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Xenu's Link Sleuth VS Ahrefs Backlink Checker

Compare Xenu's Link Sleuth VS Ahrefs Backlink Checker and see what are their differences

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Xenu's Link Sleuth logo Xenu's Link Sleuth

Xenus Link Sleuth checks Web sites for broken links.

Ahrefs Backlink Checker logo Ahrefs Backlink Checker

With the world's biggest index of live backlinks (over 15 trillion), Ahrefs Backlink Checker will show you the most complete backlink profile for any website.
  • Xenu's Link Sleuth Landing page
    Landing page //
    2020-01-11
  • Ahrefs Backlink Checker Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-09

Xenu's Link Sleuth features and specs

  • Free of Charge
    Xenu's Link Sleuth is completely free to use, making it accessible for individuals and organizations with limited budgets.
  • Fast Scanning
    The software is known for its speed in scanning websites and detecting broken links, saving users a significant amount of time.
  • Detailed Reports
    Generates comprehensive reports that include detailed information about URL status, redirect chains, and other essential data.
  • Low Resource Usage
    Xenu's Link Sleuth is lightweight and requires minimal system resources, making it an ideal choice for older or less powerful computers.
  • Simple Interface
    The user interface is straightforward and easy to navigate, even for those who may not be highly technical.

Possible disadvantages of Xenu's Link Sleuth

  • Windows Only
    The software is available only for Windows, limiting its accessibility for users on MacOS and Linux operating systems.
  • Outdated Interface
    The interface design is quite dated, which may detract from the user experience for those accustomed to modern software aesthetics.
  • No Built-in Scheduling
    Xenu's Link Sleuth lacks the ability to schedule scans, which can be inconvenient for regular maintenance tasks.
  • Limited Customer Support
    There is minimal official customer support available, so users may have to rely on community forums or other unofficial resources for assistance.
  • Lack of Additional SEO Features
    The tool focuses solely on link checking and does not offer additional SEO features like keyword analysis or competitor tracking that some other tools provide.

Ahrefs Backlink Checker features and specs

  • Comprehensive Data
    Ahrefs Backlink Checker provides users with a vast database of links, offering comprehensive insights into backlink profiles.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    The tool features an intuitive and easy-to-navigate interface, making it accessible for users at all levels.
  • Real-Time Updates
    Ahrefs regularly updates its database, ensuring users receive the most current data regarding backlinks and SEO metrics.
  • Competitor Analysis
    Users can analyze competitor backlinks to discover new link-building opportunities and strategies.
  • Filtering and Exporting Options
    The tool provides various filtering options to refine backlink data and allows users to export reports for further analysis.

Possible disadvantages of Ahrefs Backlink Checker

  • Cost
    Ahrefs can be expensive compared to other backlink checkers, which might be a limitation for small businesses or individual users.
  • Complexity for Beginners
    While the interface is user-friendly, the depth of data and features might be overwhelming for newcomers who are not familiar with SEO tools.
  • Limitations in Free Version
    The free version of the Backlink Checker offers limited features and access, which may not suffice for in-depth analysis.

Analysis of Xenu's Link Sleuth

Overall verdict

  • Xenu's Link Sleuth is considered a good tool, especially for users who need a reliable and free option. However, its dated interface might not appeal to everyone, and it lacks some of the advanced features present in more modern, premium tools. Nonetheless, for basic link-checking needs, it remains a solid choice.

Why this product is good

  • Xenu's Link Sleuth is a well-regarded tool primarily because it offers comprehensive link-checking capabilities for websites. It is straightforward to use, providing clear reports about broken links, redirects, and other URL-related issues. As a free tool, it appeals to webmasters, SEO professionals, and content managers looking for effective, budget-friendly solutions. Its ability to handle large site maps and provide detailed diagnostics makes it particularly valuable for large websites.

Recommended for

  • Webmasters maintaining large websites
  • SEO professionals needing a quick and efficient link checking tool
  • Content managers who need to ensure the integrity of site links
  • Users looking for a free and reliable link-checking solution

Analysis of Ahrefs Backlink Checker

Overall verdict

  • Ahrefs Backlink Checker is considered one of the top tools in the SEO industry. Its accuracy, depth of data, and ease of use make it a highly reliable choice for both beginners and seasoned professionals looking to enhance their backlink analysis efforts. The tool’s frequent updates and customer support further contribute to its positive reputation.

Why this product is good

  • Ahrefs Backlink Checker is widely regarded as a valuable tool for SEO professionals thanks to its extensive database of backlinks, user-friendly interface, and robust analytical features. It offers comprehensive insights into backlinks, including the quality and source of links, which can aid in devising effective SEO strategies. Additionally, it provides a detailed overview of competitors’ backlink profiles, making it easier to identify opportunities and threats.

Recommended for

    This tool is especially recommended for digital marketers, SEO professionals, content creators, and businesses looking to improve their online presence. Companies keen on understanding their competitors' backlink strategies and individuals trying to boost their website's search engine rankings will find Ahrefs Backlink Checker particularly beneficial.

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Xenu's Link Sleuth and Ahrefs Backlink Checker)

Xenu's Link Sleuth

Ahrefs Backlink Checker

SEO Tools
52 52%
SEO Tools
48% 48
SEO
52 52%
SEO
48% 48
SEO Monitoring
67 67%
SEO Monitoring
33% 33
SEO Platform
100 100%
SEO Platform
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Xenu's Link Sleuth and Ahrefs Backlink Checker

Xenu's Link Sleuth Reviews

We have no reviews of Xenu's Link Sleuth yet.
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Ahrefs Backlink Checker Reviews

  1. Julia

    I use Ahrefs for gathering information about competitors' backlinks and general info on competitors, their DR, UR, traffic. I use it for several months. The information I gather with ahrefs helps me to understand general competitors' linkbuilding strategies. I'd like to have more for this money, site audit for example.

    🏁 Competitors: Serpstat Website SEO Checker
    👍 Pros:    Easy tu use and find referring and linked domains.
    👎 Cons:    Limited functionality at 99$ package.
Free SEO Tools To Improve Your Rankings
Ahrefs Free Backlink Checker - The free version of Ahrefs' backlink checker that will show you the top 100 backlinks of any website and other essential info. Ahrefs is the second most active web crawler after Google.
Source: www.megaleechers.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Ahrefs Backlink Checker should be more popular than Xenu's Link Sleuth. It has been mentiond 17 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Xenu's Link Sleuth mentions (6)

  • Show HN: I am launching the beta of Bernard, a link checker for your website
    I still haven't found a good modern equivalent to http://home.snafu.de/tilman/xenulink.html. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Show HN: I am launching the beta of Bernard, a link checker for your website
    Good list of free and open source link checkers here: https://www.devopsschool.com/blog/list-of-free-open-source-self-hosted-application-to-check-broken-links-url-check-on-web-page/ I've been using Xenu's Link Sleuth (https://home.snafu.de/tilman/xenulink.html) forever, but I should probably try some others out and see if there's something better now. Xenu's is also a funny throwback to the old web, sort of like... - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • SEO Tools the best out there. Try these
    Xenu’s Link Sleuth Http://home.snafu.de/tilman/xenulink.html Diagnostic, Technical SEO Winner of the ugliest-SEO-tool-on-the-planet award, Xenu is also one of the most useful. Crawl entire sites, find broken links, create sitemaps, and more. Source: over 2 years ago
  • How to use unix linkchecker to thoroughly check any site
    If you want to a tool to crawl through your site looking for 404 or 500 errors, there are online tools (e.g. The W3C's online link checker), browser plugins for Firefox and Chrome, or windows programs like Xenu's Link Sleuth. - Source: dev.to / about 3 years ago
  • What's a good basic web site's HTML checker?
    I used to use http://home.snafu.de/tilman/xenulink.html to check my bookmarks.html and personal web sites, but it's outdated and no longer supported. Is there a free replacement that work well to show broken links, redirected links, etc.? Source: over 3 years ago
View more

Ahrefs Backlink Checker mentions (17)

  • Domain Rating vs Domain Authority: What's the Difference? (2025 Guide)
    Ahrefs Free Backlink Checker - Monitor your DR and backlink profile. - Source: dev.to / 2 months ago
  • Notepad++: Help us to take down the parasite website
    Using this, https://ahrefs.com/backlink-checker/ I use it a lot. It's great to find dev resources, hidden gems, sites that talk about a specific topic, etc. It does have a limit (100 links), but for purposes such as this one - it is an absolute must-have bookmark for me. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • How do you go about getting your first SEO backlinks?
    Ahref backlinks checker (to research backlinks). Source: over 2 years ago
  • For a given URL, is there a way to see what other sites link to it?
    Actually it's very possible to check what websites link to a given url. There's various tools used to check for backlinks, I linked to one in my other comment (https://ahrefs.com/backlink-checker). Source: over 2 years ago
  • For a given URL, is there a way to see what other sites link to it?
    Yeah, you can a tool like this: https://ahrefs.com/backlink-checker. Source: over 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Xenu's Link Sleuth and Ahrefs Backlink Checker, you can also consider the following products

Screaming Frog SEO Spider - The Screaming Frog SEO Spider is a small desktop program (PC or Mac) which crawls websites’ links...

Ahrefs - Ahrefs is a toolset for SEO and marketing. We have tools for backlink research, organic traffic research, keyword research, content marketing & more. Give Ahrefs a try!

SEO PowerSuite - Get all SEO tools in one pack - download free edition of SEO PowerSuite and get top 10 rankings for your site on Google and other search engines!

Netpeak Spider - A desktop tool for fast and comprehensive technical audit of the entire website.

FrogDR - Track your Domain Rating

Pulno - SEO Audit and Website Analysis. Pull up your SEO.

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