Find and Fix 404s Fast with the Best Broken Link Checker Tools

Now that you have a quick overview, let’s dive a little deeper. Choosing the best broken link checker depends on what you need it for. Do you want to check backlinks, perform a deep technical audit, or just fix links easily inside WordPress? Here’s a closer look at our top picks to help you decide.

Ahrefs Broken Link Checker Best for Backlink Audits

Ahrefs is a powerhouse for anyone serious about SEO. It’s amazing for finding backlink broken links, which happens when another website links to a page on your site that no longer exists.

• How it helps: Go to the “Site Explorer,” enter your website, and click on “Broken” under the “Backlinks” section. It shows you every broken link pointing to your site, so you can fix them and reclaim that valuable link juice.
• Key Strength: It’s unmatched for analyzing what your competitors are doing and finding link-building opportunities.
• Limitation: It’s a professional tool with a price tag to match, so it might be too much for beginners or small blogs.

Screaming Frog Best for Technical Site Audits

Think of Screaming Frog as a detective that inspects every nook and cranny of your website. It’s a desktop app that’s famous among SEO pros for its detailed website audit broken links reports.

• How it helps: You enter your website URL and hit “Start.” Then, go to the “Response Codes” tab and filter for “Client Error (4xx)” to see all your 404 errors. The “Inlinks” tab at the bottom shows you exactly which pages contain the broken link.
• Key Strength: It gives you an incredible amount of data, including 3xx redirects, and lets you export reports to work on them.
• Limitation: The interface can look a bit scary for new users, and the free version stops after 500 URLs.

Google Search Console Best Free Tool from Google

This is a must-have tool for any website owner, and it’s 100% free. It tells you exactly what Google sees when it looks at your site, including any errors it finds.

• How it helps: In your Search Console account, go to the “Pages” report. Look for the “Not found (404)” section to get a list of broken URLs Google has discovered.
• Key Strength: The information is coming straight from the source Google itself. You can’t get more reliable data than that.
• Limitation: It only shows you links that Google has tried to crawl, and it doesn’t offer real-time link monitoring.

AIOSEO Best for In-Dashboard Fixes

If your website runs on WordPress, this WordPress broken link checker plugin is a game-changer. AIOSEO makes finding and fixing links incredibly simple, without you ever having to leave your website.

• How it helps: Once installed, it scans your site and shows you a report of all broken links inside your WordPress dashboard. You can edit the link, remove it, or set up a redirect with just one click.
• Key Strength: It’s unbelievably convenient for WordPress users, saving a ton of time.
• Limitation: The free version has limits, and you’ll need a paid plan to unlock all its power.

These four tools cover a lot of ground, from technical deep dives to easy dashboard fixes. Next, we’ll look at some amazing online scanners like Dead Link Checker, Dr. Link Check, and Online Broken Link Checker, plus a few budget-friendly options.

Now, let’s check out some super handy online tools and budget-friendly options that make finding broken links a breeze. These are perfect if you need a quick scan or want a great all-in-one tool without a big price tag.

Dead Link Checker Best for Checking Multiple Sites

This is a fantastic free broken link checker if you manage more than one website. It’s simple, web-based, and gets the job done quickly.

• How it helps: Just pop your website’s address into the box and hit “Check.” It will scan your site and give you a clean list of any broken links it finds. If you create a free account, you can even check several sites at once.
• Standout Feature: The “Auto Check” function can perform link monitoring and scheduled scans, then email you the report.
• Limitation: The automatic checking feature requires a paid subscription.

Dr. Link Check Best for Security-Focused Scans

Dr. Link Check goes a step further by not only looking for broken links but also checking for links that might lead to unsafe websites.

• How it helps: You enter your website on the homepage to start a scan. The tool crawls your pages and gives you a report detailing broken links and any potential security risks.
• Standout Feature: It checks if any links point to parked domains or blacklisted sites, which is great for keeping your site secure.
• Limitation: The free scan is limited to just 1,500 links, so you’ll need a paid plan for larger sites.

Online Broken Link Checker Best for Pinpointing Code

This is another great online broken link checker tool that’s incredibly easy to use. Its best feature is how it helps you find the problem fast.

• How it helps: Type in your website address and the security code, then start the scan. The results page will list all broken links.
• Standout Feature: It shows you the exact location of the broken link in your site’s HTML code, so you know precisely what to fix.
• Limitation: The free version has a limit of 3,000 pages per scan.

SE Ranking / Sitechecker Best Budget-Friendly SEO Suites

These tools are more than just link checkers, they are complete SEO platforms that offer website audit broken links as part of their package. They are excellent for small businesses.

• How it helps: You run a full site audit, and the tool gives you a health score. You can then dive into the report to see all issues, including broken links, image/file link errors, and redirect problems.
• Standout Feature: They give you a huge amount of data for a very reasonable price and allow you to export reports easily.
• Limitation: While they are powerful, they might not have the same depth of backlink data as more expensive, specialized tools.

With so many great tools, how do you choose the one that’s perfect for you? Let’s figure that out next.

Which Broken Link Checker Is Right for You?

Okay, you’ve seen the top tools, but which one should you actually use? It all comes down to what kind of website you have and what you want to accomplish. Think of it like picking a video game character you want, the one with the right skills for your quest! Let’s find your perfect match.

For Small Sites or Personal Blogs

If you’re just starting out, you don’t need a super fancy or expensive tool. You just need something that works.

• Your Best Bet: A free broken link checker like Online Broken Link Checker or Dead Link Checker.
• Why: They are totally free and run right in your browser, so you don’t have to download anything.
• What to do: Once a month, pop your website address into one of these tools and run a scan. They’ll give you a simple list of broken links to fix. Easy!

For WordPress Teams

If your team works inside WordPress all day, the last thing you want is to jump between different apps. You need a tool that fits right into your workflow.

• Your Best Bet: A broken link checker for WordPress like the AIOSEO plugin.
• Why: It lets you find, fix, or remove broken links directly from your WordPress dashboard, which saves a ton of time.
• What to do: Install the plugin, run a scan, and check the report. You can fix everything without ever leaving your site.

For Big Companies and Agencies

Large businesses or agencies managing multiple client sites need power, automation, and detailed reporting.

• Your Best Bet: An enterprise broken link checker like Screaming Frog or the paid plans from Ahrefs.
• Why: These tools can handle huge websites with thousands of pages and offer deep website audit broken links features. They also let you schedule scans and export reports to share with your team or clients.
• What to do: Set up weekly or monthly link monitoring and scheduled scans to catch problems automatically.

For Reclaiming Lost “Link Juice”

If you’re focused on SEO, you’ll want to find backlink broken links links from other sites pointing to pages on your site that are gone. Fixing these can give your rankings a real boost.

• Your Best Bet: Ahrefs.
• Why: No other tool makes it this easy to find broken links pointing to your site from others.
• What to do: Use the “Broken Backlinks” report in Ahrefs to find these golden opportunities. Then, redirect the broken URL to a relevant, live page on your site.

Picking the right tool makes all the difference. Now that you have an idea of what fits your needs, let’s look at the specific features you should be looking for in any tool you choose.

What Features Actually Matter?

When you’re comparing broken link checkers, it’s easy to get lost in a long list of features. So, what should you actually look for? Here’s a simple checklist of the features that really matter, explained in plain English.

How Fast and Big Can It Go?

Some tools are great for small sites but get super slow on big ones. Look for a tool that matches your site’s size. Check its scale and speed. Does it have page caps or free limits? A good tool can scan thousands of pages without taking all day.

Is It Accurate?

A checker is only useful if it finds the real problems. Accuracy is key. It should catch all kinds of issues, not just basic 404 errors. This includes tricky 3xx redirect chains (links that bounce around too much) and sneaky soft 404s (pages that look like errors but don’t have the right code). It should also be smart enough to handle modern sites with JS-rendered links.

Can It Keep Watch for You?

You don’t want to run manual checks every day. That’s where link monitoring and scheduled scans come in. The best tools can automatically check your site every week or month and send you an email alert when a new link breaks. This lets you fix problems before they get out of hand.

Does It Play Well with Others?

A tool is much more helpful if it connects with other things you use. Look for integrations. Does it have a WordPress plugin? Can it connect to your Google Analytics (GA4) or Google Search Console (GSC) accounts? For advanced users, some tools even offer API access to build custom solutions.

Can You Get Your Data Out?

You’ll want a list of broken links to work on. Make sure the tool lets you create exports, like a CSV file that you can open in Google Sheets or Excel. This makes it easy to sort, prioritize, and share the fix-it list with your team.

Is the Price Clear?

Pricing transparency is important. If it’s a paid tool, are the costs clear? Do you pay per site, per user, or based on the number of pages you scan? Understand the free limits and what you get when you upgrade.

Knowing what to look for makes picking a tool so much easier. Once you’ve found your broken links, what’s the next step? Let’s talk about how to fix them the right way.

How to Fix Broken Links the Right Way

Finding broken links is just the first step now it’s time to fix them! Don’t worry, it’s easier than it sounds. Once you have your list of broken links from a checker tool, you can follow this simple plan to clean up your site and make it sparkle.

Get Your List of Broken Links

First, run your chosen tool and let it scan your website. When it’s done, you’ll get a report showing all the problems. Many tools let you export reports into a spreadsheet, which makes the next steps much easier to manage.

Decide What to Fix First

You might have a long list of errors, so it’s smart to prioritize. A good rule of thumb is to fix links on your most important pages first, like your homepage or top-selling product pages. You should also pay close attention to fixing backlink broken links, as those can bring valuable traffic and SEO power back to your site.

Choose Your Fix

For every broken link, you have three main choices:

• Edit the Link: If there’s just a typo in the URL, this is the easiest fix. Simply correct the link so it points to the right page. This works well for both internal links vs external links.
• Remove the Link: If the link points to a page or resource that is no longer relevant, it’s perfectly fine to just remove it from your content.
• Redirect the Link: This is the best option for fixing 404 errors from backlinks. Set up a 301 redirect, which permanently sends visitors (and search engines) from the broken URL to a relevant, working page on your site. Don’t forget to update your sitemap if you make big changes!

Check Your Work

After you’ve fixed a link, double-check it to make sure it works. Go to the page where the broken link was and click on your new, corrected link. Does it go to the right place? Perfect!

Keep an Eye on Things

Broken links can pop up again as your site grows and changes. To stay on top of them, set up link monitoring and scheduled scans with your tool. This way, you’ll get an alert whenever a new link breaks, allowing you to fix it right away.

Following these steps will keep your site healthy and your visitors happy. But what about more complex websites or preventing errors before they even happen? Let’s explore some advanced use cases next.