Bitly

Bitly is the most recognized URL shortener, but its pricing has become aggressive — the free plan limits you to 10 links per month with no custom domains, while the Core plan ($35/month) and Growth plan ($300/month) gate features like custom branded links, QR codes, and analytics behind expensive tiers.

Dub is a modern, open source link management platform with analytics, custom domains, QR code generation, and a clean API. It's designed for marketing teams and developers who need branded short links with detailed click analytics — referrer tracking, geographic data, device breakdowns, and UTM parameter analysis. Shlink is a self-hosted URL shortener focused on simplicity and API-first design, with visit tracking, custom slugs, and multi-domain support. Kutt provides a lighter-weight option with custom domains, link analytics, and a straightforward web interface.

Self-hosting your URL shortener means unlimited links and unlimited analytics with no monthly fees. A marketing team creating 500+ branded links per month would need Bitly's Growth plan ($300/month). Self-hosted Dub or Shlink handles the same volume on a $5-10/month VPS.

Beyond cost, self-hosting gives you full control over your link data. Bitly owns the analytics from every click on your shortened links — your traffic data lives on their servers. Self-hosted link management keeps all click data, referrer information, and user analytics on your infrastructure, which matters for companies that treat traffic data as a competitive asset.