SEO tools
SEO backlink checker tools: analyse your links and your competitors’
Backlink checkers show who links to a site, with what anchor text and how strong those sites are. Here are the tools, what their metrics mean and how to audit your links.
No minimum contract · Itemised monthly deliverables · UK team, Fareham HQ · Reporting from your own GA4 & Search Console
Quick answer
Free
Ahrefs Webmaster Tools for your own site
$49.99/mo
Majestic LITE
$129/mo
Ahrefs Lite, the deepest index
Scroll for the full shortlist with free tiers and prices.
The shortlist
Backlink checkers
Each has its own index; none sees everything Google sees.
Prices are as shown on vendor sites on 19 October 2026 and change often; we have no commercial relationship with any tool listed.
Ahrefs
Best for: Largest live link index
Site Explorer: referring domains, anchors, new and lost links, Domain Rating.
Majestic
Best for: Historical link data and topical trust
Long-standing UK backlink index with Trust Flow and Citation Flow and strong historical data.
Semrush Backlink Analytics
Best for: Link audits and disavow prep
Backlink database with toxicity scoring for audits.
Moz Link Explorer
Best for: Quick DA checks
Backlink analysis with Domain Authority and spam score.
LinkMiner (Mangools)
Best for: Quick checks on a budget
Simple backlink checker with link previews.
Google Search Console
Best for: Ground truth for your own site
The links Google knows about for your site, with no quality metrics.
What the metrics mean
Domain Rating (Ahrefs), Authority Score (Semrush), Domain Authority (Moz) and Trust Flow (Majestic) are each tool’s estimate of a site’s link strength. They are not Google metrics and are not comparable across tools. Look at the actual linking pages, not just the number.
How to audit your backlinks
- Export referring domains from one tool (two if you can)
- Sort by quality: real sites with traffic vs directories, spam and link networks
- Check anchor text — a high share of exact-match commercial anchors is a risk
- Look for spikes from irrelevant sites
- Disavow only clearly manipulative links you cannot remove
- Compare against competitors to find link gaps
FAQ
Questions we get asked
What is the best free backlink checker?
Ahrefs Webmaster Tools and Search Console for your own site; free lookups on Ahrefs, Semrush and Moz for others.
How many backlinks do I need?
There is no number. A handful of relevant, authoritative links can outweigh thousands of weak ones.
Should I disavow links?
Only clearly manipulative links you cannot get removed.
Can you build links for us?
Yes — editorial links and digital PR from £750/month. See link building.
Rather have someone run the tools for you?
Our free growth plan uses all of these on your site. You get the findings; we only get paid if you hire us.
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