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Check your website’s Domain Rating and compare DR3 with Ahrefs’ new DR4 model.
See how your backlink score changes before the switch on December 1, 2026.
Check your website’s Domain Rating and compare DR3 with Ahrefs’ new DR4 model.
See how your backlink score changes before the switch on December 1, 2026.
Understanding Domain Rating
BuildHop’s free Ahrefs DR checker compares your website’s backlink rating under the old and new models. Understand what the scores measure, why they can change, and how to read the difference.
Enter a domain or website URL above and select Check DR4. BuildHop’s free Ahrefs DR checker retrieves both Domain Rating scores, shows DR4 minus DR3 as the point change, and creates a shareable comparison card. No signup is needed. Scores come from Ahrefs’ free Domain Rating API; recent checks may be reused for up to an hour.
Ahrefs’ free Domain Rating APIDomain Rating is Ahrefs’ measure of the relative strength of a website’s backlink profile, scored from 0 to 100. The scale is logarithmic: moving from 70 to 80 is harder than moving from 20 to 30. DR measures links, rather than the quality of your content or business.
How Ahrefs defines Domain RatingDR helps you compare backlink profiles, research competing websites, and assess potential link opportunities. Compare sites in your own market and use the same DR model for each. Consider relevance, real visitors, and individual links alongside the score; a higher DR alone does not guarantee better search rankings.
Ahrefs’ guide to a good Domain RatingDR4 uses a smaller, higher-quality pool of linking sites and puts more weight on sites Ahrefs estimates receive organic search traffic. Ahrefs reports that the updated model reduces inflated spam scores and correlates more strongly with rankings across hosts and subdomains in its testing.
Ahrefs’ DR4 announcementDR3 is the previous model; DR4 changes which linking sites influence the score and gives individual subdomains their own ratings. A subdomain no longer simply inherits its parent domain’s DR. Both models use a 0–100 scale. This checker shows DR4 minus DR3 as the point change.
What changes in DR4Ahrefs announced December 1, 2026 as the rollout date in its standard interface. DR4 is available to preview through its free Domain Rating API. Ahrefs says DR3 will remain available through the API for a short period after the switch.
Ahrefs’ rollout timelineA lower DR4 can reflect the change in how Ahrefs calculates Domain Rating, even if your backlinks have not changed. DR4 uses a smaller pool of linking sites and scores individual subdomains separately. Compare your site with relevant competitors under the same model; the size of the drop alone does not tell you whether you lost valuable links.
Ahrefs on lower DR4 scoresA change in an Ahrefs metric does not itself change your Google rankings. Ahrefs says there is no evidence that search engines use Domain Rating as a ranking factor. Check your search traffic, ranking positions, and backlinks separately to understand how your site is performing.
Ahrefs on DR and search rankingsCheck your website’s Domain Rating and compare DR3 with Ahrefs’ new DR4 model.
See how your backlink score changes before the switch on December 1, 2026.
Check your website’s Domain Rating and compare DR3 with Ahrefs’ new DR4 model.
See how your backlink score changes before the switch on December 1, 2026.
Recently Checked DR. 30 sites.
Domain Rating by Ahrefs. Scores run from 0–100. Recent checks may be reused for up to an hour.