Free tool
DR4 Checker
Ahrefs switches to DR4 on December 1. Check any website’s new DR4 score next to its current DR3 and see if it goes up or down. Free, no sign-up.
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DR3 vs DR4 for popular websites
Live Ahrefs scores. Click a site to see its full result.
| Website | DR3 | DR4 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| airbnb.com | 92 | 92 | ±0 |
| canva.com | 93 | 93 | ±0 |
| producthunt.com | 92 | 91 | -1 |
| wordpress.com | 96 | 94 | -2 |
| vercel.app | 93 | 71 | -22 |
| github.io | 94 | 63 | -31 |
What is DR4?
DR4, or Domain Rating 4, is the fourth version of the Ahrefs Domain Rating. It still runs from 0 to 100 and still measures the strength of a website’s backlink profile, but it changes which links count the most.
Ahrefs announced DR4 on November 5, 2026, and it becomes the default in Ahrefs on December 1, 2026.
What changed from DR3
- Links from sites with traffic count more: DR4 favours links from websites that Ahrefs estimates get organic search traffic.
- Subdomains get their own score: a subdomain is no longer given the same rating as its main domain.
- Spam sites score lower: sites that Ahrefs labels as spam saw the largest drops.
- Most established sites move a little: Ahrefs found that most of the top sites by traffic went up, and smaller sites with weaker links are more likely to fall.
What to do if your DR4 is lower
A lower DR4 doesn’t mean you lost links, and Domain Rating isn’t used by Google. It means more of your links come from sites that get little search traffic. Compare your DR4 with your competitors’ DR4, not with your old DR3, since every site was re-scored at the same time.
To grow it, earn links from real sites that people visit: useful content, digital PR, and listings on active launch platforms. Launch your product on LaunchStall to get a permanent product page, and Premium launches always include a dofollow link.
Frequently asked questions
What is DR4?
DR4 is the fourth version of Ahrefs’ Domain Rating, also called Domain Rating 4 or Domain Rating v4. It scores the strength of a website’s backlink profile from 0 to 100, like DR3 did, but gives more weight to links from websites that get search traffic.
When does DR4 replace DR3?
Ahrefs announced DR4 on November 5, 2026 and switches its tools to DR4 on December 1, 2026. The old DR3 score stays in the Ahrefs API for a short time after that, so this checker shows DR3 next to DR4 while it can.
Why did my Domain Rating drop in DR4?
DR4 gives more weight to links from websites that Ahrefs estimates get organic search traffic. If many of your backlinks come from sites with little or no traffic, those links now count for less, so your score can fall even though you haven’t lost any links.
Why does my subdomain have a different DR4?
Under DR3, a subdomain such as blog.example.com shares the Domain Rating of example.com. DR4 scores each subdomain on its own backlinks, so a subdomain can now score well above or below its main domain.
Is DR4 a Google ranking factor?
No. Like DR3, DR4 is an Ahrefs metric that Google does not use. Ahrefs reports that DR4 matches Google rankings more closely than DR3 did, so it is a better yardstick for comparing sites, but it doesn’t guarantee how a page will rank.
Is this DR4 checker free?
Yes. The checker is free and needs no sign-up. Scores come from Ahrefs and are cached for up to 12 hours, so checking the same website again within that time shows the same result.