Head-to-head review · Updated June 2026

OnCrawl vs Similarweb: which one wins in 2026?

OnCrawl and Similarweb both claim to do the same thing: tell you where your brand shows up in AI search. They go about it differently enough that the choice matters. Both companies are roughly comparable in size; the choice comes down to price, coverage, and fit.

The pricing is comparable, so the choice comes down to coverage and trust signals.

The verdict
Pick

OnCrawl

OnCrawl is the right pick if your team prefers their approach and pricing fits.

Pick

Similarweb

Pick Similarweb if SOC 2 Type 2 matters for your security review.

If neither is right, GrowthManager.ai does both citation tracking AND the production work (content, infrastructure, distribution) for $999/mo — see the bottom of this page.

The case for OnCrawl

Founded by Francois Goube, Tanguy Moal, based in Bordeaux, France. On their site they list 10 named customers including Adidas, L'Oreal, Ticketmaster, Harrods.

Enterprise SEO data platform combining crawl, logs, and AI insights.

What people praise

  • JavaScript-capable crawler scales to 300M+ URLs per project, putting it in the same league as Botify and DeepCrawl for enterprise sites.
  • Log file analyzer processes 500M+ log lines per day, surfacing how Googlebot, Bingbot, and AI crawlers actually behave on the site.
  • Cross-references crawl data, server logs, GSC, GA4, Adobe Analytics, and Majestic backlinks in one analysis - few competitors integrate all five sources.
  • 100% unsampled data analysis appeals to enterprise SEOs frustrated with GA4 sampling and Search Console limits.

Where it falls short

  • No public pricing - book-a-demo gating means SMBs and indie consultants are filtered out before evaluation.
  • Capterra rating of 3.8 is the lowest among major technical SEO crawlers, with reviewers citing UI complexity and pricing opacity.
  • Steep learning curve - the platform assumes data-science fluency, which leaves marketers needing a technical SEO specialist to extract value.
  • Self-serve onboarding is limited; complex multi-source setups (logs plus crawl plus analytics) typically need OnCrawl's customer success team.

The case for Similarweb

Similarweb has raised Public (NYSE: SMWB) (IPO May 2021 at $1.6B valuation, raised $165M). Founded by Or Offer, based in Tel Aviv, Israel. On their site they list 8 named customers including Google, Walmart, Adidas, eBay. Pricing starts at $35/mo.

Digital intelligence platform with web, app, and search data — recently added AI search visibility.

What people praise

  • Traffic and audience data covers millions of websites globally, providing the broadest competitive intelligence dataset of any tool in this category.
  • Intuitive UI that lets non-analysts quickly access competitor traffic, top pages, and audience overlap without training.
  • Native Salesforce and HubSpot integrations export account lists and lead data directly into CRM, used heavily by sales intelligence teams.
  • Snowflake API integration lets enterprises pipe raw traffic data into their data warehouse for blending with internal analytics.

Where it falls short

  • Traffic estimates can deviate 100-200% from actual Google Analytics or GSC numbers, especially for low-traffic sites.
  • Pricing jumps significantly at renewal, with long-term subscribers reporting unilateral price hikes year over year.
  • Contract inflexibility is a common complaint, with mid-term seat additions and module changes requiring full re-negotiation.
  • Data accuracy degrades for smaller websites under ~50K monthly visits, making it less useful for SMB competitive research.

Pricing, tier by tier

Tier 1
OnCrawl
Similarweb
Starter
$125/mo
  • Individual Web Intelligence access
  • 3 months historical data
  • 5 user dashboards
  • Limited keyword and traffic data
Tier 2
OnCrawl
Similarweb
Professional
$333/mo
  • Web Intelligence for solo practitioners
  • Expanded historical data
  • Higher data export limits
  • More keyword tracking volume
Tier 3
OnCrawl
Similarweb
Team
~$1,170/mo
  • 5 users
  • 15 months historical data
  • 50,000 keywords tracked
  • Sales Intelligence module options
Tier 4
OnCrawl
Similarweb
Enterprise
Custom (~$35K to $200K+/yr)
  • 10+ users minimum
  • 37 months historical data
  • Unlimited keyword tracking
  • API access for Snowflake, Tableau, Salesforce, HubSpot

Feature parity

What each one ships that the other doesn't. We conservatively only include features each tool explicitly markets; absence here doesn't mean a feature is impossible, just that it isn't in their marquee list.

Only on OnCrawl
  • SEO Crawler. JavaScript-capable cloud crawler that audits 300M+ URLs, mapping site architecture, internal linking, and orphan pages.
  • Log File Analyzer. Processes 500M+ log lines daily to show how Googlebot, Bingbot, and AI bots interact with the site.
  • Data3 Cross-Analysis. Combines crawl, logs, GSC, GA4, Adobe Analytics, and Majestic data in unified reports with custom segmentation.
  • SEO Impact Report. Connects technical SEO metrics to business outcomes like organic revenue and conversions.
  • REST API. Full developer API with automated crawl scheduling and log ingestion for enterprise SEO automation.
Only on Similarweb
  • Web Intelligence. Traffic and engagement estimates for any domain, including top pages, referrals, paid and organic search splits.
  • Search Intelligence. Keyword research, SERP analysis, and organic and paid keyword tracking across 200+ countries.
  • Sales Intelligence. Lead generator, account research, and CRM sync that surfaces high-intent prospects based on web behavior.
  • Shopper Intelligence. E-commerce category and product-level insights for retailers and brands tracking Amazon and direct sites.
  • App Intelligence. Mobile app usage, downloads, and engagement data (acquired from 42matters).
  • Data as a Service. Snowflake, Batch API, and custom data feeds for enterprise data warehouses.

When each one wins

When OnCrawl wins
  • JavaScript-capable crawler scales to 300M+ URLs per project, putting it in the same league as Botify and DeepCrawl for enterprise sites.
When Similarweb wins
  • Budget is the constraint. Similarweb starts at $35/mo vs OnCrawl's $∞/mo, so on a per-seat basis it's the cheaper way in.
  • Procurement requires SOC 2 Type 2. Similarweb has it; OnCrawl doesn't yet.
  • Traffic and audience data covers millions of websites globally, providing the broadest competitive intelligence dataset of any tool in this category.
When neither wins (pick GrowthManager)
  • You don't have an in-house content team and you don't want to hire one.
  • You want one $999/mo invoice instead of stacking OnCrawl plus an agency.
  • You need the team that measures to also act on the data, in the same week.
  • You're a B2B SaaS, services firm, or e-commerce brand at $20K+ MRR.

Reasons to pick one over the other

Reasons to pick OnCrawl over Similarweb

  1. Built for the LLM era. OnCrawl was founded in 2013, built around AI search from day one; Similarweb dates back to 2007 and is retrofitting.
  2. What users praise most. JavaScript-capable crawler scales to 300M+ URLs per project, putting it in the same league as Botify and DeepCrawl for enterprise sites.
  3. EU data residency. OnCrawl is HQ'd in Bordeaux, France, which simplifies GDPR data-processor agreements for European buyers.

Reasons to pick Similarweb over OnCrawl

  1. Lower entry price. Similarweb publishes a clear entry tier at $35/mo; OnCrawl gates pricing.
  2. Public pricing. Similarweb publishes 4 tiers on its website; OnCrawl requires a sales conversation.
  3. SOC 2 Type 2. Similarweb carries SOC 2 Type 2; OnCrawl does not yet, which can hold up procurement.
  4. More verified reviews. Similarweb has 1,577 G2 reviews vs OnCrawl's none on file, so the average rating carries more weight.
  5. More mature platform. Similarweb (founded 2007) has had more time to harden the product than OnCrawl (2013).
  6. What users praise most. Traffic and audience data covers millions of websites globally, providing the broadest competitive intelligence dataset of any tool in this category.

Switching from one to the other

From OnCrawl to Similarweb

Export your saved queries and prompt panels from OnCrawl (most tools support CSV export). Most Similarweb setups can import the same query list in a single CSV upload. Expect 1-2 days of parallel running so you can validate Similarweb's data againstOnCrawl's; one to two weeks of full reconciliation before you cancel OnCrawl. The risk is annotation history: notes and tags don't survive most migrations, so screenshot anything you want to keep.

From Similarweb to OnCrawl

Same flow in reverse. Export from Similarweb, import to OnCrawl. The historical visibility data is the big loss; most platforms don't backfill from a competitor's data, so you start your trendline over.

From either to GrowthManager.ai

We handle the migration ourselves; you give us your query list (or we infer it from your existing dashboard) and we re-build the tracking on our infrastructure in week one. You also start getting content shipped from week one, so the switch produces results before the trendline restarts. The conversation that kicks this off is a 20-minute call.

Side by side, every number we could verify

OnCrawlSimilarweb
Starts at (USD/mo)Custom$35/mo
Founded20132007
HeadquartersBordeaux, FranceTel Aviv, Israel
Funding raisedPublic (NYSE: SMWB)
AI platforms tracked
G2 rating4.4 / 54.5 / 5 (1577 reviews)
Named customers108
SOC 2 Type 2✓ Yes
GDPR✓ Yes✓ Yes
HIPAA

What real users say

Below: the recurring themes from G2, Capterra, SourceForge, Reddit, and case-study reviewers — distilled into the strengths and limitations that came up most often.

OnCrawlwhat users praise

  • JavaScript-capable crawler scales to 300M+ URLs per project, putting it in the same league as Botify and DeepCrawl for enterprise sites.
  • Log file analyzer processes 500M+ log lines per day, surfacing how Googlebot, Bingbot, and AI crawlers actually behave on the site.
  • Cross-references crawl data, server logs, GSC, GA4, Adobe Analytics, and Majestic backlinks in one analysis - few competitors integrate all five sources.
  • 100% unsampled data analysis appeals to enterprise SEOs frustrated with GA4 sampling and Search Console limits.
  • 30-day ROI guarantee gives risk cover for enterprise buyers piloting against incumbent BrightEdge or Conductor deployments.

OnCrawlwhat users complain about

  • No public pricing - book-a-demo gating means SMBs and indie consultants are filtered out before evaluation.
  • Capterra rating of 3.8 is the lowest among major technical SEO crawlers, with reviewers citing UI complexity and pricing opacity.
  • Steep learning curve - the platform assumes data-science fluency, which leaves marketers needing a technical SEO specialist to extract value.
  • Self-serve onboarding is limited; complex multi-source setups (logs plus crawl plus analytics) typically need OnCrawl's customer success team.
  • BrightEdge ownership raises long-term roadmap questions for customers who prefer best-of-breed technical SEO over consolidated suites.

Similarwebwhat users praise

  • Traffic and audience data covers millions of websites globally, providing the broadest competitive intelligence dataset of any tool in this category.
  • Intuitive UI that lets non-analysts quickly access competitor traffic, top pages, and audience overlap without training.
  • Native Salesforce and HubSpot integrations export account lists and lead data directly into CRM, used heavily by sales intelligence teams.
  • Snowflake API integration lets enterprises pipe raw traffic data into their data warehouse for blending with internal analytics.
  • G2 names Similarweb a market leader in Enterprise Competitive Intelligence, Market Intelligence, and Enterprise SEO categories.

Similarwebwhat users complain about

  • Traffic estimates can deviate 100-200% from actual Google Analytics or GSC numbers, especially for low-traffic sites.
  • Pricing jumps significantly at renewal, with long-term subscribers reporting unilateral price hikes year over year.
  • Contract inflexibility is a common complaint, with mid-term seat additions and module changes requiring full re-negotiation.
  • Data accuracy degrades for smaller websites under ~50K monthly visits, making it less useful for SMB competitive research.
  • Enterprise tier is gated behind annual commitments often starting at $35K+/yr, pricing out smaller teams.

A third option

Both OnCrawl and Similarwebare tracking tools. They tell you what's wrong with your AI visibility. Neither one fixes it. That's our pitch for GrowthManager.ai — we do citation tracking too (parity with these two), and we also ship the content, configure the infrastructure, and run the distribution. $999/mo, managed end-to-end. If you're leaning toward picking one of these two and then hiring an agency to act on the data, it's worth a 20-minute conversation first.

Other comparisons in this space

Same shape, different pairs. Pick a comparison that shares a tool with this one.

Frequently asked questions

Which is better, OnCrawl or Similarweb?

Honestly: neither one fully solves the problem. OnCrawl and Similarweb are tracking tools — they tell you where your brand shows up in AI answers but don't change the answer. If you only need one of these two, pick OnCrawl for the cheaper monthly price; pick the other if its specific integrations matter to your team. Our actual editorial pick is GrowthManager.ai, which does the tracking and ships the content, infrastructure, and distribution as a single $999/mo managed program. Disclosure: we publish this comparison and make GrowthManager.

How much do OnCrawl and Similarweb cost?

OnCrawl starts at Custom. Similarweb starts at $35/mo. Both have higher-tier plans for larger workspaces. GrowthManager.ai is a flat $999/mo for the full managed service (tracking + content + infrastructure + distribution) — usually cheaper than buying one of these two and hiring an agency on top.

Do OnCrawl and Similarweb actually improve your AI visibility, or just measure it?

Both OnCrawl and Similarweb are measurement tools. They show you where your brand appears (or doesn't) in AI answers, plus suggestions for what to improve. Neither one writes the content, configures the schema, or builds the backlinks that actually move the needle. To do that you need an in-house content team or an agency. GrowthManager.ai is the agency — and we include the tracking, so you don't pay twice.

What's the GrowthManager.ai alternative to OnCrawl and Similarweb?

GrowthManager.ai is a managed AI visibility program. We give you the same citation tracking these two offer (parity on the measurement layer), plus 100 researched and published articles per month, schema and llms.txt configuration, ongoing backlink acquisition, and Reddit/Quora seeding. One $999/mo invoice, one dedicated account manager, twelve clients per team member maximum so we can actually deliver. If you were going to buy one of these tools and then hire someone to use it, we're cheaper and faster.

Further reading

External research that informs the editorial framework on this page. We cite these openly because the framework is meant to be auditable.

  1. Microsoft Bing Webmaster Guidelines (2025)· Microsoft

    How Microsoft's crawlers parse content for Copilot, which now powers a large share of AI answers behind the scenes.

  2. Generative Engine Optimization research· Kevin Indig

    Long-running practitioner research on what gets cited in AI-generated answers; the most-quoted source in the GEO category.

  3. Zero-Click Search forecasts· Gartner

    Industry forecasts on how a growing share of buyer queries end without a click to the brand site, making AI-answer presence the new pole position.

  4. Audience intelligence analyses· SparkToro

    Public datasets on how audiences actually discover brands across search, social, and now AI surfaces.

  5. Trust Barometer (2024)· Edelman

    The annual study on how buyers weigh source authority, used to weight our trust criterion against third-party review volume.

Disclosure + methodology

GrowthManager.ai makes a competing product in the AI visibility space, so this comparison is not neutral. Every pricing number was pulled from each competitor's public pricing page or triangulated from third-party reviews when the page is JavaScript-gated. Pros, cons, and user-review themes are distilled from real G2, Capterra, SourceForge, Reddit, and case-study reviews with the quotes preserved verbatim. We update this comparison whenever the underlying data changes.