Bitly vs TinyURL vs Rebrandly vs Short.io vs Dub
Hosted link shorteners side by side: free plan limits, your own domain, click tracking, API and first paid plan
Updated
Why compare these
Five hosted shorteners people pick between. Hosted services have no star count, so this is a feature table, not a ranking: how many links the free plan makes, whether clicks are counted, whether you can use your own domain, and where paying starts. Free plans differ most: Short.io and Dub let you use your own domain for free, Bitly and TinyURL don't. Want to run one yourself? See the self-hosted list.
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1
B
Bitly
Short links, QR codes and landing pages with click analytics; bit.ly short domain.
The best-known link shortener
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2
T
TinyURL
Free short links on tinyurl.com that never expire; paid plans add branded domains and analytics.
The original short link, since 2002
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3
R
Rebrandly
Link management built around custom (branded) domains, with click data and an API.
Branded links on your own domain
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4
S
Short.io
Branded short links on your own domains, generous free plan, API and team features.
Short links on your own domain
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5
D
Dub
Short links with analytics, conversion tracking and an affiliate program; code on GitHub (AGPL-3.0 core).
Open-source link platform
Compare side by side
| Bitly | TinyURL | Rebrandly | Short.io | Dub | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan | |||||
| Free plan: new links | 5 a month | 30 a month | 10 a month | 1,000 in total | 25 a month |
| Free plan: click tracking | No analytics history listed | No tracked clicks | 100 tracked clicks a month | 50,000 clicks a month | 1,000 events a month, 30 days kept |
| Free plan: own domain | No | No (1 kept after a downgrade) | 1 (plus a free rebrand.ly domain) | Up to 5 | Up to 3 |
| Free plan: QR codes | 2 a month | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Paid | |||||
| Cheapest paid plan | Core, $10 a month (yearly only, $120) | Pro, $9 a month ($108 a year) | Essentials, $11 a month ($8 billed yearly) | Hobby, $5 a month | Pro, $30 a month |
| Paid plan: new links | 100 a month | 125 a month (+$1.50 per 10 more) | 250 a month | 2,500 in total | 1,000 a month |
| Paid plan: tracked clicks | 30 days of history | Unlimited, 2 years of history | 10,000 a month | 100,000 a month | 50,000 events a month, 1 year kept |
| Paid plan: own domains | No (from Growth plan) | 3 | 2 | 7 | 10 |
| Basics | |||||
| API | Yes (1,000 calls a month free) | Yes | Yes (100 calls a minute free) | Yes (50 requests a second) | Yes, on every plan |
| Links expire | No | Free and Pro never; Bulk after 90 days | No | No | No |
| Open source / self-host | No | No | No | No | Yes (AGPL-3.0 core) |
How it is measured
Read from each service's own pricing page on the date in the references. Limits change often: check the linked page before you commit. Prices are in US dollars, before tax.
References
- Pricing pages of Bitly, TinyURL, Rebrandly, Short.io and Dub, the vendors (facts). Checked 2026-10-20 05:30 UTC.
- Bitly pricing, Bitly, checked 2026-10-20.
- TinyURL plans and pricing, TinyURL, checked 2026-10-20.
- Rebrandly pricing, Rebrandly, checked 2026-10-20.
- Short.io pricing, Short.io, checked 2026-10-20.
- Dub Links pricing, Dub, checked 2026-10-20.
- dubinc/dub licence, Dub, AGPL-3.0 outside the ee folders, checked 2026-10-20.
