Best-of list · by use case

The best backlink checkers, by use case

A backlink checker shows who links to a site. Each tool crawls the web itself, so each has its own index and its own authority score (DR, DA, Trust Flow). None of those scores is used by Google; they're estimates for comparing sites.

Grouped by job, not ranked. Index claims and prices are from each vendor's own site, read again on 29 October 2026. We don't make a backlink checker. We also never sell links, and we explain why below.

At a glance

Grouped by use case; order within a group is not a ranking. Prices checked 29 October 2026.

The best backlink checkers, by use case: summary by use case
Tool	Use case	Best for	Price
Google Search Console	Free checks for your own site	Seeing links Google knows about.	Free
Ahrefs Webmaster Tools (Ahrefs Free)	Free checks for your own site	A fuller free view than Search Console, with DR.	Free for verified sites
Bing Webmaster Tools	Free checks for your own site	A second free source of link data.	Free
Ahrefs	The biggest indexes, inside a suite	Serious competitor link research and prospecting.	Lite $129/mo
Semrush	The biggest indexes, inside a suite	Link research alongside keywords, audits and daily tracking.	SEO $139/mo
Moz Pro	The biggest indexes, inside a suite	Teams that report DA.	Standard $99/mo; free: 10 link queries a month
Majestic	Link specialists	Judging link quality and topical relevance.	Lite $49.99/mo; Pro $99.99/mo (ex-VAT)
LinkResearchTools	Link specialists	Auditing risky links after a penalty or a bad link-building history.	From $599/mo; 7-day trial $17
SE Ranking	Budget link data	Links plus daily tracking at a mid price.	Core $129/mo
LinkMiner (Mangools)	Budget link data	Beginners who want links in the same bundle as KWFinder.	Mangools plans (region-adjusted)

How we chose

Each tool runs or licenses a real link index and publishes its prices or limits.
Free options for your own site come first.
Order within a group is not a ranking.

Free checks for your own site

Verify your site and see your own links at no cost.

Google Search Console

Free

The Links report shows sites linking to you, from Google's own data.

Best for: Seeing links Google knows about.
Watch out for: Shows top linking sites, not a full export with metrics.

Visit Google Search Console

Ahrefs Webmaster Tools (Ahrefs Free)

Free for verified sites

Ahrefs' backlink data for your own sites, up to 1,000 backlinks visible at once.

Best for: A fuller free view than Search Console, with DR.
Watch out for: Only for sites you can verify.

Visit Ahrefs Webmaster Tools (Ahrefs Free)

Bing Webmaster Tools

Free

Bing's backlinks report, alongside keyword research and IndexNow.

Best for: A second free source of link data.
Watch out for: Bing's index differs from Google's.

Visit Bing Webmaster Tools

The biggest indexes, inside a suite

For competitor link research as part of wider SEO work.

Ahrefs

Lite $129/mo

Site Explorer with a claimed 35 trillion external backlinks in its history, updated every 15–30 minutes.

Best for: Serious competitor link research and prospecting.
Watch out for: No trial and no refunds in general.

Visit Ahrefs LaunchRanked vs Ahrefs Ahrefs vs Majestic

Semrush

SEO $139/mo

Backlink analytics within the Semrush suite; its knowledge base cites 43 trillion backlinks.

Best for: Link research alongside keywords, audits and daily tracking.
Watch out for: Its pages quote different figures for its data over time.

Visit Semrush Ahrefs vs Semrush

Moz Pro

Standard $99/mo; free: 10 link queries a month

Link Explorer (claims 45.5 trillion links) and Domain Authority.

Best for: Teams that report DA.
Watch out for: Moz's own pages quote different link counts. No refunds.

Visit Moz Pro Ahrefs vs Moz

Link specialists

Tools that only do links, in more depth.

Majestic

Lite $49.99/mo; Pro $99.99/mo (ex-VAT)

Backlink index with Trust Flow, Citation Flow and Topical Trust Flow; Historic Index back to 2006 on Pro.

Best for: Judging link quality and topical relevance.
Watch out for: Its stats show the Historic Index last updated in May 2024.

Visit Majestic LaunchRanked vs Majestic

LinkResearchTools

From $599/mo; 7-day trial $17

Link audit and risk platform: Link Detox, link monitoring, prospecting and bulk URL profiling.

Best for: Auditing risky links after a penalty or a bad link-building history.
Watch out for: Expensive; the trial doesn't allow exports.

Visit LinkResearchTools

Budget link data

Enough link data for a small site.

SE Ranking

Core $129/mo

Backlink checker inside a value suite; claims 2.9 trillion backlinks and 411 million referring domains.

Best for: Links plus daily tracking at a mid price.
Watch out for: Smaller index than the market leaders.

Visit SE Ranking Ahrefs vs SE Ranking

LinkMiner (Mangools)

Mangools plans (region-adjusted)

Backlink tool with 9.5 trillion backlinks in its database, per its page, including Majestic's fresh and historic index.

Best for: Beginners who want links in the same bundle as KWFinder.
Watch out for: Row limits by plan.

Visit LinkMiner (Mangools)LaunchRanked vs Mangools

Frequently asked questions

What's the best free backlink checker?

For your own site: Search Console's Links report plus Ahrefs Webmaster Tools. For other sites, Moz's free account gives 10 link queries a month.

Why do backlink tools show different numbers?

Each crawls the web separately and counts differently. Compare trends within one tool rather than numbers across tools.

Which backlink checker has the biggest index?

Each vendor counts something different, so the headline numbers don't line up. On 29 October 2026 their own pages said: Moz 45.5 trillion links (other Moz pages say over 40 or 44 trillion), Semrush over 43 trillion backlinks, Ahrefs 35 trillion records of external backlink history with fresh data every 15-30 minutes, Mangools 9.5 trillion including Majestic's historic index, and SE Ranking 2.9 trillion backlinks. Freshness and how many of those links are still live matter more than the total.

Should I buy backlinks?

No. Google's spam policies name buying links that pass ranking credit and excessive link exchanges as link spam. We never sell links. Our free launch gives one reviewed link from your product page, followed while our badge is on your site.

Sources we checked

Checked on their own sites on 29 October 2026. Prices and terms change, so check before you buy. Domain ratings are approximate third-party estimates.

Prices, free limits and index claims for Ahrefs, Semrush, Moz, Majestic, LinkResearchTools, SE Ranking and Mangools were read again on each vendor's own page on 29 October 2026. Mangools shows region-adjusted prices, so we don't quote one.

Free tools to try first

One-off checks you can run without paying for anything on this list.