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Indie alternatives to Bitly

7 products made by independent developers and small teams that do what Bitly does, 7 of them with a free plan. Free and open-source options come first.

At a glance

Product	Price	Open source	Self-host	Platforms
Kutt	Free	Yes	Yes	Web, Self-hosted, API
Shlink	Free	Yes	Yes	Self-hosted, API
YOURLS	Free	Yes	Yes	Self-hosted
Dub	Free plan	Yes	Yes	Web, API, Self-hosted
Rebrandly	Free plan	–	–	Web, API, Browser extension
Short.io	Free plan	–	–	Web, API, Browser extension
TinyURL	Free plan	–	–	Web, API

The alternatives

1. Kutt

Free, open-source URL shortener

A modern open-source URL shortener with custom domains, link statistics and an API, usable on kutt.it or self-hosted.

Free · Web, Self-hosted, API · Website ↗

2. Shlink

Self-hosted URL shortener

An open-source, self-hosted URL shortener with visit tracking, QR codes and a REST API.

Free · Self-hosted, API · Website ↗

3. YOURLS

Self-hosted PHP URL shortener

Your Own URL Shortener: a free, open-source PHP script to run a URL shortener on your own server, with stats and plugins.

Free · Self-hosted · Website ↗

4. Dub

Open-source link management with analytics

A link management platform for short links, QR codes, click analytics and conversion tracking, with an open-source codebase and affiliate program features.

Free plan · Web, API, Self-hosted · Website ↗

5. Rebrandly

Branded link management and URL shortener

A link management platform for branded short links, custom domains, QR codes and click tracking.

Free plan · Web, API, Browser extension · Website ↗

6. Short.io

Branded URL shortener with your own domain

A URL shortener for creating branded short links on custom domains, with click analytics, QR codes and team access.

Free plan · Web, API, Browser extension · Website ↗

7. TinyURL

Classic URL shortener

A long-running URL shortening service with optional accounts for custom aliases, branded domains and analytics.

Free plan · Web, API · Website ↗

Questions

Is there a free alternative to Bitly?

Yes. 7 of the 7 indie alternatives listed here have a free plan or are free: Kutt, Shlink, YOURLS, Dub and 3 more.

Is there an open-source alternative to Bitly?

Kutt, Shlink, YOURLS and Dub are open source.

Can I self-host an alternative to Bitly?

Yes: Kutt, Shlink, YOURLS and Dub can run on your own server.

Which Bitly alternatives work on Mac, Windows, iPhone or Android?

On the web: Kutt, Dub, Rebrandly and 2 more. As a browser extension: Rebrandly and Short.io.

What makes these alternatives to Bitly “indie”?

They are built by independent developers or small teams rather than large companies. Each one is listed because it does the same core job as Bitly.

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