SEO specialists once used services for massive external link building. But their popularity didn’t last long — very soon, search engines began to impose penalties on websites that promoted their business using this method.
Today, it is important to not only build links but also monitor the health of the link mass you have built. Your materials should be useful, clear, and structured. You should choose niche sites with a high rating. However, this does not guarantee a long-term effect, as the market is constantly changing, forcing businesses to adapt to new conditions.
That is why backlinks checker tools must be included in the list of tools of an SEO specialist. They monitor the health of your network, detecting “toxic” materials in time, helping to restore lost links and search for the most promising areas of development. They can help you find interesting ideas to optimize your marketing strategy and even fight unfair competition by blocking harmful content.
Let’s find out what best backlink checker tools can prove the credibility of your resource and increase its visibility in search engines.
What Is a Backlink Checker Tool?
A backlink checker is a tool that analyzes all inbound links to your pages (the whole domain or a certain URL). There, you can see the rating of the referring domains, the total number of backlinks, and data about their quality and efficacy.
Cleaning your portfolio by using backlink checker SEO tools is important because each backlink is like a vote by other sites in your favor. Depending on the context where the reference is, the domain authority of the websites, and other factors, Google determines whether it’s a good vote or a manipulation from your side.
The best links should be from relevant sources in your niche, where your target audience is active. Such mentions will get more targeted traffic to your website, improve your Google ranking, and create a good reputation for your source.
There are many ways to get backlinks, the best one being high-quality content bloggers WANT to refer to.
To check whether the links you’ve accumulated work well, which ones are the most profitable, etc., you require an affordable, multifunctional, smart online backlink checker tools.
Which Backlink Checker Is Right for You?
Below, we’ve compiled a table with essential information about the best backlink analysis tool options for you. Before you read full reviews of each product, read the brief info from the table. There, you’ll find our professional ratings and G2 scores for comparison and to give you a different view on each tool, pricing, and more.
You can find your favorite backlink checker tools just by this info, continuing to read only about the options that fit your needs and budget. Or you can read everything to make a well-informed decision.
Before choosing your go-to backlink checker, ask yourself:
- What budget can I spend on backlink checks in a month?
- Do I need other tools to go in the package?
- What capabilities and capacities does my business or client need?
These answers will help you ensure that you make the right pick from the first try!
TOP-10 Best Backlink Checker Tools
Now, let’s find out more about each of the best backlinks checker tools mentioned in the table. Here, you’ll find a general description of the backlink check capabilities of each product, its pros and cons, pricing, and our verdict based on the information we’ve gathered about the best SEO tools for backlinks throughout the years.
Keep in mind that many of the following backlink checker SEO tools have free trials, so you have plenty of time to make the decision. Also, remember that if you pay annually, you can save 20% (and sometimes even 40%) of the total price, getting a couple of free months. But this will only be effective if the tool is right for you.
So, enjoy!
1. SE Ranking
SE Ranking Backlink Checker sets a goal of enriching your link-building strategy with data about the current state of your profile and opportunities you’re missing from competitors’ profiles.
On the website, you can try a free version of the Checker simply by inserting a URL in the URL field. With the tool, you can check the dynamics of new and lost backlinks and domains referring to the link.
You’ll also see the region data based on IPs and subnets and see where you get the most references from. Anchor text distribution can also be analyzed, as well as the most linkable pages (if you check the whole domain).
The results page of the online backlink checker tools will show domain and page trust rank – metrics created by SE Ranking specialists based on multiple factors. Besides, there you’ll see Alexa rank, the source of the link (image or text), when the page was first and last seen by SE Ranking’s crawling system, and more!
Pros
- Lots of metrics for analysis
- Numbers, lists, and graphs for your convenience
- Dynamics check for monitoring
- New and lost domains and links
- Affordability
- Custom plans available
Cons
- API access only for the top plan
- The amount of data may be overwhelming at first
Pricing
First of all, you can get a 14-day free trial to analyze your or competitors’ backlink profiles and get access to other useful SEO tools. Then, you can purchase one of the following plans:
- Essential – $55 per month
- Pro – $109 per month
- Business – $239 per month
You can also contact the provider to create a custom plan for your business. A pleasant discovery in our SE Ranking review was also the pricing calculator for you to find out the exact cost of the capabilities you need. Migration between tariffs is free, and if you choose to pay annually, you save 20% of the budget!
Verdict
SE Ranking is among exceptionally good all-in-one backlink checker tools with loads of data that may be overwhelming at first. But this isn’t a bad thing. With one backlink checker, you can find out most of the information about your profile or that of your competitor. The data will help you create a successful backlink strategy with less effort.
Read full review
2. Ahrefs
Ahrefs backlink tool is a powerful one, given the number of businesses using it. While it’s quite expensive, so small businesses may find it hard to subscribe and get the capabilities they need, the data about backlink profiles is full.
Ahrefs backlink checker allows you to see broken backlinks, which means the link leads to a 404ed page. There’s also data on lost mentions for you to consider pitching your content to those websites again.
In the Ahrefs review, we also used a competitor link analysis, which has a ‘Link type’ filter showing what domains have a link for them but not for you.
For a quick routine check, there’s data like domain rating and total backlinks. However, you can only see 100 links per search.
Pros
- Free capacity of 100 backlinks per check
- Easy to pinpoint the links you’ve lost
- Broken backlink check
- Unlimited checks per day
Cons
- Expensive plans
- No free trial
- No support by phone
Pricing
You can order a trial week for $7. After that, choose from these plans:
- Lite – $99 a month
- Standard – $199 a month
- Advanced – $399 a month
- Enterprise – $999 a month
Paying annually for online backlinks checker tools, you save up to 20%.
Verdict
Ahrefs is one of the most popular and effective backlink checker tools. However, the plans aren’t affordable, and there’s no free trial. So, if you want to subscribe, you should believe the reviews and the authority of the provider.
3. SEMrush
SEMrush Backlink Checker is one of the most comprehensive in terms of data. And it’s relatively easy to use, at least at first. All there’s to do is to enter the URL in the field and wait for the result page to load.
You can see all the links your website has, which makes it easier to highlight the risky ones and disavow them in the future. In the SEMrush review, we also noted another convenient metric is the number of backlinks to your URL from one page or domain. If there are hundreds or even thousands of links to you from one place, this is a red flag.
The free version of Backlink Analytics lets you know tons of data but not the actual backlink list. So, if you want a full analysis, use the free trial or get yourself a subscription.
The data you get on the backlink portfolio in question is categorized by industry, country, attribute, type, domain, authority, etc. There’s also historical data available, going back 5 years.
Pros
- Lots of data available
- Data is categorized
- Quick and convenient reports
- Deep insight into link quality
Cons
- The amount of data may be hard to get used to
- No clear pricing on the website
- The prices are quite expensive
Pricing
Before making a purchase of backlink checker SEO tools you, you can get a 7-day free trial to see just how powerful the tools by SEMrush are. Then, you’re offered one of the following plans:
- Pro – $99.95 per month
- Guru – $191.62 per month
- Business – $374.95 per month
On the official website, there’s no clear information about pricing, so make sure you contact the provider and get a quote before planning your SEO budget.
Verdict
SEMrush is famous for the keyword tools, but the backlink checker isn’t worse at all. You get a report packed with data, showing you potential spammy sites linking to you and much more. Historical data can help conduct a better analysis.
5. Moz
The Moz backlink checker tool is called Link Explorer and you can use it for free if 10 searches a month is OK for you. Most of the metrics are proprietary, but given the reputation of the provider and its experience in SEO, you can trust the numbers. The DA (Domain Authority) and PA (Page Authority) metrics can show you where you’re going right or wrong with your link-building strategy.
You can compare different profiles by using Link Intersect, which is a part of the Moz Pro toolset. The results page will show you the websites that are referring to your competition but not to you, which opens lots of possibilities for content pitching and improving your portfolio.
In the Moz review, we also liked that as the backlink checker shows what mentions you’ve lost, there are even more opportunities since you can regain those or gain new links from the same site.
Pros
- Shows clear opportunities for link building
- The tool is a part of the Pro package
- You can use it for free with a limited capacity
- Reputable proprietary metrics
Cons
- Pricey toolset
- A free trial is only available for the Medium plan
Pricing
Moz offers a free 30-day trial for its Medium plan. As you finish it, you can purchase one of the following packages:
- Standard – $99 per month
- Medium – $149 per month
- Large – $249 per month
- Premium – $599 per month
By paying annually, you save 20%.
Verdict
Moz is a reputable provider with a lot of experience in on-page and off-page SEO. While the plans are quite expensive, you can get most of the tools you need with the Pro plan. The Link Explorer shows lots of opportunities for link building, so you can quickly improve your portfolio and rank higher.
5. Majestic
Majestic has a Site Explorer feature that helps you understand where you’re going with your backlink profile. Aside from the basic data like the total number of inbound links and referring domains, you can also analyze the subnets and IPs, as well as each domain that mentions your website or a particular URL.
The data is pretty technical yet easy to understand as it’s presented in convenient charts and graphs. While working on the Majestic review, we found it easy to navigate through the large amounts of information, but beginners may have trouble with this.
In the online backlink checker tool, you can also see the dynamics of your profile over time and analyze the links you’ve lost. The most popular anchor is visible at the first sight as there’s a pie chart with the most frequently used words for your links. For more general checks, the cheapest plan is enough.
Pros
- Comprehensive backlink data
- Great support info and team
- Easy-to-understand information
- In-depth backlink insights
Cons
- No backlink alert
Pricing
- Lite – $49.99
- Pro – $99.99
- API – $399.99
Verdict
Majestic claims to have the largest backlink database. While it’s a topic for discussion, you can definitely see a lot of inbound links with detailed data on each domain, subnet, and IP. Handy charts allow you to get the quality of your profile effort-free.
6. Seobility
The Seobility backlink checker is easy to access as it’s right there on the user dashboard. Upon analyzing a domain or an exact URL, you can see the number of backlinks, referring domains, dofollow vs. nofollow link ratio, as well as the exact anchor text and URL for each reference.
The link rating is particularly interesting as it’s available for each backlink, making it easier for you to detect bad mentions.
In the Seobility review, we were a bit lacking in analytics detail. There are no general link filters, though, so going through the report may take a longer time. But there’s a ‘Show more’ button near each referring domain that has several references to your pages.
Pros
- Backlink ratings available
- All basic data included
- The tool is easily accessible
- Free Basic plan
- Intuitive UI
Cons
- No link filter
- No step-by-step actions for beginners
Pricing
A free Basic plan is a great advantage of Seobility. But you can only check 1 domain. If you need more, you can try a free trial of the Premium plan which lasts for a month. Afterward, you can get one of these plans:
- Premium – $50 a month (+ VAT)
- Agency – $200 a month (+ VAT)
Verdict
Seobility has some decent tools, including the backlink checking one. It offers a set of basic data on your profile, as well as a rating for each reference. You can also see the data on referring domains with multiple mentions of your website.
We could have called this service one of the best backlinks checker tools, but the analysis may take a longer time since there are no filters for the results.
7. SISTRIX
SISTRIX has a quick and data-packed backlink checker tool. It crawls and adds as many as 250 billion links to its database, so you’ll get all your backlinks in the report. The backlink tool offers you to see link rating, visibility rating for every source, and info on the type of link (canonical, text, image).
The SISTRIX backlink checker also has a vast historical database that will show you how link building went for the domain you analyze. It can be yours or a competitor’s, where you’ll find opportunities for more links.
The amount of data provided is pretty impressive. But you’ll have to pay for the Link module separately.
Pros
- Lots of backlink data
- Ability to create filtered lists
- Customizable dashboard
- Historical data
Cons
- May be difficult for beginners
- Module-based pricing; may be expensive
Pricing
In the SISTRIX review, it is worth mentioning that there is a free trial for you to see if the tool meets your needs. If you get all you want, there are 4 plans to choose from:
- Start – €99 a month (plus taxes)
- Plus – €199 a month (plus taxes)
- Professional – €349 a month (plus taxes)
- Premium – €599 a month (plus taxes)
Keep in mind that the prices are without taxes and are in euros.
Verdict
SISTRIX offers a decent toolset with lots of valuable data about every backlink and referring domain. You can spy on competitors’ profiles and see how they build their strategies. However, the pricing is quite expensive, and you’ll have to buy the Link module separately in certain plans.
8. WooRank
WooRank is an all-in-one tool, and none of these is complete without a decent backlink checker. This one shows you the total number of backlinks and referring domains of the analyzed website, the site’s score in terms of the profile quality, and that’s it.
So, we can’t say WooRank offers lots of detailed info, but it made it to the list of the best backlink checker tools due to an interesting feature. The provider offers recommendations on building more links and improving your portfolio. So, if you have a well-optimized page that, for some reason, doesn’t have a sufficient number of mentions, you can fix that by implementing professional tips by WooRank.
Pros
- Professional tips on backlink profile improvement
- Easy to use
- Beginner-friendly
- Customizable reports
- No clutter in the interface
Cons
- No sufficient data, only overall
- Pricey plans
Pricing
You can benefit from a 14-day free trial of the Pro plan to see if the data the tools offer is sufficient for your SEO and backlink goals. After that, you’re offered these plans:
- Pro – $79.99
- Premium – $199.99
And one more important detail of our WooRank review. By paying once a year, you get 4 months for free!
Verdict
WooRank is one of the best backlink analysis tools for a quick glance at the status quo of your website and its link profile. However, if you want a more in-depth look, it’s better to use WooRank with another tool like SE Ranking. The plans are pretty expensive, so maybe the best you can do is to purchase any of the other tools we review.
If you need a beginner-friendly basic fast backlinks checker tools, this one is for you.
9. SpyFu
SpyFu has a regular nice backlink checker software. It may be not as powerful as that of its competitors, but it’s enough for basic analysis and conclusions about your or competitors’ backlink profiles.
The results page shows the most popular backlinks you have in the profile with comprehensive data on the domains where the references came from. Besides, you can see how much traffic those domains get monthly, which offers an insight into the efficacy of each link.
Filtering by type is available so that you can see where your competition gets the most mentions. he conclusion from our SpyFu review — it is one of the best backlink checker tools for small businesses due to its functionality and affordability.
Pros
- Great for small businesses
- Affordable
- Detailed backlink data available
- Filtering by type available
- Google historical data – 14+ years
Cons
- SpyFu only tracks US and UK data
- Only backlinks that are in TOP-5 on Google are displayed
Pricing
After trying this backlink checker tool for free, you can either create a free account or, if you really liked the functionality, get one of 2 affordable plans:
- Basic – $39 per month
- Professional – $79 per month
Verdict
SpyFu has a great basic backlink tool. There are more powerful options, but for the money, the insight you’ll get is pretty valuable. Learn about referring domains, filter links, and learn where competitors get the juiciest references.
10. Searchmetrics
Searchmetrics uses its own vast databases for all tools, which isn’t an exception for its backlink tool. During analysis, the service provides you with data on the number of IPs referring to you and the total number of references.
Besides, in the backlink checker tools, there’s a ‘Link Strength’ metric that describes the value of the page. Plus, you can filter the links by industry to see where you have the most attention.
The pricing is tricky, though, as it’s module-based, and you may need several to get a full picture of your backlink profile.
Pros
- Unlimited users and projects in all plans
- Personal customer support
- Great for enterprises who need a professional approach
- Links are categorized by industry
Cons
- No clear pricing on the website
- Contract-based
- Not for beginners
Pricing
The prices are discussed with the provider in advance. There’s no price list on the website, so you’ll have to order a quote for your needs. You’ll pay for modules, so the final sum of money differs business by business.
But there is some good news in the Searchmetrics review — there’s a free trial so that you can get the first impression and understand whether this advanced SEO toolset will meet your needs.
Verdict
Searchmetrics offers a sophisticated set of SEO tools with lots of in-depth data that will help you adjust your strategies. You also get professional marketer support at all stages, which can up your game. However, it’s more suitable for larger businesses as you’ll need to sign a contract and the final price can be quite expensive.
Conclusions
Beginners often think that the more external links they build, the more authoritative their site will be from the point of view of search engine crawlers. There is a true detail in this statement, but it is only a detail. In reality, the effectiveness of a link mass depends on quality rather than quantity. In addition, search engines may consider a large number of materials on external resources to be spam, regardless of their content.
Therefore, you should choose backlinks checker tools that take these link-building aspects into account. They should not just list the platforms that link to your resource but also assess the quality of each material in general. In addition, the presence of signals about critical problems and the integration of the Google Disavow tool, which allows you to block spam and avoid search engine penalties, will be a prerequisite.
And these are just the main factors in choosing external backlink checker tools. You should also pay attention to the additional functionality of the platform. If you are looking for an all-in-one SEO tool with link-building functions, it is better to start with SE Ranking. This service offers everything you need to promote your business online and is suitable even for small projects with a limited budget. Its closest competitors are other all-in-one platforms like Moz, SISTRIX, Ahrefs, SEMrush, and SEObility, but their subscriptions will cost more.
When choosing a link-building tool, be sure to pay attention to the presence of warnings that can be sent in the form of e-mail or even push notifications. They will help you to restore lost connections in time or repel a competitor’s attack by blocking thousands of spam links. Such notifications save you valuable time, which translates into money — hundreds of thousands of dollars in the case of large businesses.
As always, we recommend that you test the best backlink checker tools to see if they fit your business needs. Most of these services offer a free trial period, so you don’t have to sign a contract right away and spend a significant portion of your marketing budget. Choose the best platforms to maintain the status of an authoritative resource, increasing your reputation and getting a steady stream of traffic from search engines!