# Best URL Shorteners

> Independent-format rankings of URL shorteners, with every limit and price pulled from the vendors' own pricing pages.

This site ranks URL shorteners by category (free plan, custom domains, developers, marketers, QR codes, enterprise) using published limits: free link quotas, custom-domain allowances, ads on free links, analytics retention and entry price.

## Rankings
- [The best URL shorteners in 2026](https://besturlshorteners.com/): 10 URL shorteners ranked by free-plan limits, custom domains, ads, analytics and price, using each vendor's own pricing page. ReSlug, Short.io, Dub, Bitly and more.
- [Best free URL shortener in 2026](https://besturlshorteners.com/best-free-url-shortener/): The best free URL shorteners ranked by free links, free custom domains, ads and analytics. ReSlug gives 500 links and a domain free; Bitly gives 5 links with ads.
- [Best URL shortener with a custom domain](https://besturlshorteners.com/best-url-shortener-with-custom-domain/): Which URL shorteners let you use your own branded domain, and what it costs. ReSlug and Short.io include a custom domain free; Bitly charges $29/mo.
- [Best URL shortener without ads](https://besturlshorteners.com/best-url-shortener-without-ads/): URL shorteners that never show ads or interstitial pages to the people who click your links, ranked by free limits and price. Bitly's free plan is the one to avoid.
- [Best URL shortener for QR codes](https://besturlshorteners.com/best-url-shortener-for-qr-codes/): URL shorteners with built-in dynamic QR codes compared: how many you get free, whether you can brand them, and whether scans are tracked. ReSlug, Bitly, Cuttly and more.
- [Best URL shortener for developers](https://besturlshorteners.com/best-url-shortener-for-developers/): URL shortener APIs compared for developers: SDKs, rate limits, webhooks, free API access and pricing. Dub leads; ReSlug, Short.io and Bitly follow.
- [Best URL shortener for marketers](https://besturlshorteners.com/best-url-shortener-for-marketers/): URL shorteners for marketing teams compared on UTM builders, geo and device routing, retargeting pixels, A/B testing and price. ReSlug Pro at $9/mo leads on value.
- [Best URL shortener for small business](https://besturlshorteners.com/best-url-shortener-for-small-business/): The best URL shorteners for small businesses, ranked by branded domain cost, QR codes, analytics and total yearly price. ReSlug, Short.io, Cuttly, Bitly compared.
- [Best URL shortener with analytics](https://besturlshorteners.com/best-url-shortener-with-analytics/): URL shorteners compared on click analytics: how many days of history you get free and paid, whether bot clicks are filtered, and geo, device and referrer breakdowns.
- [Best enterprise URL shortener](https://besturlshorteners.com/best-enterprise-url-shortener/): Enterprise URL shorteners compared on SSO, team seats, audit logs, retention and vendor support. Bitly and Rebrandly lead; Dub and Short.io are the modern challengers.
- [Best Bitly alternatives in 2026](https://besturlshorteners.com/best-bitly-alternatives/): Eight Bitly alternatives compared: free custom domains, more links, no ads and lower prices. ReSlug, Short.io, Dub, Rebrandly, Cuttly and more, with Bitly's limits for reference.
- [Best TinyURL alternatives in 2026](https://besturlshorteners.com/best-tinyurl-alternatives/): TinyURL alternatives that add analytics, editable links and a custom domain for free. ReSlug, Short.io, Cuttly, Dub and more compared against TinyURL's free and Pro plans.

## Head-to-head comparisons
- [ReSlug vs Bitly](https://besturlshorteners.com/reslug-vs-bitly/)
- [ReSlug vs Dub](https://besturlshorteners.com/reslug-vs-dub/)
- [ReSlug vs Short.io](https://besturlshorteners.com/reslug-vs-shortio/)
- [ReSlug vs Rebrandly](https://besturlshorteners.com/reslug-vs-rebrandly/)
- [ReSlug vs TinyURL](https://besturlshorteners.com/reslug-vs-tinyurl/)
- [Bitly vs Dub](https://besturlshorteners.com/bitly-vs-dub/)
- [Bitly vs Rebrandly](https://besturlshorteners.com/bitly-vs-rebrandly/)
- [Bitly vs TinyURL](https://besturlshorteners.com/bitly-vs-tinyurl/)
- [Bitly vs Short.io](https://besturlshorteners.com/bitly-vs-shortio/)
- [Dub vs Short.io](https://besturlshorteners.com/dub-vs-shortio/)

## Reviews
- [ReSlug review](https://besturlshorteners.com/reviews/reslug/): A newer shortener built around a generous free plan: 500 links, a custom domain and QR codes without paying.
- [Bitly review](https://besturlshorteners.com/reviews/bitly/): The best-known shortener, now a connections platform with QR codes and landing pages, priced for teams.
- [Dub review](https://besturlshorteners.com/reviews/dub/): An open-source, API-first link platform with SDKs, webhooks and conversion tracking, aimed at developers and SaaS teams.
- [Short.io review](https://besturlshorteners.com/reviews/shortio/): A domain-first shortener with unusually generous domain allowances and a cheap $5 entry plan.
- [Rebrandly review](https://besturlshorteners.com/reviews/rebrandly/): Branded links for marketing teams and enterprises, with QR codes, link galleries and a mature API.
- [TinyURL review](https://besturlshorteners.com/reviews/tinyurl/): One of the oldest shorteners, still free for basic links, with analytics and branded domains sold as paid add-ons.
- [T.LY review](https://besturlshorteners.com/reviews/tly/): A simple paid shortener with a $5 Hobby plan, browser extensions and an API, but no free account tier.
- [Cuttly review](https://besturlshorteners.com/reviews/cuttly/): A European shortener with a usable free plan, bio pages and clear monthly pricing.
- [Linkly review](https://besturlshorteners.com/reviews/linkly/): A tracking-focused shortener with a free custom domain, full API access on free and bot management on paid plans.
- [Switchy review](https://besturlshorteners.com/reviews/switchy/): A retargeting-first link tool: unlimited links and unlimited pixels, priced by clicks, with no free plan.

## About
- [Methodology](https://besturlshorteners.com/methodology/)
- [About](https://besturlshorteners.com/about/)
- Full plain-text dataset: https://besturlshorteners.com/llms-full.txt