Best Free URL Shorteners 2026: 6 Options Compared
Best free URL Shorteners compared: Short.io, Rebrandly, Bitly, Shlink and 2 more, with free-plan limits, platforms and prices from official pages checked October 23, 2026.
•3 min read•Social Media & Ads
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Quick comparison
| Tool | Price | Platforms | Best for | Tested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Short.io | Free (Free plan: 1 user, 5 custom domains, detailed statistics for the first 50,000 clicks, 10 MB storage; short links keep working afterwards, commercial use allowed); paid from $5 per month, billed monthly (Hobby, 7 custom domains, 100,000 tracked clicks); annual billing saves 17% | Web | Branded links on your own domains | Docs only |
| Rebrandly | Free (10 links per month, 10 QR codes per month, 1 custom domain, 1 free Rebrand.ly domain, 1 link gallery; unlimited clicks and QR code scans); paid from $8 per month (Essentials, $8 to $11 per month); the page does not label monthly or annual billing | Web | Light branded-link use | Docs only |
| Bitly | Free (2 QR codes per month, 5 links per month, 2 custom landing pages, 3 custom back-halves per month; unlimited clicks and QR code scans); paid from $10 per month, billed annually (Core plan, annual only, $120 charged yearly) | Web | Occasional links with trusted brand recognition | Docs only |
| Shlink | Free (Free to self-host under MIT; no hosted plan checked) | Web, Docker | Developers who want an API and full control | Docs only |
| Kutt | Free (Free to self-host under MIT; no hosted plan checked) | Web, Docker | Small teams that want a simple dashboard | Docs only |
| YOURLS | Free (Free and open source to self-host; no hosted plan) | Web | Anyone who already runs PHP hosting | Docs only |
Independent comparison. Paid placements are labelled separately; editorial links earn no affiliate commissions. Learn more.
Good fit if
- You want a branded short domain without paying (Short.io is the pick)
- You need a few links with QR codes (Rebrandly is the pick)
- You want unlimited links and own the server (Shlink is the pick)
- You already host PHP sites (YOURLS is the pick)
Not ideal if
- You need paid-tier features, uptime guarantees or support that these free plans leave out
A URL shortener has two costs hidden behind the word free: how many links you may create and who controls the domain. Bitly's free plan allows 5 links and 2 QR codes a month, which is a trial, not a working plan. Rebrandly allows 10 links and 10 QR codes a month with one custom domain. Short.io is the most generous hosted choice, with 1 user, 5 custom domains and statistics for the first 50,000 clicks, and its links keep working after that. If you want no cap at all, Shlink, Kutt and YOURLS are open-source and self-hosted: Shlink and Kutt are MIT licensed, and YOURLS is MIT licensed too, but you pay for the server and handle its security and uptime. A short link becomes part of your printed materials, so think about what happens if the service closes or changes its plan. Using your own domain lets you move providers later without breaking old links, which is why custom-domain support matters more than the number of free links. Be careful with click tracking if the audience is in the EU. For a single link in a presentation, any service works. For a business campaign, own the domain.
Short.io
Free plan: 1 user, 5 custom domains, detailed stats for the first 50,000 clicks, and links keep working afterwards. Commercial use is allowed; Hobby is $5 a month.
Price: Free (Free plan: 1 user, 5 custom domains, detailed statistics for the first 50,000 clicks, 10 MB storage; short links keep working afterwards, commercial use allowed); paid from $5 per month, billed monthly (Hobby, 7 custom domains, 100,000 tracked clicks); annual billing saves 17% (Short.io pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Platforms and license: Web. Proprietary SaaS.
Best for: Branded links on your own domains.
Worth knowing: Paid plans include a 7-day free trial. Cancelling moves the account to the free plan.
Rebrandly
Free plan: 10 links and 10 QR codes a month, 1 custom domain and unlimited clicks. Essentials starts at $8 a month; the page does not label billing.
Price: Free (10 links per month, 10 QR codes per month, 1 custom domain, 1 free Rebrand.ly domain, 1 link gallery; unlimited clicks and QR code scans); paid from $8 per month (Essentials, $8 to $11 per month); the page does not label monthly or annual billing (Rebrandly pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Platforms and license: Web. Proprietary SaaS.
Best for: Light branded-link use.
Bitly
Free plan allows 5 links and 2 QR codes a month plus 3 custom back-halves. Core is $10 a month billed annually, so heavy users hit the cap fast.
Price: Free (2 QR codes per month, 5 links per month, 2 custom landing pages, 3 custom back-halves per month; unlimited clicks and QR code scans); paid from $10 per month, billed annually (Core plan, annual only, $120 charged yearly) (Bitly pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Platforms and license: Web. Proprietary SaaS.
Best for: Occasional links with trusted brand recognition.
Worth knowing: Business is listed at $90 per month with a 14-day trial and no free tier beyond the Free plan above.
Compare: Bitly alternatives
Shlink
Self-hosted under MIT with no link cap; you pay for your own server. A hosted plan was not checked.
Price: Free (Free to self-host under MIT; no hosted plan checked) (Shlink pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Platforms and license: Web, Docker. MIT (open source).
Project activity: 5.4k GitHub stars · latest release v5.1.8 (Oct 21, 2026) · last commit Oct 24, 2026
Best for: Developers who want an API and full control.
Worth knowing: Self-hosted URL shortener; you pay for your own server. The project describes itself as a self-hosted URL shortener.
Kutt
MIT-licensed self-hosted shortener; you pay for your own server and handle updates. No hosted plan was checked.
Price: Free (Free to self-host under MIT; no hosted plan checked) (Kutt pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Web, Docker. MIT (open source).
Project activity: 11.2k GitHub stars · latest release v3.2.6 (Jul 5, 2026) · last commit Oct 19, 2026
Best for: Small teams that want a simple dashboard.
YOURLS
MIT-licensed PHP shortener you host yourself, with no hosted plan. A long-running option for private short domains.
Price: Free (Free and open source to self-host; no hosted plan) (YOURLS pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Platforms and license: Web. MIT (open source).
Project activity: 12.3k GitHub stars · latest release 1.10.6 (Aug 30, 2026) · last commit Oct 27, 2026
Best for: Anyone who already runs PHP hosting.
Worth knowing: Self-hosted URL shortener written in PHP; the project site states the code is MIT licensed.
Which one to pick
- You want a branded short domain without paying: Short.io
- You need a few links with QR codes: Rebrandly
- You want unlimited links and own the server: Shlink
- You already host PHP sites: YOURLS
Limits of this review
Docs-only for Short.io, Rebrandly, Bitly, Shlink, Kutt, YOURLS: we did not install or run them, so feature claims come from vendor pages. Vendor prices and free limits change; confirm on the linked pricing page before you commit.
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Kevin Fan
Kevin Fan is a SaaS founder. He runs Free Instead Of, which tracks free and open-source alternatives to paid software and checks each price and free-plan limit against the vendor's own pages.
Methodology
Based on official pricing, license and product pages checked between 2026-10-22 and 2026-10-23: Short.io, Rebrandly, Bitly, Shlink, Kutt, YOURLS. Prices, free limits and licenses are the figures shown on those pages on those dates. No tool on this page was installed or run. No accounts were created.