Broken Link Scan vs Alternatives
Feature-by-feature comparison of the most popular broken link checkers. See why teams choose Broken Link Scan.
Screaming Frog
Desktop app · $259/year
Powerful desktop crawler popular with SEO pros. Requires installation and manual runs. Free version limited to 500 URLs.
Ahrefs Site Audit
Cloud app · starts $99/mo
Part of the Ahrefs SEO suite. Great for enterprise teams but expensive for just link checking. Requires account setup and site verification.
Dead Link Checker
Free web tool
Simple free tool for one-off checks. Limited to 2,000 pages, no monitoring, no API, and no alerting capabilities.
| Feature | BLS Free | BLS Pro Recommended | Screaming Frog | Ahrefs | Dead Link Checker |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | $10/mo | $259/year | $99/mo | Free (ads) |
| Platform | Cloud | Cloud | Desktop | Cloud | Cloud |
| Setup time | Instant | Instant | Install + config | Account + sub | Instant |
| Automated scans | Weekly | Daily/weekly | |||
| Email alerts | |||||
| Slack, Discord / webhook | |||||
| REST API | Agency | ||||
| Multi-site monitoring | |||||
| Broken images | |||||
| SSL check | |||||
| Full SEO audit | |||||
| Backlink analysis | |||||
| Free tier | 500 pages | 14-day trial | 500 URLs | None | Unlimited (slow) |
| Scan speed | Fast (parallel) | Fast (parallel) | Fast (local) | Fast | Slow (sequential) |
Last updated: March 2026. Prices and features may have changed.
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