The best internal linking tools split into two jobs. Auditors find problems: Google Search Console (free), Screaming Frog (free to 500 URLs, £199 a year after), Ahrefs Webmaster Tools (free) and Sitebulb. Suggestion plugins help you add links while you write: Link Whisper, Yoast SEO Premium and Rank Math. Most sites need one of each.
You have 300 posts, you know your internal linking is a mess, and every "best tools" list you open is written by one of the tools on it. What you actually need to know is which tool does which job, what it costs, and whether the free version is enough for a site your size.
We make Backlinkster, a link exchange for links from other sites. It is not an internal linking tool, so it isn't ranked here. Every price below was checked on the vendor's own site on 18 October 2026; where a price wasn't shown, we say so.
Internal linking tools at a glance
Pick the auditor that fits your site size, then decide whether you want suggestions inside the editor.
| Tool | Job | Free option | Paid price (checked 18 Oct 2026) | Works on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Search Console | Audit (sample of links) | Free | None | Any verified site |
| Screaming Frog SEO Spider | Audit (full crawl) | Up to 500 URLs per crawl | £199 per licence a year | Desktop app, any site |
| Ahrefs Webmaster Tools | Audit and link opportunities | Free for verified sites | Paid Ahrefs plans not compared here | Any verified site |
| Sitebulb | Audit (full crawl) | 14-day trial | Price not confirmed on its pricing page | Desktop or cloud, any site |
| Link Whisper | Suggestions while writing | Free plugin with basic suggestions | From $97 a year for 1 site | WordPress |
| Yoast SEO Premium | Suggestions while writing | No (Premium feature) | $118.80 a year, excluding VAT | WordPress |
| Rank Math | Suggestions while writing | Plugin is free; suggestion tier unclear | PRO pricing on its site | WordPress block editor |
Which internal linking tools find problems?
Audit tools crawl or sample your site and tell you which pages have too few links, which links are broken and which pages are buried.
Google Search Console: the free first look
The Links report shows your top internally linked pages and, for any page, which pages link to it. Google says it shows "a sample of internal and external links", and tables stop at 1,000 rows, so it won't catch everything. It costs nothing and uses Google's own view of your site, which makes it the right place to start. Our guide to checking internal links walks through it.
Screaming Frog SEO Spider: the full crawl
A desktop crawler that follows every link on your site and records inlinks, anchor text and crawl depth. Its product page says it will "analyse internal links, link counts, crawl depth and calculate internal Link Score", and finds orphan pages when you connect your sitemap. The free version "is restricted to crawling up to 500 URLs in a single crawl"; a licence is £199 a year on its pricing page. It has a learning curve, but nothing else on this list gives you the raw data as completely.
Ahrefs Webmaster Tools: free audits with link opportunities
Ahrefs' free tier runs its Site Audit on sites you verify. Its Webmaster Tools page lists checks for "170+" issues and 5,000 crawl credits per verified project a month. The useful part for internal linking is the Internal Linking Opportunities report: per Ahrefs' help article, it takes "the top 10 keywords (by traffic) for each crawled page" and finds your other pages that mention those words but don't link yet.
Sitebulb: audits with visual reports
Sitebulb is a crawler like Screaming Frog with more explanation built into its reports. Its pricing page lists a Lite plan for audits of up to 10,000 URLs, a Pro plan up to 500,000, and a 14-day trial with no card. We couldn't confirm the desktop prices on the page when we checked, so look before you commit.
Which tools suggest internal links while you write?
Suggestion plugins sit inside WordPress and propose links to your other posts as you draft. They save time, but every suggestion still needs a human check: a link that matches a keyword isn't always one a reader wants.
Link Whisper
A dedicated internal linking plugin. The free version on WordPress.org adds link suggestions in the editor and an orphan-page report; Premium adds bulk linking, automatic linking rules and broken-link reports. Link Whisper's own site lists plans from $97 a year for one site, rising with the number of sites.
Yoast SEO Premium
Yoast's paid plugin suggests related posts to link to as you write, based on the content of the draft. The feature page presents it as part of Premium at $118.80 a year excluding VAT. Worth it mainly if you already want Yoast's other Premium features.
Rank Math
Rank Math's Link Suggestions box appears in the block editor (not Elementor) and, according to its knowledge base, suggests posts "marked as pillar content", using the post title or focus keyword. If you haven't marked any pillar posts, you get no suggestions. Its documentation didn't say whether the feature needs PRO, so check the free vs PRO page for your version.
How to choose an internal linking tool
Match the tool to your site size and your CMS rather than to the longest feature list.
Under 500 pages
Search Console plus Screaming Frog's free version covers everything. Add Ahrefs Webmaster Tools if you want suggestions of where to add links.
Over 500 pages
You need a paid crawler (Screaming Frog or Sitebulb) or Ahrefs' free audit within its crawl credits. Crawl section by section if budget is tight.
WordPress sites that publish often
Add one suggestion plugin. If you already run Yoast Premium or Rank Math, try its built-in suggestions before paying for Link Whisper.
When these tools are not the right fit
None of these tools can tell you which links are worth adding; they find candidates. And none of them adds authority from outside your site. Internal links share the authority you already have; links from other sites bring in more. If that's the gap, what are internal links in SEO explains the limit, and Backlinkster is the exchange route for in-content links from related sites. Backlinkster is not the right fit for anything on this page: it won't audit or add links inside your own site.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free internal linking tool?
Google Search Console is the best free starting point because it shows Google's own view of your internal links. For a complete crawl, Screaming Frog's free version handles up to 500 URLs, and Ahrefs Webmaster Tools adds free internal link suggestions for verified sites.
Is Link Whisper worth it if I already use Yoast or Rank Math?
Only if their built-in suggestions don't cover your needs. Yoast Premium and Rank Math both suggest links in the editor. Link Whisper adds bulk linking, automatic linking rules and orphan reports, which matter more on sites with hundreds of posts.
Can a plugin add internal links automatically?
Some can, through automatic linking rules that turn a keyword into a link everywhere it appears. Use that sparingly: the same exact-match anchor on every page reads badly and gives Google no extra context. Contextual links you choose are better.
Do I need a paid tool to fix internal linking?
Not for a small site. Search Console, Screaming Frog's free version and a spreadsheet are enough for a few hundred pages. Paid tools save time on larger sites; they don't find anything a careful manual check would miss.
Related: How to check internal links on your website · How to add internal links in WordPress · What are internal links in SEO? · What is an orphan page in SEO? · What is the most used SEO tool?