Compare
An Ahrefs or Semrush alternative for backlink audits
bklink is not a replacement for Ahrefs or Semrush. It has no rank tracking, keyword research, site audit or backlink index of its own. It replaces them for one job: auditing the links you bought or built, to see which are live, followed, on independent sites, and worth what you paid. That job costs $1.00, not a monthly plan.
When bklink is the right alternative
- You need to check what a vendor delivered. A placement list from a link building company or PR distributor, audited link by link.
- You audit occasionally. A few audits a quarter do not justify a monthly suite subscription.
- You report to clients. One project per client, a PDF or share link of the same evidence you audited.
- You want the reasons, not a score. Which sites share a server, which links are nofollow or gone, and what the list is worth, with the method published.
When to keep Ahrefs or Semrush
- Keyword research, rank tracking, content gap and technical site audits.
- Researching competitors' backlinks across the web, with history.
- Continuous monitoring of a large profile you did not buy link by link.
Many teams use both: the suite to find and research links, bklink to verify the placements they paid for.
bklink compared with Ahrefs and Semrush
| bklink | Ahrefs / Semrush | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Forensic audit of the links you bought or built | All-in-one SEO suites: rank tracking, keyword research, site audit, backlink index |
| How you pay | $1.00 per audit (up to 410 domains, $1.92 ceiling), prepaid, no subscription | Monthly subscription: Ahrefs from $29 (Lite $129), Semrush from $139 |
| How a link is checked | Each linking page is fetched live when you run the audit | Read from the vendor's own crawler index, updated on its schedule |
| Networks of sites | Groups the placements you bought by the server they share and names the cluster | Report referring IPs and subnets as counts |
| Value of the links | Re-priced against comparable sales, with the method published | Authority and traffic metrics; no published link valuation |
| Disavow | Evidence-led suggestions with the case against each; complete Google file | Semrush's Backlink Audit flags links with its own Toxic Markers score |
| Finding links to a site | Scan a domain: $1.00 per 1,000 backlinks | Core strength: large backlink indexes, history, competitor research |
| Keyword research, rank tracking, site audit | Not offered | Core features |
Why a live fetch matters for bought links
A backlink index reports what its crawler saw on its last visit. For research across the web, that is exactly right. For a link you paid for last month, the question is different: is it on the page now, is it still followed, and does the page still load? bklink loads each linking page when you run the audit, so a link removed or stripped to nofollow after payment shows up as such, and a re-check dates the change.
Why a network is one finding, not a count
Index tools report how many referring IPs and subnets a site has. bklink resolves each publication you bought to the server it runs on and groups them, because ten "different" news sites on one address are one purchase, not ten. In bklink's public sample report, 70% of 173 placements bought through a press-release distributor shared server infrastructure, and the list's estimated value was $0.
What it costs
An audit is $1.00 for up to 410 domains and never more than $1.92. Scanning a domain for its backlinks is $1.00 per 1,000, and a status re-check is $1.00. There is no subscription: Ahrefs' cheapest plan is $29 a month (Lite, its first full plan, is $129), Semrush starts at $139 a month, Majestic at $49.99 and SE Ranking at $129, and none of them sells a single report without a subscription. Full prices are on the pricing page.
Frequently asked questions
Is bklink a full Ahrefs or Semrush alternative?
No. bklink does not do rank tracking, keyword research or technical site audits, and it has no crawler index of its own. It replaces them for one job: auditing a list of backlinks — usually ones you paid for — to see which are live, followed, independent and worth what was paid.
What is the cheapest way to audit backlinks without a subscription?
bklink charges $1.00 per audit for up to 410 domains and never more than $1.92, from a prepaid wallet. New accounts start with $2.00 of credit and no card.
Can I use bklink together with Ahrefs or Semrush?
Yes, and many buyers should. Use the suite to research and find links; use bklink to verify the placements a vendor delivered, live, and to see which of them share a server. bklink's Domain Rating figures are Ahrefs' DR, read from the Ahrefs API.
Why does bklink fetch each page instead of using an index?
Because the question is whether the link you paid for is there now. An index shows what its crawler saw the last time it visited, so a link removed last week can still appear live. Fetching the page when you run the audit answers the current question.
Does bklink have a toxicity score like Semrush?
No. bklink shows the evidence behind a concern — shared hosting, a brand look-alike domain, a repeated commercial anchor, or DataForSEO's spam score labelled as such — and the case against acting on it. It does not collapse them into one score.
How often should I re-check links I bought?
As often as you need proof. A status re-check of an existing report costs $1.00 and dates every change, which is the evidence a vendor needs to see before replacing a link.
Further reading
bklink is operated by Immortal Reality PA LLC, 6375 Penn Ave Ste B, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15206, United States.Terms · Privacy · Refunds