Free Backlink Checker: See Who Links to You
Check backlinks free without Ahrefs. The free sources that show real link data for your site.
Backlink data is the most expensive thing in SEO tooling, because maintaining a web-wide crawl of links costs a great deal to run. That is why free backlink checkers are so limited — but it is also why the free sources that do exist are worth knowing, since two of them come directly from the search engines themselves.
Why a free backlink checker tool matters more in India
For a small Indian site the practical question is usually not competitor analysis but something simpler: who links to me, and are those links helping or hurting? Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools both report this for your own site at no cost, drawn from the search engines' own crawl rather than a third-party approximation. That data is more authoritative than anything a paid tool can offer about your own property.
The best free options compared
At a glance
Of the 4 options below, 3 are fully free with no paid tier to upgrade to, and 1 offers a free tier alongside paid plans. That distinction matters more than it first appears: a fully free tool cannot restrict you later, whereas a free tier is a commercial decision that can be revised.
| Tool | Cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Google Search Console | Fully free | Reports external links to your site, the pages receiving them, and the anchor text used… |
| Bing Webmaster Tools | Fully free | Its backlink report is genuinely useful and noticeably less restricted than Google's… |
| Ahrefs Webmaster Tools | Fully free | Ahrefs provides free backlink and site audit data for domains you verify ownership of |
| Ubersuggest / Moz free tiers | Free tier | small number of free lookups daily with sample link data |
Each option in detail
Google Search Console
✓ FREEReports external links to your site, the pages receiving them, and the anchor text used — straight from Google's index. Free for any site you own and more authoritative for your own domain than any commercial crawler. New properties take some days to populate.
Bing Webmaster Tools
✓ FREEIts backlink report is genuinely useful and noticeably less restricted than Google's free view. Also includes a Backlinks To Any Site feature allowing limited competitor comparison at no cost, which is unusual.
Ahrefs Webmaster Tools
✓ FREEAhrefs provides free backlink and site audit data for domains you verify ownership of. This is a substantial free offering — close to paid-tier link data, restricted to your own sites.
Ubersuggest / Moz free tiers
◐ FREEMIUMA small number of free lookups daily with sample link data. Enough to sanity-check a competitor occasionally, not enough for systematic work.
Note on free tiers: limits and features change often. Everything here was checked in July 2026, but confirm current terms on the provider's own site before committing to a workflow. Official guidance: Google Search Central web.dev Core Web Vitals.
How to choose the right one
Verify your site in Google Search Console, Bing Webmaster Tools and Ahrefs Webmaster Tools — all free, all giving you data about your own domain that no paid subscription improves upon. Use Bing's Backlinks To Any Site for occasional competitor glances. Only consider paid tools when you are systematically analysing many competitors, which is a later-stage problem than most small sites think.
If you are assembling a wider free toolkit, these related guides cover adjacent problems: Free Keyword Research Tools for Indian Websites, Free Website Speed Test: Core Web Vitals Check, Free Meta Tag Generator (And Which Tags Matter).
Verdict
Between Search Console, Bing Webmaster Tools and Ahrefs Webmaster Tools you can see your own backlink profile thoroughly for nothing. Paid suites earn their price on competitor research at scale, not on understanding your own site.
🔍 Explore more free seo utilities
Browse every verified-free tool we have tested in this category.
See all SEO Utilities →Frequently asked questions
How can I check backlinks for free?
Use Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools for sites you own, plus Ahrefs Webmaster Tools which provides free link data for verified domains. Together they cover your own profile comprehensively.
Why does my new site show no backlinks?
New properties take days to weeks to populate link reports, and a genuinely new site may simply have very few links. Both are normal and not a sign of a problem.
Do I need to disavow bad backlinks?
Usually not. Google generally ignores low-quality links rather than penalising for them, and disavowing carelessly can remove links that were helping. Reserve it for cases involving a manual action or clear negative SEO.
How do I get backlinks for an Indian website?
Genuinely useful content that solves a specific problem, relevant local directories and industry associations, and relationships with sites in your sector. Buying links violates search engine guidelines and carries real risk.