Which are the best tools to check website backlinks for free?
- Thread starter digerin
- Start date
Inosuke Hashibira
Newbie
- Jun 9, 2026
- 20
- 5
Some options include a free version of SEO tools for example Ahrefs and SEMrush. They usually show few backlinks but they are still useful for research.
- Mar 2, 2021
- 4,040
- 1,181
Honestly most of the truly free backlink checkers are pretty limited these days. My advice is to use the free versions of a few different tools and combine the data rather than relying on a single source. You won't get the full picture, but it's usually enough for a quick backlink audit.
Indeed, there are few actually free backink checkers The only thing I use for checking my backlinks is Google Search Console, and perhaps for testing purposes, I woul use the free version of Ahrefs and Semrush, but all of the others hide their information behind the paywal
Miki_Spree
Newbie
- Jun 26, 2025
- 15
- 6
- You can use search operators directly in google such as:
"example.co.uk" -site:example.co.uk" (i found this one worked best, but there are others too); - If you have access to the site's Google Search Console you can use the Links tab (but you won't see every link created. To be honest I'm not sure if Google shows you what they actually get to index themselves or why you won't see all backlinks there, but this is this method's caveat) but do go to Links → External links → More → Export - IF you have access to the site's GSC;
- You can use Semrush, with a limited free acount; Maybe create multiple with multiple email addresses if you're on a budget? But it will still be limited with caped results, compared to a paid subscription of Ahrefs which is the most powerful one in my experience.
But Google search operetors work perfectly fine too if you're on a no budget limit.
Crypto Man
BANNED
- Nov 8, 2025
- 246
- 49
neil patel's ubersuggest, ahrefs free tier, and google search console if it's your own site.
for competitor backlinks i usually run them through smallseotools or openlinkprofiler, no account needed.
for competitor backlinks i usually run them through smallseotools or openlinkprofiler, no account needed.
- Apr 28, 2026
- 105
- 12
Most free backlink checkers are limited or trial-based. I usually just use Ahrefs and SEMrush free tools when needed or try small checks with Ubersuggest and SEO Review Tools those are the closest to genuinely free without heavy signups.
- May 13, 2026
- 111
- 14
for checking your own website. there is google search console, for checking some backlinks, ahrefs and semrush offer free trial or free version where you can see a limited number of backlinks.
seo mastermind
Newbie
- Apr 2, 2026
- 29
- 11
I just use bing webmaster tools most of the time tbh, not amazing but does the job for quick backlink checks
SprintDating
Registered Member
- Jul 8, 2017
- 77
- 25
Yes, I love this idea as well
vaibhavdadhich74
Newbie
- Jul 23, 2021
- 21
- 4
Test out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools and GSC.
- Aug 24, 2020
- 5,124
- 1,662
A lot of good options with varying levels of data they give. The usual go-to is Google Search Console, if it's your own website. There's others like Moz Link Explorer, Ahrefs, SEMrush. Of course to get the most out of a good tool, you usually have to pay the fee so see if that's worth doing. Not sure if they offer trials. They all have different crawlers and databases, so even paid tools often show slightly different backlink profiles. If you're just after a rough idea of a site's authority and backlink profile, the free versions are usually good enough. For serious competitor research or link building, you'll probably have to open your wallet so keep that in mind.
- Feb 15, 2026
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Ahrefs has a free backlink checker that gives you the top 100 links without a login. Otherwise, the free tier of Seobility or a trial on Semrush usually handles quick lookups. What kind of metrics are you trying to track?
ClickProfitHub
BANNED
- Apr 22, 2026
- 50
- 18
Honestly, there aren’t many truly free backlink checkers left. Most tools lock results behind accounts or trials. Honestly I think there are not that offar genuin
free backlink checkers left. most tools lock results behind accounts or trials
For a quick check I just use ahrefs backlink/checker, top 100 links is usually enough to see whos linking and the general pattern. If I need the full picture for a client site I'll pull it straight from GSC instead since thats the actual data Google has, not a crawlers guess at it.
- Dec 11, 2020
- 110
- 14
Ahrefs free backlinks checker and openlinkprofiler are my go-to option.