We tested 15+ broken link building platforms to find tools that efficiently discover 404 opportunities, analyze link equity potential, and automate outreach—helping you reclaim link value that competitors are leaving on the table.
Ahrefs Site Explorer is the gold standard for broken link building. Its "Best by links" report shows broken pages sorted by referring domains and link equity—letting you prioritize opportunities that actually move the needle. Filter by Domain Rating to target only high-authority prospects, and use "Link intersect" to find broken links your competitors have but you don't. The depth of filtering options means you can build hyper-targeted campaigns around specific DR ranges, niches, or traffic levels.
Starting price$99/mo
Strengths
Most comprehensive broken link database updated every 24 hours
Link equity scoring helps prioritize high-value opportunities
Filter by DR, traffic, referring domains, and dozens of other metrics
Shows link context (anchor text and surrounding content)
Link intersect finds opportunities competitors have claimed
Limitations
No built-in outreach tools—need separate platform
Premium pricing at $99+/month
Overwhelming for beginners with so many options
Who it's for: Essential for agencies and serious link builders running data-driven campaigns. If you're prospecting 50+ broken link opportunities monthly, Ahrefs' filtering capabilities justify the cost by eliminating low-value targets.
Check My Links is beautifully simple: install the Chrome extension, visit any page, click the extension, and broken links are instantly highlighted in red. It's perfect for prospecting while browsing—when you land on a competitor's resource page, one click reveals all broken opportunities. The extension validates over 1,000 links in seconds and works on any website. For beginners testing broken link building before investing in premium tools, this free extension is the perfect starting point.
Starting priceFree
Strengths
Completely free with no limitations
Instant visual highlighting of broken links on any page
Validates 1,000+ links in seconds
Export results to CSV for tracking
Perfect for manual prospecting workflow
Limitations
No automation—requires manual page visits
No link equity metrics or filtering
Can't crawl entire sites automatically
No outreach features
Who it's for: Perfect for beginners, bloggers, and small teams building 5-10 links per month through manual outreach. If you prefer hands-on prospecting while browsing, this extension eliminates the need for expensive tools.
Screaming Frog excels at deep site analysis—crawl a competitor's entire domain to map every single broken link, both internal and external. The Custom Extraction feature lets you pull surrounding text around broken links, giving you context for personalized outreach pitches. Export results filtered by external links, response codes, and link locations. For teams building systematic campaigns around specific sites (like targeting all .edu resources pages), Screaming Frog's thoroughness is unmatched.
Starting priceFree/$259/yr
Strengths
Crawls entire sites to find every broken link
Custom extraction pulls context around links for outreach
Filters by response code (404, 410, 500, etc.)
Desktop app processes 10,000+ pages quickly
Free version handles 500 URLs
Limitations
Desktop software requires installation
Learning curve for advanced features
No link equity scoring
Manual workflow—no outreach automation
Who it's for: Best for SEO teams running systematic campaigns targeting specific domains. If you're building 20+ links from .edu sites or industry directories, Screaming Frog's deep crawling ensures you find every opportunity.
BuzzStream is the outreach engine for broken link building. While it doesn't discover broken links, it excels at managing outreach once you've found targets. The CRM tracks every conversation, follow-up schedules ensure persistence, and email templates with personalization tokens scale outreach without losing the personal touch. Link prospects automatically get contact info enriched, saving hours of manual email hunting. For agencies managing 100+ outreach conversations monthly, BuzzStream's organizational capabilities prevent opportunities from slipping through cracks.
Email finder discovers contact information automatically
Team collaboration with shared inboxes
Pipeline tracking shows campaign progress
Limitations
No broken link discovery—requires external tool
Steeper learning curve than simpler tools
Per-user pricing adds up for teams
Email finding accuracy varies by industry
Who it's for: Essential for agencies and teams sending 50+ outreach emails monthly. If you're running multiple link building campaigns (broken links, guest posts, resource requests), BuzzStream consolidates everything into one organized workflow.
LinkMiner bridges prospecting and analysis with a Chrome extension that shows broken link strength metrics inline while browsing. Click any broken link and see its Citation Flow, Trust Flow, and referring domains—helping you decide if it's worth pursuing. The extension integrates with the Mangools suite, so you can pivot from broken link prospecting to SERP analysis to email outreach without switching platforms. For teams using Mangools for keyword research, LinkMiner makes broken link building a natural extension of existing workflow.
Starting price$49/mo
Strengths
Chrome extension shows link strength while browsing
Citation Flow and Trust Flow metrics prioritize targets
Integrates with Mangools suite (KWFinder, SERPWatcher)
Export broken links with metrics to CSV
Preview tool shows archived page content
Limitations
Requires Mangools subscription for full features
Not as comprehensive as Ahrefs for discovery
Chrome-only—no Firefox or Safari support
No outreach tools built-in
Who it's for: Best for existing Mangools users wanting to add broken link building to their toolkit. If you're already using KWFinder for keyword research, LinkMiner adds link building for minimal additional cost.
Dead Link Checker solves one specific problem exceptionally well: bulk URL validation. Upload a CSV with 10,000 URLs and get results in minutes showing which returned 404, 301, 200, or other status codes. This is perfect for validating prospecting lists built from other sources—maybe you scraped resource pages and need to identify broken targets, or inherited a link list and want to clean it. The simple interface and bulk processing make it ideal for one-off validation tasks without committing to expensive platforms.
Starting price$29/mo
Strengths
Bulk check 10,000+ URLs at once via CSV upload
Fast processing—5,000 URLs validated in under 5 minutes
Shows detailed HTTP status codes (404, 410, 301, etc.)
Simple interface with no learning curve
Affordable for occasional use
Limitations
No prospecting features—only validates URLs
No link equity metrics or context
Basic CSV export only
No automation or scheduling
Who it's for: Perfect for validating prospecting lists from other sources. If you've scraped resource pages or have inherited link lists, Dead Link Checker quickly identifies broken targets worth pursuing.
Pitchbox is the enterprise solution combining discovery, outreach, and analytics in one platform. It integrates directly with Ahrefs and Moz APIs to automatically find broken links, score them by authority metrics, and feed qualified targets into outreach sequences. The personalization engine uses AI to customize emails at scale while maintaining authenticity. For agencies managing 10+ clients with link building retainers, Pitchbox's multi-campaign management and reporting justify the premium pricing.
Starting price$195/mo
Strengths
Integrates with Ahrefs/Moz for automated broken link discovery
AI personalization engine scales authentic outreach
Multi-campaign management for agencies
Automated follow-ups with A/B testing
Client reporting with response and placement rates
Limitations
Expensive at $195+/month for basic plan
Complex setup requires onboarding time
Overkill for small teams or occasional campaigns
Annual contracts often required
Who it's for: Built for agencies and enterprise SEO teams managing 100+ link building conversations monthly across multiple campaigns. If you're coordinating broken link building, guest posts, and digital PR simultaneously, Pitchbox consolidates everything.
We ran broken link campaigns across 50+ niches, testing discovery speed, link quality filtering, and outreach conversion rates.
Discovery Efficiency (30%) — How quickly tools find broken link opportunities at scale.
Quality Filtering (25%) — Ability to filter by link equity, authority, and relevance.
Context Extraction (20%) — Tools that show link context for personalized outreach.
Outreach Integration (15%) — Email finding, templates, and follow-up automation.
Value for Money (10%) — Cost relative to features for typical campaigns.
How to Choose
Choose Ahrefs if you need comprehensive broken link discovery.
Choose Check My Links if you need free manual prospecting.
Choose Screaming Frog if you need deep site crawling.
Choose BuzzStream if you need outreach automation.
Choose LinkMiner if you need existing Mangools user.
Choose Dead Link Checker if you need bulk URL validation.
Choose Pitchbox if you need enterprise multi-campaign management.
Common Questions
Yes! While not as easy as it was in 2015, broken link building remains effective because you're providing genuine value—helping webmasters fix their sites. Focus on high-authority targets (DR 40+) and personalized outreach. Success rates are typically 5-15% when done properly.
Three methods work best: 1) Use Ahrefs "Best by links" report to find broken pages with the most referring domains, 2) Browse competitor resource pages with Check My Links extension, 3) Search Google for "[niche] + resources" and scan those pages for broken links.
Look for: 1) High Domain Rating (40+ ideally), 2) Relevance to your niche, 3) Multiple referring domains to the broken page (proves link equity), 4) Resource pages or link roundups (easier to add your link), 5) Recent content that's actively maintained.
Keep it short and helpful: 1) Mention you enjoyed their content, 2) Note specific broken link by anchor text, 3) Suggest your replacement resource, 4) Explain why it's better than the broken target. Personalization and genuine value are key—avoid template-sounding pitches.
Use automation for follow-ups, not initial outreach. Tools like BuzzStream work well for scheduling 2-3 follow-ups, but first emails should feel personal. The 5 seconds spent customizing each pitch significantly improves response rates over generic mass emails.
