Link building in 2026 takes three kinds of tool: one to analyze links (yours and your competitors'), one to get them (buy them on outlets or pitch for them by email) and one to measure whether they work. You can start free with Google Search Console, Ahrefs Free and Growwer's free tools, and move to Ahrefs or Semrush when you need more data. Prices in this guide were checked on each vendor's site in October 2026, monthly billing, as shown from Spain.
The tools at a glance
| Tool | What it is for | Entry price | Free? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Growwer free tools | Backlinks, competitors, audit, traffic, AI | Free | Yes |
| Google Search Console | Links Google sees, and measurement | Free | Yes |
| Ahrefs | Backlink and competitor analysis | €27/month (Starter) | Ahrefs Free for your site |
| Semrush | Full SEO suite with link analysis | €134/month (SEO plan) | Limited free plan |
| Majestic | Trust Flow and Citation Flow | €46.99/month | Limited free account |
| Moz | Domain Authority (DA) | $49/month (Moz Pro) | Link Explorer, 10 queries a month |
| Serpstat | Cheaper all-in-one SEO | $69/month | 7-day trial |
| Growwer | Buying links on outlets | Each outlet's price, no subscription | Free sign-up |
| BuzzStream | Email outreach | $49/month | Free trial |
| Pitchbox | Outreach at scale for agencies | $300/month, annual commitment | Trial after a demo |
| Hunter | Finding contact emails | €49/month | Free plan |
Free link building tools
Growwer's free tools
They work without signing up and cover the analysis before any campaign:
- Backlink checker: any site's links and referring domains.
- Competitor backlinks and backlink gap: the outlets linking to your competitors but not to you.
- Backlink audit: authority, referring domains and toxic links worth a look.
- Spam score, dofollow and anchor text checkers.
- Website traffic checker: to confirm an outlet has real visits before you buy.
- DR checker for several sites at once.
- AI visibility checker: whether ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity name your brand.
Google Search Console
The only tool that shows the links Google has found to your site, and the one you need to measure: filter by the URL you pushed and compare position and clicks before and after each link. Free.
Ahrefs Free and Moz Link Explorer
Ahrefs Free (formerly Ahrefs Webmaster Tools) is free once you verify your site: a site audit and up to 1,000 links and keywords in Site Explorer. Moz Link Explorer gives 10 free queries a month with a verified account. Plenty to start with.
Round off the free list with Google Alerts (it tells you when someone mentions your brand, a
chance to ask for the link), Hunter's free plan (contact emails) and Google search operators
such as
"your niche" intitle:"write for us".
A platform to get the links: Growwer
Analysis tools tell you where links are missing; Growwer is where you get them. It is a marketplace with more than 40,000 outlets, from Google News sites to niche blogs, with each one's price, traffic and country shown. Add your site and keywords and it suggests the outlets that fit.
Sign-up is free and you pay per post, plus VAT, with no subscription. Payment is held until you approve the post, and if you would rather hand it over, the managed service starts at €500 a month with no management fee. The Chrome extension flags the outlets from the catalog you visit as you browse.
Paid tools to analyze links
Ahrefs
The benchmark for backlink analysis: the largest link index, Domain Rating (DR) and link comparisons against competitors. Starter from €27/month; Lite, the plan for daily link work, is €119/month.
Semrush
A full SEO suite with backlink analysis, a link gap against competitors and a prospecting tool that sends emails. The cheapest plan with all the SEO features, called SEO, is €134/month; there is a limited free plan and a 7-day trial.
Majestic
Links only, with its Trust Flow and Citation Flow metrics and a long history. The Lite plan is €46.99/month (€39.16 billed yearly).
Moz Pro
The maker of Domain Authority (DA), handy for comparing sites quickly. Moz Pro starts at $49/month, with a free trial.
Serpstat
A cheaper Semrush alternative with backlink analysis, keywords and site audits. The Individual plan is $69/month ($50 billed yearly), with a 7-day trial.
Outreach tools
BuzzStream
Organizes outreach campaigns: contacts, email follow-ups and each outlet's status. From $49/month (a single-user plan is $19/month), with a free trial.
Pitchbox
Outreach at scale for agencies, with automated sequences and built-in SEO metrics. The Pro plan is $300/month and every plan requires a one-year commitment.
Hunter
Finds the contact email of a site or a person. There is a free plan; Starter is €49/month.
How to choose
- Starting out or on a tight budget: Search Console, Ahrefs Free and Growwer's free tools.
- Working on links every week: Ahrefs Lite or Semrush, plus a platform to get the links.
- Pitching many outlets: BuzzStream or Pitchbox, with Hunter for the emails.
- Buying links without hunting one by one: a marketplace like Growwer, or its managed service if you are short on time.
No plan yet? Start with how to plan a link building strategy.
Frequently asked questions
Are there free link building tools?
Yes. Google Search Console, Ahrefs Free, Moz Link Explorer (10 queries a month), Google Alerts and Growwer's free tools (backlink checker, competitor backlinks, backlink gap, backlink audit, spam score, traffic and AI visibility) cover the analysis for a small or mid-sized site.
What is the best link building tool?
For link analysis, Ahrefs; for all of SEO in one place, Semrush; for getting links on outlets, a platform like Growwer. Most teams pair one analysis tool with one way to get links.
What is the difference between a link building tool and a link platform?
A tool analyzes or automates (it shows the links you have or helps you pitch outlets). A platform like Growwer gets you the link: you pick the outlet, see its price and publish.
