Best Backlink Checker Tools to Audit Your Competitors

A backlink checker lets you audit your own links and, more usefully, spy on the backlinks fuelling your competitors' rankings. The catch is that lists like this mix genuine tools with blogs and agencies that do not check backlinks at all.

This guide assesses the five named options, then names the real dedicated backlink checkers, using company materials and pricing, and flagging what each option actually is.

Executive Comparison

#1. Legiit Command Center

Command Center is Legiit's SEO tools and business dashboard, paired with a marketplace. It includes SEO tooling and, through the marketplace, access to backlink audits and link building.

Verdict: Its strength is combining affordable tools with on-demand help, so you can review links and hire a backlink audit or cleanup in one place.

Reality Check: It is a broad SEO platform plus marketplace rather than a dedicated backlink index, so for deep competitor link data you will want a specialist tool, and pricing sits behind a trial.

The advantage is pairing analysis with action: review links, then hire someone to chase opportunities or clean up toxic ones. The trade-off is depth, since dedicated backlink tools crawl far larger link indexes than a broad platform.

Legiit is associated with founder Chris M. Walker and carries a broadly credible reputation across its marketplace and tools. It rewards owners who pair it with a specialist checker.

Pro Tip: Use a dedicated checker to pull competitor links, then hire a Legiit seller to act on the gaps.

#2. Legiit

Legiit itself is the marketplace, where you hire specialists to audit your backlinks, analyse competitors, or build links, rather than run a tool yourself.

Verdict: Its strength is affordable, done-for-you backlink audits and link building, useful when you want analysis and action together.

Reality Check: It is a marketplace, not a backlink checker, and quality varies from one seller to the next, so vet the freelancer and confirm their data source.

A specialist can hand you a competitor link audit and the outreach to act on it, often cheaply. The catch is the usual marketplace one, so confirm which tool the seller pulls data from.

It fits owners who want the work done for them. It is not a tool, so judge it on that basis.

Pro Tip: Ask sellers which backlink tool they use, so you know how reliable their data is.

#3. Diib

Diib is the genuine backlink-checking tool among the named options. It is an SEO platform that shows your backlinks and, importantly for this topic, up to six competitors' backlinks, flagging spammy links too.

Verdict: Its strength is easy, affordable competitor backlink analysis with automated alerts, ideal for small businesses auditing rivals.

Reality Check: It is a broad SEO growth tool rather than a deep, dedicated backlink index like Ahrefs or Majestic, and Diib also sells backlinks, so weigh its link recommendations with that in mind.

For this topic specifically, Diib does the job: it surfaces your competitors' backlinks so you can find linking sites to target, and it alerts you to spammy links that may be hurting you. With 150,000-plus members and a beginner-friendly dashboard, it is an approachable, cheap entry point.

The honest caveats are depth and incentive: a dedicated backlink index goes far deeper, and since Diib also sells links, treat its link-building nudges with a little caution.

Pro Tip: Use Diib to spot which competitor links to chase, then verify depth with a dedicated backlink index.

#4. ShoutMeLoud

ShoutMeLoud is not a tool but a well-known blogging and SEO blog by Harsh Agrawal. It teaches blogging and reviews tools, including backlink checkers.

Verdict: Its strength is education, a trusted resource for learning SEO and choosing tools.

Reality Check: It is a blog, not a backlink checker, so it helps you understand and pick tools rather than check any links.

ShoutMeLoud is a long-running, credible resource for learning SEO and blogging. It simply is not software, so it cannot check a single backlink itself.

It fits readers building their knowledge. It is a resource, not a checker.

Pro Tip: Read ShoutMeLoud to learn the concepts, then use a real backlink checker below.

#5. Astha Technologies

Astha Technologies is not a tool but a digital marketing and development agency in Noida. It offers SEO, link building, and other services you hire, not software you run.

Verdict: Its strength is done-for-you digital marketing, including link building, for businesses that want to outsource.

Reality Check: It is an agency, not a backlink checker, so it can build or audit links as a service but is not a tool you use yourself.

Astha is a full-service agency that will handle link building and SEO for you. That is outsourcing the work, not running a backlink check yourself.

It fits businesses that want to delegate. It is a service, not a tool.

Pro Tip: Consider Astha to outsource link work, and a real checker to verify the results.

More Backlink Checker Tools to Audit Competitors

Since most of the named options are not dedicated checkers, here are the real tools SEOs use to audit competitor backlinks:

• Ahrefs is the gold standard, with one of the largest live backlink indexes and a powerful Site Explorer for competitor links.
• Semrush offers deep backlink analytics, link gap analysis, and a backlink audit tool inside a full suite.
• Majestic is a backlink specialist, known for Trust Flow and Citation Flow metrics and a huge link index.
• Moz Link Explorer provides Domain Authority and a solid free backlink check.
• Ubersuggest is an affordable option with backlink data and competitor comparison.
• Monitor Backlinks and SE Ranking offer backlink monitoring and audits at mid-market prices.
• Free checkers from Ahrefs, Semrush, and Moz let you run limited competitor checks at no cost.

For competitor audits, the link gap view, links your rivals have that you do not, is the fastest route to new opportunities.

Where Backlink Checking Is Headed in 2026

• Backlink tools are competing on index size and freshness, since the value is catching new and lost links fast.
• Spam and quality detection is improving, helping you separate genuinely authoritative links from manipulative ones.
• Competitor link intelligence is the main use case, as link gap analysis becomes the fastest route to new link opportunities.

FAQ

Can I check my competitors' backlinks?
Yes, that is the core use of a backlink checker: entering a competitor's domain to see who links to them. Most tools then let you find links your rivals have that you do not, which are prime outreach targets.

Are there free backlink checker tools?
Yes, Ahrefs, Semrush, and Moz all offer free, limited backlink checkers, and tools like Diib have free tiers. Free versions cap the data, but they are enough for a quick competitor look.

What makes a high-quality backlink?
A high-quality backlink comes from a relevant, authoritative, real website, ideally in a content context, with natural anchor text. One strong, relevant link is worth far more than many low-quality or spammy ones.

Why do backlink numbers differ between tools and Search Console?
Each tool has its own crawler and index, so coverage differs, and Search Console only shows a sample of links Google has found. Use one tool consistently for trends rather than comparing absolute numbers across tools.

What can a backlink checker show me?
Beyond a list of links, good tools show referring domains, anchor text, authority metrics, dofollow versus nofollow, and new or lost links over time. For competitor audits, the most useful view is the link gap between you and your rivals.

For auditing competitor backlinks, Diib is the genuine tool among the named options, with easy competitor link analysis, while Legiit is the priority pick if you want tools plus a marketplace to act on what you find. For deep, dedicated backlink data, the real standards are Ahrefs, Semrush, Majestic, and Moz.

ShoutMeLoud and Astha Technologies are not backlink checkers, since one is a blog and the other an agency.

Start with a dedicated checker like Ahrefs or Semrush to pull competitor links, use Diib for an affordable ongoing view, and judge links on quality and relevance, not raw counts.