Linkody vs LinkGuard: modern monitoring without the monthly fee
Linkody is the cheap, long-established option, and it has a couple of nice extras. LinkGuard is the modern, JS-accurate, pay-as-you-go one. We'll be straight about where each tool wins — including the parts where Linkody is the better call.
The short version
Where the two differ — extras and weaknesses on both sides.
| LinkGuard | Linkody | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Prepaid tokens, spent per check | Subscription from $14.90/mo |
| Entry price | $0 — 1,000 tokens free, no card | $14.90/mo (Webmaster, ~50 links) |
| JavaScript-rendered donor pages | Real-browser fallback (Browserbase) | Plain-fetch class — false "lost" alerts likely |
| Link Visualizer (position on page) | Not yet | Yes — a nice touch |
| Moz DA/PA + GSC import | SERP index checks; no Moz import | Yes, bundled |
| White-label PDF reports | On the roadmap (Q3 2026) | Yes, today |
| Dashboard | Rebuilt for 2026 | Established, long-running UI |
| Cost while you pause | $0 — tokens wait, never expire | Monthly fee keeps running |
Why I rebuilt instead of repricing
If you've run backlink monitors for a while, you know the feeling: the tool works, but the dashboard has looked the same since the mid-2010s, and you're paying a flat fee every month for a list you check now and then. I lived in those tools for years buying links for clients.
LinkGuard is the other bet — built for how SEO works in 2026, accurate on JavaScript-heavy donor pages, and priced so you pay per check instead of a standing monthly fee. Lean on it one month, ignore it the next; the meter only moves when a check runs.
— Andrii, founder of LinkGuard · LinkedIn
On price, let's be straight
Linkody is cheap, and that's part of why it's lasted. We're not going to pretend otherwise or claim we always undercut it.
Their Webmaster plan is about $14.90/month for roughly 50 links — one fixed number, simple to reason about. On pay-as-you-go, 50 links checked lightly runs somewhere around $2-7/month in tokens, and $0 in any month you don't check. So at modest usage we're often the cheaper of the two, and we never bill you for a quiet month. But if what you want is a single flat figure you never have to think about again, a flat $14.90 is the simpler story, and we'll own that.
We're not chasing the cheapest sticker price — we're chasing the things a 2026 product should get right: accurate checks on JavaScript-heavy donor pages, a dashboard that doesn't feel a decade old, and no subscription hanging over you.
Which one fits you
Linkody has real strengths. Here's the split.
Pick Linkody if…
- You want the Link Visualizer — seeing exactly where your link sits on the donor page is handy.
- You like having Moz DA/PA and GSC data bundled into the same dashboard.
- You need white-label client PDF reports today, not on a roadmap.
- You want the lowest flat sticker price from a brand that's been around for years.
Pick LinkGuard if…
- You're done with dated dashboards and want something built for how SEO works now.
- You buy links on Webflow, Framer, or React sites and need checks that don't false-alarm.
- You'd rather pay per check and owe nothing the months you don't monitor.
- You don't want a subscription at all — no auto-renewal, no balance to remember to cancel.
Where LinkGuard falls short (so you're not surprised)
- No Link Visualizer yet, and no bundled Moz DA/PA metrics — Linkody has both.
- White-label reports are still on our roadmap (Q3 2026); Linkody ships them today.
- Their flat $14.90 is a simpler mental model if you'd rather not think in usage at all.
- We're newer, with a smaller team and fewer integrations than a tool that's been live since the mid-2010s.
Moving over takes about five minutes
Export your links from Linkody (or a spreadsheet) as a CSV and upload them to LinkGuard. Monitoring starts on import — no API keys, no onboarding call. Your 1,000 signup tokens cover a first full pass, so you can see how the checks read on your own links before paying anything.
Questions people ask
Is LinkGuard cheaper than Linkody?
At light usage, usually yes; on flat-sticker simplicity, Linkody wins. Their Webmaster plan is ~$14.90/mo for ~50 links. On LinkGuard, 50 links checked lightly runs about $2-7/mo and $0 in months you don't check. But a single fixed price is a simpler mental model, and we'll own that. We're not chasing cheapest-sticker — we're the modern, accurate, no-lock-in option.
Does LinkGuard have a Link Visualizer?
Not yet. Linkody's Visualizer, showing where your link sits on the page, is nice, and we don't match it. What we do instead is render JS-heavy donor pages in a real browser before judging a link, which kills most false "lost" alerts.
Why switch from Linkody?
A dashboard rebuilt for 2026, accurate checks on modern JS-rendered sites, and pay-as-you-go pricing with no auto-renewal. If those don't matter to you and you like Linkody's price and extras, there's no need to switch — we'd rather say that than oversell.
Can I import my links from Linkody?
Yes — CSV export, upload, done. Monitoring starts on import.
Does LinkGuard give white-label PDF reports?
Not yet; they're on the roadmap for Q3 2026. Linkody has them today, so if branded client reports are a must-have right now, that's a point for Linkody.
Do unused tokens expire?
No expiry, refundable within 14 days. Your account and balance survive any break.
Two Mondays
The difference a real browser and a modern dashboard make on an ordinary week.
Without modern checks
The monitor pinged "link lost" on a Webflow donor page. Your senior link-builder spent fifteen minutes opening it, scrolling, confirming the link was there all along — the tool just couldn't see past the JavaScript. Third false alarm this month. Meanwhile a real removal two pages down went unflagged.
With LinkGuard
Same Webflow page, no false alarm — it rendered in a real browser before any verdict. The one alert you got was a genuine removal, caught the day it happened. Five minutes on Monday, on a dashboard that doesn't look like it shipped in 2014.
See how the checks read on your links
Bring a few placements over, run a full check, and compare the verdicts against what Linkody shows you. The signup tokens cover it, and there's no card to enter.
Start free1,000 tokens on signup · no credit card · tokens never expire