If an important page is missing from Google, start by checking its index state in Search Console. Buying another crawler won't tell you, by itself, whether Google has indexed that exact URL.
A crawler becomes useful when you need to investigate the technical conditions behind the problem: a template adding noindex, a conflicting canonical, an inaccessible page or a weak discovery path.
These five tools help with different parts of that investigation. This comparison uses official documentation checked on November 11, 2026, not hands-on test results. I'm a co-founder of Screpy, which is included below.
Separate index status from indexability
Keep three questions separate: what Google last recorded, what the page serves now, and what your crawler observed. Those answers can disagree without any tool being broken.
A successful HTTP response and an apparently indexable page aren't proof of inclusion in Google's index. Likewise, an indexed URL isn't guaranteed to appear for the query you tried.
| Tool | Useful diagnostic evidence | What to keep separate |
|---|---|---|
| Google Search Console | Google's indexed-page information and a separate live test | Live eligibility isn't an indexing promise |
| Screaming Frog | Technical crawl data, optionally joined with authenticated URL Inspection data | A normal crawl alone doesn't establish Google index status |
| Sitebulb | Guided investigation of directives, canonicals and technical patterns | Indexability hints aren't Google's index database |
| Ahrefs Site Audit | Hosted crawl reports for technical investigation | An audit score doesn't establish index inclusion |
| Screpy | Google inspection results alongside crawl context for eligible URLs | Completed inspected rows aren't the entire website inventory |
Google's crawling and indexing troubleshooting guide is a useful reference when narrowing the issue. First decide whether this is a URL that should be indexed. Duplicate alternatives and intentionally excluded pages may be behaving correctly.
That decision comes before treating every “not indexed” label as a bug.
1. Google Search Console
For a specific URL on a property you can access, URL Inspection is the starting point. Read the indexed result, its crawl information and the Google-selected canonical before changing the page.
Then use the live test when you need to investigate current access or indexability. It answers a different question from the stored indexed result and cannot predict which URL Google will select as canonical.
For patterns across the site, use the Page indexing report. Group affected pages by reason and compare their purpose. A duplicated URL with a correct canonical needs a different response from an important original article that hasn't been indexed.
The report's example lists are limited to 1,000 URLs and aren't guaranteed to contain every URL in a status. Use URL Inspection for an individual page rather than assuming absence from an example list is the answer.
Search Console is free, but requires the relevant property access. I'd exhaust this evidence before paying for another tool simply to check a handful of URLs.
2. Screaming Frog SEO Spider
Screaming Frog fits when you need to line up URL-level technical evidence across many pages and investigate repeated conditions.
Its URL Inspection API workflow brings Google's indexed-page information into the crawl alongside technical data. That lets you distinguish a page the crawler considers indexable from a page Google reports as indexed.
The connection requires the appropriate Google account and property access, and inspection quotas still apply. It isn't a way to submit URLs for indexing.
The free edition crawls up to 500 URLs, while API integrations, JavaScript rendering, saving crawls and crawl comparison require a paid licence. The live pricing page served during research showed €245 per user per year. Hardware still limits practical crawl size.
I'd compare it when a missing-page problem appears to follow a route pattern or template. Check the affected URLs, their directives and their inspection records together, rather than interpreting the crawler's indexability column as Google's final decision.
3. Sitebulb
Sitebulb is worth considering when the next step is understanding and explaining a technical pattern.
Its Indexability Hints cover robots directives, X-Robots-Tag headers, canonicals and conflicts between signals. Examples include mismatched directives in HTML and headers, or a canonical that points to a URL with an error response.
For a developer, that can turn “these pages aren't indexed” into a narrower hypothesis: several URLs may share the same incorrect template output. Inspect representative pages before applying one change to the entire group.
The Desktop comparison lists 10,000 URLs per audit for Lite and a default 500,000 for Pro. JavaScript crawling is included in both; native audit comparisons and scheduling are Pro features.
Exact subscription amounts weren't available in the dynamic pricing page returned during research, so check the current quote and billing period rather than relying on an older price.
Treat the hints as technical evidence. They can help explain barriers, but they don't independently establish whether Google has indexed a URL.
4. Ahrefs Site Audit
Ahrefs Site Audit offers hosted technical investigation across areas such as indexability, redirects, robots and sitemaps. Its URL details and page exploration tools help you inspect crawl findings rather than stop at an overall health score.
Use that evidence to test a hypothesis. For example, compare the directives and content returned for an affected article with a similar working page. A successful response alone doesn't establish that the right content or canonical was served.
For websites you can verify, Ahrefs Free includes Site Audit with 5,000 crawl credits per project per month. Credits count HTML pages returning 200; redirects, broken URLs and non-HTML resources don't consume that allowance.
That is a monthly allowance, not a promise of unlimited repeat audits. Check coverage and report eligibility for your account before planning a large investigation.
I'd compare it when you want hosted crawl reports as part of an existing SEO workflow. Keep the Google index-state check in Search Console; a third-party technical audit isn't a replacement for it.
5. Screpy
Screpy Index Status combines Google inspection results with crawl context such as internal links, depth and heading counts. That is useful when you need to group affected URLs and decide which pages deserve a closer investigation.
The documented prerequisites are a matching connected Search Console property and a completed website crawl. The audit covers eligible URLs from that crawl, not every address that may exist on the site.
Coverage matters here. The feature selects successful 2XX URLs with no canonical or a matching canonical. Its result table contains completed inspections; skipped or failed requests aren't evidence that a URL is indexed or unindexed. Exports cover the current table page, up to 50 rows.
The general Pro plan lists five projects, 5,000 crawl pages per project and Search Console access at a regular $192/year, equivalent to $16/month paid upfront. Confirm Index Status availability and inspection capacity in your account; the pricing page doesn't publish a separate unlimited inspection allowance. Welcome offers are conditional, subscriptions renew automatically, and the seven-day trial becomes paid unless cancelled in time.
Stored inspection information may be reused, so a new audit doesn't guarantee an immediate view of a recent fix. MCP can inspect existing Index Status audits and records; it doesn't start a new audit or automatically repair the site.
Keep a diagnosis record before changing the page
Start with a few important URLs that should appear in search. Record the intended canonical, Google's reported state, the observation date and the current technical evidence.
Here's an illustrative diagnostic table, not a set of test results:
| Evidence | What it establishes | Useful next check |
|---|---|---|
The crawler reports noindex on an article that should be searchable |
The crawler saw an exclusion directive | Inspect current HTML and response headers, then trace the template or setting responsible |
| A URL is technically accessible, but Google reports “Crawled - currently not indexed” | Technical access hasn't established index inclusion | Review the intended canonical, duplication, page content and discovery context before choosing a change |
| An alternate URL is excluded while the intended canonical is indexed | The alternate may be correctly excluded | Confirm that the canonical matches the purpose of the pages before treating the exclusion as a defect |
Keep the source of each finding attached to it. “Crawler, this morning” and “Google inspection, last processed version” aren't interchangeable observations.
After a repair, verify the live condition first. Then allow Google time to process the change and review the indexed evidence separately. Repeating an audit against cached inspection information doesn't establish that a fix failed.
If the page is already indexed but doesn't appear for the query you want, investigate relevance and search performance rather than repeatedly changing indexing directives.
For a handful of pages, Search Console may be all you need. Add a crawler or an inspection workspace when the problem spans templates, URL groups or a recurring handoff. Choose the tool that helps you explain the evidence and the next action, not one that promises to put every URL into Google.
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