Almost everyone searching for a domain authority checker wants the same thing: type in a domain, get a number, free, now. So this list leads with the free tools, because that is what the job is.
Two things worth knowing before you use any of them. Domain Authority is Moz's invention, not Google's, and it appears nowhere in Google's ranking systems. And the number you get back depends entirely on which company's model you asked, which is why two checkers can disagree by twenty points on the same domain.
Quick answer
- Fastest free check, no signup: Semrush Website Authority Checker
- Free with the biggest link index behind it: Ahrefs Website Authority Checker
- Best free bulk checking: DA PA Checker
- Best free with extra metrics: SEO Review Tools
- Best if you need the real Moz number: Moz Link Explorer
- Best for moving the number rather than measuring it: Distribb
DA, DR and Authority Score are not the same number
The single most common confusion, and it wastes a lot of time.
| Metric | Owner | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Domain Authority (DA) | Moz | A machine-learning prediction of ranking likelihood |
| Domain Rating (DR) | Ahrefs | A measurement of link profile strength |
| Authority Score | Semrush | A blended score including traffic and spam signals |
| Trust Flow | Majestic | Link quality weighted by trusted seed sites |
They are not interchangeable and they do not convert. A site can be DR 60 and DA 35 with nothing wrong. If you report one to a client, keep reporting the same one. Measuring the number and moving it are different jobs, and how to increase domain rating covers the second one.
Comparison
| Tool | Metric | Free | Bulk | Signup |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Semrush Website Authority Checker | Authority Score | Yes | No | No |
| Ahrefs Website Authority Checker | DR | Yes | No | No |
| Moz Link Explorer | DA, real source | Limited | Paid | Yes |
| SmallSEOTools | DA, PA | Yes | Yes | No |
| DA PA Checker | DA, PA | Yes | Yes, up to 1000 | No |
| SEO Review Tools | DA, PA, backlinks | Yes | Limited | No |
| Serpstat | DR | 10/day free | Paid | Yes |
| Majestic | Trust Flow | Limited | Paid | Yes |
| Distribb | None | Trial | n/a | Yes |
1. Semrush Website Authority Checker, the fastest free option
Enter a domain, get Semrush's Authority Score with no login and no account. Backed by one of the largest link indexes available.
Free: yes, no signup. Honest limit: it is Authority Score, not Moz DA. If a client specifically asked for DA, this is a different number.
2. Ahrefs Website Authority Checker, DR for free
Ahrefs gives away DR checking against the largest live backlink index in the industry.
Free: yes. Honest limit: DR only, one domain at a time, and it will nudge you toward the paid product.
3. Moz Link Explorer, the actual source of DA
If you need genuine Domain Authority rather than an approximation, this is where it comes from. Also gives Page Authority and Spam Score.
Free: limited monthly queries with an account. Honest limit: the free allowance runs out quickly.
4. SmallSEOTools, the popular free bulk checker
Checks Moz DA and PA for multiple URLs at once, pulling from Moz's API.
Free: yes, with bulk support. Honest limit: an ad-supported tool. Verify anything important against Moz directly.
5. DA PA Checker, bulk at scale
Handles large batches, which matters if you are vetting a list of link prospects rather than checking one site.
Free: yes, with generous bulk limits. Honest limit: metrics only. No context on whether a domain is worth pursuing.
6. SEO Review Tools, DA plus context
Returns DA and PA alongside backlink counts and social shares, which is more useful than a bare score.
Free: yes. Honest limit: lighter data than the paid platforms.
7. Serpstat, free DR with a daily allowance
Ten free DR checks a day, inside a broader SEO platform you can trial.
Free: limited daily. Honest limit: the allowance is small if you are vetting prospects.
8. Majestic, quality rather than volume
Trust Flow and Citation Flow separate link quality from link quantity, which most authority metrics blur together.
Free: limited. Honest limit: a different mental model. Worth learning if link vetting is a big part of your job.
9. Distribb, for when the number is the problem
Be clear about what this is not. Distribb has no domain authority checker and no link index. If you came here to look up a score, use one of the eight above.
It is on this list because checking your DA is rarely the actual task. The task is that the number is lower than your competitors' and you want it to move. That only happens by earning links from other real sites. Distribb's backlink exchange places contextual links from real businesses in adjacent niches, and the content engine publishes the pages those links point at.
Honest limit: no measurement features at all. Pair it with any free checker above.
What actually moves the number
Worth stating plainly, because a lot of effort goes into the wrong things.
Only external links move DA or DR. Nothing you do on your own site changes either score. Internal linking, content updates and technical fixes affect rankings, not these metrics. Those on-site fixes have their own toolset, compared in our roundup of website audit tools.
Relevance beats raw score. A DR 30 link from a site in your niche is usually worth more than a DR 70 link from an unrelated directory.
Check traffic, not just authority. A DR 65 domain with 200 monthly visitors has manufactured metrics. Every free checker above will happily give it a good score.
It moves slowly. DR reacts within weeks of new links. DA moves more slowly and sometimes shifts when Moz retrains its model, with no change to your links at all.
Do not chase the score. It is an output. Teams that optimise for DA end up buying links from high-score, low-value domains.
FAQ
What is a good domain authority? There is no universal answer, because it is relative to your competitors. Check the sites ranking for your target keywords. If they sit at 40 and you are at 15, that gap is your gap.
Is there a completely free domain authority checker? Yes. Semrush and Ahrefs both give theirs away with no signup. DA PA Checker and SmallSEOTools handle bulk for free.
Why do checkers give different numbers? Because they are different metrics from different companies with different indexes. DA, DR and Authority Score are not the same measurement.
Does Google use domain authority? No. DA is a Moz product. It does not appear in Google's ranking systems. It is a useful relative yardstick and nothing more.
How do I increase domain authority? Earn links from real, relevant sites. There is no other lever. Anything promising a fast DA increase is selling links from domains you do not want.
Why did my DA drop when nothing changed? Moz periodically retrains the DA model, which shifts scores across the whole index. Check whether competitors moved at the same time. If they did, it was the model.
Should I report DA or DR to clients? Whichever you can explain. DA is more widely recognised outside SEO. DR is easier to defend because you can point at the referring domains behind it.
After you have the number
Checking takes ten seconds. Moving it is the actual work, and it is the same work either way: contextual links from real sites, pointing at pages worth linking to. How to run that at scale is covered in our guide to growing domain authority with AI backlink automation.
Distribb's backlink exchange connects your site with real businesses in adjacent niches and places contextual links inside published articles, while the content engine keeps producing pages for those links to point at. Three-day free trial.