Check My Links vs Link Redirect Trace (2026): which should you pick?
As of Oct 23, 2026, Link Redirect Trace grades higher than Check My Links: 3.0 against 2.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 23, 2026 · graded Oct 23, 2026 by ToolGPA
Link Redirect Trace grades higher on features. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Check My Links
Broken link checker for web pages, Google Docs and Sheets
Free plan · from $29 one-time
Link Redirect Trace
Free redirect checker that also reads canonicals, robots and headers
Free
Which one is for you
Pick Check My Links if
- Fits if you check a page for broken links before you publish it
- Works for finding dead links inside Google Docs and Sheets
Look elsewhere if
- Too light for a whole site, since it checks the page in front of you and doesn't crawl
- Watch out: the free version may show product tips after a few days, and only the paid key hides them
- Tight if you want headers and footers left out or broken links rechecked in bulk, which need the $29 key
- Skip it if you're on Safari, as SelectorsHub says there's no Safari version
Pick Link Redirect Trace if
- Fits if you check that redirects pass links cleanly after a migration
- Works for following affiliate and ad links to see where they land and which cookies they set
Look elsewhere if
- Watch out: the Chrome version was last updated in June 2024 and the Firefox one in April 2024
- Too light for checking a site or a list of URLs, since it traces the URLs you visit one at a time
- Skip it if you want link strength from Ahrefs or Moz, as Power and Trust are LinkResearchTools' own scores
- Not for you if you browse in Safari or Edge, as only Chrome and Firefox are listed
How we grade them
| 2.8GPACheck My LinksGood | 3.0GPALink Redirect TraceVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AThe free version has no scan limits, and the Advanced key is $29 once, with lifetime updates. That's less than one month of this category's middle subscription at $29.95. | AFree, listed among LinkResearchTools' free SEO tools, and a free install on Chrome and Firefox. The company's paid link tools are sold separately. |
| Free plan and trial | AFree forever with no scan limits: every link's status, Google Docs and Sheets, domain exclusions and CSV reports. Product tips may appear after a few days. | AFree outright: every hop, the indexing and canonical checks, cookies, headers and image or CSV export. |
| Features | DOne narrow function: each link's HTTP status, highlighted on the page, including iframes, shadow DOM, Docs and Sheets, with CSV reports. No tags, headings, schema or search data, and no site crawl. | CEvery 301, 302, 307, 308 and meta refresh hop timed, robots, noindex, nofollow and X-Robots-Tag checked on each, canonicals flagged, cookies shown and traces exported. It does redirect tracing fully, a smaller job, with no headings, schema or search data. |
| Ease of use | BNo rating on record, but nothing to set up: click the icon and the page's links are marked by result. | BNo rating on record, but nothing to set up: install it, follow a link and the trace is there. |
| Platforms and integrations | CChrome, Edge and Firefox, plus Brave and Opera through the Chrome store, so computers only, with no Safari version. It works inside Google Docs and Sheets. | CChrome and Firefox, so computers only, in English. It ties into LinkResearchTools' own Power and Trust scores and nothing else. |
| Best for | finding broken links on one page | redirect chains with indexing checks per hop |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Check My Links and Link Redirect Trace. How we grade
Where they differ
- Check My Links can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Link Redirect Trace also covers backlink analysis.
In commonFree planBrowser extensionSite audit
At a glance
| Check My Links | Link Redirect Trace | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | $29 one-time for lifetime access to the advanced features | Free |
| Free plan | Free forever with no scan limits: status codes for every link, Google Docs and Sheets support, domain exclusions and CSV reports. | The extension is listed among LinkResearchTools' free SEO tools and installs free from the Chrome and Firefox stores. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | SelectorsHub Tech Private Limited | LinkResearchTools GmbH |
| Price read from | selectorshub.com | smart.linkresearchtools.com |
| Checked | Oct 23, 2026 | Oct 23, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Check My Links
- It checks the page in front of you and does not crawl a whole site.
- Excluding headers and footers, bulk rechecks and report filters need the $29 Advanced key.
- The free version may show product tips after a few days; only the paid key hides them.
- Listed for Chrome, Edge and Firefox, and Brave and Opera through the Chrome store; SelectorsHub says there is no Safari version.
Link Redirect Trace
- The Chrome version was last updated in June 2024 and the Firefox version, 0.9.13.2, in April 2024.
- LRT Power and Trust are LinkResearchTools' own metrics; its paid link tools are sold separately.
- It traces the URLs you visit one at a time and does not crawl a site or a list of URLs.
- Listed for Chrome and Firefox only, with an English interface.
Key features
Check My Links
- One-click link scan
- Fetches every link on the page with its HTTP status code and counts valid links, valid redirects, warnings and invalid links.
- Highlights on the page
- Marks each link in place by its result, so broken links can be found where they sit; highlighting can be turned off.
- Google Docs and Sheets
- Finds and checks the links inside a Google Doc or Google Sheet as well as on ordinary web pages, iframes and shadow DOM.
- Exclusions and scan speed
- Skip links to chosen domains, include or ignore empty links and set how many links are checked per batch.
- Reports
- View the report in the browser or download it as CSV; the paid key adds Excel export and filters by status code or link type.
- Section exclusion and bulk recheck
- With the Advanced key, leave out headers and footers from a scan and recheck every invalid link at once.
Link Redirect Trace
- Every redirect hop
- Detects each 301, 302, 307 or 308 hop and meta refresh in a chain, and times each one to show which redirect or URL shortener is slow.
- Indexing checks per hop
- Checks robots.txt, HTML noindex and nofollow, and X-Robots-Tag noindex, nofollow and noarchive on every step of the chain.
- Canonical checks
- Parses rel-canonical tags so a page that is canonicalized to another URL is flagged alongside real redirects.
- LRT Power and Trust
- Shows LinkResearchTools' Power and Trust scores for each URL in the chain, as a gauge of link strength.
- Cookies and cache-busting
- Shows which URL in a chain drops cookies, useful for affiliate links, and can bypass a redirect the browser has cached.
- Image and CSV export
- Exports the full redirect trace as an image or a CSV file, and shows full HTTP headers for each response.
Plans
Check My Links
Free$0
All basic scanning, settings and CSV reports, with no limits; product tips may appear after a few days.
Advanced$29
one-time, lifetime access and updates
Exclude page sections, bulk recheck broken links, filter reports, custom colors, Excel export and no tips. Shown as down from $100.
EnterpriseCustom
Personalized offers for organizations, by contacting SelectorsHub.
Link Redirect Trace
Free$0
Redirect tracing with robots, canonical and header checks for every hop, free on Chrome and Firefox.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Check My Links or Link Redirect Trace?
As of Oct 23, 2026, Check My Links starts at $29 one-time for lifetime access to the advanced features, and Link Redirect Trace is free.
Which has a free plan, Check My Links or Link Redirect Trace?
As of Oct 23, 2026, both Check My Links and Link Redirect Trace have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.