Best URL Shorteners in 2026: 6 Options Compared, Free and Paid

The best URL shortener depends on what you need from it. For a few quick links, TinyURL and Bitly have free plans that work without much setup. For links on your own domain without paying, Short.io includes custom domains on its free plan. Rebrandly is built around branded links and control over each one. CodeQR, which we build, puts short links and dynamic QR codes in the same place, with click and conversion tracking. And if you want to host it yourself, YOURLS is free and open source.

Prices and limits below come from each vendor's pricing page, read on October 29, 2026. They change often, so check the page before you buy.

What to compare in a URL shortener

• The free plan's limits: how many links a month, whether clicks are tracked, and whether visitors see ads.
• Custom domains: a short link on your own domain looks more trustworthy, and the address belongs to you, not to the service. See our guide to branded links.
• Editing: whether you can change where a link points after you share it.
• Analytics: how many clicks are tracked and how long the history is kept.
• QR codes: whether the tool makes them and whether they are tied to the short link.
• API: whether you can create links from your own systems.

Bitly

Bitly's Free plan costs $0 and includes 5 links and 2 QR codes a month, no custom domain and no data history, and the pricing page labels it "With Ads": free links show a preview page with an ad before the destination. Core costs $10 a month and is billed annually only ($120 a year), with 100 links a month and 30 days of history. A custom domain starts on Growth, at $29 a month billed annually ($348 a year), which also keeps 120 days of history.

Bitly suits teams that already use it or need its integrations. Keep in mind the ads on free links and the short history on Core.

TinyURL

TinyURL keeps things simple. The Free plan gives 30 links a month and one branded domain, but no analytics, and you can't edit or delete a link once it is made. Pro costs $9 a month billed annually ($108 a year) and adds 125 links a month, unlimited tracked clicks, two years of analytics history and link editing. One detail: the Bulk 50K plan lists a default link expiration of 90 days, while Free and Pro links never expire.

It works well for quick links you don't need to measure, and Pro's two-year history is long for the price. Free gives you no click data at all.

Rebrandly

Rebrandly focuses on branded links. The Free plan includes 10 links and 10 QR codes a month, a free Rebrand.ly domain and one custom domain listed as "Yourbrand.bio". Essentials costs $8 a month on annual billing, with 250 links a month, two custom domains and 10 destination edits a month. Tracked clicks have a monthly cap on each plan: 100 on Free and 10,000 on Essentials, according to the pricing page.

Rebrandly fits brands that want every link on their domain and organized in one place, as long as the tracked-click caps and the limit on destination edits fit their traffic.

Short.io

Short.io's free plan includes the most custom domains of the free plans here: 5. It also has 1,000 branded links for the life of the account and 50,000 tracked clicks a month, and the pricing page says "Every plan includes custom domains, click analytics, and a full-featured dashboard." Hobby costs $5 a month and Pro costs $18 a month with unlimited links and clicks. Paid plans come with a 7-day free trial.

It is the pick for using your own domain without paying. Note that the 1,000-link total on Free covers the whole life of the account.

CodeQR

CodeQR puts short links and QR codes, static and dynamic, in the same workspace, along with link-in-bio pages. There is a Free plan; custom domains start on Starter, the API is available on every plan, and conversion tracking, which connects leads and sales to the link or QR code that brought them, starts on Pro. Analytics show clicks over time on every plan, and full location, device and referrer breakdowns start on Starter. Paid plans can be paid monthly or yearly, and when a paid plan ends, existing links and dynamic QR codes keep redirecting. Prices and limits are on the pricing page.

CodeQR suits teams that print QR codes and share links for the same campaigns and want to measure both. Compare the click limits on each plan against your traffic before you choose.

YOURLS

YOURLS describes itself as "The de facto standard self-hosted URL shortener". It is free and open source under the MIT license, runs on your own server and your own domain, and includes click stats with referrers and geolocation, plus a developer API.

It is for developers who want full control over their links and data, and who are happy to install, update and host it themselves.

Free vs paid: what you give up on a free plan

Every free plan above has a catch. Bitly shows an ad before free links. TinyURL Free tracks no clicks. Rebrandly Free tracks 100 clicks a month. Short.io Free caps the total number of links. CodeQR Free has no custom domain. YOURLS costs nothing but the server and your time.

How to choose

• A few links, no tracking: TinyURL Free.
• Your own domain on a free plan: Short.io Free.
• Branded links with a team: Rebrandly or Bitly Growth.
• Links and QR codes for the same campaigns, with conversions: CodeQR.
• Full control and your own server: YOURLS.

Whatever you choose, check whether its links can expire. Bitly and TinyURL say their links don't, with exceptions we explain in our Bitly vs TinyURL comparison.