# Free Sitemap Link Counter - Count URLs in XML Sitemaps

> Paste a sitemap URL (or just your domain) to count every <loc> link across XML sitemaps and sitemap indexes. See total vs unique URLs, a per-file breakdown, and download a CSV sample - no signup.

```yaml
url: "https://www.scrolllaunch.com/tools/sitemap-link-counter"
slug: sitemap-link-counter
category: onpage
keywords: "sitemap link counter, sitemap url counter, count urls in sitemap, sitemap index counter, xml sitemap counter, how many urls in sitemap"
```

## How to use

1. **Paste a sitemap or domain** - Enter https://example.com/sitemap.xml, a .xml.gz URL, or just example.com to auto-discover the sitemap.
2. **Count links** - We fetch the XML (decompressing gzip when needed), expand sitemap indexes, and tally every <loc> URL.
3. **Review the breakdown** - Check total vs unique URLs, per-file counts, soft-limit warnings, and optionally download a CSV of returned URLs.

## How to use a sitemap link counter for technical SEO

An XML sitemap tells search engines which URLs matter. Counting those links is the fastest way to spot a missing section, an accidental dump of thin archive pages, or a single file that has grown past the 50,000-URL soft limit Google and Bing document.

If you paste a bare domain, this tool looks for Sitemap: lines in robots.txt, then tries /sitemap.xml and /sitemap_index.xml. Sitemap indexes are expanded so you get a total across child files plus a per-file table.

Compare the sitemap count to Search Console’s indexed pages: a large gap can mean crawl budget waste, noindex mismatches, or URLs that never made it into the sitemap after a CMS migration.

After you clean the list, keep robots.txt pointing at the canonical sitemap and re-check Domain Rating before you invest in directory submissions or launch outreach.

## What you get

- Count URLs in sitemaps & sitemap indexes
- Auto-discover via robots.txt /sitemap.xml
- Gzipped .xml.gz support
- Per-file breakdown + CSV download

## Related tools

- **[Sitemap Finder & Checker](https://www.scrolllaunch.com/tools/sitemap-checker)** - Find and validate sitemaps on any website - robots.txt discovery, validity, and URL totals.
- **[Sitemap URL Extractor](https://www.scrolllaunch.com/tools/sitemap-url-extractor)** - Extract all <loc> URLs from a sitemap or sitemap index - copy or download CSV.
- **[Robots.txt Generator](https://www.scrolllaunch.com/tools/robots-txt-generator)** - Build a clean robots.txt with sitemap URL, disallow paths, and optional AI-scraper blocks.
- **[Sitemap Validator](https://www.scrolllaunch.com/tools/sitemap-validator)** - Validate XML sitemaps for fetch errors, soft limits, and bad loc/lastmod/changefreq/priority values.

## Related

- [All tools](https://www.scrolllaunch.com/tools)
- [Pricing](https://www.scrolllaunch.com/pricing) - launch free; dofollow while the badge stays on your site.
- [Directories](https://www.scrolllaunch.com/directories) - curated startup directories ranked by DR.