Majestic alternatives: 9 link analysis tools to compare

Who this link tool shortlist is for

SEO agencies and link builders who look at the links pointing to their own and competitors' sites every week: auditing a new client, checking which links were lost, or working out why a rival outranks you. Majestic is a link data tool. Two names below are built around links, two more list link analysis or link opportunities on their home pages, and the rest are wider SEO platforms, so check each one's link reports on its own site.

I've described each from its own website's wording. I haven't compared their link indexes side by side, so use this as a shortlist to trial rather than a league table.

Four questions that narrow the Majestic shortlist

Do you want links only, or links plus everything else? A dedicated link tool keeps the screens simple. A suite adds keyword research, rank tracking and site audits, which helps if you'd otherwise juggle three logins. LinkResearchTools and Linkody focus on links. Serpstat lists link analysis and Mangools lists finding link opportunities. The other five describe wider SEO or visibility platforms, so confirm what link data each one shows before you trial it.

Are you auditing or monitoring? An audit is a one-off deep look at a profile, often before a disavow. Monitoring means alerts when a link appears or disappears. Some tools are built around one job, some around the other, and a few try to do both.

Who reads the report? If clients see your output, check that exports and reports are clean enough to send without an hour of tidying. It's the part of a tool you'll touch most and the part demos skip.

How will you judge the data? Every tool crawls the web its own way, so link counts won't match between them. Pick a site whose links you know well and see which tool finds them.

Majestic alternatives at a glance

The table sticks to how each vendor describes itself, in no particular order.

Tool	Kind of tool	Handy for
Ahrefs	SEO and AI search marketing platform	Visibility across AI search, SEO, content and social
Linkody	Link monitoring tool	Alerts when you gain or lose links
LinkResearchTools	Link audit and research tool	Link audits, disavows and competitor link research
Mangools	SEO suite	Keywords, rank tracking and finding link opportunities
Moz	SEO software	SEO, content, digital PR and local SEO
SE Ranking	SEO software	Agency and in-house reporting on performance
Semrush	Brand visibility platform	Visibility across AI search, SEO, PPC and social
Seobility	All-in-one SEO platform	Getting found on Google and in AI search
Serpstat	SEO platform	Link analysis alongside rank tracking and site audits

The nine tools, listed alphabetically

Unranked, one line each, so you can match a tool to the way your agency works.

Ahrefs

Best for: Marketers who want one platform for visibility across AI search, SEO, content and social, from a vendor that says it has the largest AI and search databases online.

Linkody

Best for: Link builders who want round-the-clock monitoring, alerts on gained and lost links and a view of competitor link gaps.

LinkResearchTools

Best for: Agencies running deep link audits and disavows, plus competitor research, in a tool built around links.

Mangools

Best for: People who want easy-to-rank keywords, rank tracking, competitor gaps and link opportunities in a simple suite.

Moz

Best for: Teams doing SEO, content marketing, market research, digital PR and local SEO who want them from one toolset.

SE Ranking

Best for: Agencies and in-house teams that research keywords, track rankings, audit sites and report on performance.

Semrush

Best for: Brands that want to grow and measure visibility across AI search, SEO, PPC and social from one platform.

Seobility

Best for: Site owners who want an all-in-one SEO platform for getting found on Google and in AI search.

Serpstat

Best for: Analysts who want link analysis, rank tracking, keyword research, competitor analysis and site audits together.

What Google Search Central says about crawlable links

Here's a detail that explains a lot of confusing link reports. Google Search Central's documentation on crawlable links says Google can generally only crawl a link when it's an HTML anchor element with an href attribute. Link tools crawl the web too, so a link that isn't coded that way may be missing from their reports as well.

For an agency, that matters in two places. When a client says a partner links to them and no tool shows it, check the code on the linking page first. And when you audit a client's own site, menus and buttons that aren't anchor elements with an href may be links Google can't crawl, so the pages behind them could be harder for it to find.

Common mistakes when switching link tools

• Comparing raw link counts between tools. Each crawls differently, so totals rarely agree.
• Moving every client at once. Run one account in both tools for a few weeks first.
• Forgetting history. Ask how far back the new tool's records of lost links go before you cancel the old one.
• Ignoring who'll use it. A suite with twenty screens is wasted if your team only opens the link report.

My advice before you leave Majestic

Shortlist one link-focused tool and one wider suite, then run both on a client site you know inside out for a fortnight. You'll see which finds the links you know exist, which alerts you to changes fastest, and which report you'd be happy to send a client. That's a better test than any feature list, and it's how I'd make the call.

If you're weighing the bigger suites, my roundup of Ahrefs alternatives covers them from the keyword side, and this guide on running a free SEO audit yourself helps with the on-site half of the job.

Do you make link analysis software? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.

Want your tool on this list? Featured spots and reviews here are paid partnerships. Here's how to partner with me.

Frequently asked questions

Why do link tools show different numbers for the same site?

Each tool runs its own crawler and keeps its own index, so they find different links and drop old ones at different speeds. Compare trends inside one tool rather than totals across two.

Is a dedicated link tool better than an SEO suite?

Neither is better by default. A dedicated tool keeps link work focused, while a suite saves switching between logins for keywords, rankings and audits. Agencies often keep one of each.

Why doesn't a link I know about show up?

It may not be coded as a crawlable link. Google Search Central says Google can generally only crawl links that are anchor elements with an href attribute, so check the code on the linking page before assuming the tool missed it.

Can I try these tools before committing?

Moz and Seobility mention a free trial on their home pages; for the others, check each vendor's page, as terms change. Use the trial on a site you know well so you can judge the data, not just the interface.