12 Best Backlink Trackers Compared (2026)

The short answer: Ahrefs and Semrush have the largest, most current backlink indexes and work for most teams; Moz Link Explorer is the cheapest full-featured option; Majestic is the best value if you only need backlink data and nothing else; and Linkody or SEOptimer (which absorbed Monitor Backlinks) are built specifically for ongoing link monitoring rather than one-off audits. This list ranks the best backlink trackers on the market today, what each one actually does well, and how to pick between them without paying for features you won't touch.

A backlink tracker does two jobs that look similar but aren't: it crawls the web to find who links to you (backlink discovery), and it re-checks those links over time to tell you when one breaks or disappears (monitoring). Some tools, like Ahrefs and Semrush, are full SEO suites where backlink tracking is one module among many. Others, like Linkody, do only monitoring and do it cheaply. Knowing which job you actually need decides which tool is worth paying for.

What to look for in the best backlink trackers

Before the list, four things separate a good tracker from a padded one:

• Index size and crawl frequency, how many links the tool has found, and how often it re-crawls them. A tool that only refreshes monthly will miss a lost link for weeks.
• Domain Rating / Authority metric, every major tool has its own proprietary score (Ahrefs' DR, Moz's DA, Semrush's AS). These are not interchangeable; a DR 40 site is not automatically an AS 40 site.
• Alerts on new/lost links, the actual "tracking" part. If a tool only lets you pull a static report, it's a checker, not a tracker.
• Export and API access, matters if you're reporting to clients or feeding data into your own dashboard.

Key insight: most SaaS founders don't need a full backlink tracker until they have 20+ referring domains to actually monitor. Below that, a free checker (see our best backlink analysis tools roundup) covers it.

1. Ahrefs

Ahrefs runs one of the largest live backlink indexes on the market, built from its own web crawler (the second-most active after Googlebot), refreshing portions of its index roughly every 15 minutes. Site Explorer shows referring domains, anchor text distribution, and historical link gain/loss charts. Plans start at $129/month (Lite) and scale to $1,499/month (Enterprise). There's no permanent free plan, but Ahrefs offers a limited free backlink checker on its site.

Best for: teams that want backlink tracking as part of a broader SEO workflow (keyword research, content gaps, rank tracking) and can absorb the price.

2. Semrush

Semrush covers backlink tracking through its Backlink Analytics and Backlink Audit tools, sitting inside a suite that also does keyword research, PPC data, and site audits. Its link index is large by raw count, and the Backlink Audit tool specifically flags toxic or spammy links for disavow review, something Ahrefs handles less directly. Pricing runs from roughly $139/month (Pro) up through Business tiers priced around $450+/month on annual billing.

Best for: agencies and in-house teams that need backlinks, competitor keyword data, and paid search data in one login.

3. Moz Link Explorer

Moz Link Explorer is the backlink module inside Moz Pro, using Moz's own Domain Authority (DA) and Spam Score metrics. It's generally the lowest-priced way into a full-suite tool, with Moz Pro starting around $39-$99/month depending on plan and promotion. A free Moz account gets a small number of link queries per month, useful for spot-checks but not ongoing monitoring.

Best for: smaller teams or solo operators who want a full SEO suite without Ahrefs/Semrush pricing.

4. Majestic

Majestic is a backlink-only tool, no keyword research, no site audit, just link data, going back to 2004. It publishes two proprietary scores: Trust Flow and Citation Flow, which together give a read on link quality vs. link quantity that other tools approximate differently. Plans start at $49.99/month (Lite) up to $399.99/month (API-heavy plans).

Best for: anyone who wants dedicated backlink depth without paying for keyword or content tooling they won't use.

5. SE Ranking

SE Ranking bundles backlink monitoring, rank tracking, and site audit into one lower-cost suite, positioned as a budget alternative to Ahrefs/Semrush for agencies managing several client sites. Its backlink index is smaller than Ahrefs' or Semrush's, which matters for finding rare or brand-new links but is often enough for standard reporting.

Best for: agencies tracking many client domains where per-seat cost matters more than having the single largest index.

6. SEO SpyGlass (SEO PowerSuite)

SEO SpyGlass is a desktop application, not cloud-based, which is unusual in this list. It has a free tier that analyzes up to 1,100 backlinks per site and compares two competitors; the paid version starts around $99/year. Because it's installed locally, there's no per-seat subscription creep, which appeals to solo consultants.

Best for: freelancers who want a one-time-ish cost and don't need real-time cloud alerts.

7. Linkody

Linkody is a monitoring-first tool: connect a domain, and it emails you when links are gained or lost, tracks anchor text changes, and flags nofollow-to-dofollow shifts. Pricing starts around $14.90/month for small sites, scaling to roughly $49.90/month for agency-level domain counts. It doesn't try to be a full SEO suite.

Best for: teams that already know their backlink profile and just want alerts, not another discovery tool.

8. SEOptimer (formerly Monitor Backlinks)

Monitor Backlinks was folded into SEOptimer, which now handles white-label audits and lead generation alongside basic backlink monitoring. It's positioned more for agencies running audits for prospects than for deep backlink research.

Best for: agencies that want a lead-gen audit tool with backlink monitoring bundled in, not a primary backlink research tool.

9. LinkResearchTools (LRT)

LinkResearchTools is an enterprise-grade link analysis platform built for detailed link audits, disavow workflows, and link risk scoring, historically popular with agencies doing manual penalty recovery work. It's priced at the higher end and aimed at power users comfortable with a steeper learning curve.

Best for: agencies doing in-depth link audits or recovering from a manual action, not casual monitoring.

10. OpenLinkProfiler

OpenLinkProfiler offers a free backlink report (no signup for basic use) with anchor text and link type breakdowns. Its index is smaller and less current than the paid tools above, so treat results as a starting point, not a complete picture.

Best for: a quick, no-cost sanity check before committing to a paid tool.

11. SEOptimer / Ubersuggest (budget bundles)

Ubersuggest includes a backlink overview alongside keyword and content tools at a lower price point than the big three. Its backlink data volume is noticeably smaller than Ahrefs or Semrush, so it works better as a directional check than a primary tracking source.

Best for: solo founders who want one cheap tool that touches backlinks, keywords, and content ideas without three separate subscriptions.

12. BacklinkBot's free Domain Rating checker

Our own free Domain Rating checker uses Ahrefs' underlying DR data to give you a one-time DR lookup for any domain, no signup, no crawl wait. It's not a tracker (it doesn't alert you to new or lost links), but it's the fastest way to check where a domain stands before deciding whether you need a full tracking subscription at all.

Best for: a free, instant DR check before you commit to any paid tool on this list.

Backlink trackers compared

Tool	Starting price	Best for	Full suite?
Ahrefs	$129/mo	Largest live index, full SEO suite	Yes
Semrush	~$139/mo	Backlinks + toxic link audit + broader SEO	Yes
Moz Link Explorer	~$39-99/mo	Budget full-suite option	Yes
Majestic	$49.99/mo	Backlink-only depth (Trust Flow/Citation Flow)	No
SE Ranking	Lower-cost tiers	Agencies managing many client domains	Yes
SEO SpyGlass	~$99/yr	Desktop, one-time-ish cost	No
Linkody	$14.90/mo	Pure link monitoring + alerts	No
SEOptimer	Varies	Agency audits + lead gen	Partial
LinkResearchTools	Enterprise pricing	Deep audits, disavow, penalty recovery	No
OpenLinkProfiler	Free	Quick free sanity check	No
Ubersuggest	Budget tiers	Cheap all-in-one for solo founders	Yes
BacklinkBot DR checker	Free	Instant DR lookup, no tracking	No

Pricing changes; verify current plans directly with each vendor before purchasing.

How to choose

If you're managing backlinks for one product and already know roughly what you have, start with a free checker like our Domain Rating tool or OpenLinkProfiler, then add Linkody once you have enough links worth alerting on. If backlinks are one part of a broader SEO workflow, Ahrefs or Semrush earn their price by replacing three other tools. If you're an agency running client audits, SE Ranking or SEOptimer keep per-client cost down. And if you'd rather skip the tooling decision entirely and just get links, our done-for-you submission service hand-submits your product to 100+ directories from our database of 1,011+ listings and sends a proof report, so you have something worth tracking in the first place.

FAQ

Do I need a paid backlink tracker as a solo founder?

Not right away. A free checker like Ahrefs' free tool or our own DR checker covers occasional spot-checks. Pay for a tracker once you have enough referring domains that manually checking each one becomes tedious, typically past 20-30 links.

What's the difference between a backlink checker and a backlink tracker?

A checker gives you a one-time snapshot of who links to a domain right now. A tracker monitors that list continuously and alerts you when links are gained, lost, or change from dofollow to nofollow.

Is Ahrefs or Semrush better for tracking backlinks specifically?

Ahrefs generally has the larger, more frequently refreshed backlink index; Semrush's Backlink Audit tool is stronger for flagging toxic links for disavow. Both work; the better fit depends on whether you also need Semrush's PPC/keyword breadth or Ahrefs' content/keyword tools.

Can I track backlinks for free long-term?

Partially. OpenLinkProfiler and free-tier accounts on Moz or Ahrefs give limited monthly lookups, not continuous alerting. For true ongoing monitoring without a paid tool, you'd need to manually re-check your link list on a schedule.

How many backlinks should a new site have before I start tracking them?

There's no fixed number, it depends on your niche's competitiveness, but most new SaaS sites don't have enough links to justify a paid tracker until several months into consistent outreach or directory submission. See our post on how many backlinks a new site needs for a fuller answer.

Get your first trackable backlinks

Before you spend on a tracker, make sure you have links worth tracking. BacklinkBot hand-submits your product to 100+ relevant directories (one-time, from $99), each with a domain rating attached, and sends a proof report when it's done. See how it works.