Guest post services sell placements on other sites for a fee, from about $72 a link at FATJOE to $375 at Editorial.link, with PressWhizz's marketplace averaging $164 per guest post. None is "best" in general. The better question is whether you want a dofollow link or a tagged sponsored one, because Google treats paid links differently from editorial ones.
You have a budget, a list of vendors that all promise "high DA, real traffic, permanent links", and a nagging worry that you will pay $300 for a link that does nothing. This comparison uses each company's own pages, checked on October 13, 2026, and tells you what to ask before you pay.
Disclosure: we make Backlinkster, a link exchange platform that is not a guest post service. It appears near the end so you can see where it does and does not fit.
What guest post services actually sell
A guest post service sells placement, not performance. You pay for an article or link to appear on a third-party site, and the vendor handles outreach, writing or publishing. The model comes in three forms: a per-link order, a marketplace where you pick the site, and an agency retainer. This page covers the first two; the top link building companies covers agencies.
"In the USA" matters less than it sounds. Most services work with sites in many countries, and what matters is where the linking site's readers are, not where the vendor sits.
Three guest post services compared
| Service | Model | Starting price | Delivery | Guarantee stated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FATJOE | Blogger outreach, niche edits | $72 per link | 14 days | 100% money back; lifetime replacement of removed links |
| Editorial.link | Per-link and packages | $375 base; $350 each for 5; $300 each for 20 | Premium placements can take longer than 2 to 4 weeks | None stated |
| PressWhizz | Marketplace of publishers | Avg. $164 per guest post (July 2026 data) | 95% of orders within 24 hours, some sites up to 2 weeks | Link replaced within 7 days if removed in 12 months |
What each one says about itself, and what to watch:
- FATJOE describes its blogger outreach as "ghost posting, not guest posting", so you should ask who writes the article and who owns the byline. The page reports 896 Blogger Outreach orders in the last 30 days, which shows volume, not quality. It does not state DR bands or whether links are dofollow on that page.
- Editorial.link lists permanent dofollow editorial links on DR 50 to 90 sites in its Startup and Growth packages, with traffic of 5k+ shown. It states no guarantee, and the page does not say whether links are marked as sponsored.
- PressWhizz claims 72,000+ curated websites across 90+ countries, one-time fees and no subscription links, and says its sites are vetted and not PBNs. It disclaims responsibility for your anchor text and link velocity, and its page does not address sponsored labelling. Its July 2026 pricing analysis of 22,703 placements found guest posts averaged $164 against $112 for link insertions.
The rule that decides what you are buying
If you pay for a link, Google expects it to be tagged. Its spam policies list "buying or selling links for ranking purposes" as link spam, and say paid links are acceptable only when qualified with rel="nofollow" or rel="sponsored". A service that promises a followed link in return for money is selling something Google says it does not want, and the risk lands on your site.
So price the service for what it can legally deliver: readers on a relevant site, a byline, a brand mention. A tagged link still has value as exposure and does not pass ranking credit. Are sponsored links worth anything covers what you do get. For the earned alternative, Google's 2017 guidance separates informative articles from large-scale link campaigns, and does guest posting still work explains where that leaves paid posts.
Questions to ask before you pay
Ask these in writing and keep the answers.
- Can I see the exact site before I pay, with its recent traffic and sample posts?
- Is the link tagged sponsored, nofollow, or neither? (An honest "it depends on the site" is acceptable. Silence is not.)
- Who writes the article, and do I approve it?
- What happens if the link is removed, and for how long is the replacement valid?
- Do you sell links to my competitors on the same site?
- What is the total including writing, not only the placement fee?
Ahrefs' outreach study found "write for us" sites that responded asked for payment about half the time, at an average of $77.80, before writing costs (Ahrefs). Compare any quote with that figure and with the cost of guest posting.
When Backlinkster is not the right fit
Backlinkster is a peer-to-peer swap: two site owners publish each other's articles, each swap is verified by API, and the link must be an article URL on the member's own domain. Free members get 5 swaps a month, Pro is $19 and Backlinkster is $49.
It is the wrong tool if you need a placement on a specific named publication, if your site has no articles to swap, or if you want a done-for-you service where someone else writes everything. Those are the jobs services above do. It suits owners who have content and want relevant links without paying per placement. How the two routes differ is in guest posting vs link exchange.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best guest post services in the USA? There is no single best. FATJOE, Editorial.link and PressWhizz differ on price, delivery and guarantees, and none removes the need to check each site yourself.
How much do guest post services cost? Prices run from $72 per link at FATJOE to $375 per link at Editorial.link. PressWhizz's July 2026 data put the average guest post at $164.
Are paid guest posts safe for SEO? Only if you accept that the link may be tagged sponsored. Google treats paid links without that tag as link spam, so a followed paid link is a risk to your site.
Can I buy dofollow guest posts? Services advertise them, but Google's policy says paid links should be nofollow or sponsored. A vendor promising dofollow for money is promising something Google does not want.
How do I check a guest post service is legitimate? Ask for the site list and live examples, read independent reviews, confirm refund and replacement terms in writing, and be wary of anyone guaranteeing rankings. How to tell if an SEO agency is legit has more red flags.
Is it better to do guest posting myself? It costs time instead of money and produces editorial links. Expect roughly several weeks per accepted post. See how to write a guest post that gets accepted.
Related: Top guest posting sites · What is guest posting · Link exchange vs buying backlinks