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The Xenu's Link Sleuth Insider’s Guide

Everything we know about Xenu's Link Sleuth in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.

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ToolGPAOctober 2026

Xenu's Link Sleuth

The Insider’s Guide

Free Windows program that checks a website for broken links

Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among technical SEO tools, read from Xenu's Link Sleuth’s own pages.

Made by Tilman Hausherr · checked Oct 23, 2026 · toolgpa.com

2.6GPA

Contents

  1. 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
  2. 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
  3. 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
  4. 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
  5. 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
  6. 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
  7. 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it

ToolGPA put this guide together from Xenu's Link Sleuth’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Xenu's Link Sleuth’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 23, 2026.

Part 01 · Overview

Welcome

What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first

2.6

GPA, above 56 of the 83 other technical SEO tools we grade

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.

To get you started, here are 8 things to know about Xenu's Link Sleuth, taken from its own pages and our grades.

If you're not on Windows, or you need any SEO checks, look elsewhere.
From our report card of Xenu's Link Sleuth
  1. 1

    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.

  2. 2

    It is free

    Xenu's Link Sleuth has no paid plan at all. 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.

  3. 3

    It runs on Windows

    Windows.

  4. 4

    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.

  5. 5

    Redirect detection

    Reports URLs that redirect, alongside the broken ones, in a list that can be sorted by different columns while the crawl runs.

  6. 6

    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.

  7. 7

    A 2.6 GPA, above 56 of 83

    That is against the other technical SEO tools we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.

  8. 8

    Keep it

    Xenu's Link Sleuth is free, so making your own would save you nothing.

Xenu's Link Sleuth at a glance

Pricing
Free
Free plan
Yes
Free trial
None stated
Runs on
Windows
Made by
Tilman Hausherr, since 1997
Category
Technical SEO & Site Audits
Our grade
2.6 GPA, good

The report card

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.

ToolGPA report cardXenu's Link SleuthGraded Oct 23, 2026
SubjectGradeComment
Value for moneyAFree, 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.
Free plan and trialAThe 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.
FeaturesDIt 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.
Ease of useBNo 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.
Platforms and integrationsDWindows only. The author says he won't make Mac or Linux versions, though users report it running under Wine. No integrations and no API.
Grade point averageGood, out of 4.02.6

An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.

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 it 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

Good to know

Good for

  • Windows users who want a free broken link check without signing up for anything
  • Checking a site on your own disk or intranet before it goes live
  • Quick link audits where SEO checks are not needed

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.

Part 02 · Pricing

What it costs

Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved

Free

No paid plan at all

Xenu's Link Sleuth is free to use.

The author asks people who find it useful to donate to causes he names instead of paying him.
From our grade for value for money

  • Free

    $0

    The full link checker for Windows, with no paid edition. A 64-bit beta build is offered for very large sites.

The 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.

Read from home.snafu.de on Oct 23, 2026.

Part 03 · Features

What it does

Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it

1

Place it runs: Windows

Free Windows program that checks a website for broken links. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: reports, site audit.

It checks links only: pages, images, frames, style sheets and scripts, with redirects, a report and a site map.
From our grade for 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.

Where it runs

  • Windows

What it works with

Its own pages name no integrations.

Xenu's Link Sleuth is made by Tilman Hausherr, and has been around since 1997.

Part 04 · Standing

Where it stands

Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own

56/83

Other technical SEO tools it is graded above

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
  • AFree plan and trialAbove 62 of 83
  • DFeaturesAbove 0 of 83
  • BEase of useAbove 62 of 83
  • DPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 83

Price against what you get

Each dot is one of 73 technical SEO tools. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Xenu's Link Sleuth is the marked dot.

D1.0C2.0B3.0A4.0Free$2$5$20$50$200$500$2k$5kMore for lessCosts more, scores moreCosts less, scores lessCosts more, scores lessXenu's Link SleuthYellow Lab ToolsLighthouseGoogle Search Console

What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →

Keep it, or make your own?

Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.

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.

Part 05 · Alternatives

The alternatives

The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side

Dr. Link Check, Dead Link Checker, Integrity, Beam Us Up and Screaming Frog SEO Spider

The 5 tools Xenu's Link Sleuth is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.

Part 06 · Questions

Quick answers

The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two

11

Questions, each answered in a line or two

The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.

Is Xenu's Link Sleuth free?

Yes. Xenu's Link Sleuth is free to use.

How much does Xenu's Link Sleuth cost?

Xenu's Link Sleuth lists one plan. Free: $0.

What platforms does Xenu's Link Sleuth work on?

Xenu's Link Sleuth is available on Windows.

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.

Who makes Xenu's Link Sleuth?

Xenu's Link Sleuth is made by Tilman Hausherr. It dates from 1997.

What are the alternatives to Xenu's Link Sleuth?

The closest alternatives to Xenu's Link Sleuth in our directory are Dr.

How does Xenu's Link Sleuth compare with other 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.

Is Xenu's Link Sleuth good value for money?

ToolGPA grades Xenu's Link Sleuth A for value for money. Xenu's Link Sleuth has no paid plan.

Could I make my own version of Xenu's Link Sleuth?

Xenu's Link Sleuth is free, so making your own would save you nothing.

Where this guide comes from

The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Xenu's Link Sleuth’s own pages on Oct 23, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 23, 2026. 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.

Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Tilman Hausherr. Prices change, so check home.snafu.de before you buy.

Part 07 · About

About ToolGPA

Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it

3,189

Tools graded, in 94 categories

ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.

Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.

  • 3,189

    tools graded

  • 94

    categories

  • 426

    price changes on record

  • 579

    apps priced in 12 countries

What else is on toolgpa.com

Scan for the live page

Prices and grades as they are today

Quoting this guide?

Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:

ToolGPA, "Xenu's Link Sleuth: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 23, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/xenu-s-link-sleuth

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The best-graded technical SEO tools after Xenu's Link Sleuth, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.

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Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Xenu's Link Sleuth’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Xenu's Link Sleuth is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Tilman Hausherr. Prices and plans change: check home.snafu.de before you buy.