Is LLCrawler really free?
Yes — completely free, no signup, no credit card. Paste your URL and you get a full report in about 30 seconds, including ready-to-paste files like llms.txt and a JSON-LD kit.
Comparison
LLCrawler vs Ahrefs Brand Radar
One is a free technical readiness audit. The other is paid, ongoing brand-mention monitoring. They solve different problems — here's which to start with.
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The short answer
Start with LLCrawler — it's free and tells you, in about 30 seconds, whether LLMs can actually read, parse, and cite your site, plus the exact fixes to make. Fix the technical plumbing first. Then, if your team already pays for Ahrefs, add Brand Radar to monitor where and how often your brand gets mentioned across AI answers and search over time. Readiness audit first; ongoing monitoring second.
Honest note: we build LLCrawler. We still think the answer above is fair. If you disagree, email us — we will update this page.
Feature comparison
| Feature | LLCrawler | Ahrefs Brand Radar |
|---|---|---|
| What it does | One-off technical audit of whether LLMs and AI search can read, parse, and cite your site | Tracks how often and where your brand is mentioned across AI answers and traditional search over time |
| Pricing | Free, forever | Part of a paid Ahrefs subscription |
| Signup required | No — paste a URL and go | Yes — Ahrefs account required |
| Time to first insight | ~30 seconds | Minutes to set up; trend data builds over days and weeks |
| What gets scored | 6 categories: structured data/JSON-LD, content structure, meta & social, performance, AI readiness (llms.txt, robots.txt bot directives, JS dependency), sitemap | Brand mention volume, share of voice, and citation sources across AI and search |
| Coverage | Your site's own technical readiness for GPTBot, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot, Google-Extended and more | ChatGPT, AI Overviews, Perplexity and traditional search results across the wider web |
| Best for | Anyone wanting a fast, free check and concrete fixes before they ship | Marketing teams already on Ahrefs who need continuous brand monitoring |
| Output | Score, prioritized issues, fixes, ready-to-paste llms.txt and JSON-LD, shareable badge, Markdown agent prompt | Dashboards, trend charts, and competitive share-of-voice reports |
When to pick which
Pick LLCrawler when…
- → You want a one-off check of whether AI can actually read and cite your site.
- → You're a developer or technical owner who wants exact, actionable fixes.
- → You're about to launch or relaunch and want the plumbing right first.
- → You have no budget and want a serious audit anyway.
- → You care about the technical readiness layer — JSON-LD, llms.txt, robots.txt directives, crawlability.
Pick Ahrefs Brand Radar when…
- → You need continuous, ongoing monitoring rather than a one-time snapshot.
- → You're a marketing team tracking brand visibility as a KPI.
- → You already pay for Ahrefs and want to use what you have.
- → You want to see where and how often your brand is mentioned in AI answers over time.
- → You want competitive share-of-voice and trend data across AI and search.
Frequently asked questions
Is LLCrawler a replacement for Ahrefs Brand Radar?
No. They do different jobs. LLCrawler is a one-off technical readiness audit — it tells you whether LLMs can read and cite your site and what to fix. Ahrefs Brand Radar is ongoing monitoring of where and how often your brand is mentioned across AI and search. Most teams should fix readiness with LLCrawler first, then monitor with Brand Radar if they're already on Ahrefs.
Which should I use first?
LLCrawler. There's no point monitoring brand mentions if AI tools can't parse or cite your site in the first place. Fix the technical foundation for free, then layer monitoring on top once you want trend data.
Do I need both?
Not necessarily. If you just want to know whether your site is AI-ready and how to fix it, LLCrawler alone is enough. If you're a team that needs to track brand-mention trends and share of voice over time — and you already pay for Ahrefs — adding Brand Radar makes sense.
Is Ahrefs Brand Radar a bad tool?
Not at all. Ahrefs is a powerful, well-established SEO suite and Brand Radar is a strong monitoring feature. It's simply a different job from a free, one-off technical audit. We recommend it for teams already invested in Ahrefs who want continuous brand-mention tracking.
See if AI can read your site — free
Run a free LLCrawler audit and get your AI-readiness score, prioritized fixes, and ready-to-paste files in about 30 seconds. No signup required.
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