A backlink checker tells you which links you have. Getting new ones needs a different kind of tool, one that helps you find the right websites, find the person who runs them, write to them, and remember to follow up when nobody answers the first time.
This is the second half of a pair. In the first we compared the best backlink checker tools. Here we look at the tools for getting links, and we do it the same way: on 23 October 2026 we read each tool's pricing page and wrote down what it costs and what it includes. Where a page was unclear or contradicted itself, we say so.
And before any tool, one rule, because it decides which tools belong on this list at all.
What does Google allow when you try to get backlinks?
Google's spam policies are direct on this. Under "link spam", they list "buying or selling links for ranking purposes", which includes "exchanging money for links, or posts that contain links". They also list "advertorials or native advertising where payment is received for articles that include links that pass ranking credit", and "links with optimized anchor text in articles, guest posts, or press releases distributed on other sites".
Google also says that paid links are fine "as long as they are qualified" with a rel="nofollow" or rel="sponsored" value, a small label in the code that tells Google the link was paid for and should not count for ranking.
So what remains allowed? Asking for a link because you have something worth linking to: a useful page, a quote for a journalist, a real partnership, a local sponsorship listed on the partner's site with the right label. The tools below help with that work. The page or the knowledge you offer still has to be worth the link.
Is Hunter the best place to start?
Every link request starts with the same small problem: who do I write to? The address of the editor who covers your neighbourhood, or of the owner of a partner business, is what you need.
Hunter does exactly this. You type a website and it shows the email addresses it has found for that domain, with a check to see whether each one still works. Its pricing page in October 2026 lists a Free plan with 50 credits per month, Starter at $49 per month ($34 per month billed yearly) with 2,000 credits, Growth at $149 ($104 yearly) with 10,000 credits, and Scale at $299 ($209 yearly) with 25,000 credits. Each email found costs 1 credit and each verification costs half a credit. Monthly credits do not roll over.
Hunter can also send simple email sequences: 500 recipients per sequence on the free plan, 2,500 on Starter, with one connected email account on Free and three on Starter.
My assessment: for a small business sending a few dozen requests a month, the free plan is enough, and Starter is the most a business of that size needs.
Is BuzzStream good for small link building teams?
BuzzStream works as the organised version of a spreadsheet: a list of websites, the contact for each one, every email you sent, every reply, and the links you got. It finds contact details, tracks opens and replies, and keeps templates.
Its pricing page, however, is confusing at the moment. The main section lists Starter at $49 per month for one user, 500 contacts and 30 prospecting searches; Growth at $174 per month for three users and 25,000 contacts; Professional at $424 per month for six users and 100,000 contacts; and Custom from $999 per month. Lower on the same page, a comparison table shows different plans, Solo at $19, Starter at $29, Plus at $99 and Premium at $249, with no explanation of which set is current. We could not resolve this from the page, so ask BuzzStream before you pay.
The useful features for link building start on Growth: bulk sending, scheduled follow-ups, link reporting and an integration with Ahrefs, so the websites you find in one tool appear in the other. Automated follow-ups are not on Starter.
My assessment: a good tool for a team of two or three people who run link building every week. On Starter it is a contact list with tracking, which a careful person can manage in a spreadsheet.
Is Pitchbox worth it for agencies?
Pitchbox is the heavier option, built for agencies and large teams. The prices on its page in October 2026 are Pro at $300 per month ($210 on annual billing) with 2 users, 2 email accounts and 2,000 outreach emails per month; Advanced at $600 ($420 annual) with unlimited users, 6 email accounts and 5,000 emails; and Scale at $1,200 ($825 annual) with 20 email accounts and 25,000 emails. Enterprise is on request.
The detail that matters most is written on the page plainly: all plans need a one-year commitment, monthly billing or not. So the real minimum is $2,520 for a year on Pro with annual billing, or $3,600 with monthly billing.
What do you get for it? Pitchbox lists an email finder and verifier, the outreach platform, AI personalisation and an AI reply agent, a CRM, a shared inbox, link monitoring and reporting, all on Pro. Free trials are available for teams after a demo.
My assessment: Pitchbox makes sense for an agency sending thousands of emails a month for several clients. For a single business, a year of payments is a large commitment before you know whether outreach works for you.
Can Qwoted get you links from news articles?
Qwoted works the other way round. Instead of writing to websites, you answer journalists who are already looking for an expert. A reporter writing about, let's say, renovation costs in Florida posts a request; a builder who knows the subject answers with a short, useful quote; if the reporter uses it, the article often names the business and sometimes links to it.
Qwoted's pricing page lists a free Basic plan with 2 pitches per month and a 2-hour delay before you see new requests, Pro at $149 per month with 35 pitches and no delay, and Teams at a custom price with unlimited pitches.
Nobody paid for these links: a journalist chose to quote you because you said something useful. Other experts answer the same requests, and the reporter picks only the quotes the story needs.
My assessment: the best value on this list for a business owner with real knowledge to share. Start free, answer the two requests a month where you are a true expert, and see whether anything is published before you pay.
What happened to Respona?
Respona's pricing page in October 2026 sells link placements, priced per placement from $100 (Starter, publishing websites with a Domain Rating of 20 or more) to $500 (Elite, Domain Rating 60 or more). It says placements "include content, outreach, and publishing", with a standard delivery time of 28 days, or 14 days with an express option.
We include it so that anyone who meets the name knows what it sells today. Read Google's spam policies, quoted above, before you buy any service that charges per published link. Google names "exchanging money for links, or posts that contain links" as link spam, and the website that publishes the link takes the same risk as you.
My assessment: we do not recommend paying per placement, from Respona or anyone else.
How do the prices compare side by side?
| Tool | What it does | Free option | Cheapest paid plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hunter | Finds and checks email addresses | 50 credits per month | Starter, $49/month |
| BuzzStream | Outreach list, tracking, follow-ups | Free trial | Starter, $49/month (page also shows $19) |
| Pitchbox | Outreach at volume for agencies | Trial after a demo | Pro, $300/month, one-year commitment |
| Qwoted | Answers to journalist requests | 2 pitches per month | Pro, $149/month |
| Respona | Sells link placements | None listed | $100 per placement |
All prices are monthly billing in US dollars, from each vendor's pricing page on 23 October 2026.
Which link building tool should you buy at your budget?
With no budget, write a list of the businesses and organisations that already know you: suppliers, clients with a partners page, the local business association, a school or club you sponsor. Use the free Hunter plan to find the right address and send the emails from your normal account. Add the free Qwoted plan for journalist requests. We wrote the whole method in how to build backlinks without paying.
Between $50 and $200 per month, Hunter Starter at $49 is enough for most small businesses. If a person on your team does outreach every week, BuzzStream Growth at $174 adds the follow-ups and the link reporting, once you confirm the price. Qwoted Pro at $149 is the alternative if your strength is expert knowledge rather than a list of partners.
Above $300 per month, with a one-year commitment, Pitchbox is the agency tool.
Do link building tools actually get you more links?
They help you work faster. Whether anyone says yes depends on what you offer. In the end a website links to you because you gave it a reason: a page its readers will use, a quote that makes its article better, a real relationship between two businesses. A tool can send 2,000 emails a month; if the page behind the email gives the reader nothing new, the replies will not come.
So the order of the work matters. First the page worth linking to. Then the list of the right websites. Then the tool, to send and follow up without forgetting anyone. And then the checker, from our backlink checker comparison, to see which links arrived and which ones you lost.
If you want to see how your website compares with your competitors on Google and in AI answers before you start, our Get Found Check gives you a grade in under a minute.