# Majestic alternatives

You want Majestic’s link data, but you also want keywords, audits and tracking. Or you just need your own backlinks for free. Here are the realistic alternatives, when to use each, and how to run a quick link gap that finds what to build and who to pitch.

Updated 2026-09-14 · Source: https://porteur.ai/alternatives/majestic-alternatives

## When Majestic is a fit, and when it is not

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.

## Links plus everything else: Ahrefs and Semrush

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.

> Rule: choose a suite if you need links, keywords, technical audits and rank tracking in one place. Do not juggle five tools if one will do.

## Links plus DA: Moz if your team speaks DA

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.

## Free: your own backlinks without Majestic

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.

## Trust Flow, DA, DR and Authority Score: what to believe

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

| Tool | Score | What it reflects | Use it for |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Majestic | Trust Flow, Citation Flow, Topical Trust Flow | Link quality, quantity and topical categories | Judge a domain or page’s link profile and topic |
| Ahrefs | Domain Rating | Link-based strength on a 0 to 100 scale | Quick benchmark of a site’s link equity |
| Semrush | Authority Score | An aggregate score across signals including links | A top-level sense of a site’s overall strength |
| Moz | Domain Authority | Relative, logarithmic score based on links | Reporting to DA-minded stakeholders |

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.

## Run a quick link gap against two rivals

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

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. **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. **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. **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. **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. **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.

## Choose by job, not by logo

- 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.

## What to do on your site once you have the data

- 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.

## A note on Similarweb and traffic estimates

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.

## The tools compared

### Ahrefs

An all-in-one SEO suite with a strong backlink index and Site Explorer. (ahrefs.com)

Good at: Backlink research; Keyword research; Site auditing; Rank tracking; Content discovery.

Choose it when You want links plus everything else in one tool and prefer DR as your score.

Not for: Teams that only need free data for their own site.

### Semrush

A broad marketing suite across SEO with modules for ads and content. (semrush.com)

Good at: Keyword research; Rank tracking; Site auditing; Backlink analytics; Competitive research.

Choose it when You plan SEO alongside paid and content work and want one environment.

Not for: Pure link specialists who do not need the wider suite.

### Moz

An SEO suite with Domain Authority and long-standing education. (moz.com)

Good at: Link Explorer; Keyword research; Site crawl; Rank tracking; On-page checks.

Choose it when Your stakeholders care about DA and you want Moz’s workflow and training.

Not for: Teams that want a different authority score or the largest backlink index.

### Google Search Console

Your site’s pre-click truth from Google: performance, indexing, links and enhancements. (search.google.com/search-console)

Good at: Clicks and impressions; Index coverage; Links to your site; Core Web Vitals.

Choose it when You need the canonical view of your own site’s search data, free.

Not for: Rival research or full backlink discovery across the web.

### Porteur

A one-off growth report from a URL with a free check that spots gaps. (porteur.co)

Good at: Reading your site and rivals from a URL; Finding a simple link gap; Turning findings into steps.

Choose it when You want a concise plan that tells you which pages to ship and which links to chase next.

Not for: Daily rank tracking or broad tool suites. It is not an all-in-one. 

**Verdict.** Choose Majestic if you only care about a focused link index and Trust Flow. Choose Ahrefs or Semrush if you want links plus everything else in one place, and pick the one that matches your jobs. Choose Moz if DA is the number your team speaks. If you only need your own backlinks, use the free consoles first, then add a suite when you hit the limits of what free data shows.

## Questions

### Is Majestic still worth it if I only care about links?

Yes, if you want a focused link index with Trust Flow and Topical Trust Flow and you do not need keywords or audits. If you need one tool for links plus everything else, use Ahrefs or Semrush instead.

### Should I chase DA, DR or Trust Flow?

Pick one scoring language and stick to it for this project. Use it to compare targets and track progress. Do not make the score your goal. Make rankings, traffic and revenue your goals.

### Can I get a decent backlink view for free?

Yes. Verify Google Search Console, Ahrefs Webmaster Tools and Bing Webmaster Tools. You will see your own backlinks, find broken links, and export domains for outreach. You will not see rivals in full without a paid suite.

### Which suite is better for a small SaaS, Ahrefs or Semrush?

If you live in link and content research, Ahrefs feels simple and strong. If you want SEO plus ads and more cross-channel views, Semrush brings more modules together. Both will cover links, keywords, audits and tracking.

### Where does Mangools get its link data?

From Majestic. Mangools is a friendly starter suite for small teams, but its LinkMiner and SiteProfiler use Majestic’s link data. If you want a different index, use Ahrefs, Semrush or Moz.

## Read next

- [Ahrefs vs Semrush for a small product site](https://porteur.ai/compare/ahrefs-vs-semrush): Choose Ahrefs if links and Site Explorer matter most, Semrush if you need a broad keyword and marketing suite. Here is how to decide quickly.
- [Ahrefs vs Moz](https://porteur.ai/compare/ahrefs-vs-moz): Ahrefs vs Moz for a small site: link index quality, Domain Rating vs Domain Authority, keyword tools, audits and education, with clear use cases.
- [Backlink gap: the sites that link to your rivals and not to you](https://porteur.ai/guides/backlink-gap): Find the sites that link to rivals and not to you. Read the page, make the ask, and track new links. A practical backlink gap workflow.
- [How to get backlinks for a small product site](https://porteur.ai/guides/how-to-get-backlinks-for-a-small-site): What to build, who to ask and how to measure. A founder’s plan to earn backlinks without spam or spend, with examples and a checklist.
- [The Links report in Search Console: what it shows and what it hides](https://porteur.ai/guides/search-console-links-report): What Google’s Links report really shows, why counts differ from Ahrefs or Semrush, and two jobs it is good at on a small site.
- [Semrush alternatives, by what you need](https://porteur.ai/alternatives/semrush-alternatives): You likely need one or two jobs, not a suite. Pick Semrush alternatives for keyword research, rank tracking, site audits, links or competitor research.
- [Page Authority](https://porteur.ai/glossary/page-authority): Page Authority is Moz’s 1 to 100 page score from links. It predicts ranking inside Moz. Here is how to read it on a small site and what to do next.
- [Trust Flow](https://porteur.ai/glossary/trust-flow): Trust Flow is Majestic’s 0 to 100 score of link trust. See how it’s computed, how to read it with Citation Flow and Topical Trust Flow, and what to do.

Paste your homepage and get a free link gap against two rivals in about thirty seconds, with three findings you can act on now. Free check: https://porteur.ai/