LinkTenderBroken Link Checker alternatives that run on your own server
Broken Link Checker by WPMU DEV and Broken Link Checker by AIOSEO are the two best-known WordPress link checkers, and both now lean on cloud scanning tied to an account with their company. That suits some sites. If you would rather keep link checking on your own server, without an account, a quota or your content leaving your site, this page lists the options and the trade-offs.
Disclosure: we make LinkTender, one of the plugins listed. Facts about other plugins come from their WordPress.org pages and documentation as checked on 13 October 2026; install counts and features change, so check their pages before deciding. "Not listed" means we did not find it on their page.
First: do you need to switch at all?
Broken Link Checker by WPMU DEV still has a Local engine. Its plugin page (version 2.4.15) describes two engines: Cloud (needs a free WPMU DEV Hub account; it advertises unlimited checks and less server load) and Local, which "runs directly on your server, no external connection needed". If your issue is only the cloud account, switching that plugin to the Local engine may be enough. People usually move on for other reasons: false "broken" reports for links that work (explained here), load on large sites, or wanting a smaller, newer codebase.
Broken Link Checker by AIOSEO is cloud-only: it scans on AIOSEO's servers and needs an AIOSEO account. Its free tier covers a limited number of links per month (250, per its plugin page when we last checked). There is no local mode.
What to look for in a local checker
- When it starts. WordPress.org guidelines discourage plugins that contact outside servers without consent. Good local checkers start checking only after you click a button.
- How it treats 403/429/999. If bot-blocked links land in the broken list, the report becomes noise on any site that links to Amazon, LinkedIn or Cloudflare-protected sites.
- Where it finds links. Post content only, or also menus, widgets, custom fields, page-builder data, comments?
- Load. Batches with time limits and locks, per-domain spacing, and a pause switch matter on shared hosting.
- Fixing. Can you change a URL everywhere it appears, or only one post at a time?
- Track record. Install count, last update, support forum activity. Most local alternatives below are new; that is not bad, but test on staging.
The options
| Plugin | What its WordPress.org page says | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Broken Link Checker (WPMU DEV), Local engine | 500,000+ installs. Local engine scans posts, pages, comments and more; inline editing; email notifications; filter by URL and anchor text. | The only option here with a long track record. Bot-blocked domains are not skipped by the Local engine the way the Cloud engine skips them. |
| LinkTender (ours) | Listed on WordPress.org since 19 October 2026. Local only, no account; nothing checked until you click Start. Posts, CPTs, blocks, Elementor, custom fields incl. ACF, menus, widgets; from 1.1 also comments and shortcode builders (Divi, WPBakery). | Bot-blocked links shown as Unverified; edit a URL everywhere; imports BLC settings. Optional paid Pro add-on (reports, product pages, CSV, WP-CLI). |
| DevDome Link Monitor | 200+ installs. Checks links and images in published posts from your server, no cloud account or limits; edit a URL across posts; includes a 404 monitor. | Most established of the new local plugins. |
| 404Zen | 10+ installs. Local scanning of posts, pages, images and menus; A–F link health grade; one-click fixes. | Pro version sold via Freemius; its page discloses Freemius calls on upgrade/licence screens. |
| Link Invader | Fewer than 10 installs. Local, no quota; per-host throttling; separates bot-blocked URLs; WP-CLI runner. | New. |
| Hrefix | Fewer than 10 installs. Local WP-Cron batches, starts only when you click Start; local 301 redirects. | New. Extracts from posts, pages and public CPTs. |
| Linkmender | Fewer than 10 installs. Local batches, HEAD with ranged GET fallback, retries with back-off. | New. Reads rendered HTML in post content; builders that store layouts only in meta may be missed. |
No plugin at all
For a one-off audit you may not need any plugin: Search Console's 404 report, a desktop crawler, or a WP-CLI script cover most of it. See how to find broken links in WordPress without a plugin.
Switching safely
- Test the new checker on a staging copy first, especially on large sites.
- Note your current exclusions and dismissed links before deactivating the old plugin. LinkTender can import Broken Link Checker's exclusions, timing, front-end options and dismissed links (how).
- Do not run two link checkers at once: double the outgoing requests and double the database work.
- Deleting a link checker plugin may leave its database tables behind; check its uninstall notes.
Broken Link Checker is a product of WPMU DEV (Incsub); AIOSEO is a trademark of Semper Plugins LLC. LinkTender is not affiliated with any plugin listed here.
Want this done for you, on your own server?
LinkTender is a free WordPress plugin that does all of the above in the background: it finds links in posts, blocks, Elementor, shortcode builders such as Divi and WPBakery, custom fields, comments, menus and widgets (comments and shortcode builders from version 1.1), checks them from your server, marks bot-blocked links Unverified instead of broken, and lets you fix a URL everywhere it appears. No account, no link quota, and nothing is checked until you click Start checking links. Get it free on WordPress.org or read the docs.
Last updated: 13 October 2026