If you're still paying Bitly $35/month for basic link shortening, you're leaving money on the table. In 2026, there are excellent free alternatives with features that match or beat Bitly's paid plans.
Here are the top 5 I've tested:
1. Dub.co — Best Overall (My Pick)
Dub.co is what Bitly should have become. It's open-source, has a generous free tier, and the developer experience is top-notch.
Free tier highlights:
- 1,000 links/month
- Custom domains (yes, free)
- Full analytics dashboard
- API access
- QR code generation
- Link-in-bio pages
Why I switched: Bitly started showing interstitial ads on free links in early 2025. That was the last straw for me. Dub.co has no ads, no preview pages, and the analytics are more detailed than what Bitly gives you on their $35/mo Core plan.
Best for: Developers, startups, marketers who want full control without paying enterprise prices.
2. YOURLS — Best Self-Hosted
If you want complete control, YOURLS lets you run your own URL shortener on your server.
Pros: 100% free, total data ownership, custom plugins
Cons: Requires a server + setup time. No managed analytics dashboard.
Best for: Privacy-focused users and teams with dev resources.
3. Kutt — Best Open Source Simple Option
Kutt is a minimalist, open-source URL shortener you can self-host or use their hosted version.
Pros: Clean UI, API, custom domains, free hosted option
Cons: Smaller community than Dub.co, fewer integrations
Best for: Developers who want something simple and hackable.
4. TinyURL — Best for Quick One-Off Links
TinyURL has been around forever and still works well for basic shortening.
Pros: No account needed, instant shortening, reliable
Cons: Limited analytics, no custom domains on free plan, dated UI
Best for: Quick, one-off link shortening when you don't need tracking.
5. Short.io — Best for Teams
Short.io offers branded links with decent analytics on their free plan.
Pros: Team features, API, branded domains
Cons: Free plan is more limited than Dub.co, can get expensive at scale
Best for: Marketing teams who need collaboration features.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | Dub.co | YOURLS | Kutt | TinyURL | Short.io |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free links/mo | 1,000 | Unlimited | 50/day | Unlimited | 1,000 |
| Custom domains | ✅ Free | ✅ (self-hosted) | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ (1) |
| Analytics | ✅ Full | ✅ Basic | ✅ Basic | ❌ | ✅ |
| API | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Open source | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| QR codes | ✅ | Plugin | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| No ads | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Why I Use Dub.co
I've been using Dub.co for about 3 months now. The migration from Bitly was painless — they even have an import tool. The API is well-documented (TypeScript SDK included), the analytics show geographic data, device types, and referrer sources, and having a custom domain on the free plan was the killer feature for me.
The fact that it's open-source also means I can contribute fixes or fork it if they ever go the way of Bitly with their pricing.
If you're evaluating alternatives, I'd recommend starting with Dub.co's free tier and seeing if it covers your needs before paying for anything.
What link shortener do you use? Have you run into Bitly's pricing wall too? Let me know in the comments.
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