A small business needs a branded short domain, QR codes for print, enough analytics to see what works, and a bill that does not scale with ambition. This page ranks shorteners on exactly that.
Updated 8 November 20268 tools comparedPrices in USD
Quick answer.ReSlug is the best URL shortener for a small business: a branded domain, 500 active links and QR codes free, and $79 a year for unlimited links with routing and a year of analytics. Short.io is the alternative if you run several brands. Bitly's $348-a-year Growth plan buys less than ReSlug's free tier on domains and links.
Best overallReSlugFree domain and QR, $79/yr for unlimited
Several brandsShort.io5 domains free, $60/yr Hobby
Low volumeCuttlyDomain, bio page and analytics free
Most small-business short links end up in three places: a QR code on printed material, a social bio, and marketing emails or texts. All three benefit from a branded domain, and the QR codes need to be dynamic so a menu or flyer does not have to be reprinted when the destination changes.
The table below includes the yearly cost of the cheapest plan that gives you a custom domain. The gap is striking: free on ReSlug, Short.io and Cuttly, $348 on Bitly.
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: Anyone who wants a custom domain and real analytics without paying
Free: 500 active linksPaid from $9/moCustom domains: freeAnalytics: 30 daysAPIBio pagesBot filtering
On the free plan a small business gets a branded domain with SSL, 500 active links, a QR code for each link, a bio page and 30 days of analytics. Pro at $79 a year lifts every cap and adds branded QR codes with your logo, routing rules, password links and a year of analytics. Total cost for a fully featured setup: $79 a year, or $0 if 500 links is enough.
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: Power users who want many custom domains cheaply
Free: 1,000 links (lifetime)Paid from $5/moCustom domains: freeAnalytics: Not documentedAPIBio pagesBot filtering
Five custom domains free and 1,000 lifetime links makes Short.io ideal for a small agency or a business with several brands. Hobby at $5 a month ($60 a year) extends that to 2,500 links and seven domains. Unpublished analytics retention is the gap.
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
Free includes a branded domain, a bio page with five links and 30 days of analytics, enough for a café, a salon or a local service with a handful of links. Starter at $132 a year raises the cap to 300 links a month.
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
Best for: Affiliate marketers who need click limits, rotators and bot management
Free: 100 links/moPaid from $15/moCustom domains: freeAnalytics: Country-levelAPIBot filtering
A free domain and API, but 500 clicks a month free means a busy QR code on a counter will pause it. Starter at $180 a year fixes that but is annual-only.
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: 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
Bitly is the brand small businesses have heard of, and the QR designer is excellent. But a branded domain requires Growth at $348 a year, and the free plan shows ads to your customers. The gap between brand recognition and value is widest here.
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
What is the cheapest URL shortener with a custom domain for a small business?
Free: ReSlug (1 domain, 500 links), Short.io (5 domains, 1,000 lifetime links) and Cuttly (1 domain, 30 links/mo). Cheapest paid with more headroom: Short.io Hobby at $60/yr or ReSlug Pro at $79/yr.
Is Bitly worth it for a small business?
Usually not. A custom domain costs $348 a year on Bitly Growth, and the free plan shows ads. ReSlug and Short.io include a domain free.
Do I need dynamic QR codes for printed menus or flyers?
Yes. A dynamic code points to a short link you can redirect later, so you never reprint. ReSlug, Short.io, Dub and Cuttly create them free.