Link Redirect Trace vs Redirect Path (2026): which should you pick?
As of Oct 23, 2026, Link Redirect Trace grades higher than Redirect Path: 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.
Link Redirect Trace
Free redirect checker that also reads canonicals, robots and headers
Free
Redirect Path
Free Chrome extension that shows every redirect and status code
Free
Which one is for you
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
Pick Redirect Path if
- Fits if you're checking redirects during or after a site migration
- Works for reading a page's HTTP headers without opening developer tools
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you're not on Chrome, as Ayima names no other browser
- Too light for checking a list of URLs, since it reports on pages you visit one at a time
- Watch out: Ask Ayima AI may pass the redirect data to third-party AI providers, and its answers can be wrong
- Not for you if you want anything beyond redirects and headers, like tags, headings or schema
How we grade them
| 3.0GPALink Redirect TraceVery good | 2.8GPARedirect PathGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree, listed among LinkResearchTools' free SEO tools, and a free install on Chrome and Firefox. The company's paid link tools are sold separately. | AFree, and Ayima's licence says its extensions are free for personal and commercial use. No paid version is listed. |
| Free plan and trial | AFree outright: every hop, the indexing and canonical checks, cookies, headers and image or CSV export. | AFree outright: status flags, redirect chains, headers and the Ask Ayima AI button, with nothing to upgrade to. |
| Features | 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. | DOne narrow function: status codes and redirect chains, server, meta refresh and JavaScript, with headers, server IP and an HSTS note. No tags, headings, links or search data, and no list of URLs to check in bulk. |
| Ease of use | BNo rating on record, but nothing to set up: install it, follow a link and the trace is there. | BNo rating on record, but there's nothing to set up: install it and the icon flags redirects on the next page you load. |
| Platforms and integrations | CChrome and Firefox, so computers only, in English. It ties into LinkResearchTools' own Power and Trust scores and nothing else. | CChrome only, so computers only, with no Firefox, Safari or Edge version named and no integrations. The interface is English only. |
| Best for | redirect chains with indexing checks per hop | redirects and status codes as you browse |
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: Link Redirect Trace and Redirect Path. How we grade
Price against what you get
Link Redirect Trace has no paid plan and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Redirect Path has no paid plan and scores 2.0.
Link Redirect Trace scores higher for the same starting price. Of the other SEO browser extensions on the chart, none scores higher than Link Redirect Trace for less, and none scores higher than Redirect Path for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Link Redirect Trace also covers backlink analysis.
In commonFree planBrowser extensionSite audit
At a glance
| Link Redirect Trace | Redirect Path | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Starts at | Free | Free |
| Free plan | The extension is listed among LinkResearchTools' free SEO tools and installs free from the Chrome and Firefox stores. | Free from the Chrome Web Store; Ayima's licence says its extensions are provided free of charge for personal and commercial use. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | LinkResearchTools GmbH | Ayima UK Ltd |
| Price read from | smart.linkresearchtools.com | chromewebstore.google.com |
| Checked | Oct 23, 2026 | Oct 23, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Redirect Path
- It is listed for Chrome only; Ayima names no Firefox, Safari or Edge version.
- It reports on URLs you visit one at a time and does not crawl a list of URLs.
- Ask Ayima AI may pass the redirect data to third-party AI providers, and the licence warns its answers can be wrong.
- The Chrome Web Store lists the interface in English only.
Key features
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.
Redirect Path
- Status code flags
- The toolbar icon flags 301, 302, 404 and 500 responses on the page you load, and adds a plus sign when there are several redirects.
- Client-side redirects
- Detects meta refresh and JavaScript redirects as well as server redirects, so the whole path to a page is shown.
- HTTP headers and server IP
- Shows the response headers for each step, such as server type and caching headers, along with the server's IP address.
- HSTS explanation
- Explains when a 307 is only Chrome's cached HSTS upgrade from http to https rather than a redirect set by the site.
- Ask Ayima AI
- An optional button sends the redirect chain's URLs, status codes and headers to Ayima AI for an analysis; nothing is sent unless you click it.
Plans
Link Redirect Trace
Free$0
Redirect tracing with robots, canonical and header checks for every hop, free on Chrome and Firefox.
Redirect Path
Free$0
Redirect and status code checks, HTTP headers and the optional Ask Ayima AI button, free for personal and business use.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Link Redirect Trace or Redirect Path?
As of Oct 23, 2026, both Link Redirect Trace and Redirect Path are free to use.
Which has a free plan, Link Redirect Trace or Redirect Path?
As of Oct 23, 2026, both Link Redirect Trace and Redirect Path 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.