-like systems, including Linux and macOS. · crowl.tech, 9 Oct 2026
Platforms: The maker says Crowl works with Windows, Mac OS and Linux. · crowl.tech, 9 Oct 2026
Product: Crowl is an open-source SEO crawler made by SEOs for SEOs. · crowl.tech, 9 Oct 2026
Request settings: Configuration includes custom user agents, optional proxies, robots.txt compliance, request delays, and concurrent request settings. · crowl.tech, 9 Oct 2026
Support: The maker provides a contact form for questions and suggestions and links to Buy Me a Coffee for voluntary project support. · crowl.tech, 9 Oct 2026
Support and community: The project invites community contributions, provides a contact form, and links to optional supporter funding. · crowl.tech, 9 Oct 2026
Technology: Crowl is developed using Python and Scrapy, and the maker says it works best with Python 3.6 or later. · crowl.tech, 9 Oct 2026
URL limit: The feature list says Crowl supports unlimited URLs; configuration also offers MAX_REQUESTS, defaulting to 0 for no limit. · crowl.tech, 9 Oct 2026
Warranty: The product page states that Crowl is provided without warranty. · crowl.tech, 9 Oct 2026

Where Crowl stands on Freedom251

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