The Best Paid and Free Backlink Checkers in 2021 (Comparison Tables with Features and Prices Included)

Backlink analysis is one of the pillars of proper SEO research, and naturally, countless tools can help you with this heavy task. We have spent a lot of time examining more than 50 software for this article alone, and here we present you with the best backlink checker tools. Save yourself all the time and effort comparing payment plans and features and benefit from our research 🙂 

To make things as easy as possible, the article is organized in a way that allows you to find information fast and effortlessly. Here is a brief recap of what you will discover when you keep reading:

• Our top backlink analysis tool picks.
• A side-by-side comparison table, used for matching all of the tools to their ideal users. You can save time by locating the software that best serves your needs, and check their detailed overview. It’s both time-saving and convenient.
• Overview of all of the backlink research tools we have tested and approved.
• Pros and cons of all of the best backlink checkers.
• The grand final – the price, plan, and features comparison table that will provide you with all of the necessary information to make a responsible decision. Did we mention how easy it is to see everything in one place instead of opening 10-20 tabs and compare the data?

If the format feels similar to our previous article about the most popular keyword research tools in 2021, that’s because it is. We purposely chose to use the same layout since our readers find it easy to navigate and save time.

Now, without further ado, let’s start exploring the best backlink analysis tools for 2021.

Disclaimer: Please note that this article includes some affiliate links. 

1. Our Top Picks for Backlink Analysis Tools

Here you will discover the top-performing backlink research tools that we feel need to be put under the spotlight. All products are thoroughly tested and carefully compared to their competitors. We try to be as objective as possible, although we can’t hide our excitement when talking about our top picks.

1.1 Top Multifunctional SEO tool for Backlink Analysis: Semrush

Semrush is again on the top of the list. We just can’t seem to get enough of this multifunctional SEO tool. Not only do you have everything in one place, from backlink audit and keyword research to link building, but the teaching materials and videos will gravely help you along the way. If you are an experienced professional this complex SEO tool will help you create a solid strategy and stay on top of your competition.

1.2 Top Backlink Research Tool for SEO Newbies: Morningscore

When we assess the tools, we specifically filter those that are the easiest to use. Backlink research by itself is quite complicated, but Morningscore makes it look like a child’s play. Even if you don’t have any previous experience in this sphere, the tool can guide you and give you advice and suggestions. Newbies will feel like pros in no time, swiftly learn about the connection between the different metrics, and create a successful SEO strategy.

1.3 Top Backlink Analysis Tool for Content Creators: BuzzSumo

Backlink analysis can be very helpful for content creators, but not many tools focus on this aspect. BuzzSumo is different. It can genuinely help you discover trending topics and articles your competitors have posted. Using this knowledge, you can easily outdo them and create the copy your audience is searching for. After all, the main goal when you write a valuable piece is to properly distribute it and present it in the most appealing way using all sorts of communication channels like Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

1.4 Top Freemium Backlink Audit Tool: SEO SpyGlass

To be honest, we added this category just to brag about SEO SpyGlass’s amazing capabilities. From all of the tools in our list, this one can offer you the most at zero costs. The thorough reports can provide you not only with the basics but also with detailed data and research information. Once you get used to the free version, try out the paid options. You will be amazed and will never want to go back to the dark times before SEO SpyGlass.

1. 5 Top Essential Free Backlink Analysis Tool: Google Search Console

The Google Search Console (GSC) is not the best backlink research tool but think about it as a bonus. After all, site owners must have a GSC to check how Google “sees” their website. So why not use the Console to find out which backlinks the search engine recognizes. The information may not be detailed, but it is essential when determining the performance of the website.

2. Comparison Table Matching the Right Backlink Analysis Tool to the Ideal User

The goal of any SEO research tool is to find the best possible match that will help you fulfil your business goals. This is a lengthy process involving days of searching, reading, and analyzing. To save you time, we have already done all the work by matching the best tool for backlink analysis to its most suitable type of users.

• SEO expert/SEO agency – SEO agencies or experienced SEO professionals that need lots of data and very fragmented reports.
• SEO newbie – People who have just started to learn SEO and need a simple tool that can guide them in the right direction.
• SEO Copywriter – Content writers that make their living by writing blogs, articles, and different publications. They need a tool that can conduct solid competitors’ backlink research to provide them with trendy topics, keywords, and potential backlinks.
• Independent SEO Users – Freelancers or owners of small businesses that just need the job done and don’t want to be burdened by “unnecessary” reports.
  We need to make a quick disclaimer before you continue to the table. The user types are not mutually exclusive. This means that one tool can be suitable for both experts and newbies, depending on its features.

Note: The table is mobile-friendly, meaning the first row and column are “frozen.” This way, you can trace the information, scroll up/down or left/right without losing sight of the tools and the user types.

3. Basic Overview of the Paid Backlink Analysis Tools

Let’s start by looking at the paid backlink research tools. These products can offer you a lot of different reports and data. Most of them have either a free trial option or an unpaid limited account alternative. The tools offering the latter are said to have a freemium payment option. The term signifies that this software can be both bought and used free of charge.

Bear in mind the more complex tools have multiple backlink research reports.

3.1 Semrush

Payment option: Paid
Plans: Pro – $99.95/month; Guru – $191.62/month; Business – $374.95/month;
Trial option: Free 14-day trial for the Pro or Guru plan

Semrush has been one of the most preferred and loved SEO tools for many years now, and with good reason. It has multiple functionalities that allow you to not only check your backlink profile but also track your rankings, analyze keywords, keep a close eye on your competitors, and more. Without wasting more time on superlatives, let us show you what Semrush can do for you so you can decide for yourself.

Once you go to the Backlink Analysis tool and enter the domain/URL you want to examine, you will go to the Overview menu. It does a summary of all of the information you will need to complete your research. Each panel is linked to a separate report.

First, let’s check what initial data Semrush can provide you.

• Root Domains – The domain that is being examined. In addition to your own, you can also add those of your competitors to make a side-by-side analysis.
• Authority Score – A metric created by Semrush, based on referring domains, organic traffic, number of backlinks, and other data. It measures the overall quality of the domain.
• Referring Domains – Indicates the total number of referring domains that have at least one link pointing to the analyzed domain/URL for a given period.
• Backlinks – Shows the total number of backlinks pointing to the analyzed domain/URL for a given period.
• Monthly Visits – Indicates the total number of unique visits to a rood domain for the past month.
• Keywords – The number of keywords that bring users to a root domain.
• Overall Toxicity Score – This metric is based on the number of “bad” backlinks that lead to the root domain or sub-domains. To view the score, you need to set up a new campaign in the Backlink Audit. If you receive a “n/a” result for your domain, it means the data is too much, and you need to analyze the subdomains rather than the domain.

Before we proceed, we want to shed some light on the characterization of new and lost backlinks/domains that Semrush has.

• A backlink/domain is regarded as new if it is discovered in less than a month. It is marked in green.
• A backlink/domain is referred to as lost for a few months after the date Semrush was first unable to find it. It is marked in red.

Now that we cleared the air, let’s proceed with the other panels you will see in the Overview menu.

• Referring Domains – The chart shows new, lost, and the total number of referring domains linking to the analyzed website over a specific period.
• Backlinks – The chart illustrates the number of all backlinks of the analyzed domain, including new and lost, for a specific period.

• Categories of Referring Domains – The chart shows the types of the referring domains that point to the root website or page.
• Top Anchors – Illustrates the most popular anchor texts linking to the root domain/URL. The popularity is based on the number of backlinks using this exact text.

• Referring Domains by Authority Score – The chart showcases the overall quality and strength of the analyzed domain’s backlink profile. Your goal is to gain more domains with high AS.
• Backlink Types – Indicates the type of your backlink – text, image, form, or frame.
• Link Attributes – Illustrates how the different HTML tags (nofollow, follow, sponsored, and UGS) are distributed amongst the backlinks.

• TLD Distribution – Shows a breakdown of referring websites by their top-level domain type.
• Top Countries – Indicates the top countries sending the most backlinks to the analyzed domain/URL, based on referring IPs.

• Link Profile distribution – Illustrates the ratio of referring domains to referring IPs or referring subnets.
• Similar Profiles – Shows a list of domains with a similar backlink profile to the analyzed website.

• Top Pages – A list with the most popular URLs of the analyzed website, based on the number of referring domains pointing to them.

Once you scan the Overview, you can check each report in detail in a separate menu. There are 6 in total, and we will take a closer look at each one.

At the top, you will get a summary of the key metrics for the root domain/URL. The information overlaps with the data from the Overview menu. However, once you start to check the backlinks, it’s easier to have everything in one place.

• Backlinks
• Referring Domains
• Referring IPs
• Backlink types
• Link Attributes

Below the basic information is the table containing the backlinks. Here you can see the following:

• Page AS – Page Authority Score of the examined backlink. The bigger the number, the better.
• Source page Title and URL – Shows the URL and title tag of the examined backlink.
• Ext. Links – Indicates the number of the source page’s links leading to other URLs.
• Int. Links – Shows the number of the source page’s links pointing to URLs within the same website.
• Anchor and Target URL – Displays the clickable text of the backlink and the URL it points to.
• First Seen – The date Semrush first discovered this backlink.
• Last Seen – The date Semrush has last “seen” this backlink.

Next is the Anchors menu, where you can check:

• Anchor Text – This is the clickable text of a backlink
• Backlinks – Indicates the number of backlinks that use this particular text.
• Domains – Displays the number of domains whose backlinks use the given text.
• First Seen – The first date Semrush detected the anchor.
• Last Seen – The last date Semrush has noticed the anchor.

The Referring Domains menu contains a detailed analysis of all of the domains leading to your root website/URL.

On top, you will see the New and Lost Referring Domains Graph that illustrates the number of new and lost referring domains for a given period.
Below you can check the following:

• AS – Authority score of the particular referring domain.
• Root Domain / Category – Shows the exact root domain and the category it falls into.
• Backlinks – Indicates the number of backlinks coming from that particular referring domain pointed towards the root website/page.
• Country / IP – Shows the IP and country of origin of the referring domain’s host.
• First Seen – The first date Semrush recognized this referring domain.
• Last Seen – The last date Semrush has detected this referring domain.

The Referring IPs menu provides data about all of the Internet Protocol addresses that point toward the root domain/URL.

You can get info about:

• Country / IP – You can see the exact IP address and a flag indicating the country of origin.
• Domains – Shows the number of referring domains located at this IP address.
• Backlinks – Indicates the number of backlinks pointing at the root domain/URL from this exact IP address.
• First Seen – The first date Semrush has detected this IP address.
• Last Seen – The last date Semrush has noticed this IP address.

The Indexed Pages menu displays all of the indexed URLs of the root domain.

The information provided here is:

• Title and URL – Exact URL and title tag of the indexed page.
• Backlinks – Indicates the number of backlinks pointing to the given page.
• Domains – Shows the number of referring domains leading to the given page.
• External Links – This is the number of the source page’s links leading to other domains’ pages.
• Internal Links – Shows the number of the source page’s links leading to other pages within the same website.
• Last Seen – The date Semrush last detected this webpage.

The last report – the Competitors is where you can make the competitor backlink analysis. You will see the following:

• AS – Authority Score of the competitor’s website
• Domain – Displays a domain with a similar backlink profile to the root website.
• Competition Level – This metric is based on the number of referring domains you and your competitors have, as well as the number of backlinks you have in common.
• Common Ref. Domains – Indicates the number of referring domains that link back, both to your and your competitors’ websites.
• Total Ref. Domains – This is the total number of referring domains, including the common ones that link to the given domain.
• Backlinks – Shows the number of backlinks pointing to the given domain.

There are many advanced multifunctional SEO tools, but for us, Semrush is the best due to the way the data is being presented. Everything is well organized, and you can find what you are looking for with one glance. Semrush can offer you an extensive backlink gap analysis, helping you discover new opportunities for link building and higher rankings on the SERP. That is not only time-saving but is also very convenient, especially for the less-experienced users. The extensive amount of learning materials and the possibility of getting professional coaching from the Semrush team makes this tool a valuable addition to your SEO arsenal.

Explore Semrush

3.2 Serpstat

Payment option: Freemium
Plans: Free – $0/month; Lite – $55/month; Standard – $119/month; Advanced – $239/month; Enterprise – $399/month
Trial option: No, however, there is a FREE plan with limited capabilities

Serpstat doesn’t need lengthy introductions. Chances are you have already heard about it, as it is amongst the best of best when it comes to SEO tools. This advanced software will allow you not only to conduct a detailed backlink analysis but also to do keyword research, check your rank tracking, and find your domain’s weak and strong points. But for now, let’s see what it can offer you in terms of backlink examination.

The first thing Serpstat offers you when you begin with the backlink audit function is the Overview report. Here you will see detailed information about the condition of the examined domain (page).

The first row contains a summary of your backlink profile.

• Serpstat Domain Rank (SDR) – This is a Serpstat metric that estimates domain authority on a scale from 0 to 100. It is based on the number of domains linking to the analyzed website and the number of links these referring domains have.
• Referring domains – Shows the number of linking domains.
  Excluding subdomains – Indicates the number of referring domains excluding subdomains.
• Backlinks – Shows the number of backlinks pointing to the analyzed website(page). Below the bar graph, you can see the dofollow/nofollow ratio of these links.
• Referring IP addresses – Shows the number of unique IP addresses linking to the examined website(page).
• Subnets class С – Indicates the number of referring subnets of class C
• Redirecting domains – Indicates the number of domains that redirect to the targeted domain (URL).
• Referring homepages – Shows the number of backlinks from the homepage of the referring domain that points toward the examined website (page).
• External domains – Reveals the number of domains to which the target site(page) links.
• External links – Shows the number of external links on the analyzed website (page).
• Malicious donors – Indicates the number of “bad” backlinks from malicious domains.
• Malicious domains acceptors – Indicates the number of “bad” referral domain

Below the initial summary, you will see a couple of different reports.

• New referring domains – This is a graphic representation of the way your referring domains have changed over time. It is updated weekly.
• Linking pages dynamics – The graph illustrates the changes in the number of backlinks pointing to the analyzed website. It is updated weekly.
• New and lost backlinks – The graph shows the distribution of new and lost backlinks over time.
• SDR distribution – indicates the distribution of the referring domains by SDR (Serpstat Domain Rank)

• Distribution by type of backlinks – Shows the number of backlinks according to their type (text, image, frame, etc.).
• TOP anchor backlinks by popularity – Here, you can check the most popular anchors and the number of backlinks that use them.

And finally, at the bottom is the Domain map. It illustrates the share of referring domains by top-level domains.

However, this is not all. Serpstat can offer you a couple of in-depth backlink analysis reports.

First, you have the Referring domains where you can check the following metrics:

• Referring pages – Indicates the number of referring pages linking to the analyzed domain(URL).
• Domain rank – Shows the Serpstat Domain Rank of the referring domains.

Then you can go to the Malicious sites report containing information about:

• URL – Shows the URL of the “bad” domain where the Serpstat detected the link to the analyzed website (page).
• Number of backlinks from domain – Indicates the number of backlinks from the malicious domain to the analyzed site (page).
• Platform – Reveals the type of operating system for which this situation is a potential threat.
• Vulnerability type – Indicates the type of the threat.
• Date of last check – The last time the Serpstat bots have detected this threat.

Next comes the Backlink report containing detailed data about the backlinks of the analyzed site (page).

First, you are greeted with a graphic representation of all of your New and lost backlinks.
Below is the table containing the links and metrics. You will see:

• Link source – Shows the URL of the referring page and its anchor.
• External links – Indicates the number of unique external links from the referring page.
• Link type – Displays the link type. It can be a text link, image, or redirect.
• SDR – Indicates the SDR score of the referred domain to which the backlink belongs.
• Target page – Shows the URL of the exact page of the analyzed website that receives this backlink
• First indexed/ Last indexed – The first indicator shows the first date when the link was discovered by the Serpstat bots. The second indicator is the last day this page was crawled by the Serpstat bot.

The Backlink Anchors report is useful when you need to research both backlinks and used keywords. You can check:

• Anchor – Shows the hyperlink text
• Referring domains – Indicates the number of referring domains that have a backlink using this anchor.
• Backlinks – Shows the number of backlinks using this anchor.
• Nofollow links – Indicates the number of nofollow backlinks that have this anchor.

The Top Pages report shows you the top pages of the targeted website according to the number of backlinks each one has. The metrics are as follows:

• URL – Shows the URL of the top page of the analyzed site.
• Referring domains – Indicates the number of referring domains linking to that specific page.
• Backlinks – Shows the number of backlinks leading to this specific top page. (includes active and lost backlinks).
• Referring IP addresses – Indicates the number of unique IP addresses that refer to that specific page.

The Batch analysis is a new report that allows you to compare side-by-side different domains based on various indicators. You can see:

• Domain Rank
• Referring domains
• Referring pages
• Nofollow links
• Referring IP addresses
• Referring subnets
• Text links
• Redirect links
• Image links

Lastly, you can use the Link intersect option to “compare the link mass of several domains, and find common and unique donors for each site.” This is quite an amazing tool, and you can read more about it here.

As you can see, Serpstat has everything you would ever want from a backlink research tool. It is flexible, well-organized, with solid data, and is created by a team that constantly works to improve its features. But most importantly, the tool is organized in a way that even newbies can work with it. Although it provides a lot of data, the information doesn’t feel overwhelming, significantly shortening the learning curve. The in-depth guides and learning tutorials can help SEO beginners not only in working with the system but also by introducing them to the general SEO principles and rules.

Try Serpstat for free

3.3 Morningscore

Payment option: Paid
Plans: Dashboard access – $5/month; Growth suite – $54/month; Professional suite – $104/month; Master suite – $198/month; Agency suite – $571/month;
Trial option: Free trial for 14 days

Morningscore is а popular paid backlink research tool, and with good reason. It can provide you with a lot of data packed in easy-to-understand tables and graphics. In addition, Morningscore feels more like an actual online game than an SEO tool. Once you sign in to the Backlink Research tool, you will get these small missions you need to complete to become a better “SEO Captain”.

The Backlink analysis tool has 2 menus. First is the Linkscore.

Here you can see the following:

The first panel on the left is the Linkscore comparison. Here you can compare your results with those of your competitors.

At the top, you can see the linkscore of your own website.

• Linkscore – It’s a metric developed by Morningscore. It estimates the strength of a website’s link profile based on the combined domain authority (DA) of all the sites that link to it.
• Morningscore – It displays the total value of the SEO traffic of the given domain. Basically, it shows the cost you need to pay each month if you bought all of your free SEO traffic in Google Ads. It is estimated following this formula: Clicks per month * Cost per click = Morningscore

Below you can see the total number of backlinks your domain has. Then comes the actual Linkscore comparison. To work you need to add at least one competitor. The metrics you can use are:

• Linkscore – Yours and those of your competitors.
• Total Links – Total number of backlinks you and your competitors have.
• Value – The value a link or a domain has based on its DA or PA.

You can click on competitors to see their links.
On the right side of the screen is the Linkscore graph.

This is a graphic representation of the side-by-side comparison between your and your competitors’ websites.

Below you can check the New and Lost links you have acquired or lost. for a specific period of time.

If you want to see more, there is another option you can use. Choose “All links” in the main menu.

Here you can see all of your referring domains. If you click on one, you can inspect all of the backlinks that are associated with your site.

• Page – the URL from which the analyzed site receives a backlink.
• Destination – the URL of the page of the analyzed site that receives this backlink.
• Anchor – the exact anchor text used
• Details – You can see whether the link is do or nofollow and what type it is – content, image, etc.

With its user-friendly design, easy-to-use tools, and unique scoring metrics, Morningscore will make your backlink analysis a breeze. And that is not all, if the plan options are not to your liking, you can make a custom one. You can choose the features and limitations of the tool and create your own unique Morningscore.

Start with Morningscore for free

3.4 LinkMiner

Payment option: Paid
Plans: Basic – $29.90/month; Premium – $39.90/month; Agency – $79.90/month;
Trial option: Free trial for 10 days

Link Miner is a well-known tool for backlink analysis created by Mongoose. Its user-friendly design and easy-to-understand reports are what makes it so popular amongst SEO professionals. You will get a lot of data from this tool, but that is not all. The subscription plan also includes different rank tracking and keyword research features.

There are three primary filter options you can choose from when selecting what links you want to check:

• All – Reveals all links based on the Fresh and Historic Indexes by Majestic
• New – Shows the new links based on daily updated backlinks from the last 30 days
• Lost – You get a list of all of the deleted backlinks.

The most important metrics for the link/domain you want to analyze are shown to the right of the screen.

• Citation Flow – Shows a score between 0-100 that measures the “power” of the website or specific page.
• Trust Flow – Represents a quality score between 0-100, which measures how trustworthy the site (page) is.
• Ref. IPs – Shows the number of referring IPs
• Ref. domains – Indicates the number of referring domains
• Active backlinks – Indicates the number of active backlinks based on data from Majestic’s Fresh Index (Crawled in the last 4 months)

Below, you will see a list with all of the backlinks according to your primary filter (All, New, or Lost):

• Source URL – The URL of the backlink
• CF( Citation Flow) – Indicates the CF of this URL
• TF (Trust Flow) – Indicates the TF of this URL
• EL (External Links) – Shows the number of external links from that URL
• FB – Indicates the number of Facebook shares.
• AR (Alexa Rank) – Shows how popular a link is based on the site’s estimated traffic and visitor engagement in the last 3 months.
• HREF – Backlink hrefs path
• Anchor – Shows the anchor text of the backlink.
• LS ( Link Strength) – Shows the power of backlink considering different factors like TF, CF, Do/NoFollow attributes, etc.

As far as complex SEO tools go, Mongoose products are amongst the top. They have a lot of potential and offer well-compiled reports. If you are an SEO expert, this tool can be insufficient for your needs. However, for freelancers or small business owners, it is the perfect solution. Link Miner will definitely help you discover the hidden potential of your site.

Visit LinkMiner

3.5 SEO SpyGlass (by SEO PowerSuite)

Payment option: Freemium
Plans: Free – $0/month; Professional – $299/year; Enterprise – $699/year;
Trial option: No, however, there is a FREE plan with limited capabilities

SEO SpyGlass is a well-known freemium tool and is widely used by both newbies and professionals. Developed by SEO PowerSuit, it can offer a lot to its users. The tool is different from the others in our list as you need to download and install it on your computer. SEO SpyGlass has many reports and sub-menus you can use to gather the necessary data and is quite user-friendly.

Once you enter your website, the backlink checker will take several seconds, or minutes depending on how many pages you have, to load its Summary menu. Here is what you will see:

• Backlinks – Indicates the total number of backlinks of your website
• Domains – Shows the total number of referring domains pointing to your website.
• IPs – Displays the total number of unique IP addresses leading to the root domain.

Below you will see 4 graphs, illustrating the different “behavior” the backlinks and referral domains exhibit.

• Live Backlink History – Shows the changes in your backlinks’ density from a certain period (1m, 3m,6m, or 1y) to the present date.
• Live Linking Domains History – Shows the changes in your referring domains’ density from a certain period (1m, 3m,6m, or 1y) to the present date.
• New/Lost Backlinks History – Indicates the number of backlinks your website has lost/gained during the selected period (1m, 3m,6m, or 1y).
• New/Lost Linking Domains History – Indicates the number of referring domains your website has lost/gained during the selected period (1m, 3m,6m, or 1y).

The Summary also includes information about:

• New and Lost Backlinks – Lists containing all of the backlinks you gained or lost depending on the selected period (1m, 3m,6m, or 1y).
• New and Lost Domains – Lists containing all of the referring domains you gained or lost depending on the selected period (1m, 3m,6m, or 1y).

• Page InLink Rank – The PageInLink Rank is a score from 0 to 100 that grades the page popularity based on the number and quality of its backlinks.
• Domain InLink Rank – The Domain InLink Rank is a score from 0 to 100 that grades the domain popularity based on the number and quality of its backlinks.
• Backlink TLDs – This shows the distribution of backlinks across the top-level domains.
• Domains linking from homepage – Reveals the percentage of domains that have backlinks from homepages.

• Backlink countries – You can see the distribution of backlinks by country.

• Anchor texts (summary) – It provides synthesized data about the anchor texts used in the analyzed backlinks. You can see their type – text or image, as well as the anchor distribution by domain and backlink.
• Linked Pages – Linked pages are the pages of the analyzed site that have backlinks.

And on the bottom of the summary, you will see:

• Anchor texts cloud – It provides a visual representation of the density of the anchor texts found for the analyzed backlinks. The top anchors are colored and have a larger font.

In addition to this detailed Summary, there are also sub-menus for almost all of the examined panels. There you can find even more data.

As you can see, SEO SpyGlass allows you to conduct elaborate backlink analysis in an easy-to-understand way. The fact that you have to install it on your work machine can be a bit inconvenient at first but think about it, as a way to protect your company’s information. Data security is very important, especially for larger SEO agencies. With SEO SpyGlass, you receive one extra layer of protection no other tool on our list provides.

Try out SEO SpyGlass

3.6 SEObility

Payment option: Freemium
Plans: Free – $0/month; Premium- $40/month; Agency – $160/month;
Trial option: Yes, there is a 30-day free trial for the Premium plan + a free plan with limited capabilities

SEObility is a solid backlink analysis tool that can help you a lot in building the right SEO strategy for your business. To use it, you need to do some initial settings like entering your domain, linking your GSC data, etc. It is important to note that SEObility is a multifunctional tool, meaning you can also use it for rank tracking, technical SEO, keyword research, and more. Altho not as powerful as Semrush or Serpstat, it can provide you with a lot of information.

When you enter the Backlink Check menu and choose the targeted domain, you will see the following:

The first panel contains the Overview backlink profile. Here you will see:

• Total backlinks – Shows the total number of backlinks your domain has.
• Referring domains – Indicates the total number of referring domains linking to your site.
• Domain rating – Estimates the strength of your domain based on your backlink profile.
• Follow/No follow – Shows the ratio of dofollow and nofollow links of your domain.

Below is the Top Backlinks section. Here you can find a basic overview of your links.

• Domain – Original domain of this backlink
• Link ranking – Estimates how valuable this particular link is based on its profile.
• Anchor – Shows the anchor test leading to this backlink. You can also see the type of anchor (text, image, etc.) and the link type (follow or no follow).

As you can see, SEObility is quite easy to use and gives you the basic data you need to check competitor backlinks. If you are a newbie, this tool will help you understand how backlinks work and what you need to look for without confusing you with too much information.

Do your backlink analysis with SEObility

3.7 Majestic SEO

Payment option: Paid
Plans: Lite – $41.67/month; Pro – $83.33/month; API – $333.33/month;
Trial option: No

Majestic is one of the pioneers when it comes to SEO and backlink audits. They have developed their own metrics, often used by other companies, and have been on the market for a very long time. Unfortunately, you can’t benefit from a free trial or a limited unpaid plan like with Serpstat or Semrush.

Here is a quick overview of the Backlink analysis you can do with Majestic.

Since there are a lot of metrics in one place, let’s separate them into columns and look at them individually. Here is the information you will receive for each backlink result that Majestic finds.

• In the Source column, you will find the following information about the backlinks – Page title, Source URL, Primary Topical Trust Flow, and Anchor text.
• Next are the URL and Domains columns that have two types of metrics – Trust flow and Citation flow.
• Then you have the Outbound column. It contains information about the types of links(Internal, External and Total Outlinks) and the number of External Domains the analyzed website has.
• Afterward, you can check the metrics of the page that receives the backlink. The metrics are identical to those shown for the backlink – Page title, Target URL and Primary Topical Trust Flow.
• And finally, you can view when was this backlink indexed for the first time, for the last time and when it was lost – First indexed, Last Seen and Date Lost.

If you use the Bulk Link Graph feature, you will see a visualization of the connections between all backlinks, landing pages, and referral domains.

This is just the tip of the icebergs. Majestic has a lot more reports regarding backlink research, as well as many useful functionalities. As you can see from the review of the simple-looking table, it is crammed with data. You need to pay extra attention to not get confused about which number refers to which metric. It is not an easy software to work with at the beginning.

Majestic’s metrics and databases are used by multiple tools, and this is a solid proof of quality. However, the software comes off as complicated and lacking when it comes to learning materials and explanatory notes. To use it to its full potential, you need to have substantial experience in the SEO field. That is why if you are a newbie, we would recommend using a more easy-to-understand tool line Morningscore or SEObility.

Check out Majestic

3.8 BuzzSumo

Payment option: Freemium
Plans: Free – $0/month; Pro – $79/month; Plus – $139/month; Large – $239/month;
Trial option: Yes, there is a 30-day free trial + a free plan with limited capabilities

BuzzSumo is not your typical backlink checking tool. It is directed towards content and backlink quality. This is a valuable tool for copywriters as it helps discover the trending topics and possible guest post opportunities.

During the examinations of the backlink profile of the root domain, you will see:

• Title and URL of the backlink.
• Facebook Engagement – When you hover with your mouse on the result, you will see how many likes, shares, comments, and reactions this URL has in Facebook.
• Twitter Shares – Indicates the number of times this URL has been shared on Twitter.
• Pinterest Shares – Indicates the number of times this URL has been shared on Pinterest.
• Reddit Engagements – The score is based on the count of upvotes and comments and shows the level of engagement this post has on that particular social media.
• Number of Links – Shows the number of backlinks this URL has.
• Evergreen Score – This metric developed by BuzzSumo estimates the growth in engagements and links a post receives over time. It is first measured 30 days after the publishing of the article.
• Total Engagement – the total of all of the other score metrics. Measures the overall engagement this particular URL has.

As you can see, the BuzzSumo metrics are not sufficient for full backlink analysis. However, if you use it in combination with Semrush, Moonscore, Serpstat, or another more in-depth tool you can definitely be one step ahead of your competition.

Try out Buzzsumo

3.9 Ahrefs

Payment option: Paid
Plans: Lite – $82/month; Standard – $149/month; Advanced – $332/month; Agency – $832/month
Trial option: 7-day trial for $7 for the Lite or Standard plan

Without a doubt, Ahrefs is one of the top 5 complex SEO tools in the world. The question here is not whether their backlink research tool is good, but what do you get for the money you pay, and is it suitable for all users.

Let’s start with the Overview of the Backlink profile.

First, you will see the metrics characterizing your own backlink profile.

• Ahrefs Rank (AR) – Indicates how strong your backlink profile is compared to the other websites in the Ahrefs database. The smaller the number, the better. You can see a graphic representation of the data underneath.
• UR (URL Rating) – Shows the strength of a particular (targeted) page’s backlink profile. The score is measured on a scale from 0 to 100. If you are analyzing a domain, the results shown are for the homepage.
• DR (Domain Rating) – As explained by the experts at Ahrefs, this metric is “…essentially a less granular version of Ahrefs Rank (AR).” It shows the domain strength measured on a scale from 0 to 100.
• Referring domains – Displays the total number of unique domains linking to your site (page). You can see the results in the graph underneath.
• Organic keywords – Indicates the total number of keywords your domain( page) ranks for in the top 100 organic search results.
• Organic traffic – The estimated monthly organic traffic from the search of your target website, subsection, or URL.
• Traffic value – This is the estimated value of your domain’s (page’s) monthly organic search traffic.

In the panel on the left, you can find:

• Crawled pages – The number of pages on a target website that Ahrefs crawler has visited and saved to Ahrefs’ index.
• Referring domains
• Referring pages
• Referring IPs
• Referring subnets

Below you will see a graphic representation of the data for the Referring pages and the DR. On the right, there is information about the types of backlinks the examined domain (page) has, as well as the URL rating distribution. This metric shows the number and percentage of links coming from pages in a given UR range.

Then you can see two graphs representing the New & lost referring domains and the New & lost backlinks for a given period of time.

Beneath that comes the CTLDs distribution graph. Here, you can see how the referring domains are distributed amongst the different countries based on their country code top-level domains (CTLDs).

Right after that is a table containing information about the exact Anchors of backlinks pointing to the examined website or URL.

Finally, at the bottom of the report, you can check your backlinks. The displayed metrics are as follows:

• Referring page – Shows title and URL of the page that contains a link pointing to the target website or URL.
• DR (Domain Rating) – Reveals the strength of a referring domain’s backlink profile compared to the others in the Ahrefs database on a 100-point scale.
• UR (URL Rating) – Estimates the strength of a page’s link profile on a 100-point scale.
• Referring domains – Displays the number of “unique referring domains linking to the referring page at the time of the most recent crawl.”
• Linked domains – Indicates “the number of unique root domains linked from the referring page at the time of the most recent crawl.”
• Ext. – Reveals the exact number of external links from the referring page.
• Traffic – Estimates the organic traffic from search of the referring page
• Kw. – Displays the number of keywords the referring page ranks for in the top 100 organic search results across all countries in the Ahrefs’ database.
• Anchor and backlink – Shows the anchor text of the link and the URL where the backlink points to.
• First seen – Indicates the first date the Ahrefs’ bot found this backlink.
• Last check – Displays the last date the Ahrefs’ bot has “seen” this backlink.
• Similar – Shows the number of backlinks that have the same anchor and surrounding text that were grouped.

Ahrefs can provide you with very detailed information about your backlink profile. There are options to check competitor backlinks as well. There is not much we can say in regards to the quality of the provided data. When something is good, it is good. However, this backlink analysis tool can come across as very difficult to work with due to its advanced functionalities. You can get confused easily, and for newbies or people with limited experience, the software can do more damage than good. You need to be on the same level as the tool, to be able to use its full potential. Once this happens, you will undoubtedly see the benefits of working with it.

View Ahrefs

3.10 Moz Link Explorer

Payment option: Freemium
Plans: Standard – $79/month; Medium – $143/month; Large – $199/month; Premium – $479/month
Trial option: Free 30-day trial for the Medium plan + FREE version of the tool with limited capabilities with no plan attachments.

Founded in 2004, Moz has shaped the way we see SEO. They have developed some of the most important and widely-used metrics – DA(Domain Authority) and PA(Page Authority). Their tools are a game-changer and a valuable asset for professionals all across the globe. Link Explorer is no exception. The backlink analysis tool is easy to work with, and you can find the data you are looking for with just one glance.

The Overview menu gives you fast access to all of the submenus and reports. Here is what you see when conducting your backlink research.

First, you will see the basic metrics characterizing the analyzed website. They are:

• Domain Authority (DA) – Created by Moz, it estimates the ranking potential of the analyzed domain compared with the other domains in the Moz database. It is measured on a scale from 0 to 100, where the bigger the number, the better.
• Linking Domains – Shows the number of unique linking domains the analyzed site has. (“Two or more links from the same website are counted as one linking domain.”)
• Inbound Links – Indicates the number of unique pages linking to the root domain. (“Two or more links from the same page on a website are counted as one link.”)
• Ranking Keywords – Reveals the number of keywords for which the analyzed website ranks within the top 50 positions on Google US.

After that, you will see a series of different panels containing graphs and tables which give a summary of each report you can use within Link Explorer.

The Quick Downloads option allows you to download and save the following reports:

• All links
• Follow Links
• Linking Domains
• Follow Linking Domains
• Top Pages

Below you can see the first panel with data that can lead you to a specialized report.

The Discovered and lost linking domains is a detailed graph, showing the new and lost referring domains of the analyzed website. It will lead you to the Discovered and Lost report where you can get more information about the recently found and lost linking domains.

• Metrics over time – The graph shows how the DA. PA and linking domains of the analyzed website have changed over time. It will lead you to the Compare Link Profiles report, where you can check the metrics of up to 5 of your competitors.
• Follow vs Nofollow – It is a graphic representation of the type of internal and external backlinks of the analyzed site.

• Top followed links to this site leads to a detailed report about the Inbound links.
• Top pages on this site will lead you to a Top Pages report that will show you the most valuable pages the analyzed website has.

• Top anchor text for this site shows you the anchor texts that have the most links. If you click on it, it will lead you to the full Anchor text report.
• Linking Domains by DA – The graph shows the DA distribution of the referring domains. It will lead you to the Linking Domains report.

Moz Link Explorer is a versatile tool with a lot of potential. Thanks to the well-written learning materials, even newbies can learn how to use the software efficiently. The tool can be helpful for both SEO experts and freelancers. We can compare it with the software Serpstat or Semrush provides, as they are all equally outstanding.

Find out more about Moz Link Explorer

4. Basic Overview of the Best Free Backlink Checker Tools

It is about time we check the most popular free backlink research tools out there. They may not have many additional features, but can still help you do your job. This is a pretty sweet deal if you are unable to spend money on the more advanced software.

4.1 Google Search Console

The GSC is the most widely used tool when it comes to backlink research. Not only do you receive data about your backlinks directly from Google, but you can trace other valuable metrics like the number of impressions and clicks. Of course, the data is limited as the Console can’t generate truly elaborate reports like the paid tools we just described. But it is a stepping stone towards bettering your site and its position in the SERP.

Here is the basic data you will get once you verify your domain and go to the Links menu.

You have two columns one is for External links and the other for Internal links. The information you get is:

• Top linked pages (External links) – Here you can see the external links each of your pages have.
• Top linked pages (Internal links) – You can check which pages have links from your own domain.

If you scroll down you can see the External link section provides you with two more tables:

• Top linking sites(External links) – This is a list of all the referring domains your site has a link from.
• Top linking text (External links) – Here are the anchor texts used to link to your site.

It is important to note that the GSC can examine only your own domain, meaning you can’t analyze those of your competitors. Side-by-side comparisons are also not an option. However, knowing and using the GSC is necessary, and every novice SEO practitioner must be familiar with this tool.

Start with Google Search Console

4.2 Open Link Profiler

Open Link Profiler is the free backlink analysis tool provided by SEOProfiler. The company has a paid version of this software called Link Profiler, the use of which requires email registration. However, we are more interested in the capabilities of the free tool and what data you can get without any additional actions.

All you need to do once you open it is to write down the site you want to examine.

You would never guess what detailed backlinks analysis tool is hidden behind this start screen.

The backlink overview is quite spectacular for a completely free tool. On the first row, you will see four panels containing the following data:

• Unique links – Shows the unique links pointing to the examined website (in both percentage and number). You will also see the total number of links.
• Links to home page – Indicates how many of all the links this website has pointed to its home page. You will see the results in both numbers and percentages.
• Trusted links – Those are links without an attribute ( “nofollow”, “sponsored” or “ugc”). Note that this metric’s definition is different from the standard understanding of the term trusted link ( a link that comes from a website with high authority).
• LIS (Link Influence Score) and registration date – LIS is estimated based on the number and quality of the links pointing to the website. Raging from 0 to 100%, the higher the score, the better. The registration date indicates when the analyzed site was registered.

Below is information about the Industry or the main topic of the website. Then you will see a large variety of different filter options you can use to narrow the results.

The table containing the backlink lists displays the following metrics:

• LIS – The bar represents the link influence score of that particular URL.
• Page title & link source – The exact title and URL of this backlink.
• Anchor text & link destination – Shows the text used for the linking and the exact URL of the analyzed domain to which the anchor leads.
• Action – By clicking on the blue button, you can add this backlink to the list of traced backlinks in the paid tool Link Profiler. If you hover over the checkboxes below, you can see the first day this backlink was discovered, and the last date it was seen by the crawlers.

You can also choose from a couple of free reports:

• Link Disinfection – This report will show you if you have any broken or bad backlinks in your profile.
• Anchor texts – Here, you will see the most popular anchor text used to link to the analyzed site.
• Pages – The report reveals which of the pages of the analyzed site have the most unique backlinks pointing to them.
• Domains – It shows a list of the referring domains linked to the analyzed site.
• Industries – The report gives information about the industries the referring domains belong to.
• Link Contexts – This refers to the topic of the individual links that point to the analyzed website. It is calculated based on the words in the anchor text, the title, and the content of the linking page.
• Countries – Shows which countries the referring domains come from.
• LIS Distribution – Shows the LIS Distribution amongst the referring domains.
• Subdomains – Reveals the number of subdomains the examined domain has and what is their backlink profile.
• Link Age – Indicates the age of the links that point to the analyzed website.

For a free tool, Open Link Profiler offers a lot. However, bear in mind that this is not sufficient for a proper backlink check. Some of the more important metrics are missing, but that can be easily solved if you use it in combination with Morningscore or Link Miner, for example. Overall it is a nice tool that can help a lot of small business owners and SEO newbies.

Try Open Link Profiler

5. Pros and Cons of the Most Frequently Used Backlink Analysis Tools in 2021

There are a lot of backlink research tools on our list, and after a while, you can get easily confused about their functionalities and reports. So, to make it short, we have created a pros and cons table containing their strong and weak points and why we think this particular tool is great.

Note: The table is mobile-friendly, meaning when you open it on a mobile device, the front row and column will be “frozen”. This will ensure you won’t lose sight of the data and will make reading it easier.

6. Price and Functionality Comparison Table of the Most Popular Backlink Analysis Tools in 2021

We’ve talked about our top picks, looked at each tool individually, and discussed their pros and cons. Now it’s time to compare them side by side and examine in detail what they have to offer. We have included both the paid and free backlink research tools so you can get the full picture.

As you can imagine, the comparison table is quite big, and it is impossible to post it here in its original form. After all, it took us almost two weeks to compile it. So for your convenience, click here to get access to the complete side-by-side comparison.

Disclaimer: We will be looking only at the limits and features concerning backlink analysis. Some complex tools like Semrush or Moz have different limits for each SEO tool.

Here is a sample of what you can expect to get once you get the full table. We hope you find it useful and time-saving.

Note: The table has a mobile-friendly design, meaning when you can access it on a mobile device the front row and column will appear “frozen”. This will help you navigate through the information and freely scroll up/down or left/right.

GET THE FULL TABLE NOW

Better your SEO strategy by examining your and your competition’s backlink profiles. Time is one of your greatest assets, so why don’t you use it efficiently and rely on a trustworthy backlink analysis tool to help you? Take it from us, don’t be afraid to try new things and experiment. After all, no rule prohibits you from testing as many tools as you want. You don’t have to stick just to one product. Benefit from the free plans and trials and search for the tool that best fits your needs.

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What do you think about our selection? Is there a backlink research tool you want us to examine and include in the next update of the article? Tell us your thoughts in the comment section below.