Plain-language summary: Broken Link Checker is a free tool. Use it to audit websites you own or have permission to scan. Don't use it to attack or overload servers. We provide the tool as-is and accept no liability for how results are used. Full legal details are below.
Acceptance of Terms
By accessing or using Broken Link Checker at brokenlinkchecker.org (the "Service"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms"). If you do not agree to these Terms, please do not use the Service.
These Terms constitute a legally binding agreement between you ("User," "you") and the operators of Broken Link Checker ("we," "us," "our"). Your continued use of the Service after any modifications to these Terms constitutes your acceptance of those changes.
If you are using the Service on behalf of a company or other legal entity, you represent that you have the authority to bind that entity to these Terms.
Description of Service
Broken Link Checker is a free, web-based tool that crawls websites to identify broken links, missing resources, redirect chains, thin content pages, and other technical issues that may affect search engine optimisation and user experience.
The Service currently provides, without guarantee:
- Crawling of up to 1,500 pages per scan with no account required
- Detection of broken internal and external hyperlinks
- Detection of missing images, CSS files, JavaScript files, and web fonts
- Identification of HTTP redirect chains (301, 302, and other 3xx responses)
- Detection of empty and thin content pages (under 200 characters of visible text)
- Real-time streaming of scan results to a dashboard interface
- Source code viewer showing the exact HTML line containing a broken link
- CSV export of full scan results
We reserve the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue any part of the Service at any time without prior notice. We will not be liable to you or any third party for any modification, suspension, or discontinuation of the Service.
Acceptable Use
You may use the Service only for lawful purposes and in accordance with these Terms. You agree to use the Service only to scan websites and domains for which you have legitimate authorisation, including:
- Websites you own or operate directly
- Websites for which you have been engaged as a developer, SEO consultant, or technical contractor
- Websites for which you have obtained the express written permission of the website owner
- Publicly accessible websites that you are auditing for research or reporting purposes, provided such scanning is not excessive and does not harm the target server
Our crawler is designed to be polite — it includes a 50ms delay between requests and uses HEAD requests before GET requests. Please select a page limit appropriate to the size of the target site to avoid placing unnecessary load on smaller servers.
You are solely responsible for ensuring your use of the Service complies with all applicable laws and the terms of service of any website you choose to scan.
Prohibited Conduct
You must not use the Service in any way that:
- Violates any applicable local, national, or international law or regulation
- Is intended to overload, damage, disable, impair, or attack any server, network, or system
- Constitutes unauthorised access or scanning of systems you do not own or have permission to test
- Involves harvesting, scraping, or collecting data from third-party websites in violation of those websites' terms of service or applicable law
- Uses automated scripts or bots to submit scan requests at rates that place unreasonable load on our infrastructure
- Attempts to circumvent, reverse-engineer, or tamper with any security measure or access control on the Service
- Impersonates any person or entity, or misrepresents your affiliation with any person or entity
- Facilitates or encourages any of the above conduct by third parties
Violation of these rules may result in immediate termination of your access to the Service and may be reported to the appropriate authorities where required by law.
Intellectual Property
The Service and its original content — including but not limited to the website design, source code, user interface, text, graphics, logos, and documentation — are and remain the exclusive property of Broken Link Checker and its licensors. All rights are reserved.
These Terms do not grant you any right, title, or interest in the Service, our trademarks, or our intellectual property. You may not:
- Copy, reproduce, distribute, or create derivative works of any part of the Service without our prior written consent
- Use our name, logo, or branding in a way that implies endorsement or affiliation without our prior written consent
- Remove or alter any copyright, trademark, or other proprietary notices displayed on the Service
The scan results generated for your website are yours. We do not claim any ownership over the data produced by scanning your site.
Privacy & Data
We take your privacy seriously. Our approach to data is straightforward:
- URLs you scan are not stored on our servers. Scan processing happens transiently and results are delivered directly to your browser session.
- No account or sign-up is required. We do not collect your name, email address, or any personally identifiable information in order to use the Service.
- We use aggregate analytics (via Google Analytics) to understand how the tool is used. This data is anonymised and used solely to improve the Service.
- We do not sell, rent, or share your data with third parties for advertising or commercial purposes.
For full details, please read our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference.
Disclaimers
The Service is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis without warranties of any kind, either express or implied. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, we disclaim all warranties, including but not limited to:
- Warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement
- Warranties that the Service will be uninterrupted, error-free, or free of harmful components
- Warranties regarding the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of scan results
- Warranties that results will identify every broken link or technical issue on a scanned website
Scan results may be incomplete due to JavaScript-rendered content, server-side authentication requirements, rate limiting by target servers, or robots.txt restrictions. Results should be treated as a diagnostic guide, not a guaranteed complete audit.
We do not warrant that using the Service will improve your search engine rankings, website performance, or any other commercial outcome.
Limitation of Liability
To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, in no event shall Broken Link Checker, its operators, affiliates, licensors, employees, agents, or contractors be liable for any:
- Indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages
- Loss of profits, revenue, data, business, or goodwill
- Costs of procuring substitute services
- Damages arising from your reliance on scan results or your failure to independently verify those results
- Damages arising from unauthorised access to or alteration of your data or transmissions
These limitations apply whether the alleged liability arises in contract, tort (including negligence), strict liability, or any other basis — even if we have been advised of the possibility of such damages.
Because some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of certain warranties or liabilities, our liability in such jurisdictions will be limited to the greatest extent permitted by law. In no event will our total aggregate liability to you exceed £100 GBP (one hundred British pounds sterling).
Indemnification
You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Broken Link Checker and its operators from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, judgements, awards, losses, costs, expenses, or fees (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or relating to:
- Your violation of these Terms
- Your use of the Service in a manner not permitted by these Terms
- Your scanning of websites without authorisation from the website owner
- Any claim that your use of the Service caused damage to a third party
- Your violation of any applicable law or regulation
Third-Party Links & Services
The Service may contain links to third-party websites or services. These links are provided for convenience only. We have no control over and assume no responsibility for the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third-party websites.
We do not endorse or warrant the offerings of any third-party businesses or individuals. You acknowledge that we shall not be responsible or liable for any damage or loss caused by your use of, or reliance on, any third-party content, goods, or services.
Our Service uses the following third-party services:
- Google Analytics — for aggregate, anonymised usage statistics only. Governed by Google's Privacy Policy.
- Google Fonts — for typography. No personal data is transmitted beyond standard browser HTTP requests.
Changes to These Terms
We reserve the right to update or modify these Terms at any time at our sole discretion. When we make changes, we will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page.
Changes are effective immediately upon posting. Your continued use of the Service after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms. We encourage you to review this page periodically.
If a change materially alters your rights or obligations, we will make reasonable efforts to notify you, such as displaying a prominent notice on the Service's homepage for a reasonable period.
Termination
We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your access to the Service at any time, without prior notice, if we reasonably believe you are in violation of these Terms or if your use is causing harm to the Service, our infrastructure, or third parties.
Because the Service does not require an account, "termination" may mean blocking your IP address or taking other technical measures to prevent continued access.
You may stop using the Service at any time. No cancellation procedures are required since the Service is free and requires no account.
The following sections will survive any termination: Intellectual Property, Disclaimers, Limitation of Liability, Indemnification, and Governing Law.
Governing Law & Dispute Resolution
These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales, without regard to its conflict of law provisions.
Any dispute arising from or relating to these Terms or your use of the Service shall first be attempted to be resolved informally by contacting us at hello@brokenlinkchecker.com. We will make good-faith efforts to resolve any dispute within 30 days of receiving written notice.
If a dispute cannot be resolved informally, it shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales. If you are a consumer located in the European Union, you may also have the right to use the European Commission's Online Dispute Resolution platform.
Contact Us
If you have any questions about these Terms of Service, wish to report a concern, or need to contact us for any reason, please reach out through the following:
- Email: hello@brokenlinkchecker.com
- Website: brokenlinkchecker.org
We aim to respond to all enquiries within 2 business days. Every message is read personally.
These Terms were last updated on 14 March 2022 and apply to all users of brokenlinkchecker.org. By using the Service you confirm you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms.