Best Free Tools to Find Broken Links for Link Building

Broken link building works like this: you find a dead link on someone else's website, offer a working replacement, and earn a backlink. The strategy is simple. The hard part is finding those dead links fast, and that is where the right broken link building tools save you hours.

You do not need an expensive subscription to do this. Most backlink platforms charge $99 a month or more just to show you who links where. Several free options do the job well, and one is built for exactly this task.

If you want the full strategy first, read our guide to broken link building and how to find and fix opportunities. It also sits inside the wider off-page SEO guide for beginners.

What to Look for in Free Broken Link Building Tools

A good tool needs to do three things:

✅ Scan a page and list its outbound links

✅ Show the error status, such as 404 (page not found)

✅ Let you check plenty of pages without a paywall

1. Rankivo Broken Link Checker

The Rankivo Broken Link Checker is one of the few broken link building tools made for this exact job. Enter a page URL, and it checks every link on that page and sorts them into working, redirected, broken, unverified and error.

Point it at a resource page in your niche, then use the External filter to see only links pointing to other sites. Those are your outreach targets. Copy the broken links or export them to CSV.

Two things to know. Free accounts check one page at a time, and some sites block automated checks, so those links show as Unverified. Open them yourself to confirm.

Each scan has a link limit that depends on your plan, and paid plans can scan several pages in one go: 5 on Starter, 10 on Pro and 25 on Agency.

2. Free Browser Extensions

Browser extensions check the page you are viewing and highlight dead links right on the screen.

The downside is that they work one page at a time and can feel slow on long pages.

3. Free Desktop Crawlers

Desktop crawlers scan an entire website instead of a single page. Most free versions cap the crawl at around 500 URLs, which is plenty for small and mid-sized sites.

The trade-off is a steeper learning curve, and the crawl runs on your own computer.

4. Google Search Operators

Google is not a link checker, but it finds you the pages worth checking. Search operators help you locate resource pages, which are the best hunting ground for dead links.

Try searches like these, swapping in your own topic:

👉 "gardening" inurl:resources
👉 "gardening" intitle:"useful links"
👉 "gardening" "helpful resources"

Run the results through your checker, and you have a prospect list.

5. The Wayback Machine

Once you find a dead link, you need to know what used to live there. The Internet Archive's Wayback Machine stores old versions of web pages for free.

Paste in the dead URL, and you can see exactly what the page covered. That tells you what your replacement needs to include.

6. Free Backlink Checkers

Free versions of traditional SEO platforms show a limited list of sites that link to a given URL. The results are capped, but enough to start.

Use them on the dead page's URL. Every site still linking to it is another outreach target, not just the one you found first.

A Simple Workflow Using Free Broken Link Building Tools

Here is how these broken link building tools fit together:

1. Use search operators to find resource pages in your niche.
2. Scan each page with a broken link checker, filtered to external links.
3. Check the dead URL in the Wayback Machine to see what it covered.
4. Confirm you have (or create) a page that works as a replacement.
5. Email the site owner, point out the dead link, and suggest your page.

The full outreach process is covered in our broken link building guide.

Which of These Broken Link Building Tools Should You Start With?

Start with the Rankivo Broken Link Checker and the Wayback Machine. Those two cover finding the problem and understanding it.
Add search operators once you want a steady flow of prospects. Bring in a crawler or backlink checker when you are working at a larger scale.
Final Thoughts on Broken Link Building Tools
The best broken link building tools are the ones that get you from "I need links" to "I found a dead link" quickly. Free options now cover every step, from finding prospects to checking links to researching what is missing.
Pick two tools, run the workflow on five resource pages this week, and send your first outreach emails.

Find Your First Broken Link Today

Ready to start? Scan any page for dead links with the Rankivo Broken Link Checker, free to try, and turn what you find into backlinks.

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This Article Is Part of Our Off-Page SEO Series

📚 Explore the full Off-Page SEO Series

Start here:

Pillar article:

👉 Off-Page SEO for Beginners: The Complete 2026 Guide

https://www.rankivo.co/blog/off-page-seo-for-beginners-the-complete-2026-guide

Parent cluster article:

👉 Broken Link Building: How to Find and Fix Opportunities

https://www.rankivo.co/blog/broken-link-building-how-to-find-and-fix-opportunities

Broken Link Building sub-cluster articles:

👉 Best Free Tools to Find Broken Links for Link Building ← You are here

https://www.rankivo.co/blog/best-free-tools-to-find-broken-links-for-link-building

👉 The Skyscraper Technique Explained for Beginners

https://www.rankivo.co/blog/the-skyscraper-technique-explained-for-beginners

Explore the full series to go deeper on any topic.

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FAQ

Q: Are there free tools to find broken links for link building?

A: Yes. Free broken link checkers, browser extensions, desktop crawlers with capped crawls, Google search operators and the Wayback Machine cover the whole process without a paid subscription.

Q: Which broken link building tool is best for beginners?

A: A simple broken link checker, such as the Rankivo Broken Link Checker, paired with the Wayback Machine. Together they help you find dead links and see what the missing pages used to say.

Q: Where should I look for broken links?

A: Start with resource pages, "best tools" roundups and link lists in your niche. They tend to have the most outbound links, so they are the most likely to contain dead ones.

Q: Do I need a paid backlink tool for broken link building?

A: No. Paid tools add convenience at scale, but you can earn your first links using free tools only.