Byword alternative: the same articles, plus the links that carry them
Otorank runs in 150+ languages, runs the link programme in the same place as the publishing, and plans content and links together rather than buying them separately. Nobody leaves Byword because the content is weak: those three lines are why people leave. This page is about what the move actually involves, including the one thing you give up.
The short version
Move to Otorank if
Stay on Byword if
Links run alongside the publishing, in 150+ languages against 47: that is what the switch adds. Content and links are planned together in one subscription rather than bought separately.
What sends teams looking for an alternative
Three reasons, none of them about content quality.
No links, at all
Neither acquisition nor analysis. The chain ends once the article is published and submitted for indexing, so the link side has to be bought and managed somewhere else.
A language outside the list
47 languages covers most markets, until yours is not one of them. Otorank covers 150+.
Two strategies instead of one
When content sits in one tool and links in another, nothing decides which pages get the links. Planning both together is the reason some teams consolidate.
Overage above the quota
Extra articles bill at $3.50, $3.00 or $2.50 depending on the tier, so an uneven month costs more than the plan.
Two versions of the same pipeline
The content half matches almost step for step. The difference is what comes after indexing.
A Byword-centred process
Everything up to indexing sits in one product. The link programme does not.
The Otorank process
The last step is the one that does not exist on the other side, and 150+ languages instead of 47.
Judge the switch on the last step and the language range. The rest you already have.
Criterion by criterion
Two of these lines go to Byword, and this page says so. The other two are what Otorank adds.
Backlinks
OtorankAudit, selection for your market, campaign followed, report at the end.
Not offered, neither acquisition nor analysis.
The reason most people arrive on this page.
Languages
Otorank150+ languages.
47 languages.
Check your market list before this decides anything.
Volume
Otorank30 published articles a month.
25, 80 or 300 articles depending on plan.
Above 30 articles they have tiers Otorank does not sell, at a per-article cost that stays competitive.
Domains
Otorank1 site per plan, volume discounts from 2 sites.
5 domains on entry, unlimited above.
A downgrade if you run a portfolio. Worth pricing before you move.
Keyword data
OtorankStrategic research plus a 30-day editorial calendar you approve.
Volume, difficulty, CPC, SERP and competitor analysis, plus Search Console data.
Different emphasis: a validated plan against a richer data set.
Indexing
OtorankIncluded, with monitoring.
Included, automatic submission to the Google Indexing API.
Both submit. Neither is a gap.
Why you chose Byword in the first place
None of this stopped being true.
Volume that holds up
Tiers of 25, 80 or 300 articles a month, with a per-article cost that drops at the top tier.
Real keyword data
Search volume, difficulty and CPC, SERP analysis, competitor analysis and Google Search Console data feeding the plan.
Active indexing
Automatic submission to the official Google Indexing API with documented quotas, not just an indexing report.
Several domains, one plan
5 domains on the entry plan and unlimited above, with the article quota shared across them.
What changes on the link side
This is the part of the move that actually changes something.
What you get after the switch
What you have today
Whatever links you already bought keep pointing at your site. Nothing about the move touches them.
Side by side
The same 11 base rows as every Otorank alternative page, plus the row this page turns on.
OtorankIncluded · Partial · Manual · Not included · Paid add-on. Blank cells are values not verified. · Verified August 2026
When Byword is enough
There are real cases where Byword is enough. Here they are, and when that changes.
Staying on Byword is the right call for high volume across several domains. It has tiers at 80 and 300 articles a month where Otorank does not, 5 domains on the entry plan and unlimited above, native publishing to Ghost, HubSpot and Notion, and indexing submitted through the official Google Indexing API. Otorank is the right move when the link work should sit alongside the publishing, or when a market falls outside their language list: 150+ languages against 47, audited campaigns selected for your market, and an SEO team seven days a week.
Who each option is best for
Otorank is a better fit if
Byword is a better fit if
Switching from Byword to Otorank
Four columns, and one of them is a genuine trade-off.
What you keep
Your CMS, every article already published and its rankings, and your publishing rhythm. Nothing is migrated or rewritten: new articles publish alongside the existing library and link into it.
What you gain
150+ languages instead of 47, and audited backlink campaigns that open with an audit, select sites for your market and close with a report, in the same subscription as the content.
What changes
You approve a 30-day calendar before it runs. You also trade multi-domain flexibility for per-site plans: Byword allows 5 domains on Starter and unlimited above, while Otorank is one site per plan with volume discounts from two. For a portfolio owner that is a downgrade, and it should be priced before you move.
What setup takes
Connect the site, define the market and the languages you sell in, validate the first calendar. Publishing resumes on that calendar; Otorank does not promise a ranking date.
Overlapping the two for a month is the low-risk path: keep Byword publishing while the first Otorank calendar runs, then cancel once you have seen a full batch.
What Otorank customers say
Leaving Byword: common questions
Nothing moves. Your Byword-published and indexed articles stay in place; Otorank does not migrate or rewrite what exists. The links you already bought elsewhere keep pointing at your site.
Yes, especially for very high volume or a portfolio of domains. Byword publishes and indexes very well; Otorank adds the language coverage and dedicated link acquisition. Both publish and submit for indexing.
No. Byword's chain stops at the published, indexed article: no acquisition, no analysis. That's exactly what Otorank adds, a dedicated acquisition offer: audit, site selection for your market, a campaign followed and a report at the end.
Yes, via automatic submission to the Google Indexing API. Otorank also submits and tracks indexing. It's not a gap on either side; the difference is what comes after: the links.
Byword scales to several hundred articles a month at a competitive per-article cost, and Otorank doesn't sell those tiers. Otorank guarantees 30 published articles a month. If very high volume is your need, Byword fits better; if it's multilingual coverage and dedicated links, that's Otorank.
Publish the article. Then build what carries it.
The articles published, then the link campaigns that carry them, in 150+ languages, with an SEO team following the project. Cancel anytime.