Links Indexer vs. IndexerNow: third-party links or your own pages
Links Indexer has come out near the top of third-party success-rate comparisons in this category, which is worth something — those tests at least measure the same pool of URLs across tools. It's a backlink indexer: it works on URLs you don't own, through its own system. IndexerNow sits on the other side of that line. It uses Google's official Indexing API, which requires a verified Search Console property, so it handles your pages and not your backlinks.
| Links Indexer | IndexerNow | |
|---|---|---|
| Works on URLs you don't own | Yes | No — Search Console verification required |
| Indexing method | Proprietary network | Google's official Indexing API |
| Runs on your own Google account & quota | No | Yes |
| Result reported by | Own index check | Google's URL Inspection API verdict |
| Bulk URL status checks against Google | Not advertised | Yes |
| On-page audit explaining why a page won't index | Not advertised | Yes |
| Push to Bing / IndexNow too | Not advertised | Yes |
| Free SEO tools, no sign-in | Not advertised | Yes |
| Free daily allowance | — | 2 credits / day, spend on anything |
Frequently asked
Should I trust third-party indexer success-rate tests?
They're more useful than a vendor's own number, because every tool is measured on the same URLs. Treat them as directional rather than precise: results depend heavily on the quality of the URLs tested, and they age quickly as tools change method.
Can I check whether my backlinks got indexed with IndexerNow?
Only for pages on properties you've verified. Google's URL Inspection API, like the Indexing API, is scoped to your own Search Console properties, so a backlink on someone else's domain is outside what we can query. Our free Google Index Checker tool will tell you whether a URL appears in Google's index, no sign-in needed.