Anewstip
Link Building
Journalist database searched by what reporters write and tweet
Free plan · from $160/moWeb
Best Backlinks & Link Building (2026): our top 3 of 51, ranked
As of Oct 24, 2026, our top pick is BuzzStream (2.2 GPA), then Featured and HARO.
Ranked by ToolGPA on Oct 24, 2026 · listings checked up to Oct 23, 2026
See who links to you and your rivals, find sites worth asking for a link and keep track of the outreach.
Our top three link building tools
The first two are close. BuzzStream comes first because it runs outreach to any site you choose and watches the links you win, from $49 a month; Featured costs less, has a free plan and drafts pitches, but only for press openings. HARO is third as the free email of journalist requests. LinkCheck narrowly missed: it watches 5,000 links for free but finds none itself. Link Whisper does internal links, a different job, and Pitchbox starts at $210 a month on a one-year term.
First: BuzzStream
Free trial · from $49/mo
For: Most people building links by outreach
BuzzStream finds contact details and site metrics for prospects, sends pitch emails with open and reply tracking, keeps every conversation with a site in one shared record, adds prospects from a Chrome extension and watches the links you win. Starter is $49 a month for 1 user, 500 contacts and 1,000 monitored links. Know the limits: bulk sends, automated follow-ups and reports start at Growth, $174 a month for 3 users; the API needs Professional at $424; there is no free plan, and the 14-day trial charges on day 15 unless you cancel.
BuzzStream pricing and detailsSecond: Featured
Free plan · from $29/mo
For: Founders and experts earning links through the press
Featured matches journalist requests from HARO, Connectively, Substack, X and LinkedIn to your expertise, finds podcasts, bylines and awards through a plain-language chat, and drafts each pitch for you to send. The free plan has every feature on a small daily AI allowance, about 2 to 3 opportunities a week, and Lite is $29 a month billed annually ($39 monthly). It is second because it works only on press openings, not outreach to sites you pick; it drafts but does not send, workflows queue once the daily allowance runs out, and it also sells paid placements.
Featured pricing and detailsThird: HARO
Free
For: Anyone who wants to pay nothing
HARO emails journalist requests for expert sources three times each weekday, and answering them costs nothing. Staff check each request, outlets need a Domain Authority of 20 or 10,000 monthly visitors, and reporters' addresses are masked. It is third because it is an email and nothing more: search, filters and reply tracking are in Connectively, a separate platform; every edition carries ads, there are no weekend editions, one spam strike bans an account, and the journalist decides whether to quote you or link back.
HARO pricing and details
Ranked on Oct 24, 2026 from what each listing shows and what people say about the tool, not from our own testing. How we rank
Price against what you get
Which link building tools give the most for the money?
Going by our grades, Featured and LinkCheck give the most for the money among link building tools: no tool on this chart scores higher without costing more.
See all 45 on the chart
Keep or make
Could you make your own?
Keep49Your call2Make0You could make at least the basics of 2 of these link building tools.
Price
Runs on
Must be
51 tools
Tools
- 1.8GPA
- 2.0GPA
AutoBacklinks
Link Building
AI outreach agent for guest posts, listicles and link insertions
Free trial · from $49/moWeb - 2.2GPA
Backlink Pilot
Link Building
Monitor for placed backlinks, organized by client and partner
Free plan · from $15/moWeb - 1.8GPA
BacklinkDog
Link Building
Backlink checker that emails you when a link you placed changes
From $12/moWeb - 1.8GPA
BacklinkGPT
Link Building
AI link-building agent for owners without an SEO team
From $149/moWeb - 2.4GPA
BacklinkOS
Link Building
Backlink CRM for finding link partners and tracking link exchanges
Free plan · from $15/moWeb - 2.4GPA
BacklinkScan
Link Building
Low-cost backlink monitor with spam scoring and disavow files
Free plan · from $6/moWeb - 2.0GPA
Backlyzer
Link Building
Monitor for bought backlinks, with index checks and cost per link
Free plan · from €24/moWeb - 2.0GPA
BrandMentions
Link Building
Web and social mention monitoring with alerts and AI sentiment
Free trial · from $79/moWeb - 2.2GPA
BuzzStream
Link Building
Outreach CRM for link building and digital PR
Free trial · from $49/moWeb - 2.0GPA
ColdSEO
Link Building
Cold email outreach for link building with placed-link tracking
Free plan · from $63/moWeb - 2.2GPA
Dot Star Media
Link Building
Journalist request alerts from X, Bluesky and direct submissions
Free trial · from £40/moWeb - 2.0GPA
Editorielle
Link Building
UK newsletter of journalist requests for businesses and PR agencies
From £10/moWeb - 2.4GPA
Featured
Link Building
AI assistant for PR that finds journalist requests and drafts pitches
Free plan · from $29/moWeb - 2.2GPA
GuestPostCRM
Link Building
CRM for guest post sellers and buyers that runs from your Gmail inbox
Free plan · from $20/moWeb - 2.8GPA
HARO
Link Building
Free email digest of journalist requests for expert sources
FreeWeb - 2.8GPA
Internal Link Juicer
Link Building
WordPress plugin that builds internal links from your keywords
Free plan · from $69.99/yrWeb - 2.4GPA
JournoFinder
Link Building
Journalist database with an AI list builder, news search and pitching
Free plan · from $119/moWeb - 1.8GPA
JustReachOut
Link Building
Journalist search, pitch requests and link outreach in one tool
Free trial · from $98/moWeb - 2.8GPA
Link Whisper
Link Building
WordPress plugin that suggests and adds internal links with AI
Free plan · from $97/yrWeb - 2.6GPA
LinkBoss
Link Building
Bulk internal linking tool with silo building and orphan fixes
Free plan · from $87/yrWeb - 3.0GPA
LinkCheck
Link Building
Free backlink monitor for up to 5,000 links you import
FreeWeb - 2.0GPA
LinkChecker.pro
Link Building
Backlink tracker that checks placed links daily and their indexing
From $20.8/moWeb - 2.0GPA
Linkee
Link Building
AI prospect vetting, email finding and outreach for link building
Free trial · from $80.83/moWeb - 2.2GPA
Linkilo
Link Building
WordPress plugin for internal link suggestions and link repair
From $59/yrWeb - 1.8GPA
LinkIntel
Link Building
AI link building agent that pitches, negotiates and verifies links
From $99/moWeb - 2.6GPA
Linkody
Link Building
Backlink monitor that alerts you when links are gained or lost
Free trial · from $11.20/moWeb - 2.0GPA
Linkomatic
Link Building
Link prospect lists with verified editor contacts, paid for in credits
Free trialWeb - 1.8GPA
LinkResearchTools
Link Building
Backlink audits, disavow files and link risk checks from 25+ sources
From $599/moWeb - 2.2GPA
LinkStorm
Link Building
AI internal linking tool that suggests and places links for you
Free trial · from $30/moWeb - 2.2GPA
LinkSwapy
Link Building
Link partnership CRM with return-link tracking and backlink checks
Free trial · from $49/moWeb - 2.0GPA
ListBrew
Link Building
Finds listicles that feature rivals but not you, with editor contacts
Free trial · from $49/moWeb - 2.2GPA
Majestic
Link Building
Backlink index with Trust Flow, Citation Flow and link history
Free plan · from $41.67/moWeb - 2.2GPA
MentionAgent
Link Building
AI agent that finds blogs, pitches editors and sends from an inbox
Free trial · from $99/moWeb - 2.8GPA
MentionMatch
Link Building
Free matching of B2B writers with expert sources for quotes
Free plan · from $500/moWeb - 2.2GPA
Monitolink
Link Building
Backlink monitor with daily checks and lost-link recovery emails
Free plan · from $24/moWeb - 2.0GPA
Muck Rack
Link Building
Media database, pitching and coverage monitoring for PR teams
PaidWeb - 1.4GPA
ontolo
Link Building
Prospecting crawler that finds link-building and marketing targets
From $97/moWeb - 2.2GPA
Outlink AI
Link Building
AI agent that runs link outreach from your own inbox
Free trial · from $70/moWeb - 1.8GPA
OutreachFlow
Link Building
Credit-based guest post outreach with AI pitches and price haggling
From $1/moWeb - 2.0GPA
Pitchbox
Link Building
Outreach platform for link building and digital PR teams
Free trial · from $210/moWeb - 2.0GPA
Prezly
Link Building
PR software for newsrooms, media contacts and email pitches
Free trial · from $120/moWeb - 1.8GPA
Qwoted
Link Building
Marketplace where reporters request expert sources and PRs pitch
Free plan · from $149/moWeb - 2.4GPA
ResponseSource
Link Building
UK journalist request service with a press release wire
Free trial · from £625/yrWeb - 1.8GPA
Roxhill
Link Building
Media database and monitoring platform for PR teams, sold by quote
PaidWeb - 1.8GPA
Semrush AI PR Toolkit
Link Building
Media database, pitching and monitoring, formerly Prowly
Free trial · from $149/moWeb - 1.8GPA
SEOkicks
Link Building
German backlink checker with its own link index, exports and an API
PaidWeb - 2.8GPA
Source of Sources
Link Building
Free email list of journalist queries looking for expert sources
FreeWeb
Common questions
What are the best link building tools?
As of Oct 24, 2026, ToolGPA ranks BuzzStream first (for: most people building links by outreach), Featured second (for: founders and experts earning links through the press), HARO third (for: anyone who wants to pay nothing).
How does ToolGPA rank link building tools?
From what each tool's own pages show (price, free plan, platforms, features and limits) and from what people say about it in public reviews and discussions. Not from our own testing. First place goes to the tool that suits the most people, and second and third to the best choices for the readers it leaves out.