A broken link checker should help you finish the repair: find the failed destination, locate the link in your content and check the replacement. For a free option inside WordPress, I’d start with WPMU DEV’s Broken Link Checker. For an audit without another plugin, I’d start with Screaming Frog, provided its 500-URL crawl limit covers the job.
The important differences come after that: what each tool counts, whether repeat scans are included, and whether a warning means the page is actually gone. Those differences determine both the bill and the work left for you.
What our controlled component test found
We built a WordPress fixture to separate three questions: can a checker reach a destination, can it find the link in its source, and does the destination still serve the reader?
In two runs, WPMU DEV’s Broken Link Checker returned these results:
| Test case | Observed HTTP-component result | What to do with the finding |
|---|---|---|
| Two redirects ending in a 404 | Broken=true; two redirects; the HTTP-code field remained 301 | Inspect the final destination and broken flag together |
| Redirect ending in a valid page | Broken=false | A redirect alone is not a failed link |
| HEAD request rejected with 405; GET succeeds | Retried with GET; final result 200 and broken=false | Check whether a reported failure depends on the request method |
| Automated user agent receives 403; Chrome-like user agent receives 200 | Broken=true for the checker’s request | Verify ordinary visitor access before removing the link |
| Research citation leads to unrelated content returning 200 | Broken=false | Review whether the destination still supports the claim |
| Error page says the article was deleted but returns 200 | Broken=false | A successful status does not establish useful content |
The HTML parser also returned all 12 link occurrences supplied through three WordPress post bodies. When given the first page’s full HTML instead, it additionally found the theme-navigation link. This illustrates a practical check: establish which content actually enters the scan before trusting its error total.
Method and limits: We tested unmodified parser and HTTP-checker components from plugin version 2.4.14.1 on September 5, 2026, using WordPress 7.1 and PHP 8.3.32 through WordPress Playground. The normal database workflow could not complete in that environment, so these were direct component calls. We supplied the target URLs to the HTTP checker; the results do not establish full-site discovery, dashboard behavior, saved repairs or comparative accuracy. The Chrome-like request was a user-agent simulation. An external-link case was inconclusive because of the runtime’s DNS behavior.
The practical lesson is specific: a link can return HTTP 200 and still fail the reader’s task. Add contextual review for consequential citations and conversion links even after the HTTP errors are resolved.
Which broken link checker fits your WordPress site?
Start with where you want to work. A WordPress plugin can bring detection and editing into the same dashboard. An external crawler suits an audit you want to hand to an editor or developer. A hosted service is useful when you need checks to run on a schedule.
| Your main job | Tool to consider | Free allowance or qualifying starting plan | Main reason to choose something else |
|---|---|---|---|
| Find and edit links inside WordPress | WPMU DEV Broken Link Checker | Free core scanning; local and cloud engines | You want to audit without installing a plugin |
| Audit a small site from your computer | Screaming Frog SEO Spider | 500 URLs per crawl free | Your crawl exceeds the cap or needs JavaScript rendering |
| Audit a site you own alongside other SEO issues | Ahrefs Free: Site Audit | 5,000 crawl credits per month per project | You cannot verify ownership or prefer to work inside WordPress |
| Run a browser-based check without installing software | BrokenLinkCheck.com | Up to 3,000 pages free | You need scheduled reports, CSV exports or broader resource checks on the free plan |
| Use AIOSEO’s WordPress link-management interface | AIOSEO Broken Link Checker | Starter: $4.99/month, one site, 1,000 links/month | You need a clearly documented ongoing free allowance; its pages conflict |
| Schedule checks outside WordPress | Dr. Link Check | Standard: $13/month for monthly or biweekly checks; weekly checks require Professional at $49/month | You want free recurring monitoring or direct WordPress editing |
Product terms checked September 5, 2026. Dollar prices are USD. The shortlist reflects documented capabilities and limits. The component study above does not rank these products by accuracy or speed.
These tools address links on your site, including links to other websites. Finding other websites that link to your deleted pages is a separate task: broken-backlink research. Make sure the report you open answers the question you actually have.
If you want to fix links inside WordPress
Start with WPMU DEV’s free plugin
WPMU DEV’s Broken Link Checker is a sensible first option when the person finding errors also edits the site. Its documented actions include editing a URL, removing its hyperlink and ignoring a result.
Choose the engine deliberately. The local engine runs on your hosting server. The cloud engine requires a WPMU DEV connection and a free Hub account; premium membership is not required for core scanning. WPMU DEV advertises unlimited cloud page and URL checks. That is a vendor allowance, not evidence that every link on every WordPress configuration will be discovered.
Before adopting it, check a representative article, a product or service page, and your navigation. Can the report find their links and take you to a usable editing location? Use the account your editor will actually work from to confirm they have access to the required actions.
Consider AIOSEO if its editing workflow justifies the subscription
AIOSEO’s checker supports updating or removing links through its interface. Its feature page specifies weekly automatic rescans, despite also using “real-time” language. Budget around the stated schedule.
The checker is a separate subscription from the main AIOSEO plugin. Starter costs $4.99 monthly for one site and 1,000 links per month. Plus costs $9.99 monthly for up to three sites and 10,000 links per month. Twelve monthly payments total $59.88 or $119.88 respectively, before any applicable additional charges. These are calculations from monthly rates, not annual-plan offers.
Its free offer needs clarification: the pricing page advertises a check of up to 250 links, while the feature FAQ describes 200 internal links per month. Do not assume there is a recurring 250-link monthly allowance. Confirm the signup terms if free ongoing use is essential.
I would try the free WordPress option first unless AIOSEO’s interface or support offers a specific benefit to the person responsible for repairs.
If you want to check WordPress without a plugin
Screaming Frog gives you a clear route from an error to its source
Screaming Frog runs on your computer. Its free version checks up to 500 URLs in one crawl. That allowance is measured in URLs, so your WordPress post count does not establish whether the whole crawl will fit. The free version also restricts configuration, saving crawls and JavaScript rendering.
For a basic audit, the documented workflow is:
- Enter your site’s URL and start the crawl.
- Open Response Codes, then filter for Client Error (4XX).
- Select a reported destination and open Inlinks to see the pages linking to it.
- Export the source-and-destination pairs through Bulk Export → Response Codes → Client Error (4XX) Inlinks.
In that report, From identifies the linking source and To identifies its destination. Review the specific status before deciding on a repair: a 403 needs different treatment from a confirmed missing page. Screaming Frog also documents a separate redirect report for tracing links whose redirect chain ends in a 404.
The paid license is currently $279 per user per year. It removes the 500-URL software cap and adds features including scheduling and JavaScript rendering, with crawl capacity still dependent on memory and storage. Two users need two licenses.
Ahrefs Free suits owners who also want a broader audit
Ahrefs Free includes Site Audit for verified websites, with 5,000 crawl credits per month per project. It does not require a credit card and has no trial expiry. You may recognize its former name, Ahrefs Webmaster Tools.
This is worth considering when broken links are one part of your maintenance work. You can review them alongside other technical issues without immediately buying an SEO suite.
The trade-off is ownership verification and a monthly crawl budget. Choose another route if you cannot verify the site. Also plan the editing handoff: finding a broken link in an external audit does not update the WordPress post containing it.
BrokenLinkCheck.com works for an occasional online check
BrokenLinkCheck.com lets you submit a site in your browser without downloading software. Its free limit is 3,000 pages, with no separate cap on hyperlinks within those pages. It reports internal and outbound link errors and their HTML locations.
Keep the free and commercial versions separate in your decision. The vendor lists CSV exports, scheduled delivery and checks of images, PDFs and other resources among its commercial features. Pricing requires an inquiry.
For an occasional check, that may be enough. For an editorial team assigning hundreds of repairs, an exportable report can be a better fit than working from browser results.
For tools covering other audit tasks, see SEW’s free SEO tools directory.
What “free” and “unlimited” leave out
Compare the unit before comparing the number. A page allowance, a unique-resource allowance and monthly crawl credits do not measure the same thing. Also distinguish the number of broken destinations from the number of places where you must repair them.
For example, one dead URL linked from 40 articles represents one failed destination and potentially 40 editorial changes. A useful report preserves both views: the destination to investigate and every source that needs attention.
Scheduling can change the qualifying plan. Consider a site with 8,000 counted links using Dr. Link Check:
| Required automatic schedule | Lowest qualifying plan | Monthly rate | Total across 12 monthly payments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly or every two weeks | Standard: 10,000 links per website | $13 | $156 |
| Weekly | Professional: 50,000 links per website | $49 | $588 |
Weekly checking costs $432 more across 12 monthly payments for the same site. These totals use monthly billing; annual prepayment is priced separately.
Its counting rules also include unique images, stylesheets, scripts and other referenced resources. Repeated references to the same resource count once. The free Lite plan permits 1,500 links per website across two projects, with one-time checks rather than automatic scheduling.
Pay for the cadence your team can use. If nobody reviews a weekly report, a more frequent scan has not completed any additional repairs.
How to turn a broken-link report into finished repairs
1. Confirm what failed before changing the link
Open the reported destination in a browser, then open the source page and click the actual link. Inspect where it ends up and whether the content still fulfills the link’s promise.
| Reported result | What to establish | Appropriate next action |
|---|---|---|
| 404 or 410 | Is the content gone, moved or linked with a typo? | Correct the URL, restore needed content or choose a relevant replacement |
| 403 | Is access being denied to the checker, ordinary visitors or both? | Investigate access before deleting a useful link |
| 429, timeout or 5xx | Is the failure temporary, rate-related or persistent? | Recheck; investigate recurring failures on your own site |
| 301 or 302 | Does the redirect reach the intended content? | Keep a legitimate redirect; update links you control when a stable destination is known |
| 200 with an error message or unrelated content | Does the page actually deliver what readers expect? | Treat it as a content problem even if the status looks successful |
Google distinguishes successful responses, redirects and error codes; it also recognizes that a page returning a successful status can still contain an error, known as a soft 404.
Crawler access can differ from browser access. Dead Link Checker, for example, documents cases in which bot blocking, location or temporary server conditions produce warnings for pages that open in a browser. That is a reason to verify a result, not automatically dismiss it.
2. Fix the link where you have control
For an internal link, edit the source to point to the correct destination. If a useful page was accidentally deleted, restoring it may be the right repair.
If a page has permanently moved, redirect its old address to the relevant new page and update internal links you control. Google recommends a 301 for moved pages. It also says a 404 can be appropriate for content deliberately removed without a replacement. You do not need to send every missing URL to your homepage.
The free Redirection plugin can manage 301 redirects and log 404 requests in WordPress. Those logs help reveal requests to missing pages; they do not scan every outbound link in your articles.
For an external link, update your article’s reference. A redirect rule on your WordPress site cannot repair a URL hosted on somebody else’s domain.
For a broken research citation, check that the replacement supports the same claim, population and time period. A newer report on a similar topic may require rewriting the sentence. If you remove the only supporting source, review the claim as well as the hyperlink.
3. Prioritize by what readers are trying to do
I would usually handle these first:
- Links needed to buy, sign up, contact the business or access essential support.
- Broken navigation and links repeated across templates.
- Links in frequently visited articles and current campaigns.
- Citations supporting material claims, then less-used archive references.
A consequential citation can move to the top of that queue. The priority is the interrupted reader task, not simply the largest error count.
Keep a repair record with the source URL, old destination, verified problem, chosen action, replacement URL, owner and recheck date. Group repeated destinations for investigation, but retain their source pages so individual edits do not disappear from the worklist.
4. Recheck the published page
After saving, click the link from the live source page and rerun the relevant check. Confirm that the replacement both loads and makes sense in context.
Treat fixed, awaiting verification, ignored with a reason and not checked as separate outcomes. Marking a warning as ignored changes the report; it does not repair the reader’s experience.
Before accepting a report with zero errors
Check whether the crawl finished or stopped at its allowance. Then examine exclusions: login requirements, blocked URLs, content types and links inserted by JavaScript can affect coverage. Screaming Frog’s default crawl uses raw HTML, while JavaScript rendering requires its paid features.
Compare the scan with a few known pages from different parts of your site. A product page, a long article and a navigation template can expose different gaps. If an important link never appears in the report, investigate that before trusting the total.
Search Console adds useful evidence about Google’s experience of your own URLs. It does not provide a complete outbound-link audit. Google also limits example URLs in its Page indexing report and does not guarantee that every affected URL appears.
Once repairs are complete, review whether the remaining internal links still guide readers to useful next steps. SEW’s internal linking tools guide covers that broader task.
For your next maintenance session, choose one checker, scan a defined part of the site and finish the highest-impact repairs it reveals. Expand the scan once you know the report gives you enough information to act.
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