How to Check DR4 for Several Websites at Once (and Compare It With DR3)

Ahrefs is switching its Domain Rating to a new version, DR4, as the default on 1 December 2026. Until then, the old score (DR3) is still the one most tools show. That makes this the best moment to look at both side by side, for your own site and for the sites you compete with.

This guide shows a quick way to do that for up to 10 websites at once, and how to read what you see.

Why check more than one site

A single number tells you very little. If your site drops from 24 to 9, that looks bad. If every similar site in your space dropped by about the same amount, nothing really changed for you.

DR4 moves many small sites at once. According to the Ahrefs announcement, about half as many websites get a DR4 score as had a DR3 score, links from sites with real search traffic count for more, and subdomains now get their own score. So the useful question is not "did my number go down?" but "did it go down more than my neighbours'?"

Step by step

1. Open the free DR4 checker. No account or email needed.
2. Paste up to 10 websites, one per line. Your own site, three or four direct competitors, and a couple of sites you would like to be linked from. Full links work too; only the domain is checked.
3. Add your subdomains separately. If you have blog.yourproduct.com or app.yourproduct.com, put them on their own lines. In DR4 they get their own score instead of copying the main domain.
4. Press Check Domain Rating. Each row fills in as soon as it is checked: DR4, DR3 and the change.
5. Copy the share link. It keeps the same list, so you can send it to a co-founder or check the same sites again next month.

How to read the results

• Everyone dropped by a similar amount. Your position did not change. Keep doing what you were doing.
• You dropped more than similar sites. Look at where your links come from. Links from sites that get little or no search traffic count for less in DR4.
• Your subdomain scores much lower than your main domain. That is expected now. If the subdomain matters (a blog you want to rank), it needs links of its own.
• A site shows n/a. Ahrefs has no score for it yet, which is common for new sites in DR4. It is not an error.

Which 10 websites to put in your list

The list you compare against matters more than the tool. A good set of 10 for a small product looks like this:

• Your main domain and, on separate lines, any subdomain that has its own content (blog, docs, help centre).
• Three or four direct competitors. Products a buyer would put next to yours in a shortlist, not the biggest name in your category.
• One or two slightly bigger players. Sites you would like to catch up with in a year. They show you what "next level" looks like.
• Two or three places you want a link from. Directories, newsletters or blogs in your niche. If their DR4 is close to 0, a link from them may count for little in the new model, even if their old DR3 looked healthy.

Keep the same list from month to month. Comparing different sets each time makes the change impossible to read.

A worked example

Here is a made-up example of what a typical result looks like for a small invoicing tool and its neighbours. The numbers are invented to show the pattern, not real scores.

How to read it:

• Your main domain dropped by about as much as the two competitors. Your relative position is the same. No reason to panic.
• The blog subdomain fell the most because it no longer borrows the main domain's score. If the blog is where you want search traffic, it now needs links pointing at the blog itself.
• The big player dropped least. Larger sites with links from busy websites tend to keep more of their score.
• The niche directory fell to 0. That is a hint that its own links come mostly from sites with little search traffic. A listing there may still bring visitors, but it is unlikely to help your rating much.

Common mistakes

• Comparing DR4 with last year's DR3. The two scales are different. Only compare DR4 with DR4, or both versions on the same day.
• Checking only your own site. One number with no neighbours tells you almost nothing after a model change.
• Mixing www and non-www. The checker removes www. for you, but write the same form each time in your notes.
• Reading n/a as a failure. DR4 scores fewer sites. A new or small site with no score is normal.
• Buying links to recover the number. Paid link packages are exactly the kind of links the new model is built to discount.

How often to re-check

Domain Rating moves slowly because it depends on links being found and lost. Checking every day only shows noise. A good rhythm is:

1. Once now, before 1 December, to record both versions.
2. Once a month after that, with the same share link, to see the trend.
3. After a real event, such as a launch, a press mention or a new integration page, two to four weeks later, when the new links have had time to be found.

What DR4 does not tell you

Domain Rating says how strong a site's links look to one company's crawler. It does not measure traffic, sales or how useful your product is, and Google does not use it. A site with a modest DR and pages that answer real questions often gets more visitors than a high-DR site with thin pages. Use the number to compare and to pick link targets, then spend most of your time on the product and the pages people search for.

What to do next

• Write down today's numbers. After 1 December the old score will be harder to find, and it is useful to know where you started.
• Earn links from sites people actually visit. In DR4 those count most: reputable directories, integration partners, articles that cite your work.
• Do not chase the number. Domain Rating is a third-party estimate, not something Google uses. It is a handy way to compare sites, not a goal on its own.

If you want the full background on what changed, read Ahrefs Domain Rating DR4 explained. For ways to grow the score over time, see how to increase your Domain Rating.

Frequently asked questions

Is the DR4 checker free?

Yes. It reads Ahrefs' free Domain Rating data, needs no account, and keeps each result for 24 hours. It is an independent tool, not made or endorsed by Ahrefs.

How many websites can I check at once?

Up to 10 per run. There is also a fair-use limit per visitor so the tool stays free for everyone.

Will DR3 still be available after 1 December?

Ahrefs says DR3 will stay available through its API for a short time after the switch, so you can still compare for a while. Write your numbers down before then.

Why does my site show a lower DR4 than DR3?

DR4 rates fewer websites and gives more weight to links from sites with organic search traffic. Many small sites score lower than before, sometimes 0, without anything being wrong.