Best backlink exchange platforms in 2026
11 platforms where sites trade links or mentions instead of buying them. They are ranked by how much of a trade the platform settles for you: a published rate per link by domain rating and a link check before the trade counts come first, negotiated one-to-one deals after, and exchanges sold as a feature of an AI writer last. Prices read 28 October 2026 on each company's own site. CrossMention is our product.
| # | Platform | Type | How the link happens | Free tier | Paid | Sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CrossMention | Mention exchange, B2B only | You mention a member in your own page; credits buy a mention back from any member | Free for the first 100 founding members; card required, never charged | No paid plan | 1 site per membership |
| 2 | KarmaLinks | Points exchange | Points earned by giving links, spent on requests | Points equal to your DR at signup, 2 requests at a time | Pro $19/month, about 200 points | Not published |
| 3 | Outrank | AI writer with exchange | Its AI puts your link in articles it writes for other customers | None | $99/month or $999/year | Not published |
| 4 | Swappsy | Swaps, collaborations, listicle placements | Requests and terms in built-in messaging | 1 site, 30 requests a month, no card | Pro $4.99/month, Agency $29.99/month | 1 free, 20 Pro, unlimited Agency |
| 5 | Ranking Raccoon | Link building community | Agreed one to one in chat | Lite: listed, cannot start chats | Pro $25/month | Unlimited |
| 6 | backlinkexchange.link | Matched exchanges | Matched exchanges, 90-day link checks on paid plans | 1 domain, 1 exchange a month | $39 to $249/month | 1, 3, 10 or 25 domains |
| 7 | Rankchase | Matching service | Matched by niche and DR, sent by email | Match alerts, partner details hidden | $19/month per website | Priced per website |
| 8 | Linkyleap | Collaboration network | Collaborations between listed sites, links monitored | 1 site, 3 collaborations a month | Pro $29/month | 1 free, 5 Pro |
| 9 | ViSPR | WordPress plugin directory | Partner directory inside a WordPress plugin | Not published | Starter $12/month; agency $49 or $79/month | 1 Starter; 10 or unlimited client sites |
| 10 | Ranklytics | SEO suite with exchange | Automatic exchange inside the suite | Free trial | $49, $99 or $199/month per location | Priced per location |
| 11 | EarlySEO | AI writer with exchange | A feature of its AI article generator | Not published | Growth $99/month or $799/year | Not published |
By need
| You want | Use |
|---|---|
| A fixed price per link by domain rating | CrossMention, KarmaLinks, Outrank |
| Negotiate each deal yourself | Ranking Raccoon, Swappsy |
| Partners suggested to you by email | Rankchase, backlinkexchange.link, Linkyleap |
| Links placed with no outreach at all | Outrank, EarlySEO, Ranklytics |
| A WordPress site and a small budget | ViSPR |
1. CrossMention
Members mention each other inside their own content and are paid in credits from one public table: 1 credit for a DR 0 to 19 site, 2 for DR 20 to 39, 4 for DR 40 to 59, 8 for DR 60 to 79 and 15 for DR 80 and up. Every placement is fetched and the link confirmed inside the article before credits move, and the member you mention never links back. Only B2B companies can join, one site per membership. On 28 October 2026 the exchange had 35 member sites and 21 completed placements. Pricing
2. KarmaLinks
KarmaLinks pays in Karma Points: you earn them by giving a link and spend them to request one, and the cost of a request scales with the target site's DR. New accounts get points equal to their own DR and can hold 2 requests at a time. Pro costs $19 a month and adds about 200 points, which the site puts at about 5 requests at DR 40. Member identities are verified and kept anonymous, and links are monitored with an alert if one drops. karmalinks.io
3. Outrank
Outrank is an AI article writer, and its exchange places your link inside articles it writes for other customers. You earn credits by letting it place links in your own articles, and a higher Domain Rating earns more per hosted link. The only way in is the writing plan at $99 a month or $999 a year. You do not choose the partner or the article. outrank.so · CrossMention vs Outrank
4. Swappsy
Swappsy handles backlink swaps, content collaborations and tool placements in listicles. You filter a partner feed by DR, traffic and niche, send a request and agree terms in its messaging, so there is no fixed rate by DR. It watches that each link stays live with the anchor and rel attribute intact. The free plan covers 1 site and 30 requests a month with no card; Pro is $4.99 a month and Agency $29.99. swappsy.net · CrossMention vs Swappsy
5. Ranking Raccoon
Ranking Raccoon is a community of site admins who sign up with LinkedIn, list their sites and agree placements one to one in chat. Sites are reviewed by hand across 54 industries, and the platform checks that a link is live and do-follow. Pro costs $25 a month and is needed to browse verified sites and start chats. The free Lite plan keeps your sites visible to Pro users, who can contact you. rankingraccoon.com · CrossMention vs Ranking Raccoon
6. backlinkexchange.link
backlinkexchange.link matches you with exchange partners and sends alerts when a match appears. Paid plans add verified domain scoring and 90-day backlink checks. The free plan allows 1 exchange a month for 1 domain; Solo is $39 a month for 5 exchanges, up to Agency at $249 for 25 domains and 70 exchanges. backlinkexchange.link
7. Rankchase
Rankchase reads your niche, DR and traffic and emails you sites of similar size that want to exchange links. On the free plan you get the alerts but cannot see who the matched site is, though paying users can still contact you. Premium costs $19 a month per website. The deal itself is agreed between the two sites. rankchase.com
8. Linkyleap
Linkyleap is a network of listed sites that arrange collaborations with each other, and it monitors the links and alerts you if one is removed. The site says 2,450 or more backlinks have been created. Starter is free for 1 site and 3 collaborations a month; Pro is $29 a month for 5 sites and 50 collaborations. linkyleap.com
9. ViSPR
ViSPR runs as a WordPress plugin with a partner directory, so a site needs to be on WordPress to take part. Starter costs $12 a month or $94 a year for one site. Agency plans add client listings and white-label reports at $49 a month for 10 client sites and $79 for unlimited. vispr.net
10. Ranklytics
Ranklytics is an SEO suite with an AI blog writer and rank tracking, and its backlink exchange places links automatically with no outreach. Plans are priced per location: Search $49 a month, Search + AI $99 and Agency $199. Every plan starts with a free trial. ranklytics.ai
11. EarlySEO
EarlySEO is an AI article generator that publishes to your CMS, with backlink exchange listed as one feature next to internal linking and directory submission. The Growth plan is $99 a month or $799 a year and includes 30 articles a month. The site does not publish how exchange partners are chosen. earlyseo.com
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