Quick answer
Yes — for the part of Semrush covered on this page, Linkguard is a one-time-purchase alternative. It costs $24 once, while Semrush lists from $139.95/mo. Crawl your whole site for broken links and redirect chains, with scheduled re-checks and diffs. It is not a 1:1 replacement for everything Semrush does — the honest limits are spelled out below.
The verdict
Switch to Linkguard if the slice of Semrush you actually pay for is the slice Linkguard covers — and a $24 one-time price beats from $139.95/mo for as long as you use it.
Stay with Semrush if this sounds like you — Linkguard checks links, full stop. Semrush's audit covers 140+ technical checks — Core Web Vitals, hreflang, structured data, crawlability — plus the rest of the SEO suite around it.
Head to head
| Linkguard | Semrush | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $24 once | from $139.95/mo |
| Where it runs | Your own server (self-hosted) | Vendor cloud (hosted service) |
| Renewal | None — the license never expires | Recurring — access ends when you stop paying |
| 5-year cost | $24 | ~$8,397 |
About Semrush: Semrush is an all-in-one SEO suite for keyword research, rank tracking, audits and competitive analysis. Pro plans list from $139.95/mo (about $1,679/yr).
Where Semrush still wins
Linkguard checks links, full stop. Semrush's audit covers 140+ technical checks — Core Web Vitals, hreflang, structured data, crawlability — plus the rest of the SEO suite around it.
Where Linkguard wins
If broken links and redirect chains are what you open Semrush's audit for, Linkguard isolates that job: it crawls your whole site for dead links and redirect chains, then re-checks on a schedule and emails you only when something new breaks. Self-hosted, $24 once.
- Price, permanently. $24 once versus from $139.95/mo for as long as you use it. There is no renewal, no seat count and no tier gate.
- Real crawler. Give it a start URL plus depth and page limits and it walks your internal pages with undici, no headless browser, checking every internal and external link it finds.
- Redirect-chain analysis. Follows redirects hop by hop, stores the full chain, and flags anything over two hops so you catch link-equity leaks.
The math
Semrush lists from $139.95/mo. Linkguard is $24, paid once:
- After 1 year: Linkguard has cost you $24 total — Semrush has cost ~$1,679.4.
- After 3 years: Linkguard is still $24 — the subscription is at ~$5,038.2.
- After 5 years: Linkguard is still $24 — the subscription is at ~$8,397.
Common questions
Is it really free on GitHub?
Yes. Linkguard is MIT-licensed at github.com/bensblueprints/broken-link-checker-mvp and always will be. The $24 buys the packaged 1-click installer and setup; building from source is free.
Where does my scan data live?
In a SQLite file on your own server. Nothing is uploaded to us or anyone else, so your crawl data never leaves your infrastructure.
Is there a page or crawl limit?
No metered limit like the subscriptions charge for. Your crawl size is bounded only by your own hardware.
Is this a subscription in disguise?
No. $24 once, no renewal, no license server phoning home. Deploy it and it keeps working.
Try Linkguard — $24, one time
Or get Linkguard plus every other app in the suite: the OneTimeSuite bundle is currently $97, one time.