Majestic alternatives

Majestic runs its own link index. It gives Trust Flow, Citation Flow and Topical Trust Flow. It is a link tool only.

Pick it if your job is pure link research and you like its scores. Skip it if you also need keyword research, audits or rank tracking. That is where the suites win.

You want backlinks and the rest in one login. Choose between Ahrefs and Semrush by job and feel, not by hype.

• Ahrefs is known for its backlink index and Site Explorer. You also get Keywords Explorer, Site Audit, Rank Tracker and Content Explorer. Domain Rating, 0 to 100, is its link score.
• Semrush is a broad suite. You get Keyword Magic Tool, Position Tracking, Site Audit, Backlink Analytics and competitive research, plus advertising and content modules. Authority Score is its roll-up metric.

If you live in Site Explorer and need strong link charts and simple DR, Ahrefs feels direct. If you plan campaigns across SEO and ads, Semrush ties more reports together with one view.

Your stakeholders ask for DA. Use Moz Pro. It holds Keyword Explorer, Link Explorer, Site Crawl, Rank Tracking and On-Page Grader. DA is relative and logarithmic, not Google’s metric.

You also get the free MozBar for quick page checks. Moz has long-standing education if you are building team habits. A fixed page looks like /pricing with clear H1, internal links and no orphan issues, then you add outreach to lift DA over time.

If you only need to see who links to you, start free. It is enough for many small sites.

• Google Search Console shows your site’s links in the Links report. It is pre-click data from Google. Use it for the truth on your own site.
• Ahrefs Webmaster Tools is free for verified sites. You get Site Audit and Site Explorer for your own domain.
• Bing Webmaster Tools is free with backlinks and IndexNow. It also offers keyword research.

This stack costs nothing but verification. You can export domains, fix broken pages, and reclaim mentions. For many side projects, that is enough to move from DR 0 to a modest footprint without a paid suite.

Each suite has a score. None is Google’s PageRank. Use them for comparison, not as a KPI to chase in isolation.

Pick one scoring language per project. If your investor wants DA, report DA. If your content team lives in Ahrefs, stick to DR. You avoid debates that waste time.

You learn fastest by seeing where rivals have links you do not. Do this before you write a single outreach email.

1. 1

   Pick your three domains

   Use yourproduct.com, plus two close rivals with similar offers. If you sell time tracking, do not compare with a blog magazine.

2. 2

   Collect referring domains

   In Ahrefs, Semrush or Moz, export referring domains for all three. In Google Search Console, export what you can for your own site.

3. 3

   Find the intersection you lack

   Filter for domains that link to both rivals but not to you. Sort by relevance and by the score you chose for this project.

4. 4

   Map linkable pages

   Open each linking page. Note the context: resource list, glossary, case study, integration page. Add a column for what you could match on your site.

5. 5

   Create or improve the target on your site

   If rivals got links to /guides/time-tracking-glossary, ship your /guides/time-tracking-glossary. Make it better. Add internal links.

6. 6

   Pitch with specifics

   Email the editor with the exact anchor and why your page helps their readers. If a link is broken, offer the fix. Track replies. Iterate.

A fixed gap looks like this: you lacked links from three SaaS directories that both rivals had. You built /integrations/slack and /integrations/zoom, then asked for the missing links with those pages as targets. Two added you within a week. The third asked for a changelog link, which you added.

• You want one login for links, keywords, audits and ranks: pick Ahrefs or Semrush.
• Your stakeholders insist on DA in decks: pick Moz Pro.
• You only need your own backlinks and a crawl: use Google Search Console and Ahrefs Webmaster Tools. Add Bing Webmaster Tools.
• You already crawled and need explained fixes: add a desktop crawler. Try Screaming Frog for raw tables or Sitebulb for guided hints.
• You need paid search history for rivals over years: add SpyFu to your stack.
• You need a starter suite for a small team: consider SE Ranking or Mangools. Note that Mangools gets link data from Majestic.

Do not stack tools that overlap unless you have a clear reason. One suite plus the free consoles is enough for most small sites as of 2026.

• Fix broken backlinks: restore or redirect 301 from /old-feature to /features/new-feature. Check they resolve 200.
• Strengthen internal links: add links from /blog/how-we-work to /pricing and /features/timesheets with descriptive anchors.
• Publish linkable assets that match your gap: glossary pages, comparison pages, integration pages, and original notes.
• Avoid orphan pages: link new guides from /guides and from at least two related posts.
• Measure pre-click and post-click separately: Google Search Console for impressions and clicks, Google Analytics 4 for sessions and conversions. They never match exactly.

A fixed page looks like /guides/getting-started with a clear H1, scannable headings, fast LCP under 2.5 seconds, and links in and out that make sense for a reader, not just a bot.

Similarweb estimates visits and sources for any site. It is useful for market sizing and competitor comparisons. It is not a backlink checker or an audit for your own site.

Its numbers are modelled and get rough for small sites. Use it to spot big gaps in share, not to track your own clicks. For your site’s truth, use Google Search Console.