Xenu's Link Sleuth review (2026): is it any good?
Free Windows program that checks a website for broken links
Xenu's Link Sleuth report card
Good · out of 4.0 · graded Oct 23, 2026
Best for free broken link checks on Windows
Xenu's Link Sleuth is a free Windows program that crawls a site and lists every broken link and redirect it finds. But the current release is from September 2010, it misses links that pages add with JavaScript, robots.txt support isn't planned, and it checks links and nothing else. If you're not on Windows, or you need any SEO checks, look elsewhere.
Who Xenu's Link Sleuth is for
- Fits if you're on Windows and want a broken link list without signing up for anything
- Works for checking HTML files on your own disk or an intranet before they go live
Who Xenu's Link Sleuth is not for
- Skip it if you use a Mac or Linux, as it's Windows only and the author won't port it
- Watch out: the current release, 1.3.8, dates from September 2010, with only a beta build offered beside it
- Not for you if your site builds its links with JavaScript, as those pages show no outgoing links
- Too light for an SEO audit, as there are no on-page, speed or structured data checks
- Tight if pages sit behind a login form, which needs a separate test build, or you need robots.txt respected, which isn't planned
Why Xenu's Link Sleuth gets a 2.6
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- AValue for moneyFree, with no paid edition. The author asks people who find it useful to donate to causes he names instead of paying him. A program anyone can download and run counts as free here.
- AFree plan and trialThe whole program is free to download and use, with no account and no paid edition. The 64-bit beta build for very large sites is free as well.
- DFeaturesIt checks links only: pages, images, frames, style sheets and scripts, with redirects, a report and a site map. No on-page SEO, speed or structured data checks, pages built with JavaScript show no outgoing links, and robots.txt support isn't planned.
- BEase of useNo rating on record. It's a program you install, give a start address and run, with nothing to connect. Crawl speed is set from 1 to 100 threads, 30 by default.
- DPlatforms and integrationsWindows only. The author says he won't make Mac or Linux versions, though users report it running under Wine. No integrations and no API.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Tilman Hausherr's own pages on 23 October 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/xenu-s-link-sleuth#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/xenu-s-link-sleuth.svg" alt="Xenu's Link Sleuth: 2.6 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Xenu's Link Sleuth stands among technical SEO tools
Xenu's Link Sleuth's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 56 of the 83 other technical SEO tools we grade, and level with 7.
It stands best on free plan and trial (A, above 62 of 83) and worst on features (D, above 0).
Xenu's Link Sleuth has no paid plan.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 1.7 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 84 technical SEO tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. Xenu's Link Sleuth’s own letter is outlined.
- AValue for moneyAbove 54 of 83, level with 29
- AFree plan and trialAbove 62 of 83, level with 21
- DFeaturesAbove 0 of 83, level with 9
- BEase of useAbove 62 of 83, level with 21
- DPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 83, level with 2
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 73 technical SEO tools. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
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
Keep Xenu's Link Sleuth, or make your own?
Keep it
Xenu's Link Sleuth is free, so making your own would save you nothing.
It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 2.6 is higher than 56 of the 83 other technical SEO tools we grade.
What you could make
- Reports: an app builder makes this well.
What you could not
- A crawler that checks every page of a site.
- A real app for Windows. Something home-made would be a web page.
What this rests on. Xenu's Link Sleuth’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Xenu's Link Sleuth?
Xenu's Link Sleuth is a free Windows program, written and kept by one developer since 1997, that crawls a website and lists every link it finds with its status. It checks pages, images, frames, style sheets and scripts, flags redirects, and produces a report and a site map. The current release, 1.3.8, dates from September 2010, with a beta build also offered.
Worth knowing
- It runs only on Windows; the author will not make Mac or Linux versions, though users report it working under Wine.
- The last full release, 1.3.8, is from September 2010, and robots.txt support is not on the author's plans.
- Pages built only with JavaScript show no outgoing links, and logging in through a web form needs a separate test build.
- It checks links only: there are no on-page SEO, speed or structured data checks.
Key features
- Broken link checking
- Checks ordinary links, images, frames, plug-ins, backgrounds, image maps, style sheets, scripts and Java applets, and can re-check the broken ones.
- Redirect detection
- Reports URLs that redirect, alongside the broken ones, in a list that can be sorted by different columns while the crawl runs.
- Reports and site map
- Produces a report at any point in a crawl, which can also be sent by email, plus a site map of the pages it found.
- Local and intranet checks
- Checks HTML files on your own disk or an intranet before they are uploaded, without needing a local web server.
- Orphan file search
- Looks for files on the server that no page links to; the passwords entered for this are not kept after the program closes.
- Configurable crawl speed
- Fetches pages in parallel with 30 threads by default, adjustable from 1 to 100; the author says crawls have passed a million URLs.
Xenu's Link Sleuth pricing
As of Oct 23, 2026, Xenu's Link Sleuth is free to use.
- Starts at
- Free
- Free plan
- The whole program is free to download and use; the author asks those who find it useful to donate to causes he names rather than pay him.
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | The full link checker for Windows, with no paid edition. A 64-bit beta build is offered for very large sites. |
Read from home.snafu.de on Oct 23, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Xenu's Link Sleuth before you buy.
Xenu's Link Sleuth alternatives
- Xenu's Link Sleuth vs Dr. Link Check
Free plan · from $13/mo
- Xenu's Link Sleuth vs Dead Link Checker
Free plan · from $9.95/mo
- Xenu's Link Sleuth vs Integrity
Free plan · from $20 one-time
- Xenu's Link Sleuth vs Screaming Frog SEO Spider
Free plan · from $279/yr
Common questions
Does Xenu's Link Sleuth have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 23, 2026. Xenu's Link Sleuth is listed for Windows.
Does Xenu's Link Sleuth have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 23, 2026. Xenu's Link Sleuth is listed for Windows.
Is Xenu's Link Sleuth open source?
Xenu's Link Sleuth is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 23, 2026.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 23, 2026.