# Backlinks Checker - Referring Domains, Anchors & Domain Rank (`tenfoldfleet/backlinks-checker`) Actor

Check the backlinks of any domain or URL: list every backlink with anchor text, dofollow flag, first seen date and source domain rank, plus referring domains and a backlink summary. $4.00 per 1,000 backlinks plus $0.06 per domain; domains with no data and errors are free.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/tenfoldfleet/backlinks-checker.md
- **Developed by:** [Tenfold Fleet](https://apify.com/tenfoldfleet) (community)
- **Categories:** SEO tools, Marketing, Developer tools
- **Stats:** 1 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $4.00 / 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

### What does Backlinks Checker do?

**Backlinks Checker** is a **backlink checker API** for any domain or page. Give it a list of websites and it returns:

- a **backlink summary** per site: domain rank, total **backlinks**, **referring domains**, referring IPs, dofollow and nofollow counts, broken backlinks and **spam score**;
- the **list of backlinks**: source URL, source page title, **anchor text**, **dofollow** flag, source domain rank, first and last seen dates, new or lost status;
- or the **list of referring domains**: each linking domain with its rank, number of backlinks and first seen date.

The data comes from the DataForSEO backlink index, a licensed database of live and lost links that is re-crawled continuously. Nothing is scraped from Ahrefs or Semrush, so there are no CAPTCHAs, no proxies and no "top 100 links only" limit: you get up to **10,000 backlinks per domain**.

### Why use it?

- **Link building and outreach:** list the sites that link to your competitors and pitch them.
- **SEO audits:** check a client's backlink profile, dofollow ratio, spam score and lost links.
- **Domain due diligence:** compare the domain rank and referring domains of many sites before you buy a domain, a website or a guest post.
- **Monitoring:** schedule a run and track new and lost backlinks over time.
- **Automation and AI agents:** call it through the Apify API, MCP, Make, Zapier or n8n and get clean JSON.

### What data can it extract?

| Row type | Fields |
|---|---|
| `summary` | target, rank, backlinks, dofollowBacklinks, nofollowBacklinks, referringDomains, referringDomainsNofollow, referringMainDomains, referringIps, referringSubnets, referringPages, spamScore, brokenBacklinks, brokenPages, firstSeen, topReferringTlds, linkTypes |
| `backlink` | target, sourceUrl, sourceDomain, sourceDomainRank, sourcePageRank, sourceTitle, targetUrl, anchor, dofollow, attributes, itemType, semanticLocation, spamScore, isNew, isLost, isBroken, firstSeen, prevSeen, lastSeen |
| `referringDomain` | target, domain, rank, backlinks, dofollowBacklinks, referringPages, spamScore, brokenBacklinks, firstSeen, lostDate |
| `error` | target, input, error (free: invalid input, no data, skipped) |

### How to check backlinks

1. Click **Try for free** and open the **Input** tab.
2. Add the domains or URLs to check. A bare domain (`apify.com`) covers the whole site with its subdomains; a URL with a path checks one page.
3. Pick **What to list**: backlinks, referring domains or summary only.
4. Set **Max rows per target** (up to 10,000), and optionally **Dofollow only**, **One backlink per domain** or **Backlink status** (live, lost or all).
5. Click **Start**, then download the results as JSON, CSV or Excel, or read them through the API.

### How much does it cost to check backlinks?

Pay per result, no subscription:

- **$4.00 per 1,000 backlinks** (or referring domains), $0.004 each;
- **$0.06 per domain** with backlink data (the summary row);
- domains with no backlinks, invalid input and failed lookups are **free**.

Checking 1 domain with 100 backlinks costs $0.46. Checking 1,000 backlinks of a competitor costs $4.06. Summary-only mode checks the domain rank and totals of 100 domains for $6.

Free Apify plan users can try it on 1 target and 10 rows per run (backlink or referring-domain rows only, no summary row), because each lookup costs the developer a data fee. A free run that repeats a lookup from the last 7 days gets the stored answer of that lookup (the run log says so); paid runs always fetch live data.

### Input

```json
{
    "targets": ["apify.com", "https://crawlee.dev/docs/quick-start"],
    "mode": "backlinks",
    "maxRowsPerTarget": 100,
    "dofollowOnly": false,
    "onePerDomain": true,
    "status": "live"
}
```

### Output

On a paid plan each target gives one `summary` row, then its backlink rows, strongest source domains first. Download the dataset as JSON, CSV, Excel, XML or HTML.

```json
[
    {
        "type": "summary",
        "target": "apify.com",
        "rank": 552,
        "backlinks": 1877825,
        "dofollowBacklinks": 967206,
        "nofollowBacklinks": 910619,
        "referringDomains": 13247,
        "referringMainDomains": 10722,
        "referringIps": 8477,
        "spamScore": 18,
        "brokenBacklinks": 21108,
        "firstSeen": "2019-01-16 11:42:42 +00:00"
    },
    {
        "type": "backlink",
        "target": "apify.com",
        "sourceUrl": "https://crawlee.dev/",
        "sourceDomain": "crawlee.dev",
        "sourceDomainRank": 559,
        "sourcePageRank": 749,
        "sourceTitle": "Crawlee · Build reliable crawlers. Fast.",
        "targetUrl": "https://apify.com/",
        "anchor": "Apify platform",
        "dofollow": true,
        "attributes": ["noopener", "noreferrer"],
        "itemType": "anchor",
        "isNew": false,
        "isLost": false,
        "firstSeen": "2022-07-14 12:29:56 +00:00",
        "lastSeen": "2026-10-06 17:24:45 +00:00"
    }
]
```

### Tips

- Use **One backlink per domain** to see as many different linking sites as possible per 1,000 rows.
- Use **Referring domains** mode for outreach lists: one row per site instead of one per link.
- Use **Summary only** to compare many domains cheaply: one $0.06 row per domain.
- Set **Backlink status** to `lost` to find links you lost and can try to win back.
- Set a **max cost per run** in the run options: the Actor stops before buying data you have not budgeted for.

### FAQ

#### Is the rank the same as Ahrefs Domain Rating?

No. `rank` is DataForSEO's own 0-1000 rank, computed from the links in its index (apify.com measures 552). It is not Ahrefs DR, Moz DA or Semrush Authority Score, and the numbers are not interchangeable, but it orders sites the same way: stronger sites have a higher rank.

#### How are dofollow and nofollow counted?

Backlink rows carry the `dofollow` flag and the link's `attributes` (nofollow, ugc, sponsored, noopener). In summary and referring-domain rows, `nofollowBacklinks` is the number of backlinks with a nofollow attribute and `dofollowBacklinks` is the rest.

#### Why do the totals differ from Ahrefs or Semrush?

Every backlink index crawls the web differently, so totals never match between tools. Compare sites within one tool.

#### What if a domain has no backlinks?

You get one free `error` row saying no backlinks were found, and you are not charged. Invalid entries, duplicates and lookups that fail are free `error` rows too, and the run carries on with the next target.

#### Can I use it with AI agents?

Yes. Call it through the Apify MCP server or API with a plain list of domains.

### Disclaimer

The Actor returns public link data from a licensed third-party index. It does not log in to or scrape any SEO tool. Use the data in line with the terms of the sites you contact.

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|---|---|
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| [Amazon Product Scraper - Details, Prices & Search by ASIN](https://apify.com/tenfoldfleet/amazon-product-scraper) | product |
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| [Businesses Without Websites - Local Leads with Phone & Rating](https://apify.com/tenfoldfleet/businesses-without-websites) | lead |
| [Contact Details Scraper - One Lead Record per Company Website](https://apify.com/tenfoldfleet/company-contact-finder) | website with contacts |
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| [Google Keyword Planner Alternative - Ideas, Bids & Volume](https://apify.com/tenfoldfleet/google-keyword-planner) | keyword idea |
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# Actor input Schema

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

Websites to check, up to 100 per run. A bare domain (apify.com) covers the whole site including subdomains; a full URL with a path (https://apify.com/store) checks that one page.

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

backlinks: one row per backlink (source URL, anchor, dofollow, dates). referringDomains: one row per linking domain with its rank and backlink count. summaryOnly: just the summary row per target (domain rank, totals), the cheapest way to check many domains.

## `maxRowsPerTarget` (type: `integer`):

Most backlinks or referring domains to return per target, strongest source domains first. Up to 10,000.

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

Only dofollow backlinks (skip nofollow). In referring-domains mode, counts only each domain's dofollow backlinks.

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

Backlinks mode: return only the strongest backlink from each linking domain, so you see more distinct sites per 1,000 rows.

## `status` (type: `string`):

live: backlinks found on the latest crawl. lost: backlinks that were removed. all: both.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "targets": [
    "apify.com"
  ],
  "mode": "backlinks",
  "maxRowsPerTarget": 100,
  "dofollowOnly": false,
  "onePerDomain": false,
  "status": "live"
}
```

# 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": [
        "apify.com"
    ],
    "maxRowsPerTarget": 100
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("tenfoldfleet/backlinks-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": ["apify.com"],
    "maxRowsPerTarget": 100,
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("tenfoldfleet/backlinks-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": [
    "apify.com"
  ],
  "maxRowsPerTarget": 100
}' |
apify call tenfoldfleet/backlinks-checker --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,tenfoldfleet/backlinks-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/2CqqmsZSXbu6NzyBO/builds/8JGfWRHi1jYouRb5p/openapi.json