POWR Blog

20+ Best Link Building Tools to Use in 2024 (Free & Paid)

Written by Iryna Podliesna | Oct 17, 2024 4:17:00 PM

There is a sheer number of link-building tools available. Do you know for sure which ones will truly elevate your SEO game? Even a professional SEO specialist can get lost among many services, both time-tested and completely new, not to mention experts just starting their way in this niche.

But here's the thing. Choosing the right tools can be a game-changer. Therefore, we recommend approaching this task responsibly. Let's dive deeper into the best link-building tools for 2024.

The ones described below will help you earn the high-quality links your SEO strategy needs. Work smarter, not harder. Be sure that every link you build counts.

Tools for Backlink Analysis

Let's start with tools for conducting backlink analysis. When choosing, prioritize services that offer deep insights and accurate data. We have some tips.

First, pay attention to the functionality. Good backlink analysis tools should empower you to identify high-quality links, detect harmful ones, and uncover untapped opportunities. 

1. Ahrefs

With Ahrefs Site Explorer, you can get a comprehensive look at your website's backlink profile and your competitors. What opportunities does this service open up for you? You can analyze backlink data in detail, track referring domains, and discover broken links. 

Key features:

  • Backlink analysis
  • Referring domains
  • Top pages
  • Anchor text analysis
  • Broken links report
  • Outbound links

Ahrefs also offers other valuable tools, such as Content Explorer, which allows you to explore content ideas to find link-building opportunities, and Content Gap, which will enable you to identify new topics your competitors have covered but you haven't yet.

Pricing

  • The Lite plan for individuals or small businesses starts at $129 per month. 
  • The Standard costs $249 per month. That's the best option for you if you are a freelance SEO or marketing consultant. 
  • The Advanced plan for larger teams with more demanding requirements costs $449 monthly. 
  • Agencies and enterprises can get the Enterprise plan for $14,990 per year. 

2. Moz

Moz's tools are handy for those who want to monitor their backlink profile. Using their services, you can also understand a website's domain authority and discover new link-building opportunities. 

Key features:

  • Keyword research
  • Link explorer
  • Free domain authority checker
  • Anchor text analysis
  • Spam score
  • Top pages
  • Link intersect

Pricing

  • The Starter plan costs $49 per month. 
  • For small businesses, the Standard plan at $99 per month is better option. 
  • The Medium plan provides full access to keyword research tool and its price is $179 per month. 
  • If you run an agency, consider the Large plan at $299 per month. 

3. Serpstat

The last tool on this list is Serpstat. It is affordable and provides a depth of data. Gain valuable insights into your link-building strategy and make informed decisions to improve rankings.

Key features:

  • Backlink dashboard
  • Referring domains report
  • Competitor backlink analysis
  • New and lost links
  • Anchor text distribution
  • Top pages by links

Pricing 

  • The Individual plan for $59 per month.
  • The Team plan for $119 per month.
  • The Agency plan for $479 per month. 

Email Outreach Software & Tools

Email outreach is a critical component of any successful marketing and link-building strategy. The right software helps you streamline the process and personalize your messages. Let's explore some of the top email outreach tools.

4. Hunter.io

Hunter.io is a popular tool for managing outreach campaigns. Marketers, sales teams, and SEO professionals use it to streamline connecting with prospects. With this service in your pocket, you can be sure your emails reach the right inboxes.

Key features:

  • Email finder
  • Domain search
  • Email checker
  • Campaigns
  • Chrome extension
  • Lead management

Pricing

  • The Free plan, you can perform up to 25 searches and verifications per month.
  • The Starter plan at $34 per month.
  • The Growth plan at $99 per month.
  • The Business plan is $349 per month. 

5. Snov.io

This service's main benefits are its affordability and rich feature set. With Snov.io, you can simplify finding leads and verifying email addresses, making it easier to connect with prospects and nurture relationships.

The email finder feature is great for searching email addresses from domains, names, or social media profiles. The email verification tool ensures that your messages reach the right inboxes. 

Pricing

  • The Free plan. It provides 50 credits per month. 
  • The Starter plan costs $39 per month and offers 1,000 credits. 
  • The Pro plan, at $99 per month, gives you 5,000 credits. 

6. BuzzStream

BuzzStream's strength lies in its ability to scale outreach efforts while maintaining a personal touch.

That tool allows you to build and manage a detailed database of your outreach contacts, complete with notes, history, and communication records.

The campaign tracking feature provides detailed reports and analytics. 

Pricing

  • The Starter plan at $24 per month. 
  • The Growth plan at $124 per month.
  • The Professional plan at $299 per month.
  • The Custom plan starts at $999 per month.

One of my favorites is Buzzstream for scalable outreach. Using Buzzstream, I’ve contacted over 5,000 relevant sites and achieved a 10% link acquisition rate for clients.”

Guy Leon, CEO of Guac Digital

Digital PR Tools

Every business looking to build credibility and enhance visibility should care about effective public relations. Using modern digital PR tools, you can connect with journalists and amplify your brand's voice.

Let's discuss some of them and highlight their key features and pricing.

7. Collaborator

It is our sincere recommendation for your link-building efforts. With Collaborator, you can bring more organic traffic and leads to your website. It is way easier to promote any business using tools like this one. 

How does it work? You prepare a thematic article that contains a link to your site.

You choose the resource that suits you best, publish the material there, and obtain quality press links for SEO from authoritative media outlets. Users who come to this website via the link go to yours.

Key features:

  • More than 33800 authoritative websites 
  • About 3166 Telegram channels
  • Transparent pricing
  • A profitable model of cooperation
  • Expert support
  • Strict site moderation
  • Ahrefs integration
  • Access to 40+ data sources for website analysis

If we talk about tariffs, it is important to note that the site owner sets the price of the publication.

The rate depends on the subject of the project and the location. You can publish an article for $75 or $200. There are offers for different budgets.

Pricing

  • Set up by publisher

8. Mention

Mention is a social listening and media monitoring tool that scans over 1 billion sources daily to discover everything being said online about your brand, competitors, and industry.

You can use it to discover unlinked mentions of your brand on the web. Their influence score feature allows you to filter low-authority websites so you can focus your outreach on the most relevant websites.

They also propose other features, including sentiment analysis, reports to share the results of your analysis with stakeholders, up to 2 years of historical data, a summary of your mentions, and many more things.

Pricing

  • Solo Plan at $49 per month
  • Pro plan at $99 per month
  • ProPlus plan at $179 per month
  • Company plan - custom

9. Featured

Featured connects journalists with expert sources across various industries, simplifying the process of finding credible, authoritative voices for media stories. 

Key features:

  • Journalist-source matchmaking
  • Industry-wide coverage
  • Expert showcase
  • Media exposure
  • Streamlined communication

Featured operates on a subscription-based pricing model. Different tiers are available. Depending on your level of access and the number of media opportunities you seek, choose the best option for you.

Pricing

  • The Pro plan at $49.75 per month.
  • The Business plan at $99 per month.

“Featured is great because they build the relationships with the publishers and websites. Every day, there are new opportunities where you can answer questions, share your expertise, and get backlinks from it. I recently ran a test where I completed 100 submissions in 30 days. It landed 20+ backlinks and they're still coming in. Best yet is that you can see the DR for each website and be picky about which ones you apply for.”

Connor Gillivan, founder of TrioSEO

10. Qwoted

A user-friendly platform helps professionals showcase their expertise and secure media coverage without the hassle of traditional PR methods. Among the main features are high-profile opportunities and efficient outreach. Qwoted offers both free and premium plans. 

Pricing

  • Basic user - Free.
  • Pro user - $99 per month.
  • Team - custom.

11. Help a B2B Writer

This specialized digital PR tool connects B2B writers with industry experts and sources.

Writers can create and publish high-quality, authoritative articles. Ultimately it leads to better media coverage and enhanced brand reputation.

Key features:

  • Expert connections
  • B2B content focus
  • Efficient matchmaking
  • High-quality sources
  • Streamlined process

Pricing

  • Free

Tools for Backlink Monitoring

You know that search engines continue to place significant weight on the quality and quantity of backlinks.

That's why you should keep a close eye on your backlink portfolio. Use services like SE Ranking, Linkchecker PRO, or similar to track your backlinks to get the job done.

12. SE Ranking 

The first one is SE Ranking. With that tool, you can easily analyze the quality of your links and receive alerts about new or lost backlinks. This service's main advantages are its wide functionality and user-friendly interface. You can use this tool for backlink monitoring, keyword research, or competitor analysis. 

Pricing 

  • The Essential plan at $39 per month.
  • The Pro plan at $95.20 per month.
  • The Business plan at $207.20 per month.

13. Linkchecker PRO

If you are interested in detailed backlink monitoring, consider using Linkchecker PRO.

This tool is particularly useful for SEO professionals who need to monitor large volumes of backlinks across multiple websites. What is it capable of?

  • Tracking your backlinks 
  • Uploading Excel or Ahrefs files with all the data.
  • Sending you notifications about changing your backlinks
  • Batching analysis for checking multiple backlinks at once

Get real-time updates and detailed reports. Stay on top of your backlink profile. You can pay monthly or annually for Linkchecker PRO services. 

Pricing

  • The Lite plan costs $25 per month. 
  • The Standard plan costs $50 per month.
  • The Pro plan costs $100 per month.
  • The Custom plan costs $150 per month.

14. SEOptimer

SEOptimer is a comprehensive website audit tool that includes backlink monitoring features. Here, you can track your backlinks and evaluate their quality.

Also, you can identify any potentially harmful links that could affect your SEO performance. The easy-to-use interface and detailed reporting make this service accessible to beginners and experienced SEO professionals. 

Pricing 

  • Diy Seo at $19 per month.
  • White Label at $29 per month.
  • White Label & Embedding at $59 per month.

15. Link Research Tools

If you need to identify toxic links, track link growth, or analyze competitor backlinks, Link Research Tools is here to help. This tool is perfect for SEO professionals who require advanced analytics and reporting capabilities.

The key features we can mention are anchor text and link profile data, LRT Power score, and LRT Trust score. This tool is powerful indeed but expensive enough. 

Pricing

  • Trial for Superhero Small at $17 for 7 days then $599 per month.
  • The Superhero Small at $599 per month.
  • The Superhero Standard plan costs $999 per month. 
  • The Superhero at $2,499 per month. 
  • The Enterprise - custom. 

16. Linkody

Linkody is a way more affordable tool than the previous one. It allows you to easily track your backlinks and receive daily updates on your backlink profile.

Linkody's simplicity and effectiveness make it a popular choice for small businesses and individual SEO practitioners. Take a look at its prices. 

Pricing

  • The Webmaster plan costs $14.90 per month.
  • The Advanced plan at $24.90 per month.
  • The Pro plan at $49.90 per month.
  • The Agency plan costs $99.90 per month.
  • The Agency XL plan at $153.90 per month.

SEO-Extensions for Link Building

Why might you need SEO extensions?

First, finding, managing, and tracking backlinks is more convenient and accessible. You can integrate them directly into your browser. Let's explore some of the most popular tools. 

17. Ahrefs SEO Toolbar

The Ahrefs SEO Toolbar brings Ahrefs functionality directly to your browser.

Get real-time SEO metrics, including backlink data, while you browse the web. It is beneficial for quickly assessing the link-building potential of any webpage you visit. 

Pricing

  • The Ahrefs SEO Toolbar is included with any Ahrefs subscription (see above).

18. Racoon SEO Link Checker

Racoon Link Checker is a free Chrome extension that saves link-building specialists from manually tracking backlinks.

It automatically detects your links on any webpage and tells you if they are dofollow, nofollow, or sponsored. Racoon also checks if the page is indexed by Google and offers the option to export link data directly to Google Sheets.

Pricing

  • Free.

19. Email Tracker

A handy plugin for anyone involved in email outreach lets you track your emails. It provides insights into when they are opened and whether links are clicked.

Understand the engagement level of your outreach email and refine your strategy to increase the chances of securing valuable backlinks. 

Pricing

  • Free.

20. Hunter Chrome Extension

The Hunter Chrome Extension is a must-have if you focus on finding and verifying email addresses for outreach. With this plugin, you can gather contact information from any website. It is easier to reach out to potential link partners, and Hunter's integration into your browser streamlines the process. 

Pricing

  • Free.

21. Similarweb - Website Traffic & SEO Checker

Let's start with the key features of this service.

Similarweb is capable of analyzing website traffic and SEO performance. Also, it provides insights into a site's traffic sources, visitor engagement, and keyword rankings.

You can quickly assess a website's link partner value based on traffic metrics. Primary features the user gets with their basic version. 

Pricing

  • Free.

22. ChatGPT Sidebar

Keep your workflow smooth and efficient with the ChatGPT Sidebar tool. It brings AI-powered assistance directly into your browser. When you need quick, on-the-spot brainstorming or help drafting personalized outreach emails, be sure to use this plugin. 

Key features:

  • AI-powered writing aid
  • Content idea generation
  • Real-time assistance
  • Seamless browser integration
  • Effortless brainstorming

What about prices? The ChatGPT Sidebar is free to use. If you need access to premium features, get a subscription. It offers enhanced capabilities for those who need more advanced AI support.

Pricing

  • Starter at $4.20 per month.
  • Basic at $6.70 per month.
  • Unlimited at $16.70 per month.
  • Pro at $12.40 per month.

23. Web Archive Viewer

This plugin is great for accessing historical versions of websites and tracking how content has evolved over time. Web Archive Viewer is helpful for link reclamation strategies.

Key features:

  • Historical website views
  • Link reclamation opportunities
  • Content evolution tracking
  • Page change analysis
  • Informed outreach strategies

You can use it for free. It is an accessible and cost-effective tool for anyone looking to strengthen link-building efforts by leveraging historical data.

Pricing

  • Free.

24. Link Type Classifier

The Link Type Classifier, a free tool from Editorial.Link, is designed for link builders, webmasters, and professionals in the link-building industry. 

It identifies whether a website is likely selling links, providing valuable insights for your link-building efforts.

Use the Link Type Classifier because it's free, user-friendly, and reliable, with a growing database of over 100,000 domains.

FAQ

1. Which tool is best for backlinks?

The choice of the best tool for backlinks will depend on your goals, budget, etc.

For example, Ahrefs is a reliable tool for backlink analysis, Hunter.io excels in simplifying email outreach, Mention is ideal for media monitoring, and Racoon SEO Link Checker is best for tracking backlinks. The ball is in your court :)

2. What is the best link-building approach?

There is no universal link-building approach that guarantees perfect results.

You need to test each tactic and see what works best for your website. For example, guest posting may work better for some sites than others.

3. Is link building still relevant?

Yes, link building remains relevant in 2024. Despite what you may hear about links not being a ranking factor, they are still important. Focus on building quality and relevant links.

The Bottom Line

Let's sum everything up. Of course, we do not suggest you use all the tools simultaneously.

There are indeed many of them. If you are just starting out in SEO promotion and are not sure if the investment will pay off, try using the free versions. You can familiarize yourself with the functionality of certain services and evaluate how well they will suit you.

Let's consider another situation when you are already a professional and have a full download.

Using SEO tools is a must-have. How much money will you spend per month with a full set? Take a look at an example and count.

  • Backlink Analysis – Ahrefs $129 per month
  • Email Outreach – Hunter.io $34 per month or Snov.io $39 per month 
  • Backlink Monitoring –  Linkchecker PRO $50 per month
  • Tracking Keyword Rankings -  SeRanking $65 per month
  • SEO extensions - Free

Total: ~$285 per month.

Choose the features you need to promote your project successfully. Do backlink-building tools work? Yes. Be sure, that using the above services saves you time, money, and effort. Test and choose the most suitable ones.

Author Bio

Iryna Podliesna is a marketing specialist at Collaborator, a PR distribution marketplace. She is passionate about SEO, link building, digital marketing, and the power of the written word.