ai-link-builder.comField log · Updated October 18, 2026

Field guide · Updated October 2026

AI link builders: what they do, what they can't, and which ones exist

An AI link builder runs parts of link building for you: it finds pages that could link to you, judges them, finds the person who runs each one, writes the pitch, sends it and follows up. It can't make anyone link. In outreach a site owner still decides, so links arrive weeks after the first email. The name covers seven kinds of product, from outreach agents at $49 to $999 a month to link services at $100 to $500 per link and bots that post links themselves.

Run log · one pitch, start to finish

  • AI
  • You
  • Site owner
  1. 01AIFindsearch results for your keywords, competitors' links, lists and roundups
  2. 02AIJudgekeep or drop, each with a written reason
  3. 03AIContactbyline author or editor, email verified, LinkedIn found
  4. 04YouWritedraft cites their page; you approve or edit
  5. 05AISendsent from your inbox, paced to stay out of spam
  6. 06AIFollowfollow-up after silence, stop on reply
  7. 07YouReplyreply drafted; the fee waits for your OK
  8. 08Site ownerDecidethe editor adds the link, or doesn't
  9. 09AIMonitorre-checked on a schedule; alert if it drops
Who does each step of one outreach link when an AI tool runs it and you keep the approvals. AI runs or drafts eight of the nine steps; the site owner's decision is the one it can't.
Products compared
31, same fields each
AI runs or drafts
8 of the 9 steps
Outreach agents
$49 to $999 a month
Facts checked
October 18, 2026

Log 01 · Orientation

What kinds of AI link builders are there?

Seven kinds of product are sold as AI link building. They differ less in their AI than in two questions: who sends the pitch, and who decides that a link goes up. Everything else (price, risk, what you keep) follows from those two.

Where the link comes fromYouTool or serviceSite owner decidesNobody decides
  1. OutreachOutreach agents, AI-assisted platforms, ChatGPT or Claude
    1. AI finds a page, draftsyou approve
    2. Pitch from your inboxreads, replies
    3. Site owner decidesedits the page
    4. Link on a page they run
  2. Link serviceRespona, LinkDR, Backlinker AI, Adaptify, AEO Engine
    1. You order and pay$100 to $500 a link
    2. Service picks a sitefee + article
    3. Publisher posts itpublishes
    4. Link in a new article
  3. ExchangeOutrank, Distribb, BabyLoveGrowth, SEObot, Arvow
    1. Your AI article links to member Bcredits
    2. Tool matches membersplaces
    3. Member C's article links to you
  4. Link botGSA Search Engine Ranker, Money Robot, free generators
    1. Bot registers accountsposts
    2. Directories, profiles, commentsno one reviews
    3. Link nobody chose
  1. Kind 01 · 4 in the comparison

    Prospect finders

    A list of pages that could link to you, ranked or labelled by AI. No outreach.

    How a link happens
    You take the list and do the outreach yourself, or feed it to another tool.
    Who sends
    You, if you pitch
    Who decides to link
    The site owner, if you pitch
    Price
    Free lead-magnet tools to $495 a month for AI-citation analytics
    Fits when
    You already do outreach and want a better list.
  2. Kind 02 · 5 in the comparison

    AI-assisted outreach platforms

    Outreach software you run, with AI for vetting, personalizing, finding emails and sorting replies.

    How a link happens
    You build each campaign; the software sends sequences from your mailboxes and an editor decides to link.
    Who sends
    Your mailboxes
    Who decides to link
    The site owner
    Price
    $29 to $1,200 a month; Pitchbox requires a one-year commitment
    Fits when
    You or a team want control over every campaign and have the hours to run them.
  3. Kind 03 · 7 in the comparison

    Outreach agents

    An agent that runs the loop for one site: finds pages, judges them, finds the person, writes, sends and follows up.

    How a link happens
    It pitches editors one page at a time; a person who runs each site decides whether to link.
    Who sends
    Your inbox, or an inbox it runs for you
    Who decides to link
    The site owner
    Price
    $49 to $999 a month, plus any site fees you approve
    Fits when
    You want links from real sites in your name, without doing the outreach yourself.
  4. Kind 04 · 5 in the comparison

    Link services that use AI

    Finished links. You pay per link or per month; the service picks sites, writes content and pays publishers.

    How a link happens
    The service's team or network places the link, often in a new article, sometimes from reporter requests.
    Who sends
    The service
    Who decides to link
    The service and its publishers
    Price
    $100 to $500 per link, or $300 to $2,997 a month
    Fits when
    You want a known number of links and will never read a pitch.
  5. Kind 05 · 5 in the comparison

    AI content autopilots with a link exchange

    AI articles published to your CMS, plus links traded with the tool's other customers.

    How a link happens
    Your articles host links to other members; their articles host links to you. Some sell paid placements on top.
    Who sends
    Nobody. Members are matched
    Who decides to link
    The tool's matching
    Price
    $49 to $1,050 a month for articles; paid placement plans up to $1,899
    Fits when
    Your blog is empty and you want articles first; links are a side effect.
  6. Kind 06 · 3 in the comparison

    Link bots and backlink generators

    Software that creates links itself, on directories, profiles, wikis, forums and blog comments, or lists those platforms for you.

    How a link happens
    No site owner decides: the bot registers accounts and posts, or you submit to the listed platforms.
    Who sends
    Nobody
    Who decides to link
    Nobody
    Price
    Free generators to $67 a month or $127 one-time
    Fits when
    Nothing this page is about.
  7. Kind 07 · 2 in the comparison

    ChatGPT or Claude, run by you

    A general assistant that searches, reads pages, drafts pitches and, with Gmail connected, can draft and send.

    How a link happens
    You run each step with prompts and keep the tracking sheet; an editor decides to link.
    Who sends
    Your inbox
    Who decides to link
    The site owner
    Price
    $0 to $20 a month for the assistant, plus your time
    Fits when
    A few pitches a week, and you'd rather spend time than money.

Log 02 · Comparison

Which AI link building tools exist? 31 compared

Every product gets the same fields: what its AI does, whose inbox sends, whether you approve pitches by default, how money for links is handled, where links come from, price and terms, and what you keep if you cancel. Each was read on its own pricing pages, docs and terms on October 18, 2026. Tools without AI (backlink data, email finders, outreach CRMs) are on link-building-tools.com; agencies on link-building-agencies.com.

31 shown

ProductKindSends fromYou approve each pitch by defaultLinks come fromPrice
AutoBacklinksAgentYour mailboxYes, per campaignAny site$49–399/mo
BacklinkBotAgentYour inboxYesAny site$99–199/mo
BacklinkGPTAgentYour inbox or LinkedInYesAny site$149–999/mo
BlazeHive BacklinksAgentIts mailboxNo, auto by defaultAny site$178/mo
ElvixAIAgentYour inbox or its domainNo, autopilot by defaultAny site$99/mo
MentionAgentAgentIts domain, handed over on requestYesBlogs, mostly swaps$99–629/mo
Outlink AIAgentYour mailboxNo, auto by defaultAny site$88–625/mo
Blazly BacklinkerPlatformYour GmailYou pick sitesAny site$29–199/mo
Linkee AIPlatformYour mailboxNot statedAny site$97–358/mo
PitchboxPlatformYour mailboxesYou launch; replies can auto-sendAny site$210–1,200/mo, 1-year term
Semrush AI Backlink BuilderPlatformYour mailboxesYes, before launchAny site$169/mo
Uprankly Link BuilderPlatformYour mailboxesYes, placementsAny site + database$199–799/mo
AdaptifyServiceThe serviceNo, flag to stopReporter requests$499/mo
AEO EngineServiceVendorsNot statedVendor sites$1,597+/mo
Backlinker AIServiceThe service, as youNoReporter requests$300/mo
LinkDRServiceThe serviceNo, +20% to reviewIts publishers$160–500 per link
ResponaServiceThe serviceNo, extra to reviewIts network + outreach$100–500 per link
ArvowExchangeNobodyn/a, automaticIts customers$69–449/mo
BabyLoveGrowthExchangeNobodyn/a, automaticIts customers$99–399/mo
DistribbExchangeYou (Pro) or itn/a, automaticIts customers$97–495/mo
OutrankExchangeNobodyn/a, automaticIts customers + paid blogs$99/mo; links $199–1,899
SEObotExchangeNobodyn/a, automaticIts customers$49–1,050/mo
aiclicks AI Backlink BuilderFinderNobodyn/aPages ChatGPT citesFree
Listicle.comFinderNobodyn/aListiclesFree
Peec AIFinderNobodyn/aPages AI answers cite$95–495/mo
RanksterFinderNobodyn/aCompetitors' linksFrom $60/mo
GSA Search Engine RankerBotNobodyNoneOpen platforms$127 once
Money RobotBotNobodyNoneOpen platforms$67/mo
Free backlink generatorsBotNobodyNoneDirectories, profilesFree
ChatGPTDIYYour inboxYour settingAny site$0–20/mo
ClaudeDIYYour inboxYes, before each sendAny site$0–20/mo

Cyan you send or you decide. Magentathe tool or service does. Grey nobody sends, or it isn't stated. Prices are monthly list prices in USD, checked October 18, 2026 on each company's own site. Groups follow how much of the work each kind takes off you; inside a group, products are alphabetical.

Prospect finders

A list of pages that could link to you, ranked or labelled by AI. No outreach.

aiclicks AI Backlink Builder

aiclicks.io · MB Purai, Vilnius, Lithuania

Free

aiclicks AI Backlink Builder /tools/ai-backlink-builder page, above the fold, as captured on October 18, 2026
aiclicks.io /tools/ai-backlink-builder page, screenshot October 18, 2026

Writes the questions buyers in your category would ask, asks ChatGPT with web search, collects the pages it cites, and checks whether each mentions or links to you.

Sends from
No outreach.
Approval
n/a
Money for links
n/a
Links come from
A list of pages you pitch yourself.
Price
Free, with a daily limit; 5 rows shown, the rest after sign-up. Its paid platform starts at $59.
Trial, contract, refunds
n/a
If you cancel
n/a
ChatGPT, Claude, API
None stated.

Check before you pay: The page promises pitch angles and effort scores; the results show a list of pages.

Listicle.com

listicle.com · St. Petersburg, Florida

Free

Listicle.com homepage, above the fold, as captured on October 18, 2026
listicle.com homepage, screenshot October 18, 2026

Scans for best-of and top articles on your keyword, adds DA, PA and last-update date, shows whether you're mentioned, and emails an Excel file. A Request Placement form goes to a manager.

Sends from
No outreach; placements are discussed with its manager.
Approval
n/a
Money for links
Placement prices not stated.
Links come from
Listicles you pitch yourself, or placements arranged by its manager.
Price
Free (beta).
Trial, contract, refunds
n/a
If you cancel
The spreadsheet.
ChatGPT, Claude, API
None stated.

Check before you pay: Its pages don't say it uses AI to find listicles, though AI answers describe it that way.

Peec AI

peec.ai · Peec AI GmbH, Berlin

$95–495/mo

Peec AI homepage, above the fold, as captured on October 18, 2026
peec.ai homepage, screenshot October 18, 2026

Tracks prompts across AI models and reports which sources they cite. Its gap analysis lists sources that name competitors but not you.

Sends from
No outreach.
Approval
n/a
Money for links
n/a
Links come from
A list of cited sources to pitch yourself.
Price
Starter $95 a month, Pro $245, Advanced $495; about 15% less billed yearly.
Trial, contract, refunds
Free trial offered; length not stated.
If you cancel
n/a
ChatGPT, Claude, API
MCP server for Claude and ChatGPT; REST API.

Check before you pay: Analytics, not link building. Some AI answers call it 'Peek AI'.

Rankster

rankster.ai · Rankster Pty Ltd, Australia

From $60/mo

Rankster /backlink-builder page, above the fold, as captured on October 18, 2026
rankster.ai /backlink-builder page, screenshot October 18, 2026

For each keyword, pulls the backlinks of the top 100 results and ranks the ones most worth chasing. A report takes about 2 days.

Sends from
No outreach.
Approval
n/a
Money for links
n/a
Links come from
A ranked list of competitors' backlinks.
Price
From $59.99 a month (50 keywords, one refresh) to $409.95 for a one-off 250-keyword report.
Trial, contract, refunds
14-day trial, no card. Refunds within 7 days only if the service failed.
If you cancel
The reports.
ChatGPT, Claude, API
None stated.

Check before you pay: The name says backlink builder; the product is a report.

AI-assisted outreach platforms

Outreach software you run, with AI for vetting, personalizing, finding emails and sorting replies.

Blazly Backlinker

blazly.ai · Blazly AI; Delaware address, team in Chennai

$29–199/mo

Blazly Backlinker /products/backlinks page, above the fold, as captured on October 18, 2026
blazly.ai /products/backlinks page, screenshot October 18, 2026

Finds sites from Google results for your keyword (guest-post spots, resource pages, competitors' backlinks) and qualifies them. You pick the sites; it finds verified emails, writes personalized emails, sends, follows up and tracks opens and replies.

Sends from
Your own Gmail (listed on Growth and Scale).
Approval
You pick the sites. Once a campaign starts it sends to every recipient automatically.
Money for links
Not stated.
Links come from
Editorial outreach.
Price
Starter $29 a month (50 emails), Growth $99 (600), Scale $199 (1,500).
Trial, contract, refunds
14-day free trial banner on its pricing page. Refund terms not stated.
If you cancel
Data becomes inaccessible when you cancel and is deleted within 30 days.
ChatGPT, Claude, API
None stated.

Check before you pay: Its docs and pricing page disagree on whether Starter sends at all. Ask before buying Starter.

Linkee AI

linkee.ai · Linkee, Inc., Austin, Texas

$97–358/mo

Linkee AI homepage, above the fold, as captured on October 18, 2026
linkee.ai homepage, screenshot October 18, 2026

Pulls prospects from its database or your Ahrefs or Semrush export, vets them (relevance, PBN and spam filters), finds and verifies emails, writes emails with AI, and sends sequences with follow-ups.

Sends from
Your Gmail, Outlook, SMTP or IMAP accounts.
Approval
Not stated for emails. You approve prospects in a manual clean-up step.
Money for links
The outreach tool doesn't address fees. A separate marketplace, Linkee Match, sells placements.
Links come from
Guest posts and niche edits from your outreach; paid placements in Linkee Match.
Price
Essential $97 a month, Pro $197, Agency $358; billed yearly $80.83, $164.17 and $298.33.
Trial, contract, refunds
14-day trial with 500 credits, no card. Fees nonrefundable; the terms say cancel by email.
If you cancel
Data may be deleted 30 days after termination.
ChatGPT, Claude, API
None stated.

Check before you pay: Its pricing page gives three inbox limits for Essential (3, 2 and 1), and the trial buttons open the marketplace app.

Pitchbox

pitchbox.com · Pitchbox, LLC

$210–1,200/mo, 1-year term

Pitchbox /ai page, above the fold, as captured on October 18, 2026
pitchbox.com /ai page, screenshot October 18, 2026

Suggests keywords, qualifies sites by relevance and personalizes templates. Its AI Reply Agent reads replies, answers, negotiates price under a ceiling you set and marks deals won or lost. Monitors links.

Sends from
Your mailboxes: 2, 6 or 20 by plan.
Approval
You build and launch campaigns. The Reply Agent saves drafts or sends automatically without your review, your choice.
Money for links
You pay publishers. The Reply Agent can agree a price up to the ceiling you set.
Links come from
Your own outreach.
Price
Pro $300 a month billed monthly or $210 billed yearly; Advanced $600 or $420; Scale $1,200 or $825.
Trial, contract, refunds
One-year commitment on every plan, whatever the billing. Trial after a demo. Optional expert setup $2,000 to $4,000.
If you cancel
Access runs to the end of the contract.
ChatGPT, Claude, API
API on Advanced and Scale; Zapier, Slack and webhooks on all plans.

Check before you pay: Monthly billing still commits you for a year: Pro costs $3,600 in year one.

Uprankly Link Builder

uprankly.com · Uprankly Inc., California

$199–799/mo

Uprankly Link Builder /link-builder page, above the fold, as captured on October 18, 2026
uprankly.com /link-builder page, screenshot October 18, 2026

Keyword search, competitor gaps, lookalikes and a 50,000+ vetted-site database; adds DR, traffic, emails and LinkedIn; AI writes the opening line; follow-ups; an AI inbox sorts replies and drafts answers; monitors links. An optional agent mode prospects, sends and follows up daily.

Sends from
Your own Gmail, Outlook or SMTP accounts, unlimited, with rotation.
Approval
You approve every placement. Reply drafts wait for approval unless you switch on auto-send.
Money for links
The software doesn't pay. A separate managed service sells DR 40–60 links (5 a month for $1,795).
Links come from
Editorial outreach, plus its vetted-site database.
Price
Starter $199 a month, Pro $399, Agency $799; about 17% less billed yearly. $37 one-time starter pack.
Trial, contract, refunds
No annual contract. A 14-day make-it-right promise.
If you cancel
Not stated.
ChatGPT, Claude, API
MCP announced as coming soon.

Check before you pay: Its llms.txt still says plans start at $119; the pricing page starts at $199.

Outreach agents

An agent that runs the loop for one site: finds pages, judges them, finds the person, writes, sends and follows up.

BacklinkBot

backlinkbot.ai · AmplifyX Tech, India

$99–199/mo

BacklinkBot homepage, above the fold, as captured on October 18, 2026
backlinkbot.ai homepage, screenshot October 18, 2026

Reads your site, picks keywords, scans the results, judges each page with its reasons, finds and verifies the editor's address, writes a pitch for that page, sends, follows up on day 3 and day 7, and checks the link is live and followed. You answer replies.

Sends from
Your connected inbox. Pro also includes three warmed inboxes it provides.
Approval
Nothing sends until you approve it; approval can be switched off per channel.
Money for links
Doesn't pay or negotiate fees. Any site fee is yours to pay.
Links come from
Editorial outreach to pages already ranking for your keywords.
Price
Pro $99 a month, Growth $199. A separate directory-submission service costs $99 to $357 one-time.
Trial, contract, refunds
No free plan or trial. Cancel from billing; it runs to the end of the period.
If you cancel
Not stated. Outreach from your own inbox stays in your inbox.
ChatGPT, Claude, API
Not stated.
Published results
The DR gains shown on its agent pages come from its directory-submission case studies, not outreach.

Check before you pay: Ask which results came from outreach and which from directory submissions.

BacklinkGPT

backlinkgpt.com · BacklinkGPT

$149–999/mo

BacklinkGPT homepage, above the fold, as captured on October 18, 2026
backlinkgpt.com homepage, screenshot October 18, 2026

Reads your site, finds pages where it belongs (lists, roundups, resource pages, articles that mention competitors), judges each page, finds the right person, writes a pitch around that page, sends, follows up, and drafts replies and counter-offers.

Sends from
Your own inbox or LinkedIn profile.
Approval
You approve every pitch until the agent earns auto-send.
Money for links
You approve every fee. The fee goes to the publisher, on top of the plan; its pricing page says sites often ask $75 to $250.
Links come from
Editorial outreach to pages anywhere on the web.
Price
Starter $149 a month (1 site, 1 inbox or LinkedIn profile, up to 6 pitches a day, about 2,000 pages checked), Growth $399 (up to 3, 12 a day, about 6,000), Scale $999 (up to 6, 25 a day, about 20,000). Extra inbox or profile $19.
Trial, contract, refunds
Monthly, cancel anytime, no free trial. A free preview shows the first prospects and a sample pitch, no card.
If you cancel
The plan runs to the end of the paid period. Outreach from your own inbox stays in your inbox.
ChatGPT, Claude, API
Works in ChatGPT and Claude (MCP); API on every plan.
Published results
17% of pitched contacts replied, 26% accepted the LinkedIn invite, fastest link live 2 days 9 hours after the first email (its own case study, on its own sites).

Check before you pay: Built for one business's own site; its pricing page says it isn't for agencies or resellers.

BlazeHive Backlinks

blazehive.io · Founded in Berlin, November 2025

$178/mo

BlazeHive Backlinks homepage, above the fold, as captured on October 18, 2026
blazehive.io homepage, screenshot October 18, 2026

Searches for ranking articles that mention a competitor, finds the site owner's contact, rewrites your pitch template for each article, sends, and labels replies Interested or Not interested. An add-on to a content and AI-search product.

Sends from
A mailbox BlazeHive runs; sending inboxes are included.
Approval
Auto-approve is on unless you switch it off to review every email. Replies are never answered automatically.
Money for links
Not stated.
Links come from
Editorial outreach to roundups, best-of lists and guides that name your competitors.
Price
Backlinks $79 a month on top of Essential at $99, so $178 a month.
Trial, contract, refunds
3-day free trial, card required. Month to month.
If you cancel
Not stated.
ChatGPT, Claude, API
MCP server for Claude and ChatGPT, including outreach.

Check before you pay: Pitches leave from BlazeHive's mailbox, so ask what happens to the threads if you cancel.

ElvixAI

elvixai.com · Founder Hasan Cagli; company not stated

$99/mo

ElvixAI homepage, above the fold, as captured on October 18, 2026
elvixai.com homepage, screenshot October 18, 2026

Picks keywords, searches Google, tracks 10 competitors for round-ups, finds and verifies contacts, writes, sends, follows up, drafts reply responses for you to review, and reopens outreach if a won link drops. You place the link or write the guest post.

Sends from
Your connected inbox, or a separate domain it sets up for $39.
Approval
Its FAQ says it runs on full autopilot by default; approval gates are optional.
Money for links
The software doesn't pay publishers. A separate done-for-you service sells links from $149 (DR 30+) to $399 (DR 65+).
Links come from
Editorial mentions, link exchanges and guest posts.
Price
Pro $99 a month (30 emails a day, 1 site, 1 inbox), or $990 a year.
Trial, contract, refunds
$19 for a 14-day trial. Non-refundable except where the law requires.
If you cancel
Not stated.
ChatGPT, Claude, API
REST API and an MCP server with 25 tools, two of which send email.
Published results
8.1% reply rate on 17,707 prospects (live counter, its own figure).

Check before you pay: The hero says you approve; the FAQ says autopilot by default. Set approval on day one.

MentionAgent

mentionagent.ai · Netherlands; founded February 2026

$99–629/mo

MentionAgent homepage, above the fold, as captured on October 18, 2026
mentionagent.ai homepage, screenshot October 18, 2026

Finds blog posts, checks their authority, finds and verifies editors' emails, writes a pitch per post, sends, follows up, drafts replies that propose the exact sentence to add, records live links, and checks ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini answers twice a month.

Sends from
A separate domain and Gmail inbox it registers and warms for you (5 a day in week one, 40 a day from week four).
Approval
Every email waits for approval by default; autopilot is optional.
Money for links
Turns down fee requests by default; it never pays publishers itself. Price settings exist for paid offers.
Links come from
Independent blogs it finds. Most deals are mutual mentions, by its own description.
Price
Starter $99 a month, Growth $179, Scale $329, Agency $629. A free start writes drafts only.
Trial, contract, refunds
Monthly, no contract. 14-day money-back.
If you cancel
Data export on request; the sending domain is transferred to you free on request.
ChatGPT, Claude, API
MCP server for Claude, Claude Code, Cursor and Codex.
Published results
8.2% reply rate, 3.4% positive, across 30 paying accounts to 14 Sep 2026 (its own figure).

Check before you pay: A mutual mention is a link swap, one site at a time. Ask what share of its links are swaps.

Link services that use AI

Finished links. You pay per link or per month; the service picks sites, writes content and pays publishers.

Adaptify

adaptify.ai · Adaptify, Miami, Florida

$499/mo

Adaptify /features/backlinks page, above the fold, as captured on October 18, 2026
adaptify.ai /features/backlinks page, screenshot October 18, 2026

An SEO and AI-visibility platform that writes content and audits sites. For links it matches reporter requests to your expert profile, sends pitches, and fills gaps with guest posts and listings.

Sends from
Adaptify; connecting a client-branded inbox is optional.
Approval
Pitches send automatically; you can flag one before it goes.
Money for links
Included in the plan.
Links come from
Reporter requests (Featured.com, Help a B2B Writer and others), guest posts, listings.
Price
$499 a month per site, or $333 a site from 3 sites. At least 1 link a month guaranteed.
Trial, contract, refunds
7-day trial, no contracts. The pricing page promises a 30-day refund; the terms say all sales are final.
If you cancel
Not stated.
ChatGPT, Claude, API
None stated.
Published results
44 pitches a month per site and a 9% placement rate (its own averages).

Check before you pay: Most of the price buys content and SEO tools; links alone have no listed price.

AEO Engine

aeoengine.ai · AEO ENGINE LLC, a human-managed agency

$1,597+/mo

AEO Engine /platform/link-building page, above the fold, as captured on October 18, 2026
aeoengine.ai /platform/link-building page, screenshot October 18, 2026

On the 10th of each month its AI picks your target pages by expected return, sets an anchor mix and produces vendor-ready guest-post and niche-edit orders. Also writes articles and runs PR campaigns.

Sends from
Link vendors.
Approval
Not stated.
Money for links
Links bought from vendors, included in the plan.
Links come from
Vendors' sites: guest posts and niche edits.
Price
Growth $1,597 a month (3 to 5 links), Scale $2,997 (6 to 10), Enterprise from $10,000.
Trial, contract, refunds
90-day initial term, billed monthly.
If you cancel
Content it creates; links not stated.
ChatGPT, Claude, API
None stated.

Check before you pay: Its link-building page and pricing page give different link counts for the same tier.

Backlinker AI

backlinker.ai · Run by its founder, Bennett

$300/mo

Builds an expert profile from your bio and matches reporter requests. An AI writer trained on your biography drafts quotes, submitted mainly through Featured.com plus email outreach.

Sends from
Backlinker AI's accounts, in your name as the expert.
Approval
No approval step described.
Money for links
No fee per link.
Links come from
Articles by reporters who use your quote.
Price
$300 a month for 150+ pitches; 3+ DR 30+ links a month or your money back.
Trial, contract, refunds
Monthly. Refund only if fewer than 3 DR 30+ links arrive.
If you cancel
The links that go live.
ChatGPT, Claude, API
None stated.
Published results
Two independent tests: 6 links from 249 pitches (Words at Scale) and 14 placements from 480 (Ryan Doser). Both posts carry affiliate codes.

Check before you pay: Its terms warn AI quotes may contain inaccuracies. Ask to see what goes out in your name.

LinkDR

linkdr.com · Superleuk LLC (US address, Swiss-law terms)

$160–500 per link

LinkDR homepage, above the fold, as captured on October 18, 2026
linkdr.com homepage, screenshot October 18, 2026

Finds publishers with AI, emails them, follows up, agrees terms, writes the article, pays the publisher and checks the live link. AI assistants can plan orders through its SKILL.md file and a read-only MCP server.

Sends from
LinkDR.
Approval
Sites are approved automatically unless you pay 20% more to review each one.
Money for links
Publisher payment included in the price.
Links come from
Publishers it finds; a new article per link, by its pricing page.
Price
$160 (DR 30+), $240 (DR 40+), $400 (DR 50+) or $500 (DR 60+) per link. Listicle or review +20%.
Trial, contract, refunds
Refund if a link isn't live within 60 days; replacement if removed within 12 months.
If you cancel
The links.
ChatGPT, Claude, API
Read-only MCP server. Its SKILL.md tells AI assistants to suggest an $800 to $1,000 first order on auto-approve.

Check before you pay: If an AI assistant orders for you, its instructions start at $800 to $1,000, sites unseen.

Respona

respona.com · Respona, LLC, Delaware

$100–500 per link

Respona homepage, above the fold, as captured on October 18, 2026
respona.com homepage, screenshot October 18, 2026

Its team and AI find sites and contacts, run outreach and follow-ups, negotiate with publishers and write the article. A newer Campaigns feature tracks where AI answers cite you and plans placements.

Sends from
Respona's team.
Approval
Handled end to end by default. Approving each domain costs extra (+20% in its API docs).
Money for links
Included in the per-link price.
Links come from
Publisher network placements and custom outreach, in most cases a guest post.
Price
$100 (DR 20+), $160 (DR 30+), $240 (DR 40+), $400 (DR 50+), $500 (DR 60+) per link. Volume discounts from $3,000 a month.
Trial, contract, refunds
About 28 days per link, replacement within 12 months. The terms say no cash refunds.
If you cancel
The links. Publisher relationships stay with Respona.
ChatGPT, Claude, API
REST API with webhooks.

Check before you pay: Its FAQ guarantees delivery within the agreed time; its terms guarantee no delivery date.

AI content autopilots with a link exchange

AI articles published to your CMS, plus links traded with the tool's other customers.

Arvow

arvow.com · PUTUDIVA PTE, LTD

$69–449/mo

Arvow homepage, above the fold, as captured on October 18, 2026
arvow.com homepage, screenshot October 18, 2026

Writes and publishes AI articles and fixes on-site SEO. Its Automatic Backlinks feature inserts links to you in other users' AI articles. Paid niche edits by its team are a separate service.

Sends from
No outreach for the network; Arvow's team for paid niche edits.
Approval
The network runs automatically once on. Paid niche edits can be reviewed.
Money for links
Credits for the network: 1 free link a day, 15 credits per extra link. Paid niche edits priced on request.
Links come from
Other Arvow users' articles; your articles may link out to them.
Price
Solo $69 a month ($39 yearly), Business $169 ($69 yearly), Ultimate $449 ($249 yearly). Automatic Backlinks is listed from Business.
Trial, contract, refunds
No refunds, except a yearly renewal within 7 days if no credits were used.
If you cancel
Not stated.
ChatGPT, Claude, API
MCP connector for ChatGPT, Claude and Cursor; API.

Check before you pay: A Volume mode takes links from less related articles. Leave it off.

BabyLoveGrowth

babylovegrowth.ai · BLG Inc., California

$99–399/mo

BabyLoveGrowth homepage, above the fold, as captured on October 18, 2026
babylovegrowth.ai homepage, screenshot October 18, 2026

Writes and publishes 30 (Grow) or 120 (Scale) articles a month and trades links among members by credits. Also runs Reddit and Quora agents.

Sends from
No outreach.
Approval
Matched by niche automatically.
Money for links
Credits: you earn by linking to members, spend when they link to you.
Links come from
Other members' sites; usually 9 to 12 a month on the $99 plan, by its FAQ. Your articles link out to members.
Price
Grow $99 a month ($49 billed yearly), Scale $399 ($199 billed yearly).
Trial, contract, refunds
3-day trial. A 90-day money-back guarantee with conditions.
If you cancel
Placed links stay up and the content stays yours, by its FAQ.
ChatGPT, Claude, API
None stated.

Check before you pay: The guarantee needs three paid months and every article published, and pays only if clicks, impressions and DR all stayed flat.

Distribb

distribb.io · Mind Ahead LLC; formerly Rebelgrowth

$97–495/mo

Distribb homepage, above the fold, as captured on October 18, 2026
distribb.io homepage, screenshot October 18, 2026

Writes buyer-intent articles (30 a month on Pro) and publishes them, and matches you into an ABC link exchange. On Pro it drafts listicle pitches for you to send; on Accelerator it runs the outreach.

Sends from
Pro: you send its drafts. Accelerator: Distribb runs the campaign.
Approval
The exchange is automatic.
Money for links
Not stated.
Links come from
3 to 5 links a month from other customers; up to 5 of your articles link out to members. No direct swaps, 3-month delay.
Price
Pro $97 a month ($79 billed yearly), Accelerator $495 ($399 billed yearly).
Trial, contract, refunds
7-day free trial. Payments non-refundable, by its terms.
If you cancel
Not stated.
ChatGPT, Claude, API
None stated on the pages read.
Published results
Independent 90-day test: about 11 new referring domains, as reported by the network (Aboah Reviews).

Check before you pay: A to B to C routing still makes it an exchange among customers.

Outrank

outrank.so · Outrank SAS, Paris

$99/mo; links $199–1,899

Outrank homepage, above the fold, as captured on October 18, 2026
outrank.so homepage, screenshot October 18, 2026

Writes and publishes 30 AI articles a month, runs a link exchange inside those articles, and sells paid placements in new AI articles on third-party blogs.

Sends from
No outreach.
Approval
Outrank picks the host above your DR floor; there is no catalogue.
Money for links
Paid plans: a placement costs the host's DR times 4 credits (about $77 at DR 30 on the $899 plan). Hosts are paid $1 per DR point.
Links come from
Other customers (exchange) and paid publisher blogs (marketplace).
Price
$99 a month or $999 a year for articles plus the exchange. Backlink plans $199, $899 and $1,899 a month.
Trial, contract, refunds
Refund of a first payment within 7 days, once per customer.
If you cancel
Not stated.
ChatGPT, Claude, API
None stated on the pages read.

Check before you pay: Its exchange page says no buying links; its marketplace pays publishers per dofollow link.

SEObot

seobotai.com · SEO Bot AI; Delaware-law terms

$49–1,050/mo

SEObot homepage, above the fold, as captured on October 18, 2026
seobotai.com homepage, screenshot October 18, 2026

Researches and writes articles every week, up to 4,000 words, and publishes them to your CMS. Each new article earns one backlink credit.

Sends from
No outreach.
Approval
Matched automatically.
Money for links
Credits, no fees.
Links come from
Its pool of customers' articles. You must allow dofollow links to others in your own articles.
Price
$49 a month for 9 articles, up to $1,050 for 300.
Trial, contract, refunds
Full refund on the $49 plan if you're unhappy after the first article.
If you cancel
Your articles.
ChatGPT, Claude, API
None stated.

Check before you pay: Its help center calls backlink credits a bonus, not part of what you pay for.

Link bots and backlink generators

Software that creates links itself, on directories, profiles, wikis, forums and blog comments, or lists those platforms for you.

GSA Search Engine Ranker

gsa-online.de · GSA GmbH

$127 once

GSA Search Engine Ranker /en/product/search_engine_ranker page, above the fold, as captured on October 18, 2026
gsa-online.de /en/product/search_engine_ranker page, screenshot October 18, 2026

Windows software that finds article directories, Web 2.0 sites, forums, wikis, blog comments and guestbooks, creates accounts, solves CAPTCHAs and posts content with your links, around the clock.

Sends from
No outreach.
Approval
None; it posts.
Money for links
n/a
Links come from
Platforms where anyone can post.
Price
$127 one-time.
Trial, contract, refunds
Lifetime license with updates.
If you cancel
n/a
ChatGPT, Claude, API
None.

Check before you pay: It calls itself "The Ultimate Automated Link Building Software". No site owner decides on any of its links.

Money Robot

moneyrobot.com · Not stated

$67/mo

Money Robot homepage, above the fold, as captured on October 18, 2026
moneyrobot.com homepage, screenshot October 18, 2026

Creates and posts AI-written, spun content with your links on Web 2.0 blogs, wikis, directories, bookmarks, forum and web profiles, solving CAPTCHAs itself.

Sends from
No outreach.
Approval
None; it posts.
Money for links
n/a
Links come from
Platforms where anyone can post.
Price
$67 a month or $697 one-time.
Trial, contract, refunds
7-day money-back guarantee.
If you cancel
n/a
ChatGPT, Claude, API
None.

Check before you pay: It calls itself the world's most powerful link building software; no site owner decides on any of its links.

ChatGPT or Claude, run by you

A general assistant that searches, reads pages, drafts pitches and, with Gmail connected, can draft and send.

ChatGPT

chatgpt.com · OpenAI

$0–20/mo

Searches the web with citations (every plan), reads pages, drafts pitches. Agent mode browses sites and fills forms (paid plans). With Gmail or Outlook connected it can draft and send email from the chat (Plus and up, on the web). Scheduled tasks can remind you to follow up.

Sends from
Your own Gmail or Outlook, when connected.
Approval
Permission modes range from Always ask to Allow all actions; sending email can require extra review.
Money for links
Yours to decide.
Links come from
Wherever you pitch.
Price
Free $0, Go $8 a month, Plus $20, Pro from $100.
Trial, contract, refunds
Monthly.
If you cancel
Everything; it's your inbox and your sheet.
ChatGPT, Claude, API
It is the assistant.

Check before you pay: Its data analysis runs in a sandbox that can't open URLs, so link checks need web search or agent mode.

Claude

claude.com · Anthropic

$0–20/mo

Claude homepage, above the fold, as captured on October 18, 2026
claude.com homepage, screenshot October 18, 2026

Web search and web fetch with citations on every plan; Research for longer searches (paid). The Gmail connector searches, drafts and sends; Drive creates and edits Sheets. Claude in Chrome and scheduled tasks on paid plans.

Sends from
Your own Gmail, through the connector.
Approval
Asks for approval before each send by default.
Money for links
Yours to decide.
Links come from
Wherever you pitch.
Price
Free $0, Pro $20 a month ($17 billed yearly), Max $100 or $200.
Trial, contract, refunds
Monthly or yearly.
If you cancel
Everything; it's your inbox and your sheet.
ChatGPT, Claude, API
It is the assistant; remote MCP connectors on every plan (one on Free).

Check before you pay: Claude in Chrome won't create accounts, buy anything or follow instructions found in emails or web pages.

Log 03 · Step by step

What can AI do in link building, and what can't it?

One outreach link takes nine steps. AI runs or drafts eight of them well enough to save real hours; the ninth, a site owner deciding to add your link, is the one no product can do for you. Here is each step as a good setup runs it.

  1. 01AI

    Find pages that could link to you

    What AI does
    Runs hundreds of searches for your keywords, pulls the pages that link to competitors from a backlink index, and spots the lists, roundups, resource pages and articles where a site like yours belongs. This is the step AI shortens the most: a night of searching replaces days of copying URLs into a sheet.
    What it can't
    Find pages its data doesn't cover. A tool that only searches its own customer network or one vendor's inventory never sees the rest of the web.
    Your part
    Pick the target pages on your own site worth pitching, and say which sites are off limits (direct competitors, for example).
  2. 02AI

    Judge each page

    What AI does
    Reads each page the way a link builder would: is it on topic, is it a list you could join, does it already link to competitors, is it in your language, is it a link farm or a page written only to sell links. Good tools write down why they kept or dropped a page.
    What it can't
    Know a site's real traffic (every metric is an estimate) or what the editor wants. It will keep some pages a person would drop, so read a sample of its picks in the first weeks.
    Your part
    Spot-check the picks early and correct the rules. The reasons it writes down are what you correct.
  3. 03AI

    Find the right person

    What AI does
    Reads bylines, about and contact pages, finds the author or editor who maintains the page, looks up and verifies an email address, and finds a LinkedIn profile.
    What it can't
    Be sure the person still works there or still owns the page. People change jobs; a careful tool checks before it writes.
    Your part
    Nothing, unless the tool sends to generic addresses (info@) when a named author exists. Ask how it picks.
  4. 04AI

    Write the pitch

    What AI does
    Drafts a short pitch around that specific page: what the list covers, where your page fits, what you can offer (data, a quote, a correction, a better resource).
    What it can't
    Know what you can honestly offer, and avoid every invented detail. A model can claim a page lacks something it covers, or praise an article it skimmed. That is why approval comes first.
    Your part
    Approve or edit the first pitches. Your edits become the rules for the next drafts; once the drafts need no edits, some tools let you switch on auto-send.
  5. 05AI

    Send it

    What AI does
    Sends on a schedule, a few emails a day per inbox at first, from your own mailbox or LinkedIn profile, or from an inbox the tool runs.
    What it can't
    Make a new or cold inbox trusted overnight. Mailbox providers judge the sender, so volume has to ramp up slowly.
    Your part
    Decide whose name goes out. Pitches from your own inbox build relationships you keep; pitches from a tool's domain build them for the tool.
  6. 06AI

    Follow up

    What AI does
    Sends one or two short follow-ups after a few days of silence and stops the moment someone answers.
    What it can't
    Tell a slow editor from an uninterested one. More follow-ups mostly produce more ignored email.
    Your part
    Nothing, beyond setting how many follow-ups are acceptable.
  7. 07You

    Answer replies and agree terms

    What AI does
    Sorts replies (interested, asks for a fee, declined), drafts an answer, and can propose a counter-offer when a site quotes a price. Some platforms let the AI answer and counter on its own under a ceiling you set.
    What it can't
    Decide what a link is worth to you, whether to pay at all, or what you are willing to promise in return.
    Your part
    Approve every payment and every promise made in your name.
  8. 08Site owner

    The site owner decides to link

    What AI does
    Nothing. In outreach, a person who runs the site reads the pitch and chooses to add your link.
    What it can't
    Make anyone link. Products that skip this step either place links on sites they control or pay (networks, exchanges, marketplaces) or post links themselves (directory and profile bots).
    Your part
    Answer replies fast, then wait. ElvixAI reports a median first reply of 15 hours; link services quote 3 to 4 weeks from order to live link.
  9. 09AI

    Check the link stays live

    What AI does
    Re-crawls the page on a schedule and flags a link that disappears, turns nofollow or moves behind a redirect. Fully automatable.
    What it can't
    Bring a removed link back on its own. That takes another email.
    Your part
    Ask for the link back when one drops.

Log 04 · Evaluation

How do you evaluate an AI link builder?

Ten questions decide whether a tool builds links you keep or relationships somebody else owns. The answers are on pricing pages, FAQs and terms, often in different words on each.

Preflight · ask these before you connect an inbox

  1. 01Whose inbox sends the pitches?Yours, or a domain they hand over

    Replies go to the address that sent the email, and so do the relationships. AutoBacklinks, Outlink AI and Uprankly send from mailboxes you connect; MentionAgent and BlazeHive send from mailboxes they run (MentionAgent transfers the domain to you on request). Exchanges send nothing at all, and link services pitch from their own accounts, even when they quote you as the expert (Backlinker AI, Adaptify).

  2. 02Is approval on by default?You approve each pitch until you switch it off

    Defaults differ more than marketing pages suggest. ElvixAI's FAQ says it runs on full autopilot by default and Outlink AI says it isn't approval-gated on every send; MentionAgent, BacklinkBot and BacklinkGPT hold drafts for approval first. Read the FAQ and the terms, not the hero line: several vendors contradict themselves.

  3. 03Who approves money?You, for every payment

    Some products negotiate on their own. Pitchbox's Reply Agent can counter on price under a ceiling you set; LinkDR approves sites automatically unless you pay 20% more to review each one.

  4. 04Where do the links come from?Pages an editor runs, anywhere on the web

    Outreach can reach any site that ranks. Exchanges only reach the tool's own customers (Outrank, Distribb, BabyLoveGrowth, SEObot, Arvow), and link services place you on sites in their inventory.

  5. 05What goes on your own site?Nothing you didn't write

    In every exchange your articles also link out to other members: Distribb says up to 5 of yours a month, and SEObot requires you to allow dofollow links in your own articles.

  6. 06Can it say why it picked each page?A written reason per page

    A reason you can read is a reason you can correct. Without one, you can't tell judgment from a keyword match.

  7. 07What do you keep if you cancel?Contacts, threads and live links

    AutoBacklinks says you keep contacts, replies and the pipeline; Blazly makes data inaccessible immediately and deletes it within 30 days; Linkee may delete it 30 days after termination; BabyLoveGrowth says placed links stay up. Export before you leave.

  8. 08How long are you committed?Month to month

    Most agents bill monthly. Pitchbox now requires a one-year commitment on every plan, and AEO Engine starts with a 90-day term.

  9. 09Is there proof with a method?Pitches, replies and links, with dates

    Look for counts with a period and a definition (what counts as a reply, a link). Few vendors publish them, and independent tests are rare: the two published Backlinker AI tests both carried affiliate codes.

  10. 10How fast does it send?A few dozen a day per inbox, warmed up

    Mailbox providers judge the sender. MentionAgent warms new inboxes from 5 a day to 40; Gmail holds every sender to a spam rate under 0.3%. A tool promising hundreds of cold emails a day from a fresh domain is spending its reputation, or yours.

Log 05 · Evidence

Does AI link building work? Every published result

These are all the outcome numbers we found for the products above. Most come from the vendors' own data, and two of the three independent tests carry affiliate links. Vendor-reported reply rates run from 8% to 17%; links per pitch are rarely published at all.

Reply rate, as each vendor reports it
  1. AutoBacklinks1,928 emails, Aug 202611.7%
  2. BacklinkGPTown three sites, Jul to Sep 202617%
  3. ElvixAIlive counter, 17,707 prospects8.1%
  4. MentionAgent30 paying accounts, to Sep 148.2%
Links per pitch, where both are published
  1. Backlinker AI6 of 249 pitches, Words at Scale2.4%
  2. Backlinker AI14 of 480 pitches, Ryan Doser2.9%
  3. Adaptifyplacement rate, its own average9%

Vendor's own data Independent test (both carry affiliate links). Definitions differ: a reply, a link and a placement are counted the way each publisher counts them. Sources are in the table below.

ProductPublished byPeriodSampleRepliesLinksNote
AutoBacklinksVendorAutoBacklinksAug 2026, all campaigns1,928 emails to 1,059 prospects11.7% (124 replies)Not publishedAlso reports an 85.5% open rate. autobacklinks.ai
BacklinkGPTVendorBacklinkGPT7 Jul to 25 Sep 2026, its own three sitesEmail and LinkedIn pitches17% of pitched contacts; 26% accepted the LinkedIn inviteFastest live 2 days 9 hours after the first emailThe customer is the vendor itself. case study
ElvixAIVendorElvixAILive counter, updated hourly17,707 prospects8.1% stated (2,459 replies)Not publishedMedian first reply in 15 hours. 2,459 of 17,707 works out to 13.9%, so the base of the 8.1% is unclear. elvixai.com
MentionAgentVendorMentionAgentPaying accounts, to 14 Sep 202630 paying accounts, 23 of them sending8.2%; 3.4% positive8 live across 22 single-site accounts; 26 on one five-site account (8,234 sends)Most deals are mutual mentions, by its own description. mentionagent.ai
AdaptifyVendorAdaptifyStated averages44 pitches a month per siteNot published9% placement rateJournalist pitches; a guest post fills the month if they fall short. adaptify.ai
Backlinker AIIndependentWords at Scale (Vlad Ivanov)One month (stated as Nov 2024)249 pitches to reporter requestsNot published6 links (2.4%), incl. DR 63 to 99 sitesPaid about $100 with a coupon; the post carries affiliate links. wordsatscale.com
Backlinker AIIndependentRyan DoserOne client, one November480 pitchesNot published14 placements (12 selections)Affiliate link and discount code in the post. ryandoser.com
DistribbIndependentAboah Reviews90 days, $495 plan47 articles publishedNo outreachAbout 11 new referring domains, as reported by the networkOrganic impressions +38% against a 60-day baseline; links not verified at domain level. aboahreviews.com

Log 06 · Cost

How much does an AI link builder cost?

From free to about $3,000 a month, depending on how much of the work the product takes off you and whether it sells links by the piece. Site fees come on top for every route where a real site owner decides. Prices across all of link building, agencies and marketplaces included, are on link-building-pricing.com.

Lowest monthly plan: outreach agents and AI-assisted platformsUSD a month, monthly billing
  • Sends from your own inbox
  • Sends from an inbox the tool runs
  1. Blazly Backlinker$29
  2. AutoBacklinks$49 · launch price
  3. Outlink AI$88
  4. Linkee AI$97
  5. BacklinkBot$99
  6. ElvixAI$99
  7. MentionAgent$99
  8. BacklinkGPT$149
  9. Semrush AI Backlink Builder$169
  10. BlazeHive Backlinks$178
  11. Uprankly Link Builder$199
  12. Pitchbox$300 · 1-yr term

Each company's pricing page, checked Oct 18, 2026. AutoBacklinks lists $79 after its launch offer; Pitchbox bills monthly on a one-year commitment. Site fees, where a site asks for one, come on top.

What each kind costs a monthLowest to highest plan, USD, square-root scale, checked Oct 18, 2026
  • A site owner decides to link
  • The tool or service places the link
  • Nobody decides
Prospect finders
$0–$495
AI-assisted outreach platforms
$29–$1,200
Outreach agents
$49–$999
Link services that use AI
$300–$2,997
AI content autopilots with a link exchange
$49–$1,899
Link bots and backlink generators
$0–$67
ChatGPT or Claude, run by you
$0–$20

Link services also sell by the piece: $100 to $500 per link (Respona, LinkDR), article and publisher fee included. For agents, platforms and do-it-yourself outreach, any fee a site asks comes on top.

Log 07 · Rules

Is AI link building allowed by Google?

Google's spam policies (last updated August 28, 2026) don't mention outreach or AI. They name what happens to the link: buying or selling links that pass ranking credit, excessive link exchanges, automated programs that create links, and low-quality directory or bookmark links, among others. Paid links are fine when they carry rel="sponsored" or rel="nofollow", as Google's guide to qualifying outbound links explains. For articles, its guidance on generative AI content says the problem is many pages that add no value, however they were made.

KindWho decides to linkWhat the policy says about it
Prospect findersThe site owner, if you pitchNot addressed: finding pages is research.
AI-assisted outreach platformsThe site ownerOutreach isn't named. If a fee changes hands, the paid-link rule applies.
Outreach agentsThe site ownerOutreach isn't named. If a fee changes hands, the paid-link rule applies.
Link services that use AIThe service and its publishers"Exchanging money for links, or posts that contain links" is named, unless the link is marked sponsored or nofollow.
AI content autopilots with a link exchangeThe tool's matching"Excessive link exchanges" are named, and paid placements fall under the paid-link rule.
Link bots and backlink generatorsNobody"Using automated programs or services to create links to your site" and "low-quality directory or bookmark site links" are both named.
ChatGPT or Claude, run by youThe site ownerOutreach isn't named. If a fee changes hands, the paid-link rule applies.

Log 08 · Do it yourself

How to do AI link building yourself with ChatGPT or Claude

A general assistant covers most of the loop if you keep the sheet. Web search and drafting work on the free plans of both. Sending from Gmail through ChatGPT needs a paid plan; Claude's Gmail connector is open to every plan and asks before each send. One prompt per step, square brackets are yours to fill in.

  1. 01 Find

    Find pages where you belong

    Needs: Web search (ChatGPT and Claude, every plan including Free)

    Search the web for pages where [your product] could be added or mentioned.
    Our page to promote: [URL]. What it is in one line: [description].
    Competitors: [competitor 1], [competitor 2], [competitor 3].
    
    Run at least 8 searches, mixing:
    - "best [category]" and "best [category] for [audience]"
    - "[competitor] alternatives"
    - "[topic] statistics" and "[topic] resources"
    
    Only include pages you actually opened. Return a table:
    URL | page type (list, comparison, resource page, statistics page, article) |
    competitors it names | does it already mention us (yes/no) | last updated date shown on the page

    Run it several times with different seed searches; each run returns a few dozen pages at most. Check the dates: assistants sometimes list pages that moved or died.

  2. 02 Judge

    Judge one page before you pitch it

    Needs: Web fetch (paste the URL) or paste the page text

    Read this page: [URL]
    We want to pitch [our page URL], which [one-line description].
    
    Decide KEEP or DROP and give one sentence why. Then answer:
    1. Would a reader of this page find our page useful? Quote the passage that tells you.
    2. Is this a list, comparison or resource page that adds entries over time?
    3. Does it already link to us or to [competitors]? List the links you see.
    4. Does it look written mainly to sell links (many unrelated outbound links, "write for us" pricing, thin text)?
    Don't guess anything the page doesn't show. Say "not on the page" instead.

    The quote requirement matters: it makes the model show its evidence, and you can check it in seconds.

  3. 03 Contact

    Find who maintains the page

    Needs: Web fetch on the page, its About and Contact pages

    For [URL], find who maintains this article.
    Check the byline, the author page, the About page and the Contact page.
    Return: name, role, the contact route the site itself publishes (form, email, social profile),
    and the URL where you found each item.
    Don't invent or guess email addresses. If no person is named, say so.

    An email finder or verifier (many have free tiers) fills the gap when the site lists no address. Use the person's published channel first.

  4. 04 Write

    Write a pitch about their page

    Needs: Any plan. Paste the page text if the model can't open it

    Write a cold email to [name], who maintains [URL].
    Use one specific detail from their page and quote it exactly.
    Say in one sentence what we'd add: [our page], and one fact that makes it useful
    to their readers: [fact, number or resource].
    Rules: under 100 words, plain text, one ask, no flattery, no "I hope this finds you well",
    no claims about their page you can't quote. Subject line under 6 words.
    Write two versions with different openings.

    Read every draft against the page before it goes out. The most common model error is a confident claim about what a page says or lacks.

  5. 05 Send

    Send from your own inbox

    Needs: ChatGPT can draft and send through a connected Gmail or Outlook on paid plans; Claude's Gmail connector drafts and sends, asking before each send by default

    Create a Gmail draft (don't send) to [email] with this subject and body:
    [subject]
    [body]
    Then list every draft you created today with recipient, subject and the first line.

    Keep volume low and steady from a normal inbox: a few a day at first. Gmail's bulk-sender rules start near 5,000 messages a day, and its spam-rate limit is 0.3% for every sender.

  6. 06 Follow up

    Follow up once, with something new

    Needs: Any plan. ChatGPT and Claude can both run scheduled tasks on paid plans

    Here is my first email and the date I sent it: [paste].
    No reply after [5] days. Write one follow-up under 50 words that adds one new reason
    to care (a new data point, an update to our page, a correction we noticed on theirs).
    No "just bumping this", no guilt. Keep the original subject line.

    Stop after two follow-ups. A new reason to reply works better than a reminder that you wrote.

  7. 07 Reply

    Answer a reply or a fee request

    Needs: Any plan

    They replied: [paste reply].
    Our position: [we don't pay for links / our budget is up to $X / we can offer data, a quote, a correction].
    Draft a short answer that keeps the conversation going. If they asked for a fee,
    propose one concrete alternative they could publish for free, and if we do pay,
    state the amount and that the link should be marked as sponsored.
    Don't agree to anything I didn't list.

    You decide every payment and every promise. The model drafts; it never agrees to anything on its own.

  8. 09 Monitor

    Track it in one sheet

    Needs: File upload (CSV) or a Google Sheets connection

    Turn these notes into a CSV with columns:
    page URL | contact | channel | date sent | follow-up due | reply (yes/no/fee) | status | link live (yes/no) | checked on
    [paste notes]
    Sort by follow-up due date and flag every row where the follow-up date has passed.

    ChatGPT's data analysis can't open URLs, so checking whether a link is still live needs web fetch, a crawler, or your own click.

Watch it done · 7:03

Automating link building with Claude

Ryan Stewart walks through the setup Webris uses for its SEO clients: Claude Cowork finds and qualifies the opportunities, Apollo sends the email sequences. It is the do-it-yourself workflow above, at agency scale.

  1. 01Prospecting with Google search operators in Claude Cowork
  2. 02Pulling Ahrefs metrics for each prospect into a sheet
  3. 03Tiering prospects against a quality checklist
  4. 04Finding contacts and building email sequences in Apollo
Ryan Stewart (Webris) on YouTube, Mar 12, 2026, about 7,000 views (checked Oct 18, 2026). Plays from youtube-nocookie.com after you click; nothing loads before.

Several products above also plug into ChatGPT or Claude as connectors (MCP), so you can steer them from the chat: AutoBacklinks, BacklinkGPT, BlazeHive Backlinks, ElvixAI, MentionAgent, Outlink AI, LinkDR (read-only), Arvow, Peec AI. Selling software? saas-link-building.com covers the lists, comparison and integration pages SaaS products get links from.

Log 09 · Corrections

Which AI link builders do AI answers get wrong?

Google's AI Overviews and AI-written roundups for these searches name products that are gone, misspelled or not what they're described as. What we found on October 18, 2026:

Named asWhereWhat we found
BacklinksAI, an automated tool sending AI-driven auto-repliesGoogle AI Overview, "ai backlink builder"getbacklinks.ai is a parked domain. When it was live (until early 2024) it emailed matching reporter requests and drafted reply outlines that you edited and sent yourself, for $49 a month. Source
Peek AI, for off-page gap identificationGoogle AI Overview, "ai link building tools"The product is Peec AI (Berlin), an AI-search analytics tool from $95 a month. It lists sources that cite competitors but not you; it sends no outreach. Source
Arvo, with an AI-driven backlink exchangeGoogle AI Overview, "ai backlink builder"We found no live product called Arvo; the description matches Arvow, whose exchange inserts links between its own users' AI-written articles (one free link a day, more for credits). Source
Listicle.com, which uses AI search to find listiclesGoogle AI Overview, "ai link building tools"A free listicle finder that emails a spreadsheet with DA, PA and update dates. Its pages don't say it uses AI; placement requests go to a manager. Source
BuzzStream, with AI-assisted email draftingGoogle AI Overview, "ai link building tools"Its outreach plans list templates, not AI writing. Its AI product, ListIQ, builds journalist lists from $24 a month. Source
Postaga, among the top AI link building toolsRespona's AI link building roundup, April 2026postaga.com returns a "Site Not Configured" 404; the Web Archive shows the same page from March 2, 2026. Source

Log 10 · FAQ

Questions about AI link building

What is an AI link builder?

Software that runs parts of link building with AI: finding pages that could link to you, judging them, finding the person behind each page, writing the pitch, sending it and following up. The name also covers tools that don't pitch anyone: link exchanges between a tool's customers, services that sell finished links, and bots that post links on directories and profiles.

Can AI build backlinks for you?

AI can do the legwork: research, vetting, contact finding, drafting, sending, follow-ups, reply drafts and link checks. It can't make anyone link. In outreach a site owner decides; products that skip that decision place links on sites they control or pay, or post links themselves.

Does AI link building actually work?

Vendors that publish numbers report reply rates of 8% to 17% (AutoBacklinks 11.7%, MentionAgent 8.2%, ElvixAI 8.1%, BacklinkGPT 17%), all on their own data. Independent tests are rare: two published Backlinker AI tests got 6 links from 249 pitches and 14 from 480. See every published result.

What is the best AI link building tool?

It depends on who should send and who should decide. For outreach from your own inbox with approval on by default: BacklinkBot, BacklinkGPT or AutoBacklinks. For campaigns you run yourself with AI help: Pitchbox, the Semrush AI Backlink Builder or Linkee AI. For finished links without reading pitches: LinkDR or Respona. For articles first and links second: the autopilot tools with exchanges. The comparison has the same fields for all 31.

Is there a free AI backlink builder?

Free tools sold under that name are prospect finders (aiclicks, Listicle.com) or generators that list directories and profile sites for you to submit to. The free plans of ChatGPT and Claude can search the web, read pages and draft pitches; sending from Gmail through ChatGPT needs a paid plan, while Claude's Gmail connector is open to all users.

Can ChatGPT or Claude do link building?

Both can find pages with web search, judge them, find who maintains them and draft pitches. ChatGPT can send through a connected Gmail or Outlook on paid plans; Claude's Gmail connector drafts and sends and asks before each send by default. You keep the tracking sheet and the follow-up dates. Prompts for each step.

How much does AI link building cost?

Outreach agents cost $49 to $999 a month, AI-assisted platforms $29 to $1,200, link services $100 to $500 per link, and autopilot tools with exchanges from $49. Site fees come on top whenever a site asks for one. For prices across every route, see link-building-pricing.com.

Will editors notice the pitch was written by AI?

They notice generic pitches: flattery, a claim their page doesn't support, a template opening. A pitch that quotes something specific from their page, says in one sentence what you'd add and asks for one thing reads like a person wrote it. Approving the first drafts is how you get there.

How long until an AI link builder gets links?

Replies arrive within days: ElvixAI reports a median first reply of 15 hours. Links take longer, because a person has to edit a page. Link services quote 3 to 4 weeks per link (LinkDR) or about 28 days (Respona); BacklinkGPT's fastest published link went live 2 days 9 hours after the first email.

What's the difference between a backlink generator and an AI link building agent?

A generator creates links itself, or lists platforms where you can create them: profiles, directories, Web 2.0 blogs, comments. Nobody decides to link to you. An agent pitches the people who run real pages, and each link is one a site owner chose to add.

Do AI link builders send emails from my own address?

Some do: AutoBacklinks, BacklinkBot, BacklinkGPT, Outlink AI, Uprankly and the Semrush AI Backlink Builder send from mailboxes you connect. MentionAgent and BlazeHive send from mailboxes they run (MentionAgent hands over its domain on request). Link services and exchanges send nothing from you.

Where can I try one before paying?

Trials vary: Linkee AI gives 14 days with no card, Outlink AI and AutoBacklinks 7 days with a card, BlazeHive 3 days. MentionAgent's free start writes drafts only, and BacklinkGPT shows a free preview of prospects and a sample pitch without a card.

Method

How this comparison was made

We started from the products Google shows for "ai link building", "ai link builder", "ai backlink builder", "ai link building tools" and "link building automation" (organic results and AI Overviews, US, October 18, 2026), added the AI outreach agents launched in 2025 and 2026, and read each company's pricing page, docs, FAQ and terms the same day. Where a company's own pages contradict each other, its record says so. Backlinker AI's site blocked automated reads that day, so its record uses its pages from July 11, 2026 and a review updated August 31, 2026.

Results are only what companies and reviewers published; we ran no paid tests. Prices are list prices in US dollars, billed monthly unless noted. Search demand is from Google's Keyword Planner (September 2026).