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Broken Link Checker

By WPMU DEV - Your All-in-One WordPress Platform

Site Administration & Utilities / URL Redirects & 301 Management

Broken Link Checker Review - In-Depth Analysis

Broken Link Checker helps you catch broken links and images quickly, protecting your SEO and user experience. Easily scan and bulk-fix issues from one dashboard.

Performance Overview

WPS Score

7.14/10

User Rating

3.8/5 (based on 592+ reviews)

Active Installations

500,000+

Update Frequency

Excellent It is calculated using the weighted average of same category plugins.

Security Score

4.88 / 10 (Low Risk) It is calculated using the weighted average of all versions.

What It Does

Automatically monitor your WordPress site for broken links and missing images, so you can fix them proactively and protect your SEO.

Broken links aren’t just annoying for your visitors, they negatively impact your rankings and make your site look outdated and untrustworthy. But manually checking hundreds of links? Ain’t nobody got time for that!

Broken Link Checker detects issues 20x faster and more accurately than other plugins, thanks to cloud-based link checking. This powerful plugin scans your pages, posts, comments and custom fields, spotting broken or redirected URLs and giving you a quick way to fix them all from one centralized dashboard.

With over 17 million downloads and 50,000+ broken links found daily, Broken Link Checker leaves no URL behind. You can even receive email alerts when something breaks, so you’re never caught off guard.

Every broken link is a strike against your credibility, and your SEO score. But staying on top of them can feel like fighting a never-ending battle. Broken Link Checker gives you an easy way to scan your content and fix issues before anyone notices.

Whether you’re maintaining a personal blog, a client-heavy agency setup, or a content-rich eCommerce site, this plugin saves hours of manual work and helps you keep things tidy.

Broken Link Checker scans your site deeply and frequently, to make sure no broken links are missed. The plugin will scan every inch of your sites, including within posts, pages, custom post types, comments and even embedded media, to ensure your site’s SEO and user experience are not compromised in any way.

Choose how and when you want to be notified about broken links. You can receive instant email alerts, get a summary in your WordPress dashboard, and stay in control with flexible scan settings that meet your needs.

Broken Link Checker makes it easy to fine-tune your scan settings, with search and filtering tools that help you check what really matters. Look for specific URLs, or filter by status or error type.

Manage broken links efficiently. No need to dig through old posts. Broken Link Checker lets you resolve all detected links right from your BLC dashboard. Bulk action means you can clean up dozens of links from the plugin interface with just a few clicks.

Comparing to Alternatives

Broken Link Checker is a popular free plugin for detecting broken links on WordPress sites. Compared to alternatives like Link Checker Professional, it offers basic link monitoring without premium features.

Top alternatives

Link Checker Professional ( WPS: 6.64)

Strengths

Free and easy to use with no upfront cost
Monitors links within posts, comments, and custom fields
Provides notifications for broken links
Integrates directly into WordPress dashboard

Weaknesses

Local scanning engine can mark valid links as broken
Cloud scanning requires paid subscription not included in plugin
Occasional false positives especially with social media links
No official pro version or advanced features

User Sentiment Analysis

User feedback reveals a mix of appreciation for the plugin's utility and frustration with its accuracy and cloud features.

Positive highlights

"Awesome plugin. Solved my issues." - coolbie
"A very helpful plugin that I've been using locally for many years." - nmrockswp
"It works" - walter526877

Common complaints

Local engine marks working images as broken
Cloud service requires paid subscription and is unreliable
Plugin falsely marks correct social media links as broken
Broken links are sometimes incorrectly struck through on the frontend
Cloud scanning stops prematurely and does not resume

Weaknesses

False positives require manual correction
Cloud scanning limitations frustrate users
Language and translation issues reported
Lack of ongoing updates and support concerns

Who Should Use This?

Best for

Users seeking a free, straightforward tool to identify broken links within their WordPress site without needing advanced features or cloud scanning.

Not ideal for

Users requiring highly accurate link checking, reliable cloud-based scanning, or professional support should consider paid alternatives or plugins with active development.

Pricing & Value

Free version includes

The free version includes local scanning of posts, pages, comments, and custom fields for broken links with notifications within the WordPress dashboard.

Final Verdict

Broken Link Checker remains a useful free plugin for basic broken link detection integrated into WordPress. However, its local scanning engine can produce false positives, and the cloud scanning option is tied to a paid service that many users find unreliable.

Users looking for a hassle-free, accurate, and fully supported broken link solution may need to explore premium alternatives. For those on a budget, this plugin offers a decent starting point but requires manual oversight.

Other Notable Features

Here are a few other notable features of this free Broken Link Checker plugin.

Broken links

SEO monitoring

Link management

Screenshots

FAQ

Yes! The plugin is completely free and includes all the core scanning features. The plugin works either locally on your own server, or 20x faster, better and more accurately on WPMU DEV cloud servers. The Local version only works in your site admin, while the Cloud version works in both your site admin and in your Hub.

The cloud version requires a connection to WPMU DEV to access its API. However, you don’t need to be a premium WPMU DEV member to access the cloud version! You can create a free Hub account (with some restrictions) directly in the plugin while settings things up.