If you are creating links from code, the dashboard barely matters. What matters is the API: documentation, SDKs, rate limits, webhooks and whether you can use it without paying.
Updated 8 November 20268 tools comparedPrices in USD
Quick answer.Dub is the best URL shortener for developers: open source, typed SDKs in five languages, webhooks, conversion tracking and API access on the free plan. Short.io offers a free API at 50 requests a second. ReSlug is the budget choice at $9/mo for an API with 200 requests a minute plus an MCP server.
Best for developersDubOpen source, SDKs, webhooks, free API
Free API, high limitsShort.io50 req/s on free, 5 domains
Cheapest paid APIReSlug$9/mo, 10 keys, 200 req/min, MCP server
Enterprise APIBitlyMature API, request-capped per plan
This is the one category where we do not rank ReSlug first, and the reason is simple: Dub was built as link infrastructure from day one. The codebase is open source, the SDKs are generated and typed, the webhooks are documented, and conversion tracking lets you attribute sign-ups and revenue to a link. For a product team that is a different class of tool.
That said, most developers do not need all of that. If you want to generate branded links from a script or a backend and read click counts back, several tools do it well for free or nearly free. The ranking balances API quality against price.
Limits and prices from each vendor's public pricing page, verified 8 November 2026. "Free links" is the published free-plan quota; "Ads" means interstitial or branded ads shown to people who click your links.
Best for: Developers and SaaS teams who want an API, SDKs and conversion tracking
Free: 25 links/moPaid from $27/moCustom domains: freeAnalytics: 30 daysAPIBot filtering
Open-source codebase, official SDKs for TypeScript, Python, Go, Ruby and PHP, a REST API available on the free plan, webhooks and conversion tracking on Business, and a free .link domain on paid plans. Rate limits are 600 requests a minute on Pro and 1,200 on Business. The free plan allows 25 links a month and three domains, which is enough to build and test. Pro is $27 a month.
Pros
Open-source codebase, typed SDKs and a well-documented REST API
3 custom domains on the free plan
Conversion tracking, webhooks and role-based access on Business
A/B testing, geo and device targeting, password and expiration on Pro
Cons
Free plan is only 25 links a month
Pro is $27 a month, three times ReSlug's Pro
No link-in-bio pages
Quotas are annual pools billed up front on yearly plans
Best for: Power users who want many custom domains cheaply
Free: 1,000 links (lifetime)Paid from $5/moCustom domains: freeAnalytics: Not documentedAPIBio pagesBot filtering
API access on every plan including free, at 50 requests a second, with five custom domains. Bulk and API-created links are capped at 10,000 a year on Pro ($18/mo) and 100,000 on Team ($48/mo). Documentation is adequate rather than great, but the free API limits are the most generous here.
Pros
5 custom domains on the free plan and 1,000 lifetime links
Hobby plan is $5 a month for 2,500 links and 7 domains
Pro at $18 a month gives unlimited links and 10 domains
API on every plan, including free, at 50 requests a second
Cons
Analytics retention is not published for any plan
Password protection and expiration need Pro
Free quota is a lifetime total, so it runs out and does not refresh
Best for: Anyone who wants a custom domain and real analytics without paying
Free: 500 active linksPaid from $9/moCustom domains: freeAnalytics: 30 daysAPIBio pagesBot filtering
ReSlug's REST API arrives on Pro at $9/mo: ten API keys, 200 requests a minute, unlimited links, plus webhooks, a Zapier integration, a Chrome extension and an MCP server so AI agents can create and manage links. There are no official SDKs yet. For a backend that needs to mint branded links cheaply, it is the lowest-cost paid API in this list.
Pros
500 active links, a custom domain with auto-SSL and 30 days of analytics on the free plan
No ads or interstitials on any plan
Pro is $9/mo ($79/yr) for unlimited links, 10 domains and a year of analytics
Bot clicks filtered out of analytics by default
Geo, device, UTM and scheduled routing plus A/B splits on Pro
Cons
Launched in 2026, so it has a short track record compared with Bitly or TinyURL
Best for: Affiliate marketers who need click limits, rotators and bot management
Free: 100 links/moPaid from $15/moCustom domains: freeAnalytics: Country-levelAPIBot filtering
Full API access on the free plan, webhooks and Zapier, Make and n8n integrations on Starter ($15/mo annual). The 500-click free cap limits testing with real traffic.
Pros
Free plan includes a custom domain and full API access
Explicit bot and social-crawler management from Starter
Link rotators, geo and device redirects, click- and time-limited links on Pro
Zapier, Make, n8n and webhooks on paid plans
Cons
Free plan is capped at 500 clicks a month and links pause when exceeded
Best for: Marketing teams that want branded links with enterprise support
Free: 10 links/moPaid from $16/moCustom domains: 2 on paidAnalytics: Not documentedAPIBio pagesBot filtering
API on all tiers, from 100 calls a minute on free to 600 on Professional ($39/mo), with a webhook on Professional. Mature and well documented, priced for teams rather than solo developers.
Pros
Strong branded-link features: multiple domains, link galleries, UTM builder on all tiers
API on every plan including free
Teammates, password links and expiration on Professional
Enterprise tier with SSO and dedicated support
Cons
Free plan is 10 links a month with watermarked QR codes and galleries
Professional, where most features live, is $39 a month ($32 annual)
Click-history retention is not clearly published
Pricing page shows several overlapping price pairs, which is confusing
Best for: Enterprises that need a well-known vendor, SSO and a sales contract
Free: 5 links/moPaid from $10/moCustom domains: 0 (Growth plan and up) on paidAnalytics: NoneAPIBio pagesBot filtering
A long-established API with broad library support, but request-capped per plan: 1,000 a month on free, 5,000 on Core, 25,000 on Growth, 50,000 on Premium ($199/mo). Fine for enterprise integrations, restrictive for anything high-volume.
Pros
The most recognised brand in link shortening, with a long uptime record
QR codes, landing pages and links in one product
Mobile deep linking and an enterprise tier with SSO and 2-year history
Integrations with almost every marketing tool
Cons
Free plan is 5 links a month, shows ads and keeps no analytics history
Custom domains only arrive on Growth at $29/mo billed annually ($348/yr)
Core plan is annual-only and still capped at 100 links a month
Link quotas are monthly, so unused links do not roll over
API on every plan, but tightly throttled: 30 links a month at three calls per minute on free, six calls per minute on Starter. Workable for light automation only.
Pros
Free plan includes a branded domain, 30 days of analytics and a bio page
Bot-click chart on Single and up
Clear, published pricing with annual discounts
Link-in-bio and UTM builder on every tier
Cons
Only 30 links a month on free
Starter is $12 a month for just 300 links and still 30 days of analytics
Dub (25 links/mo, 3 domains), Short.io (50 req/s, 5 domains), Linkly (100 links/mo), Rebrandly (100 calls/min) and Cuttly (30 links/mo) offer API access on free plans. ReSlug's API is on the $9/mo Pro plan.
Is Dub open source?
Yes. Dub's codebase is public, and it offers official SDKs for TypeScript, Python, Go, Ruby and PHP.
What are Bitly's API rate limits?
Monthly request caps by plan: 1,000 on free, 5,000 on Core, 25,000 on Growth and 50,000 on Premium, per the Bitly pricing page.
Which shortener has an MCP server for AI agents?
ReSlug publishes an MCP server so tools like Claude can create and manage short links. Dub exposes its API through SDKs that agents can call directly.