Tom's Link Authority — Backlink Shards

Offline backlink data powered by Common Crawl's web graph. No subscriptions, no credits, no tracking.

What are backlink shards?

Each shard is a SQLite database containing every backlink edge from Common Crawl's latest web crawl, grouped by the first character of the target domain. Shard t covers all domains starting with T (twitter.com, tiktok.com, tesla.com, etc). Shard 0 covers numeric and non-alpha domains.

Once downloaded, the shards work entirely offline inside the Tom's Link Authority desktop app. Run unlimited backlink lookups and link gap analyses with no API calls, no rate limits, and no recurring fees.

How it works

Select the shards you need below, pay via PayPal, and you'll receive download links and a license key by email within 24 hours. Each shard is 9–12 GB and downloads via a time-limited link that expires after 72 hours.

Manage Edge Shards dialog showing all 27 shards
The app's Manage Shards dialog — each shard covers domains starting with that letter.

Which shard do you need?

Select your shards — $5 each

0 shard(s) selected
$0
Pricing note: $5 per shard is per quarterly Common Crawl data update. When new crawl data is processed (roughly every 3 months), updated shards are available for repurchase. This is not a recurring subscription — you choose whether to buy updated data each quarter.
Bonus: Every shard purchase includes a free download of the Master Ranks Database — 120 million domains with authority scores. Normally only available in smaller tiers via the free app download.

Common questions

Do I need all 27 shards?

No. Each shard covers domains starting with a specific letter. If you're analysing competitors whose domains start with C, M, and S, you only need three shards. Use the domain helper above to find the right one.

What data is in each shard?

Domain-level backlink edges from Common Crawl's latest web graph. Each edge is a from_domain → to_domain connection. The app joins these with the free authority ranks database to show you who links to any domain, sorted by authority.

How big are the downloads?

Each shard downloads as a zip file between 1 and 6 GB. Once extracted, the database files are 9–12 GB each. You'll need enough free disk space for the shards you purchase. An external SSD or USB drive works fine — the app lets you set a custom shard folder in Settings.

What if my download link expires?

Download links are valid for 72 hours from when your order is fulfilled. If a link expires before you finish downloading, reply to your order email and I'll send fresh links.

Is this a subscription?

No. You pay once per shard per data release. Common Crawl publishes new web graph data roughly every quarter. When I process a new release, updated shards become available for purchase. There is no automatic billing — you decide each quarter whether the update is worth it.

How does the license key work?

Your license key unlocks the Backlinks and Link Gap tabs in the app. Open Settings (gear icon), click License, paste your key, and click Activate. The app checks the key once online, then stores the activation locally. After that, everything works offline — no internet required.

Can I use my key on multiple computers?

Each license key activates on one machine. If you need to move to a different computer, reply to your order email and I'll reset your key so it can be activated on the new machine.

What if I reinstall Windows?

Reinstalling Windows may change your machine fingerprint, which means re-entering your key alone won't work. Reply to your order email and I'll reset your key so you can activate on the fresh install.

Where do I get the app?

Tom's Link Authority is a free Windows desktop app. The app itself is free — the shards are the paid component. Download it from the Link Authority product page.

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