A custom domain turns bit.ly/3xK9 into go.yourbrand.com/launch. This page ranks shorteners by how many domains you get, whether the first one is free, and how painful setup is.
Updated 8 November 20269 tools comparedPrices in USD
Quick answer.ReSlug gives you one custom domain with automatic SSL on the free plan and ten on the $9/mo Pro plan. Short.io gives you five free and is the pick if you juggle many brands. Bitly does not include a custom domain until Growth at $29/mo billed annually.
Best overallReSlug1 domain free with SSL, 10 on $9 Pro
Most domainsShort.io5 free, 10 on $18 Pro, 50 on Team
DevelopersDub3 domains free, 10 on Pro, 100 on Business
EnterpriseRebrandlyBranded-link specialist with SSO tier
Branded short domains matter for two reasons. People click links they recognise, and platforms that filter generic shortener domains, some messaging apps and ad networks among them, do not filter yours. Every tool here supports custom domains. The differences are price and quantity.
We rank by whether the first domain is free, how many you get on the cheapest paid plan, and whether SSL is automatic. The table includes the free-plan domain column so you can see at a glance who charges for it.
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
One custom domain with automatic SSL is included on the free plan, alongside 500 active links and 30 days of analytics. Pro at $9/mo (or $79/yr) raises that to ten domains with unlimited links. Setup is a single CNAME record and SSL is issued automatically. No other tool combines a free domain with this many free links.
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, seven on the $5 Hobby plan, ten on Pro at $18 and fifty on Team at $48. If you manage short links for several brands or clients, Short.io is the cheapest way to do it. The trade-off is lifetime link quotas on the lower tiers and unpublished analytics retention.
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: Developers and SaaS teams who want an API, SDKs and conversion tracking
Free: 25 links/moPaid from $27/moCustom domains: freeAnalytics: 30 daysAPIBot filtering
Three custom domains on the free plan, ten on Pro ($27/mo), a hundred on Business ($81/mo). Dub also hands out a free .link domain on paid plans. Generous on domains, stingy on links: 25 a month free.
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: Affiliate marketers who need click limits, rotators and bot management
Free: 100 links/moPaid from $15/moCustom domains: freeAnalytics: Country-levelAPIBot filtering
One custom domain on free and three on Pro ($32/mo annual), with extra domains sold as an add-on at under a dollar each. The click caps are the constraint, not the domains.
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
Rebrandly built its brand on branded links. Free includes one .bio domain, Essentials ($16/mo) two domains, Professional ($39/mo) three, Growth ($179/mo) ten. A good fit for marketing teams with budget and a need for SSO and support; expensive per domain compared with the tools above.
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
No custom domain on free or Core. One complimentary domain arrives on Growth at $29 a month billed annually, $348 a year. That is the most expensive first domain in this comparison by a wide margin.
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
Every tool here follows the same pattern. You register a short domain (a ccTLD like .ly, .io or .link, or a subdomain of your main site such as go.yourbrand.com), add a CNAME or A record pointing at the shortener, and wait for DNS to propagate. ReSlug, Short.io, Dub and Cuttly issue SSL certificates automatically. A subdomain of a domain you already own is free and is usually the right choice; a dedicated short domain costs $10 to $40 a year.