# Backlink Checker — Backlinks, Referring Domains & Link Gap (`jesting_grass/backlink-checker`) Actor

Get every backlink to any domain or URL: source page, anchor text, dofollow/nofollow and authority. Referring domains and competitor link gap for link building. Cheap Ahrefs / Semrush backlink checker alternative, pay per result.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/jesting\_grass/backlink-checker.md
- **Developed by:** [A J](https://apify.com/jesting_grass) (community)
- **Categories:** SEO tools, Lead generation, Developer tools
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $1.00 / 1,000 backlinks

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## Backlink Checker — Backlinks, Referring Domains & Link Gap

**See every backlink pointing to any website or page, in bulk.** For each link you get the **linking page**, **anchor text**, **dofollow / nofollow**, the **authority** of the linking domain and page, and **first / last seen** dates. Switch modes to list **referring domains**, or run a **competitor link gap** that finds websites linking to your competitors but not to you, sorted and ready for outreach.

A pay-per-result alternative to the Ahrefs, Semrush and Moz backlink checkers: **$1 per 1,000 backlinks**, no subscription.

### Three modes

| Mode | What you get | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| **Backlinks** | One row per link: source URL, anchor, dofollow, domain rank, page rank, target URL, dates | Link audits, competitor research, anchor-text analysis |
| **Referring domains** | One row per linking website with its authority and link counts | Backlink profile overview, prospect lists |
| **Link gap** | Websites that link to 1–10 competitors but not to you, sorted by how many competitors they link to | Link building: the warmest outreach prospects |

### Why this Actor

- 🔗 **Up to 10,000 backlinks per target**, strongest linking sites first
- 🎯 **Filters applied at the source, so you only pay for what you keep**: dofollow only, one link per domain, minimum domain rank, anchor text contains
- 🥊 **Competitor link gap**: compares the top 1,000 referring domains of your site and each competitor in one run
- 🧹 **Clean data**: `https://`, `www.` and paths are handled; duplicates merged; junk CSS stripped from anchors
- 💸 **Pay per result**: empty targets and invalid inputs are free
- 🤖 **Automation-ready**: API, Python, JavaScript, n8n, Make, Zapier, or as a tool for AI agents through the Apify MCP server

### Input examples

Backlinks, one per linking site, dofollow only:

```json
{
  "mode": "backlinks",
  "targets": ["allbirds.com"],
  "maxResultsPerTarget": 500,
  "onePerDomain": true,
  "dofollowOnly": true
}
```

Link gap against two competitors:

```json
{
  "mode": "linkGap",
  "yourDomain": "allbirds.com",
  "competitors": ["rothys.com", "vivobarefoot.com"],
  "minCompetitorsLinked": 2,
  "maxResultsPerTarget": 200
}
```

### Output examples (real, September 2026)

**Backlinks** (`allbirds.com`, dofollow, one per domain):

| Linking page | Anchor | Dofollow | Domain rank | Page rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| pay.amazon.com/blog/for-shoppers/possible-with-pay-9-eco-friendly-brands-for-more-sustainable-shopping | AllBirds | ✅ | 100 | 0 |
| blog.adobe.com/jp/publish/2021/05/31/cc-web-effective-use-images-graphics-ux-design | AllBirds | ✅ | 100 | 0 |
| shopify.com/za/blog/12206313-the-ultimate-diy-guide-to-beautiful-product-photography | Allbirds | ✅ | 100 | 25 |

**Link gap** (`allbirds.com` vs `rothys.com` and `vivobarefoot.com`, sites linking to both competitors):

```json
{
  "yourDomain": "allbirds.com",
  "referringDomain": "essence.com",
  "domainRank": 92,
  "linksToCompetitors": ["rothys.com", "vivobarefoot.com"],
  "competitorsLinked": 2,
  "backlinksToCompetitors": 19,
  "dofollowBacklinksToCompetitors": 19
}
```

### Output fields

| Mode | Fields |
|---|---|
| Backlinks | `target`, `sourceUrl`, `sourceDomain`, `targetUrl`, `anchor`, `dofollow`, `isImageLink`, `sourcePageTitle`, `domainRank`, `pageRank`, `firstSeen`, `lastSeen` |
| Referring domains | `target`, `referringDomain`, `domainRank`, `backlinks`, `dofollowBacklinks`, `firstSeen` |
| Link gap | `yourDomain`, `referringDomain`, `domainRank`, `linksToCompetitors`, `competitorsLinked`, `backlinksToCompetitors`, `dofollowBacklinksToCompetitors` |

`domainRank` and `pageRank` are 0–100 authority scores from the backlink index (similar in spirit to Ahrefs DR/UR or Moz DA/PA, not identical).

### Use it from code

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

client = ApifyClient("YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN")
run = client.actor("jesting_grass/backlink-checker").call(run_input={
    "mode": "backlinks",
    "targets": ["allbirds.com"],
    "maxResultsPerTarget": 200,
    "onePerDomain": True,
})
for row in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(row.get("domainRank"), row.get("sourceUrl"), row.get("anchor"))
```

More examples (backlinks CSV, link gap, Node.js, cURL): **[github.com/emiohr/backlink-checker-api](https://github.com/emiohr/backlink-checker-api)** · Tutorial: [Find link-building prospects with Python](https://dev.to/jesting_grass/find-link-building-prospects-with-python-a-competitor-backlink-gap-for-1-per-1000-links-1804)

### Pricing

Pay per event (see the **Pricing** tab):

- **Backlink**: per backlink returned
- **Referring domain**: per referring domain returned
- **Link gap site scanned**: per site compared (you + each competitor; covers its top 1,000 referring domains)
- **Link opportunity**: per link-gap prospect returned

Empty results and invalid inputs are free, and the Actor stops at your maximum-charge limit.

### More SEO tools from the same developer

- [Bulk Domain Authority & Backlink Checker](https://apify.com/jesting_grass/bulk-domain-authority-checker): domain rank and backlink totals for thousands of domains
- [Keyword Research Tool](https://apify.com/jesting_grass/keyword-research-tool): search volume, difficulty, intent and AI Overviews
- [Google Trends Scraper & API](https://apify.com/jesting_grass/google-trends-api): interest over time, rising queries and regions
- [Tech Stack Detector](https://apify.com/jesting_grass/tech-stack-detector): CMS, ecommerce, analytics and payments behind any website

### FAQ

**Where does the data come from?** From a commercial, continuously crawled backlink index. Nothing is scraped from Ahrefs or Semrush, so there are no logins, captchas or blocked runs.

**Why do counts differ from Ahrefs or Semrush?** Each vendor crawls the web with its own crawler, so every index finds a different set of links. Use one tool consistently when you compare sites.

**Is it legal?** Backlinks are public links on public web pages; no personal data is collected.

*Not affiliated with Ahrefs, Semrush or Moz; names are used for comparison only.*

# Actor input Schema

## `mode` (type: `string`):

Backlinks: every link pointing to your targets (source URL, anchor, dofollow, authority). Referring domains: one row per website linking to the target. Link gap: websites that link to your competitors but not to you — ready-made link-building prospects.

## `targets` (type: `array`):

For Backlinks and Referring domains. E.g. example.com or https://example.com/blog/post. Not used in Link gap mode.

## `targetType` (type: `string`):

Domain: links to the whole site incl. subdomains. Host: only that exact hostname. URL: only that one page.

## `maxResultsPerTarget` (type: `integer`):

Maximum rows per target (1–10,000). Results are sorted by authority, strongest first. You pay only for rows returned.

## `sortBy` (type: `string`):

Backlinks mode only.

## `dofollowOnly` (type: `boolean`):

Backlinks mode: skip nofollow links.

## `onePerDomain` (type: `boolean`):

Backlinks mode: return only the best link from each linking website — great for outreach lists.

## `minDomainRank` (type: `integer`):

Only return links / domains from websites at or above this authority. Filtered rows are not billed.

## `anchorContains` (type: `string`):

Backlinks mode: only links whose anchor text contains this word or phrase (e.g. your brand).

## `yourDomain` (type: `string`):

Link gap mode: your website, e.g. allbirds.com.

## `competitors` (type: `array`):

Link gap mode: 1–10 competitor websites. We compare the top 1,000 referring domains of each site and return the ones linking to competitors but not to you.

## `minCompetitorsLinked` (type: `integer`):

Only return sites that link to at least this many of your competitors. 2+ gives the hottest prospects.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "mode": "backlinks",
  "targets": [
    "allbirds.com"
  ],
  "targetType": "domain",
  "maxResultsPerTarget": 20,
  "sortBy": "domain_inlink_rank",
  "dofollowOnly": false,
  "onePerDomain": false,
  "minCompetitorsLinked": 1
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

No description

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "targets": [
        "allbirds.com"
    ],
    "maxResultsPerTarget": 20
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("jesting_grass/backlink-checker").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "targets": ["allbirds.com"],
    "maxResultsPerTarget": 20,
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("jesting_grass/backlink-checker").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "targets": [
    "allbirds.com"
  ],
  "maxResultsPerTarget": 20
}' |
apify call jesting_grass/backlink-checker --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,jesting_grass/backlink-checker"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/de58GFwyuL6gICawd/builds/1FcHE8GhCDdN0RZP9/openapi.json