Quick answer: Moz offers useful free individual SEO tools and a detailed SEO audit checklist. Its automated Site Crawl is part of the Moz Pro workflow and is promoted with a free trial. If you need an immediate audit of one public page without site verification or a Moz Pro subscription, WebsiteLinter checks SEO, speed, security, and accessibility in one report.
The tools are complementary, not identical. Moz Pro is an ongoing SEO research, tracking, links, and crawl platform. WebsiteLinter is a fast first-pass health check for any public URL.
Need the audit now? Run a free WebsiteLinter SEO health check for any public URL—no site verification, account, or credit card required.
Updated August 11, 2026 from Moz's current free-tools, SEO audit checklist, and Moz Pro pages.
How to Run a Free Moz-Style SEO Audit Now
If your goal is to find actionable problems rather than set up a full campaign, the shortest path is:
- Open the free website audit.
- Paste the full public page URL, including
https://. - Enter an email to attach the report to your scan record; no account or password is required.
- Review the prioritized SEO, performance, security, and accessibility findings in your browser.
- Download the PDF, fix Critical items first, and scan again after the changes.
WebsiteLinter audits the submitted page. It is not a replacement for a multi-page crawler, keyword database, rank tracker, or backlink index. That narrower scope is why it is useful when you want an answer now for a page you own, a client page, or a public competitor URL.
Does Moz Have a Free Website Audit?
Moz currently publishes free tools for keyword research, backlink checks, domain metrics, local presence, and MozBar. It also publishes a free technical SEO audit checklist and downloadable spreadsheet. Moz's own checklist directs readers to start a free Moz Pro trial for an automated Site Crawl.
So the answer depends on what you mean by "free audit":
- Free guidance and individual metrics: Moz offers both.
- Automated Moz Site Crawl: Available through the Moz Pro workflow and its advertised free trial.
- Immediate public-page health check without site verification: WebsiteLinter is the more direct fit.
What Moz Pro Does
Moz Pro is a comprehensive SEO platform that combines several tools into one integrated suite:
- Site Audit – Crawls your website to identify SEO issues, broken links, and on-page optimization gaps
- Keyword Research – Analyzes keyword opportunity and search volume for content planning
- Rank Tracking – Monitors your Google rankings over time for target keywords
- Link Research – Backlink analysis and competitive link intelligence
- MozBar – Chrome extension showing Domain Authority and other metrics on search results
- Local research integrations – Moz also offers separate local-search products and free local-presence checks
- Competitive Analysis – See what competitors are ranking for and their top pages
Moz's biggest strength has historically been its educational content and accessibility to beginners. They pioneered many SEO metrics still referenced today, and their blog is one of the most trusted resources in the industry.
That breadth is useful for an SEO team, but it can be more platform than a small business or developer needs for a first-pass audit.
When Moz Pro Is More Than You Need
Moz is a solid tool, but its workflow has tradeoffs when the immediate job is a one-page health check:
A paid-suite workflow. Businesses that only need an occasional website audit may not need an ongoing SEO campaign subscription.
Specialized backlink workflows. Teams that prioritize backlink intelligence should compare dedicated link-analysis products instead of choosing an audit tool on that feature alone.
A broader setup. Campaign configuration and recurring crawl workflows are valuable when you are managing SEO over time, but they add steps when you only need to inspect one page.
Different audit coverage. Moz Site Crawl is centered on technical SEO. WebsiteLinter puts page performance, browser security headers, and accessibility checks beside SEO findings in the same report.
Accessibility is not the core Site Crawl job. A separate accessibility pass is still useful when evaluating the complete health of a page.
Third-party authority metrics are estimates. They can help compare sites, but they are not Google ranking scores.
A different free workflow. Moz's free tools, Google Search Console, Lighthouse, and WebsiteLinter each answer different questions. For a fast cross-discipline health check, WebsiteLinter is the most direct starting point in this comparison.
For a quick first pass, a free website audit can reveal whether you need a larger SEO platform at all.
How WebsiteLinter Compares and Delivers Better Value
WebsiteLinter combines SEO, performance, security, and accessibility checks in one prioritized public-page report.
Unlike Moz, which focuses primarily on SEO, WebsiteLinter's core value proposition is answering four critical questions about your website:
- Is your site optimized for search engines? (SEO Audit)
- Does your site load fast enough to keep visitors engaged? (Performance Check)
- Is your site protected against security threats and vulnerabilities? (Security Scan)
- Can all visitors, including those with disabilities, use your site effectively? (Accessibility Review)
Each category gets a visual score with specific recommendations. Most scans finish quickly, although timing depends on the target page and upstream performance services.
Key advantages of WebsiteLinter over Moz Pro:
- Useful free allowance – Run up to three audits per day without a credit card or signup
- Fast results – Most public-page audits return in seconds, depending on the target site
- Broader coverage – SEO, performance, security, AND accessibility (Moz focuses mainly on SEO)
- Non-technical recommendations – Written for business owners, not just SEO specialists
- Modern checks – Includes performance signals, security headers, SSL validation, and automated accessibility checks
- Optional paid monitoring – Upgrade only when you need recurring scans, history, exports, or agency workflows
- Focused first step – Use the free report to identify priorities before choosing a broader tool
Feature Comparison: Moz Pro vs. WebsiteLinter
| Feature | Moz Pro | WebsiteLinter |
|---|---|---|
| Free Tier | Limited tools | ✓ Up to 3 audits per day |
| Signup Required | Yes | No (for free audit) |
| Site Audit | ✓ Site crawl | ✓ Fast public-page health check |
| Performance Audit | Not the primary workflow | ✓ Page performance signals |
| Security Scanning | Not the primary workflow | ✓ SSL and security-header checks |
| Accessibility Audit | Not the primary workflow | ✓ Automated accessibility checks |
| Keyword Research | ✓ | ✗ Not included |
| Rank Tracking | ✓ | ✗ Not included |
| Backlink Analysis | ✓ Included in the platform | ✗ Not included |
| Report Generation Time | Crawl-dependent | Usually seconds for a public page |
| Scheduled Monitoring | ✓ | ✓ Affordable paid plans |
| Starting Point | Paid SEO platform | Free website health check |
| Best Buying Trigger | Ongoing SEO campaigns and research | Repeat monitoring, history, exports, or agency reporting |
The Best Moz Pro Alternatives for Different Needs
For a first site audit: WebsiteLinter gives you a fast health check across SEO, performance, security, and accessibility.
For keyword research: Compare the current databases, limits, countries, and workflow of dedicated keyword tools before subscribing.
For rank tracking: Start with Google Search Console for first-party query and page performance, then add a tracker if you need scheduled competitor comparisons.
For backlink analysis: Use a dedicated link index when backlink discovery and competitive link research are central to your work.
Build your own "Moz Alternative Stack":
- WebsiteLinter for a broad first-pass audit
- Google Search Console for ongoing monitoring (free)
- Google Lighthouse for performance testing (free)
- The keyword or rank-tracking product whose current limits fit your workflow
This modular approach lets you add paid tools only after the audit shows what work is actually needed.
Moz Crawl Test vs. WebsiteLinter: Which Should You Use?
Moz Pro can be a good fit for teams that use its full campaign workflow. It is a poor fit when the immediate job is simply to find the most important problems on one public page.
WebsiteLinter's free audit covers SEO plus performance, security, and accessibility in one report. If the results show that you also need keyword research, rank tracking, or backlink analysis, add the appropriate specialist platform afterward.
The practical decision:
- Choose Moz Pro for recurring SEO campaigns, keyword research, link research, and tracking.
- Choose WebsiteLinter for a fast audit of any public URL and a prioritized cross-discipline fix list.
- Use both when WebsiteLinter is your triage step and Moz is your ongoing SEO workspace.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a free Moz SEO audit?
Moz provides a free SEO audit checklist, downloadable spreadsheet, and several individual free SEO tools. Moz's current checklist promotes a free Moz Pro trial when you want to run its automated Site Crawl.
What is a free alternative to a Moz website audit?
WebsiteLinter is a free alternative for an immediate audit of one public URL. It checks SEO, performance, security headers, and accessibility without requiring site verification or a Moz Pro subscription.
Does WebsiteLinter replace Moz Pro?
No. WebsiteLinter is a fast public-page health check. Moz Pro is better suited to multi-page crawling, keyword research, rank tracking, backlink research, and ongoing SEO campaigns.
What does the WebsiteLinter SEO audit check?
It checks visible on-page and technical signals including titles, descriptions, headings, canonicals, robots directives, structured data, indexability clues, and related performance, security, and accessibility findings.
Can I run a Moz-style crawl test without verifying my site?
You can run a WebsiteLinter page audit without DNS, file, or Search Console verification. Because it audits the submitted public page rather than a verified project, it is useful for client, prospect, and competitor triage.
Can WebsiteLinter perform a content audit?
WebsiteLinter can flag page-level content signals such as title, description, headings, image alt text, and some thin-content clues. A complete content inventory and editorial quality review across an entire site still requires a broader content-audit workflow.
Run the Free Website Audit
Run a free WebsiteLinter audit and compare its prioritized findings with the work you need to do. No credit card, account, or site verification is required. For the same audit with a single composite score, use the website health checker.
Need more context? Read our guide to choosing a website SEO audit tool, the companion Moz site audit alternative post, or review our comprehensive list of free SEO checker tools in 2026.
Want the tool instead of the guide? The free Moz alternative landing page runs the same audit — instant, no signup, no Moz Pro campaign.
Still using Moz for backlink analysis? Check out our comparison of Ahrefs Webmaster Tools vs. WebsiteLinter to understand your full options.