--- title: "The 5 Best Tools to Detect Broken Links and Embeds" date: 2025-03-07 author: "Remkus de Vries" featured_image: "https://scanfully.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/The-5-Best-Tools-to-Detect-Broken-Links-and-Embeds.webp" categories: - name: "Site Health" url: "/category/site-health.md" tags: - name: "Audit" url: "/tag/audit.md" --- # The 5 Best Tools to Detect Broken Links and Embeds A broken link leaves readers without the resource you promised. A failed tutorial embed can make the explanation impossible to follow. I once stumbled upon an article promising to be “**The Definitive Guide to Mastering Obsidian for PKM**“. Jackpot, I thought. But every external link was broken. Every. Single. One. Even the video that embedded. It felt like opening a treasure chest only to find it empty. Needless to say, I left that site super annoyed, and never returned. Link-checking tools can identify failures across your site so you can locate and repair them. ## Five Tools to Detect Broken Links and Embeds ### 1. **Screaming Frog SEO Spider** **Overview:** Screaming Frog [SEO Spider](https://www.screamingfrog.co.uk/seo-spider/) crawls websites to identify broken links and embeds. ![Screaming frog](https://scanfully.com/acd-cgi/img/v1/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/screaming-frog-scaled.webp?dpr=1&f=auto&fit=cover&height=1017&q=85&width=1600)**Key Features:** - **Comprehensive Crawling:** Scans your entire website to detect broken links and embeds. - **Detailed Reports:** Provides extensive reports on link errors, HTTP status codes, and more. - **Custom Filters:** Allows users to customize the scan by setting specific parameters. **Pricing:** Screaming Frog offers a free version with limited features. The paid plan, which unlocks full capabilities, is available at £149.00 per year. ### 2. **Ahrefs** **Overview:** Ahrefs is a well-known SEO toolset with an in-depth broken link checker that helps maintain website integrity. Their Broken links checking tool [is a great one](https://ahrefs.com/broken-link-checker). ![Ahrefs](https://scanfully.com/acd-cgi/img/v1/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/ahrefs-scaled.webp?dpr=1&f=auto&fit=cover&height=821&q=85&width=1600)**Key Features:** - **Broken Link Alerts:** Sends notifications when broken links are detected. - **Comprehensive Data:** Offers insights on backlinks, internal links, and outbound links. - **User-Friendly Interface:** Easy to navigate, making it accessible for users of all expertise levels. **Pricing:** Ahrefs offers plans starting at $99 per month, which include access to their full suite of SEO tools. ### 3. **W3C Link Checker** **Overview:** [W3C Link Checker](https://validator.w3.org/checklink) is a free, web-based tool for detecting broken links. ![W3C](https://scanfully.com/acd-cgi/img/v1/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/w3c-.webp?dpr=1&f=auto&fit=cover&height=1024&q=85&width=1598)**Key Features:** - **Easy-to-Use:** Enter a URL to quickly scan for broken links. - **Detailed Output:** Provides a comprehensive list of broken links and related information. - **Customizable Options:** Allows users to set specific check parameters. **Pricing:** This tool is available for free, making it an accessible option for small websites and individual webmasters. ### 4. **Google Search Console** **Overview:** Google Search Console provides tools for monitoring website performance and identifying problems found during Google’s crawls. ![Google Search Console](https://scanfully.com/acd-cgi/img/v1/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/google-search-console-scaled.webp?dpr=1&f=auto&fit=cover&height=648&q=85&width=1600)**Key Features:** - **Link Reports:** Provides detailed reports on link errors found by Google crawlers. - **SEO Insights:** Offers insights into how broken links impact search performance. - **Integration Options:** Easily integrates with other Google services for comprehensive analysis. **Pricing:** Google Search Console is a free tool provided by Google. ### 5. **Broken Link Monitor** **Overview:** Specifically designed for WordPress sites, Broken Link Monitor is part of Scanfully’s Content Health features, alongside the Broken Media Monitor. ![Scanfully Broken Links Monitoring results](https://scanfully.com/acd-cgi/img/v1/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/broken-links.webp?dpr=1&f=auto&fit=cover&height=704&q=85&width=1600)**Key Features:** - **Automated Scans:** Scans your WordPress site for broken links, internal and external. - **Dashboard Alerts:** Provides alerts directly on your WordPress dashboard. - **Editing Links:** Open the affected WordPress content from the dashboard, then edit or remove the link. **Pricing:** The feature is part of [Scanfully’s pricing](https://scanfully.com/pricing/) per site. You’ll also get the [Broken Media Monitor](https://scanfully.com/broken-media-monitoring-for-wordpress/), [Uptime monitoring](https://scanfully.com/features/uptime-monitoring/), [WordPress Activity Log,](https://scanfully.com/wordpress-activity-log/) and much more for that same price. --- ## So Which One Do You Pick? Consider **Screaming Frog SEO Spider** or **Ahrefs** if you also need the broader crawl and SEO features described above. Compare those features with your needs before paying for the larger toolset. The **W3C Link Checker** and **Google Search Console** offer free ways to start checking for link problems. For WordPress sites, our **[Broken Link Monitor for WordPress](https://scanfully.com/broken-links-monitor-for-wordpress/)** provides automated scans and links from the report to the affected content.