Best Backlink Checker 2023

updated on
August 15, 2023
Terry Williams
Disclaimer: A few of the links you'll stumble upon here are my affiliate buddies. Meaning, if you decide to join their premium crew, I might get a little thank-you bonus – without any extra penny from your pocket! Just know, I only give shout-outs to tools and products I truly believe in and have used.

My Top Ranked Backlink Checkers

#1 Product Recommendation

ahrefs logo

Ahrefs

Ahrefs Unlocks SEO Insights for Data-Driven Success
Price
Features
Accuracy
try it today

#2 Product Recommendation

Semrush-logo-ads

SEMrush

Uncover Your Competitors' Secrets with Semrush's All-Seeing SEO Toolkit
Price
Features
Accuracy
try it today 

#3 Product Recommendation

Majestic

Majestic

Majestic's Backlink Index Sheds Light on Your Site's Influence in a Competitive Online World
Price
Features
Accuracy
try it today

#1 Product Recommendation

ahrefs logo wide

Ahrefs

Price
Features
Accuracy
Read full review

#1 Product Recommendation

Ahrefs is an all-in-one SEO toolkit that reveals insights like a crystal ball for digital marketers seeking data-driven success. With its massive backlink database, keyword research, and site audit tools, Ahrefs illuminates the path ahead so you can outrank your wildest competitors.

Features

With Ahrefs, every feature opens a new doorway to SEO enlightenment. Its backlink checker exposes who's linking to your site and your competitors, allowing you to forge strategic partnerships. The keyword research tool illuminates search volume data to laser-target high-potential terms. And the site audit scans on-page elements like titles, URLs, and content to spotlight optimization opportunities. But perhaps most magically, Ahrefs' organic traffic data pulls back the curtain on your competitors' success, empowering you to leapfrog ahead. Through its unparalleled insights, Ahrefs isn't just a tool - it's a guiding light toward search domination.

Pros

  • Indexes over 200 billion backlinks for detailed competitor link analysis
  • Filters links by type, anchor text, referring domains and more
  • Shows which links point to a URL versus domain overall
  • Tracks new, lost and total backlinks over customizable timeframes
  • Exports filtered backlink data to CSV for further analysis
  • Chrome extension allows quick analysis of any site's backlinks

Cons

  • Does not provide contact information for linking sites
  • No automated way to export all backlinks for entire domain
  • Data on newest links can lag behind by several weeks
  • Limit on number of backlinks shown for free users
  • No integration with outreach tools to manage link building

#2 Product Recommendation

Semrush-logo-ads

SEMrush

Price
Features
Accuracy
Read full review

#1 Product Recommendation

SEMrush is an all-in-one digital marketing toolkit packed with insights to help users master online strategy. With robust backlink analysis features, SEMrush shines a revealing light on where your competitors are acquiring links so you can evaluate new partnership and outreach opportunities.

Features

As a backlink analysis tool, SEMrush enables in-depth tracking of competitor link building. Its Backlink Analytics report reveals top linking domains and pages, new/lost links, and anchor text ratios to expose opportunities. Filters allow drilling down by date range, domain type, location, and more to pinpoint the most valuable links. The Backlink Audit Tool scans sites for toxic links that could jeopardize rankings. For outreach, SEMrush's Backlink Gap identifies where competitors have links that you don't. The full backdrop of insights illuminates where to focus efforts to forge strategic partnerships, replicate successful tactics, and surpass competitors by expanding your site's presence on authoritative domains. With SEMrush's lamp lighting the way, users can pursue backlink growth confidently.

Pros

  • Tracks new, lost, and total backlinks over custom time periods
  • Filters backlinks by type, anchor text, domain rating, and location
  • Compares your backlink profile to competitors' side-by-side
  • Identifies toxic links that could trigger manual penalties
  • Backlink Gap highlights opportunities competitors have tapped
  • Chrome extension allows quick analysis of site's backlinks

Cons

  • Limited filtering options compared to other tools
  • No ability to analyze individual URL-level backlinks
  • Data accuracy issues reported by some users
  • Backlink toxic strength metrics lack context
  • No way to export full backlink list for entire domain
  • Lacks integration with Google Search Console

#3 Product Recommendation

Majestic

Majestic

Price
Features
Accuracy
Read full Majestic seo review

#1 Product Recommendation

Majestic is an all-seeing backlink analysis platform with unmatched data depth to reveal competitor link building strategies. Armed with Majestic's insights, websites can pursue smarter partnership outreach, increase referral traffic, and build authority to improve search rankings.

Features

With its vast index of over 263 million backlinks, Majestic offers unparalleled insight into competitor link building. The Link Explorer shows which sites are linking to any URL, along with metrics like Trust Flow and Citation Flow to evaluate the value of each backlink. Filters allow drilling down by date, anchor text, geographic location and more to identify the most promising partnership opportunities. The Fresh Index focuses on the newest links to stay on top of the latest trends. Majestic's Flow Metrics provide top-level analysis of a site's overall link authority. With the Site Explorer's detailed comparative metrics, keyword data and export options, Majestic shines a light on where competitors are acquiring links so you can develop smart strategies to surpass them.

Pros

  • Provides Trust Flow and Citation Flow metrics for each backlink
  • Tracks new and lost backlinks over customizable date ranges
  • Filters by link type, location, IP address, and more
  • Site Explorer compares metrics vs competitors
  • Flow Metrics show overall domain-level authority stats
  • Fresh Index quickly identifies newest links

Cons

  • Very expensive subscription plans
  • Data on latest links can lag behind real-time
  • Majestic requires payment for full functionality
  • There is a steep learning curve to master all features of Majestic
  • Exporting large datasets requires technical skills
  • There are limitations analyzing backlinks for large sites

Other tools we found useful

Ubersuggest

Ubersuggest

Uncover Competitor Backlink Profiles with Ubersuggest's Streamlined Yet Powerful SEO Toolkit
Read More
raven logo

Raven

Get Ahead of the Competition with Raven Tools' Easy-to-Use SEO Platform
Read More
LinkMiner logo

LinkMiner

Dig Up Hidden SEO Opportunities with LinkMiner's Cutting-Edge Backlink Analysis
Read More
moz logo

Moz Pro

Unlock Unmatched SEO Insights with Moz Pro's All-Encompassing Toolkit for Digital Success
READ MORE
Ubersuggest

Ubersuggest

Uncover Competitor Backlink Profiles with Ubersuggest's Streamlined Yet Powerful SEO Toolkit
Read the Ubersuggest Review

Features

With its vast backlink database, Ubersuggest enables in-depth analysis of competitor link profiles. The Backlink Checker reveals top linking domains and pages. Filters allow drilling down by location, domain authority, link type, and more to identify promising partnerships. And with full exportable reports available, Ubersuggest arms users with the actionable intel needed to evaluate link building efforts and forge an authoritative backlink profile. Is there anything else you would like me to check?

Pros

  • Ubersuggest offers detailed keyword suggestions based on thorough research
  • Ubersuggest provides descriptive data with each keyword
  • Offers a free chrome plugin and a 7-day trial
  • Ubersuggest offers word clouds for easy visualization

Cons

  • The mobile interface of Ubersuggest is not as user-friendly as the web interface
  • Niche bloggers might not get many results with Ubersuggest
  • The basic plan of Ubersuggest is somewhat limited in results
  • The process can lag a bit when running multiple reports with Ubersuggest
raven logo

Raven

Get Ahead of the Competition with Raven Tools' Easy-to-Use SEO Platform

Features

Step right up to get the down low on Raven Tools, the crafty cloud toolkit bringing all your SEO dreams into focus! This bad boy's got all the fixins for smoking the competition - rank tracking, keyword research, website audits - you name it. But for peeking at how rivals are scoring superior backlinks, you gotta go straight to the Backlink Explorer. This gem exposes exactly which sites are linking to any domain you feed it, whether yours or your competitors'. Wanna check who's linking to the top dog and replicate their sweet strategies? Backlink Explorer's got you covered. Or need to diagnose why your own site's links got as much authority as soggy toast? This tool tells no lies, showing each page's backlink deets so you can step up your game. So if you're looking to catch up on competitor link intel and fast track your site's authority, just whisper "Backlink Explorer" and Raven Tools will hook you up in a jiffy! Any other Q's before giving this powerhouse a test drive?

Pros

  • Raven Tools is easy to use
  • Raven has a very well-designed interface
  • Raven Tools offers a vast selection of tools, including a keyword manager, competitive intelligence tools, and reporting

Cons

  • One of the challenges with Raven Tools is the loss of features. For example, the Social Media Monitor was a great tool for getting clients in the door, but it is no longer available
LinkMiner logo

LinkMiner

Dig Up Hidden SEO Opportunities with LinkMiner's Cutting-Edge Backlink Analysis

Features

This advanced tool retrieves the referring domains and pages linking to your rivals, then presents metrics on each one - anchor text, Trust Flow, link value, and more. You're empowered to identify and target only the highest-impact links worth replicating. Filter, preview, and save the precise backlinks that can elevate your own site's authority. Do you follow me? With LinkMiner illuminating successful competitor strategies, you can pursue partnerships and links that will propel your website upwards in search. Rather than playing catch up, these professional-grade insights will enable you to surpass rivals and excel. Simply access LinkMiner to unlock superior backlink knowledge for dominating online.

Pros

  • LinkMiner has got probably the most user-friendly interface among similar softwares
  • LinkMiner includes the most important metrics for off-page SEO analysis
  • LinkMiner has good link filtering options to help you identify the best backlinks in a website’s link profile, such as dofollow vs nofollow links, link strength, number of external links, etc
  • LinkMiner has fast backlink analysis loading times

Cons

  • LinkMiner cannot be purchased separately from the other Mangools SEO tools. LinkMiner is part of the Mangools SEO suite that contains 5 SEO tools in one software
  • Backlink data for each domain is not as current as other LinkMiner alternatives like Ahrefs or Semrush
moz logo

Moz Pro

Unlock Unmatched SEO Insights with Moz Pro's All-Encompassing Toolkit for Digital Success
Read the MOZ Pro Review

Features

Attention, SEO professionals! Moz Pro offers an excellent backlink analysis toolkit sure to improve your link-building efforts. We're talking about the Link Explorer - this tool identifies all the sites linking back to your domain and provides the details. Want to evaluate competitors' impressive backlink profiles? Link Explorer shows their top referring domains. Need ideas for link partnerships and opportunities? This feature highlights where rivals are succeeding. Its anchor text breakdown displays how others are linking to you so you can optimize your own site's credibility. It also rates domain authority, spam levels, and more so you can differentiate high-quality links from low-value junk links. If your goal is to elevate your site's backlink profile and outperform competitors, Link Explorer should be your partner. Moz Pro supports your SEO success!

Pros

  • Moz Pro has a robust collection of services for performing in-depth SEO evaluation
  • Moz Pro offers fantastic resources for SERP analytics and site scanning
  • Moz Pro offers many of the most advanced SEO and website statistics
  • Moz Pro has a simple-to-use Link Explorer

Cons

  • The user experience of Moz Pro is not intuitive
  • Moz Pro pricing is a little more expensive than other tools
  • The depth and range of features of Moz Pro might be overwhelming for some

From The Author

Terry Williams

With over 10 years optimizing sites, I've boosted search visibility for brands through customized strategies. Currently, I develop effective SEO solutions for a top agency, immersed in the latest trends and innovations. Read my full bio.

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