Internal Link Checker: The 6 Best Tools to Find and Fix Link Issues in 2026
Most link checkers only find problems. These 6 tools are ranked by whether they can actually fix them — not just report them.
Internal Link Checker: The 6 Best Tools to Find and Fix Link Issues in 2026
Most internal link problems are invisible until they cost you. A page that should be getting links from a dozen related posts sits orphaned with none. A link that used to point to your best-converting page now resolves to a 404 because you changed the URL six months ago. A topic cluster you built carefully has broken down because posts were updated without updating the links inside them.
An internal link checker surfaces all of this. It crawls your site, maps every link, and tells you what's missing, broken, or underperforming — so you can fix it before it affects rankings.
The question is which tool to use. Some only audit. Some suggest fixes but leave the work to you. One actually fixes the links automatically. Here are the six best internal link checker tools in 2026, ranked by what they can actually do for your site.
What to Look for in an Internal Link Checker
Not all internal link checkers are created equal. Before choosing, it's worth being clear about what problem you're solving:
- Broken link detection — finding links that 404 or redirect incorrectly
- Orphan page detection — finding pages with no inbound internal links
- Link opportunity discovery — finding pages that should be linking to each other but aren't
- Fix capability — whether the tool just tells you what's wrong or actually fixes it
The best tools handle all four. Most handle the first two well and fall short on the last one. That gap — between diagnosing and fixing — is where the tools on this list diverge most sharply.
The 6 Best Internal Link Checker Tools in 2026
1. Linkbot — Best for Checking AND Automatically Fixing Internal Links
Best for: Sites that want to find internal link problems and resolve them automatically, without manual link-by-link editing.
Every other tool on this list will tell you what's wrong with your internal links. Linkbot is the only one that also fixes it.
That distinction matters more than it sounds. A site with 300 pages might have 600 broken or missing internal links. An audit tool gives you a spreadsheet. Linkbot gives you a fixed site.
Linkbot works by crawling your content, identifying link opportunities based on semantic relevance (not just keyword matching), and placing links automatically across your pages. At the same time, its audit layer surfaces broken links, orphan pages, and link distribution gaps — the same visibility you'd get from a dedicated checker, combined with automated remediation.
The other major differentiator: platform support. Linkbot works on WordPress, Shopify, Webflow, and headless CMS environments. If your site lives outside WordPress, it's one of the only tools on this list that works at all.
Key features: - Full internal link audit: broken links, orphan pages, link distribution - Automatic link placement — fixes opportunities without manual editing - AI-powered relevance analysis (semantic, not just keyword-based) - Works across WordPress, Shopify, Webflow, and headless CMS - Reporting dashboard with link health metrics
Pricing: Plans start at linkbot.com/pricing. Free trial available.
The verdict: If your goal is to understand your internal link health AND improve it without spending hours making manual edits, Linkbot is the only tool that does both in one workflow.
2. Screaming Frog SEO Spider — Best for Deep Technical Link Audits
Best for: Technical SEOs and agencies who need complete, detailed crawl data on a site's internal link structure.
Screaming Frog is the industry standard for crawl-based site audits. Its internal link analysis is thorough: it maps every link on every page, identifies broken internal links, surfaces redirect chains, reports orphan pages, and gives you complete inlink/outlink counts per URL.
What it doesn't do is fix anything. The output is data — accurate, deep, and indispensable data — but turning that data into action requires manual work or a separate tool. For agencies managing multiple client sites at the audit phase, Screaming Frog is often the first tool in the workflow, not the last.
Key features: - Full site crawl with complete internal link mapping - Broken internal link detection (3xx, 4xx, 5xx) - Orphan page identification via crawl and sitemap comparison - Anchor text analysis across all internal links - Inlink count per URL — identify under-linked pages - XML sitemap comparison
Pricing: Free up to 500 URLs. Paid license at £199/year for unlimited crawls.
The verdict: Best-in-class audit depth. Essential for complex sites and agency workflows. Produces the diagnosis; you supply the treatment.
3. Ahrefs Site Audit — Best for Link Health Inside a Full SEO Platform
Best for: Teams already using Ahrefs for keyword and backlink research who want internal link health integrated into their existing SEO workflow.
Ahrefs Site Audit crawls your site on a scheduled basis and flags internal link issues as part of a broader SEO health report. Internal link coverage includes broken links, redirect chains, orphan pages, and pages with too few or too many internal links. The advantage over a standalone tool like Screaming Frog is that this data sits alongside your keyword rankings, backlink profile, and content data in one platform.
The tradeoff: Ahrefs Site Audit is a feature inside a broader subscription, not a dedicated link checker. If internal linking is your primary concern, you're paying for a lot of platform you may not need.
Key features: - Scheduled crawls with internal link health reporting - Broken link and redirect chain detection - Orphan page identification - Integration with keyword and backlink data - Link opportunity reporting
Pricing: Ahrefs starts at $129/month. Site Audit included on all plans.
The verdict: Best choice if you're already an Ahrefs subscriber. Strong auditing capability, but overkill if internal link checking is your only need.
4. Semrush Site Audit — Best for Enterprise Teams on Semrush
Best for: Marketing teams and agencies already running Semrush who want internal link audits as part of their SEO reporting suite.
Semrush Site Audit covers internal link issues within its broader site health scoring system. Internal link checks include broken links, orphan pages, crawl depth analysis, and a dedicated internal linking report that scores how well your pages distribute link equity. The crawl is cloud-based, which means it runs on Semrush's infrastructure rather than your machine — convenient for teams that don't want to manage a desktop crawler.
Like Ahrefs, the limitation is that you're getting a feature inside a platform, not a purpose-built link checker. And Semrush's pricing reflects that platform scope.
Key features: - Cloud-based site crawl with internal link health metrics - Broken link and redirect detection - Internal link distribution scoring (link equity flow analysis) - Orphan page report - Integration with position tracking and content audit tools
Pricing: Semrush starts at $139.95/month.
The verdict: Solid choice for existing Semrush users. The internal link distribution scoring is genuinely useful. For everyone else, the cost-to-value ratio for this specific use case is hard to justify.
5. LinkStorm — Best for WordPress Users Wanting Link Audits + Suggestions
Best for: WordPress site owners who want internal link checking and suggestions inside their CMS, without a full SEO platform subscription.
LinkStorm combines a basic internal link audit layer with AI-powered link suggestions, all inside WordPress. It surfaces orphan pages, highlights pages with weak internal link profiles, and suggests specific links you can add — with one-click insertion from the dashboard.
It doesn't have the crawl depth of Screaming Frog or the platform integration of Ahrefs, but for a WordPress-focused team that wants actionable link recommendations without leaving their CMS, it's a practical choice.
Key features: - Orphan page detection inside WordPress - Weak page identification (pages with few inbound links) - AI link suggestions with one-click insertion - WordPress-only
Pricing: Subscription-based; competitive with Link Whisper.
The verdict: Good all-in-one for WordPress teams. The suggestions are useful, but it's a check-and-suggest model — you still make each fix manually.
6. Google Search Console — Best Free Starting Point
Best for: Site owners in the early stages who want basic internal link visibility at no cost before investing in a dedicated tool.
Google Search Console's Links report shows which pages on your site have the most internal links pointing to them, and which anchor texts are most commonly used. It doesn't crawl for broken links or identify orphan pages directly, but the coverage data gives you a starting picture of your internal link distribution — and it's free.
The limitations are significant for serious use: no broken link detection, no orphan page report, no link opportunity discovery. But as a free health check before committing to a paid tool, it's the obvious first step.
Key features: - Internal links report: top linked-to pages + anchor text breakdown - Free, no crawl budget required - Data reflects Google's actual crawl, not a simulated one
Pricing: Free.
The verdict: A useful baseline, not a complete solution. Use it to understand your current state, then graduate to a dedicated tool for anything beyond that.
Comparison: Audit-Only vs. Check + Fix
| Tool | Finds Issues | Fixes Issues | Platform Support | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linkbot | ✅ | ✅ | WordPress, Shopify, Webflow, Headless | Paid (free trial) |
| Screaming Frog | ✅ | ❌ | Any (desktop crawler) | Free / £199/yr |
| Ahrefs Site Audit | ✅ | ❌ | Any | From $129/mo |
| Semrush Site Audit | ✅ | ❌ | Any | From $139.95/mo |
| LinkStorm | ✅ | Manual only | WordPress only | Paid |
| Google Search Console | Partial | ❌ | Any | Free |
The critical column is "Fixes Issues." Every tool on this list except Linkbot produces a report. Linkbot produces a fix.
How to Choose
You need an audit only (agency, one-time project): Screaming Frog is the most thorough crawl-based checker available. If you're already paying for Ahrefs or Semrush, use their built-in audit features.
You're on WordPress and want suggestions inside your CMS: LinkStorm gives you checking and suggestions in one plugin without leaving WordPress.
You want to understand your starting point for free: Google Search Console's Links report is the right first step.
You want to find problems AND fix them automatically — especially at scale or on a non-WordPress platform: Linkbot is the only tool that handles the complete workflow. The combination of checking, suggestion, and automated fix in a single platform — with support beyond WordPress — is what separates it from the rest of the list.
The Bottom Line
Most internal link checkers do one thing well: they show you what's broken. The audit is valuable. But an audit that isn't acted on doesn't improve your rankings.
The tools that only identify problems hand the work back to you. For a 50-page site, that's manageable. For anything larger — or for any team running multiple client sites — the gap between finding issues and fixing them is where link health improvement breaks down.
Linkbot closes that gap. If you're evaluating internal link checkers with the intent to actually improve your site, not just document its current state, that difference is worth taking seriously.
Internal links to include: - Best internal linking tools in 2026 — "best internal linking tools" - Best Link Whisper alternatives — "Link Whisper alternatives" - Internal linking strategy guide — "internal linking strategy" - linkbot.com — "Linkbot" - linkbot.com/features — "Linkbot's features"
Tags: Internal Linking Tools, Internal Link Checker, SEO Tools