Domain Rating checker
Check a website’s Ahrefs Domain Rating for free. One search shows the current DR3 score, the new DR4 score and the change between them.
A report you can act on
Enter your domains to see measured values, sources and check times. Missing records, unsupported services and temporary failures are shown separately.
At a glance
DR3 vs DR4: the November 2026 update
DR4 is Ahrefs’ new Domain Rating model. Both versions score a backlink profile from 0 to 100, but DR4 rates fewer sites and counts links from sites with search traffic for more. This checker returns both scores from one search.
Source: Ahrefs: Introducing a preview of DR4, published .
- Announced
- Previewed by Ahrefs on 5 November 2026.
- Ahrefs app
- Shows DR4 from 1 December 2026 and DR3 until then.
- Free API
- Returns DR3 by default and DR4 on request. Ahrefs keeps DR3 available there for a short period after the switch.
- Rated sites
- About half as many sites have a DR4 score as have a DR3 score.
- Links
- Still the only input, with more weight on links from sites Ahrefs estimates to have organic search traffic.
- Subdomains
- Rated on the links pointing to them instead of inheriting the root domain’s score.
- Spam domains
- Domains labelled spam with DR3 between 30 and 70 fell the most, by a median of about 15 to 20 points.
- Other domains
- The median change is close to zero across most DR3 ranges.
From input to output
How to use it
Updated
Check the Domain Rating (DR) of any website for free with Ahrefs data. One search returns the current DR3 score, the new DR4 score Ahrefs previewed on 5 November 2026 and the change between them, so you can see how the update affects a domain before the Ahrefs app switches to DR4 on 1 December 2026. No account is required.
- Enter the website hostname, or a subdomain such as blog.example.com.
- Run the check: it reads the DR3 and DR4 scores from Ahrefs together. Successful readings can be reused for up to one hour.
- Compare the two scores and the change. Unavailable or no score is not zero.
What does Domain Rating measure?
Domain Rating is Ahrefs’ measure of the strength of a website’s backlink profile compared with other websites in its database. Its logarithmic scale runs from 0 to 100, so equal point differences do not represent equal changes in backlink strength.
Use a DR check to compare relevant websites, investigate a potential collaboration or record your own domain’s measurement. Read the score alongside the relevance and quality of the website; this tool does not report traffic, backlink counts or search positions.
What changed in DR4, the November 2026 update
On 5 November 2026 Ahrefs previewed DR4, a new version of its Domain Rating model. DR4 is still calculated only from links, but it draws on a smaller pool of domains and puts more weight on links from sites that Ahrefs estimates to have organic search traffic. As a result, about half as many sites have a DR4 score as have a DR3 score.
Subdomains are now rated on the links pointing to them instead of inheriting the score of their root domain, so a blog, help centre or site on a shared platform subdomain can score very differently from its parent. Ahrefs reports that domains it labels as spam saw the largest drops, while the median change for other domains is close to zero.
The standard Ahrefs app moves to DR4 on 1 December 2026 and shows DR3 until then. The free Domain Rating API returns DR3 unless DR4 is requested, and Ahrefs says DR3 will stay comparable there for a short period after the switch. This checker shows both scores while Ahrefs still provides them.
Why did my Domain Rating drop?
A lower DR4 score does not mean your website lost links or that its content got worse. Ahrefs states that a reduction is not a judgment of a site’s quality: Domain Rating only describes how strong a backlink profile looks compared with other sites in its database. The usual reasons for a drop follow from how DR4 counts links.
Links from sites with little or no search traffic now count for less, so a profile built mostly on such pages loses points. Domains Ahrefs labels as spam lost the most DR4, so links from them pass on less. A subdomain no longer borrows its root domain’s score. And because DR is relative, a score can also move when other sites gain or lose links, without any change on your side.
How to read your DR3 and DR4 result
The result shows both scores side by side, the change in points and the time Ahrefs measured them. Both models use the same 0–100 logarithmic scale but rate a different pool of sites, so compare a DR4 score with the DR4 scores of similar websites rather than with an old DR3 figure.
A measured zero is a valid result. “No score” means Ahrefs has no rating for that host in that model, and an unavailable result means the lookup failed; neither is shown as zero. Successful readings can be reused for up to one hour. Export the CSV to keep both scores with their source and check time.
Measurement and usage limits
Domain Rating measures backlink-profile strength on Ahrefs’ logarithmic 0–100 scale. It is not Moz Domain Authority, traffic or a Google score. DR4 is the model Ahrefs previewed on 5 November 2026; DR3 remains available through its API only for a short period after 1 December 2026. Readings depend on provider availability and may be reused for up to one hour.
Frequently asked questions
- What is DR4 in Ahrefs?
- DR4 is the fourth version of Ahrefs’ Domain Rating model, previewed on 5 November 2026. It still scores the strength of a backlink profile from 0 to 100, but it gives more weight to links from sites with organic search traffic, rates subdomains on their own links and gives a score to about half as many sites as DR3.
- When does Ahrefs switch from DR3 to DR4?
- The standard Ahrefs app shows DR4 from 1 December 2026 and DR3 before that date. The free Domain Rating API returns DR3 by default and DR4 on request, and Ahrefs says DR3 remains comparable there for a short period after the switch.
- Why did my Domain Rating drop in DR4?
- Usually because DR4 counts links differently, not because your site changed. Links from sites with little search traffic count for less, domains labelled as spam lost the most and pass on less, and subdomains no longer inherit their root domain’s score. Ahrefs says a lower score is not a judgment of your content or website.
- Will a lower DR4 score hurt my Google rankings?
- No. Domain Rating is a third-party metric calculated by Ahrefs, and Google does not use it to rank pages. Moving from DR3 to DR4 changes how Ahrefs summarises your backlinks, not the links themselves or how search engines evaluate them.
- Why does my subdomain have a lower DR4 score than my main domain?
- DR4 rates each subdomain on the links pointing to it. Under DR3 most subdomains inherited the score of their root domain, so a blog, help centre or app on a subdomain showed the parent’s DR. With DR4 it shows its own score, often a lower one, until it earns links of its own.
- Why is my DR4 score 0, or why is there no DR4 score?
- About half as many sites have a DR4 score as a DR3 score, because DR4 draws on a smaller pool of domains and weights links from sites with search traffic more heavily. A new site, or one whose links come mostly from sites with little traffic, can show 0 or no score in DR4 while still having a DR3 score.
- How can I improve my DR4 score?
- Earn links from websites that have their own audience and search traffic, point links at the exact host you want rated, such as your blog subdomain, and avoid paid link schemes and spam domains. A few links from sites people actually visit are likely to count for more in DR4 than many links from pages nobody finds.
- Should I compare my DR4 score with my old DR3 score?
- Use the difference to understand the update, then compare DR4 with DR4. Each model rates a different pool of sites, so benchmark against similar websites’ DR4 scores rather than your DR3 history. If you report DR to clients, record both scores now: DR3 stays available through the API only for a short time after 1 December 2026.
- Is a domain rate check the same as a DR check?
- People often use “domain rate check” or “DR check” to mean a Domain Rating lookup. This checker returns the Domain Rating metric supplied by Ahrefs, in both its DR3 and DR4 versions, rather than an IndieTools rating or a score calculated from your input.
- Is Ahrefs Domain Rating the same as Domain Authority?
- No. Domain Rating (DR) is an Ahrefs metric. Domain Authority (DA) is a separate Moz metric. This tool provides DR only; it does not provide Moz DA, page authority or a Google authority score.
- Does this checker show Ahrefs URL Rating (UR)?
- This checker returns Domain Rating for the domain. Ahrefs URL Rating measures an individual page’s backlink profile and is a different metric. URL Rating and Moz Domain Authority are not included in this result. Check the metric name and scope before comparing reports.
- What is a good Domain Rating score?
- There is no universal good DR score. Compare websites serving similar audiences, within the same DR model, and consider their actual content and backlink relevance. A higher DR alone does not establish trust, traffic or the ability to rank for a particular query.
- Is this tool free and do I need an account?
- It is free to use without an account. Domain checks have request limits to protect public services. Results can be downloaded from this page.
- Where is my input processed?
- Checks run on our server and contact public DNS, registry, website or Ahrefs services as needed. Results can be cached; inputs are not added to your URL or account. Do not submit private addresses or secrets.