Alternatives · Updated
LinkHunter alternatives
When we checked on October 18, 2026, LinkHunter's plans page showed a shutdown announcement. It explains that Google's removal of the num=100 search parameter cut the prospects the tool could find by about 90%. If you used it, you need a new way to find sites, find contacts and send pitches.
The short list
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01
Free report, then $99/mo for 1,000 emails (9.9¢ each)
BacklinkGenie AI outreach agent
Choose it if you want the prospecting, pitching and sending done for you, from a dedicated domain and Google Workspace mailbox, authenticated and ramped up for you.
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02
$49/mo (single-user plan from $19/mo)
BuzzStream Outreach CRM for PR and link building
Choose it if you liked doing it by hand and want a relationship CRM with prospect discovery.
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03
$300/mo, or $210/mo billed annually
Pitchbox Outreach software for SEO teams
Choose it if you run outreach daily for an agency and want a full campaign platform.
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04
Free (50 credits), paid from $49/mo
Hunter Email finder with campaigns
Choose it if you already have a list and mainly need verified emails and simple sequences.
LinkHunter and its alternatives, side by side
Same questions for every option: what you're paying for, who does the work, and whose mailbox takes the risk.
| BacklinkGenie | LinkHunter | BuzzStream | Pitchbox | Hunter | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| What you're buying | Software with the sending setup included | Outreach software (discontinued) | Outreach CRM (you run the campaigns) | Outreach software (you run the campaigns) | Contact data + email sequences |
| Entry price (checked October 18, 2026) | Free report, then $99/mo for 1,000 emails (9.9¢ each) | Not available: the plans page shows a shutdown notice | $49/mo (single-user plan from $19/mo) | $300/mo, or $210/mo billed annually | Free (50 credits), paid from $49/mo |
| Who does the outreach | The agent, after you approve (or on autopilot) | Previously you, through the tool | You, from your own email account | You or your team, through Pitchbox | You, through Hunter sequences |
| Sending mailbox & domain | Dedicated domain + Google Workspace mailbox, set up and ramped for you | Previously your own mailbox | Your existing mailbox; deliverability is on you | You connect and maintain your own mailboxes | Your own email accounts |
| How targets are found | Agent searches your niche, plus any post URLs you paste | Google-based prospect search (the feature the shutdown notice cites) | BuzzStream Discovery search plus your own lists | Built-in prospecting you configure per campaign | You bring the domains; Hunter finds the addresses |
| Who writes each pitch | Agent writes one pitch per post; you can edit | Your own templates | You write, using templates | Your templates, with AI personalization on higher plans | You write the sequence |
| Control before anything is sent | Every pitch waits for approval unless you switch on autopilot | You sent each email | You send each email yourself | You decide what goes out | You decide what sends |
| Checks that links stay live | Weekly re-check of every won link, alert if it's removed or nofollowed | Tracked which sites you'd contacted | Tracks link status on prospects you manage | Link monitoring included | None for links |
| Best fit | Founders and small teams who want earned links without running the process | No longer open to new users | PR and SEO people who manage relationships by hand | Agencies and in-house SEO teams running outreach daily | People who already have a target list and need contacts |
Why the shutdown matters for any prospecting tool
Tools that scrape search results depend on how Google serves them. When a parameter changes, prospect volume can drop overnight. Ask any replacement how it finds sites and what happens if a data source changes.
Moving your work over
If you kept exports of your LinkHunter prospect lists, they're still useful. In BacklinkGenie (from Growth up), paste the post URLs you were targeting and add the domains you've already contacted to the blocklist so nobody hears from you twice.
A fair look at LinkHunter
LinkHunter
Outreach software (shut down)
Where it's strong
- Prospect review and sending sat on one screen, which kept the workflow simple.
- Supported your own uploaded link lists and advanced search operators.
Where it falls short
- The plans page announces a shutdown, effective immediately.
- The homepage footer still reads © 2021 and the app subdomain returned a server error when we checked.
LinkHunter pricing
Checked October 18, 2026No current pricing could be verified.
The plans page shows a shutdown announcement instead of prices, so there is nothing current to list.
Sources: LinkHunter plans page (checked October 18, 2026) , LinkHunter homepage
Current pricing for each alternative
BacklinkGenie pricing
Checked October 16, 2026- Free $0 Prospect report: qualified posts with DR and a verified contact. No card.
- Starter $99/mo 1 site, 1 managed mailbox on its own domain, up to 1,000 outreach emails a month (pitches and follow-ups), about 9.9¢ an email. Warmup, bounce pause, quality gate and weekly link monitoring with live/nofollow alerts included.
- Growth $249/mo Up to 3 sites and 3 mailboxes, each on its own domain, up to 3,000 emails a month, about 8.3¢ an email. Adds autopilot, MCP access, your own target posts and a domain blocklist.
- Agency $499/mo Up to 8 client sites and 8 mailboxes, up to 8,000 emails a month, about 6.2¢ an email. Everything in Growth, per client site, plus priority support.
Source: BacklinkGenie pricing
BuzzStream pricing
Checked October 16, 2026- Starter $49/mo 1 user, 500 contacts, 50 discovery results per search.
- Growth $174/mo 3 users ($58 per extra), 25,000 contacts, automations and reporting.
- Professional $424/mo 6 users ($70 per extra), 100,000 contacts, API access.
- Custom from $999/mo 12+ users.
A single-user plan at $19/mo (1,500 contacts, 20 link prospecting searches) is also listed. Free trial available.
Source: BuzzStream plans & pricing
Pitchbox pricing
Checked October 16, 2026- Pro $300/mo ($210/mo billed annually) For link builders with a single website, 2 users.
- Advanced $600/mo ($420/mo billed annually) Unlimited users; adds email rotation, bulk AI personalization and deliverability monitoring.
- Scale $1,200/mo ($825/mo billed annually) For larger teams; API and pro reports.
Strategy/onboarding packages of $2,000–$4,000 are listed as included with annual prepay.
Source: Pitchbox pricing
Hunter pricing
Checked October 16, 2026- Free $0 50 credits a month.
- Starter $49/mo ($34/mo billed annually) 2,000 credits a month.
- Growth $149/mo ($104/mo billed annually) 10,000 credits a month.
- Scale $299/mo ($209/mo billed annually) 25,000 credits a month.
A found email costs 1 credit; a verification costs 0.5.
Source: Hunter pricing
Before you decide
Also weighing up BacklinkGPT alternatives or Linkee alternatives? For more options, browse every head-to-head comparison.
Any outreach tool is only as good as two things it can't fix on its own: the list of posts you pitch and whether your email lands. Our listicle link building guide covers the first; the outreach deliverability guide covers the second. If you're new to the process, start with how link building outreach works end to end.
BacklinkGenie is built for early-stage startups: see how the agent finds posts and sends pitches, or check plans and pricing.
Questions people ask
Is LinkHunter still available?
On October 18, 2026 its plans page announced a shutdown effective immediately, and the app subdomain returned a server error.
What was LinkHunter used for?
Finding blogs to pitch, looking up their contact emails and sending templated outreach from one screen.
Which alternative is closest?
For a hands-on workflow, BuzzStream. For having the research and pitches done for you, an outreach agent like BacklinkGenie.