link building tools
- Analysis and monitoring tools: these are used to audit your backlink profile, spy on your competitors’, and detect toxic or broken links. They don’t acquire links on their own; they only provide data for you to decide.
- Platforms for acquiring real links: these are the ones that truly allow you to obtain new backlinks by contacting media outlets, blogs, or publishers willing to publish your content with a link to your website.
Most lists only mention the first group (Ahrefs, SEMrush, Moz…), but without the second, all that data remains theoretical: you’ll know perfectly well what links your competitors have, but not how to get your own. That’s why in this guide you’ll find both types of tools, starting with the platform we consider most complete for moving from analysis to action: Publisuites.
How we evaluated these tools
To assess each tool, we considered:
- What problem it truly solves: whether it provides data, acquires links, or both.
- Size and quality of its database or media network, depending on the type of tool.
- Ease of use, especially for those who don’t spend all day immersed in SEO.
- Price and flexibility, evaluating whether it allows starting with adjusted budgets or requires a significant commitment from the first month.
- Additional features that add value beyond the basics.
1. Publisuites, the best platform for acquiring real links
Unlike analysis tools, Publisuites doesn’t tell you what backlinks you have or what backlinks your competition has: it allows you to acquire new links directly, by purchasing sponsored posts and press releases from a network of over 17,000 verified media outlets, including digital newspapers, thematic blogs, and social media profiles.
Main features of Publisuites for link building
- Media marketplace with advanced filters: You can search among thousands of websites, filtering by domain authority, estimated traffic, country, language, topic, and price, and view these metrics before spending a single euro—something no analysis tool can offer because they don’t have direct access to publishers.
- Sponsored posts and links in already published content: You can order a new custom-written article with your link included, or insert your link into a post the media outlet has already published, for a more immediate impact on Google.
- Press releases: In addition to sponsored posts, you can distribute press releases to real media outlets, gaining visibility and brand mentions beyond the link itself.
- Managed Service: If you prefer not to manage the campaign yourself, an SEO specialist will select the media, write the content, and execute the entire link strategy.
- Continuous link verification: The platform periodically checks that purchased links are still active and notifies you with a replacement or refund if a publisher removes them.
Pricing
Publisuites does not operate on a monthly subscription: you only pay for what you buy. You can find sponsored posts and press releases starting from very affordable amounts, scaling your investment according to the media and campaign you need, without fixed fees or long-term commitments.
2. Ahrefs
Ahrefs is one of the most recognized backlink analysis tools on the market, with a constantly updated database and a very fast proprietary crawler. Its Site Explorer allows you to see the authority of any domain, its link evolution over time, broken backlinks, and which domains link to your competitors but not to you (Link Intersect), which helps detect outreach opportunities.
Indicative price: from around €119/month for its most basic plan, no free trial.
Pros: huge database, polished interface, combines backlinks with keyword research and technical audit.
Cons: high price for SMEs and freelancers, significant learning curve.
3. SEMrush
SEMrush is an all-in-one digital marketing suite that includes a specific Link Building module, as well as backlink analysis tools and toxic link auditing. Its “Backlink Gap” feature allows you to compare your link profile with that of several competitors simultaneously to detect domains that link to them but not to you.
Indicative price: from around $140/month for its entry-level plan.
Pros: very comprehensive (SEO, content, PPC, and backlinks on a single platform), reliable and up-to-date data.
Cons: high price, can be overwhelming if you only need the link building part.
4. SE Ranking
SE Ranking is a more affordable all-in-one SEO platform than Ahrefs or SEMrush, featuring a Backlink Checker, a Backlink Gap Analyzer against competitors, and a Backlink Monitoring function that sends email alerts for any changes to your links.
Indicative price: from around €59/month.
Pros: good value for money, includes other SEO tools (rank tracking, website audit) in the same plan, simple interface for beginners.
Cons: its backlink database is smaller than Ahrefs or SEMrush’s.
5. Moz Pro
Moz Pro offers Link Research to analyze any website’s backlink profile, Link Intersect to detect opportunities against competitors, and link tracking lists to monitor the progress of your outreach campaigns.
Indicative price: from around $99/month.
Pros: good community and educational resources, useful Spam Score metric for detecting risky links.
Cons: smaller backlink index than other tools, somewhat less modern interface.
6. Majestic SEO
Majestic specializes almost exclusively in backlink analysis, with proprietary metrics like Trust Flow (link quality) and Citation Flow (link quantity), as well as historical data that allows you to see the evolution of a link profile over the years.
Indicative price: from around €47/month.
Pros: proprietary metrics widely used in the industry, large amount of historical data.
Cons: focused only on backlinks, without other relevant SEO functions; can be dense for beginners.
7. Linkody
Linkody is a lighter and more economical option, focused exclusively on backlink monitoring: it notifies you by email when you gain or lose a link, and offers a domain authority checker and spam score.
Indicative price: from around €14/month.
Pros: the most affordable on this list, easy to use, good option if you only need monitoring.
Cons: limited feature set compared to full SEO suites.
Quick comparison
| Tool | What it does | Ideal for |
|---|---|---|
| Publisuites | Acquire real links (sponsored posts and press releases) | Anyone who needs new backlinks, not just analysis |
| Ahrefs | Backlink analysis and complete SEO | Teams with a budget who want the largest database |
| SEMrush | Marketing suite with link building module | Companies that want SEO, content, and PPC on one platform |
| SE Ranking | Backlink analysis + all-in-one SEO | Those looking for a balance between price and features |
| Moz Pro | Link analysis and research | Anyone who wants to learn SEO while analyzing backlinks |
| Majestic SEO | Advanced backlink analysis | Anyone who needs very detailed trust metrics |
| Linkody | Backlink monitoring | Tight budgets that only need tracking |
Frequently asked questions about link building tools
Do I need an analysis tool and a link acquisition platform at the same time? Ideally, yes. The analysis tool tells you where you stand and what opportunities exist; the link acquisition platform, like Publisuites, is what lets you act on that information and get the backlinks.
What’s the cheapest tool to get started? For analysis and monitoring, Linkody and SE Ranking are the most affordable options. To get real links, Publisuites has no monthly fee: you only pay for what you buy, which makes it accessible from the very first euro.
Do these tools guarantee that I’ll rank better on Google? No tool guarantees rankings, since Google takes many factors into account besides links. What you can control is the quality of the links you get: the more relevant and natural they are, the more likely they are to help your rankings.
Is it safe to buy links through a platform like Publisuites? The risk in link building doesn’t come from buying through a platform, but from the quality and naturalness of the links you get. Choosing relevant sites, varying anchor texts, and avoiding artificial patterns is what makes the difference between a safe strategy and a risky one.
