No tool sees every link
Google’s own Links report is a sample, and every commercial index has gaps. Use at least two sources before drawing conclusions.
Moz Backlinks Checker: What You Get Free, What You Pay For, and What to Use Instead
moz backlinks checkerMoz’s Link Explorer is the tool most people mean when they search for a Moz backlinks checker. It reports Domain Authority, Page Authority, Spam Score, linking domains and anchor text. This guide explains each metric, what the free tier realistically allows, how it compares with Google Search Console and Ahrefs’ free option, and a repeatable workflow for reading a backlink profile without being misled by a single number.
- metrics explained
- free vs paid limits
- Moz vs GSC vs Ahrefs Free
- backlink audit workflow
// note: I could not open moz.com while writing this (the site blocked my fetch tool), so Moz-specific limits and prices come from third-party listings and Moz community posts and may be out of date. Check Moz before you buy. I have not run a paid Moz account for this article and there are no affiliate links here.
backlink-checkers.txtsummary
| tool | free | best for |
|---|---|---|
| Search Console | yes, your own site | ground truth for your site |
| Ahrefs Free | verified sites | link types, broken links |
| Moz Link Explorer | about 10 queries/mo | DA, Spam Score, quick checks |
// free limits per Google, Ahrefs and third-party Moz listings.
key takeaways
The Short Version Before the Deep Dive
DA is Moz’s number, not Google’s
Domain Authority is a 1 to 100 score from Moz. Moz itself says it is not a Google ranking factor and has no effect on the results pages.
Free is enough to start
For one site, Search Console plus a free Moz or Ahrefs account covers most of what a small site owner needs for a first audit.
THE BASICS
What the Moz Backlinks Checker Actually Is
Moz Link Explorer is Moz’s backlink analysis tool. You enter a domain, subdomain or URL and it returns the sites linking to it, along with Moz’s own authority and spam estimates.
People also search for it as “Moz backlink checker”, and Moz’s older name for the same idea was Open Site Explorer. Link Explorer is its successor. A free Moz Community account gives access to a limited version, and the data and extra features expand with a paid Moz Pro plan.
What it returns for a free query, according to Moz’s own sign-up copy as mirrored by a university library page, includes:
- Domain Authority and Page Authority
- Spam Score
- Inbound link count and linking domain count
- Anchor text analysis
- Follow versus nofollow link counts
- Recently discovered and lost linking domains
- Competitor links you are missing
// that list describes what Moz advertises for a free account. Depth, row limits and which items actually unlock free have changed over the years, so confirm on the live page.
$ example report layout (illustrative)
DA 0-100 domain strength estimate
PA 0-100 single-page estimate
SS Spam Score risk estimate
LD linking root domains
BL inbound links
note: all values are Moz estimates
DA 0-100 domain strength estimate
PA 0-100 single-page estimate
SS Spam Score risk estimate
LD linking root domains
BL inbound links
note: all values are Moz estimates
metrics
How to Read the Moz Metrics
Each number answers a different question. Treat them as clues, not verdicts.
| Metric | What it estimates | How to use it | Do not |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domain Authority (DA) | A 1 to 100 score of how likely a whole domain is to rank, driven mainly by Moz’s link data | Compare your site with direct competitors over time | Chase a target number or report it as a Google metric |
| Page Authority (PA) | The same idea for one URL | Compare candidate pages for a link or a competitor’s best pages | Assume a high PA means the page ranks |
| Spam Score | Moz’s estimate of how likely a site looks spammy, from patterns found on sites Google penalised in Moz’s past research | Triage which linking sites to inspect by hand | Disavow purely on a high score |
| Linking root domains | Number of distinct domains linking to you | The most useful link count, because 100 links from one site is not 100 sites | Confuse with total backlinks |
| Anchor text | The words used in links pointing at you | Spot brand-heavy natural patterns versus over-optimised exact-match ones | Treat any single anchor as proof of manipulation |
| Follow vs nofollow | Whether the link passes ranking credit under the older model | Understand link mix | Ignore nofollow links, they still bring visitors and can be hints |
// the Spam Score description is a paraphrase of Moz’s documented approach as summarised by third parties. I could not open Moz’s own help page.
REALITY CHECK
Domain Authority Is Not a Google Metric
Moz states that Domain Authority is not a Google ranking factor and has no effect on search results, as quoted by Search Engine Journal. The same article reports Google’s John Mueller saying search engines do not use it. Other tools publish their own equivalents, so the numbers rarely match:
- Moz: Domain Authority (DA)
- Ahrefs: Domain Rating (DR)
- Semrush: Authority Score
What that means in practice: a competitor with DA 60 does not automatically outrank you because of those 60 points. DA is a prediction built from Moz’s own crawl of the web, so it can move when Moz refreshes its index or recalibrates its model even though nothing changed on your site (one explainer from SEOJuice notes a drop can come from competitors gaining stronger links or from Moz’s own refresh).
Used well, DA is a quick screen when comparing sites. Used badly, it becomes a vanity target that leads people to buy links to move a number Google never reads. For what the filter against that behaviour looks like, see my Google Penguin update guide.
// quick rules
Using DA sensibly
- Benchmark against 3 to 5 direct competitors, not against a famous site
- Track the trend, not the single reading
- Never use DA alone to decide if a link is worth getting
- Check the linking page is relevant, indexed and gets real visitors
- Compare DA only with other Moz DA values
free vs paid
Moz Link Explorer: Free Limits and Paid Plans
The limits are the main reason people look for alternatives.
What to expect
- About 10 queries per month on a free Moz Community account, per Moz’s sign-up copy
- Limited rows and depth per report; third-party reviews cite a cap of 50 rows per query and no CSV export, which I could not verify on moz.com
- Enough for occasional spot checks of your own site or one competitor
- The free MozBar extension shows DA and PA while browsing
Paid plans
- Third-party listings on Capterra, G2 and Software Advice show Moz Pro starting at about $49 a month, with higher tiers at roughly $99, $179 and $299 monthly
- Annual billing is reported to save around 20 percent
- Higher tiers add more campaigns, tracked keywords and backlink query allowance
- A 7-day trial on some plans was reported in March 2026 by The Next Web
// prices and limits vary between listings and change often. Treat these as ballpark figures and confirm on Moz’s pricing page before buying. Sources: Capterra, G2, The Next Web.
Is paying for Moz worth it for a small site?
It depends on what you need. If you only want to check your own links, Google Search Console and Ahrefs’ free tier for verified sites already cover that at no cost. Paying makes more sense when you need competitor link research on a regular basis, link gap reports, history over time or client reporting. If your main need is keyword research or rank tracking rather than links, compare suites in my best SEO tools roundup before committing.
compare
Moz vs Search Console vs Ahrefs Free
Three ways to see backlinks at no cost, each with a different strength.
| Google Search Console | Ahrefs Free (verified sites) | Moz Link Explorer (free) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whose links | Your verified site only | Your verified sites only | Any site you query |
| Source of data | Google’s own index | Ahrefs crawler | Moz crawler |
| Links shown | Sample; tables capped at 1,000 rows; exports up to 100,000 rows | Up to 1,000 backlinks at once, per Ahrefs | Limited rows per query, about 10 queries a month |
| Authority score | None | Domain Rating | Domain Authority, Page Authority |
| Spam estimate | None | Not a native metric | Spam Score |
| Nofollow / UGC / sponsored | Not shown | Link type data included | Follow vs nofollow counts |
| Competitor links | No | No, subscribers only | Yes, within query limits |
// Search Console facts from Google Search Console Help; Ahrefs facts from Ahrefs Free. Moz column based on Moz sign-up copy and third-party listings.
Why the Search Console report is still the baseline
Google’s help page says the Links report covers external and internal links, with top linked pages, top linking sites and top linking text. It is a sample rather than a complete list, it may include links that have since gone, and it does not show whether a link is nofollow. Even so, it is the only one of these tools built on Google’s own crawl data, which is why I start every link review there.
// where each tool wins
- Search Console: what Google actually knows about your site
- Ahrefs Free: link attributes and a deeper view on your own site
- Moz: quick looks at competitors, DA benchmarking, Spam Score triage
workflow
A Backlink Check You Can Repeat Every Quarter
The point of a checker is to answer a question. Start with the question.
- Export from Search Console first. Use the Links report, top linking sites and latest links. This is your baseline of what Google reports.
- Add a second source. Verify the site in Ahrefs Free, or run a Moz Link Explorer query for your domain. Merge the domain lists. Pages found by only one tool are worth a look.
- Count root domains, not links. Ten thousand links from one site is a different story from ten thousand sites.
- Sort by link source. Group by type: editorial mentions, directories, forums, partner sites, press, scraped copies, unknown.
- Review anchor text. A natural profile is mostly brand names, URLs and generic words. A profile dominated by one commercial phrase is the thing to investigate.
- Inspect the top 20 linking sites by hand. Open them. Is the page real, relevant and indexed? Does it have visitors?
- Flag but do not disavow yet. Google says disavow is for cases where spam links have caused or will likely cause a manual action. Read the rules in my Penguin guide before touching that tool.
- Find gaps against competitors. Use link intersect or a similar report to see who links to rivals but not to you. Those sites already link to your topic.
- Record the numbers. Note root domains, DA or DR, and new/lost links. The next quarter’s check is only useful if you can compare.
spot problems
Signs of a Healthy vs Risky Profile
Looks healthy
- Links from many distinct, relevant sites
- Brand and URL anchors dominate
- Links to several pages, not only the homepage
- Steady growth over months
- Mix of follow and nofollow
Worth investigating
- Sudden spike in links from unrelated sites
- Same exact-match commercial anchor again and again
- Sites with no real content or traffic linking at scale
- Links from foreign-language pages in unrelated niches
- Hidden links appearing on your own pages
A spike on its own proves nothing. Google’s representatives have said for years that they generally ignore spam links. If you suspect an attack rather than a mistake, read my negative SEO guide.
mistakes
Mistakes That Waste Time or Hurt
Trusting one index
Two tools will report different totals for the same site. That is normal, not a bug. Compare trends within one tool.
Disavowing from a score
Spam Score and toxicity numbers are estimates. Adding natural links to a disavow file can only remove value.
Chasing DA
Buying links to raise a Moz score risks the exact behaviour Google calls link spam. See off-page SEO for safer approaches.
Counting links instead of domains
Sitewide footer links inflate totals. Root domains tell you how many separate sites vouch for you.
Ignoring lost links
Check which valuable links disappeared and why. A simple outreach email sometimes restores a link removed by a redesign.
Checking once
A single snapshot teaches little. Repeat every quarter and save the numbers.
which one
Which Tool Should You Use?
Search Console plus Ahrefs Free
Zero cost, and both focus on your own verified site. Add a Moz free query when you want a quick DA benchmark of a competitor.
A paid suite
Competitor research and reporting need higher limits. Compare Moz Pro with other suites in the tools roundup and use trials to test data on sites you know.
Two or more sources
Never rely on one DA or Spam Score. Cross-check linking domains by hand, as above.
// how this guide was made
What I Checked and What I Didn’t
I read Google’s Search Console Links report documentation, Ahrefs’ free tool pages, Search Engine Journal’s explainer on Domain Authority, and third-party listings for Moz limits and prices. Moz’s own site blocked my fetch tool, so Moz free-tier limits and prices are second-hand and may be outdated. I did not buy a Moz plan for this guide. Where numbers conflict between sources I have said so rather than picking one.
faq
Moz Backlinks Checker FAQ
What is the Moz backlinks checker?
It is Moz’s Link Explorer, a tool that lists the sites linking to a domain or URL and reports Moz metrics such as Domain Authority, Page Authority and Spam Score.
Is Moz Link Explorer free?
A limited version is free with a Moz Community account. Moz’s sign-up copy mentions 10 queries per month. Fuller access needs a Moz Pro plan.
How accurate is Moz’s backlink data?
No backlink index is complete. Moz, Ahrefs and Google each see a different slice of the web, so totals differ. Use one tool consistently to track trends and cross-check with Search Console.
Is Domain Authority a Google ranking factor?
No. Moz says DA is not a Google ranking factor and has no effect on search results, and Google’s John Mueller has said search engines do not use it.
What is a good Domain Authority?
There is no universal good number. DA is relative, so compare yourself with the sites that rank for your target searches. New sites typically start low.
What is Spam Score?
A Moz estimate of how likely a linking site looks spammy. It is a triage signal. Inspect the site by hand before deciding anything.
Should I disavow links Moz flags?
Usually not. Google says the disavow tool is for cases where spam links have caused or are likely to cause a manual action, and only after trying to remove them.
What is the best free alternative?
Google Search Console for your own site, plus Ahrefs Free if you can verify your site. Both cost nothing.
Can I check a competitor’s backlinks for free?
Search Console and Ahrefs Free only show sites you verify. A free Moz account lets you query other domains within its monthly limit.
How often should I check backlinks?
Quarterly is enough for most small sites. Check sooner after a ranking drop, a migration or a link campaign.
sources
Sources Used on This Page
- Google Search Console Help: Links report
- Google Search Console Help: disavow links
- Ahrefs: Ahrefs Free (Webmaster Tools)
- Search Engine Journal: Is Domain Authority a ranking factor?
- SEOJuice: Domain Authority guide
- Capterra: Moz Pro pricing
- G2: Moz pricing overview
- The Next Web: Moz Pro trial and pricing (March 2026)
// keep reading
More on Links and Tools
Read the Google Penguin update guide, the off-page SEO guide, the negative SEO guide and the best SEO tools roundup.