Alternatives / Bitly
Looking for an open source Bitly alternative? We compared 5 open source link shorteners by license, self-hosting, analytics, and custom domains. They range from marketing link platforms to serverless shorteners on Cloudflare and self-hosted APIs.
Written by Maxime DERAME
Last updated:
| Alternative | Best for | License |
|---|---|---|
| Dub | Closest full link management platform (open core) | AGPL-3.0 + commercial parts |
| Kutt | Simple self-hosted shortener with custom domains | MIT |
| Shlink | API-first self-hosted shortener | MIT |
| Sink | Serverless shortener on Cloudflare | AGPL-3.0 |
| WR.DO | Short links with domains and DNS (beta, Cloudflare) | MIT |
We looked for open-source tools that overlap with Bitly's core: shortening links, custom domains, click analytics, and QR codes. We verified each project's license, recent activity, stars, and self-hosting in its repository. We left out Lua.sh and Slugy because we could not find a public repository for them. See our methodology for the full criteria.
Dub is the most full-featured, with custom domains, a UTM builder, A/B testing, geo and device targeting, QR codes, conversion analytics, deep links, and a REST API. It is a commercial open-source company: the core is AGPL-3.0, and some parts of the repository need a commercial license. Affiliate program management is a separate product.
Kutt offers custom domains, analytics, password protection, an API, and browser extensions, and Shlink is an API-first shortener with a CLI, a web client, visit tracking, and custom domains. Sink and WR.DO run on Cloudflare, so they depend on that platform, and WR.DO is in beta.
Kutt, Shlink, and WR.DO are MIT. Sink is AGPL-3.0, and Dub is AGPL-3.0 with commercial-only parts.
Dub, Sink, Shlink, and WR.DO had commits within weeks of this update. Kutt's last commit was in September 2026.
Bitly is a proprietary service with paid plans for custom domains, link counts, and analytics, and links that depend on its servers staying available and affordable. Open-source alternatives let you host links on your own domain, keep analytics data, avoid per-link pricing, and keep links working as long as you run the server, at the cost of running and securing the service.
Dub is a link management and attribution platform for marketing teams, with custom domains, a UTM builder, A/B testing, geo and device targeting, QR codes, real-time conversion analytics, deep links, and a REST API. It is a commercial open-source company: the core is AGPL-3.0, and some parts of the repository require a commercial license. Affiliate program management is a separate product, Dub Partners.
Pricing: Free to self-host the open-source parts; the hosted service has a free tier and paid plans.
Kutt is an MIT-licensed URL shortener with custom domains, analytics, link management, password protection, an API, and Chrome and Firefox extensions, which you can self-host.
Pricing: Free to self-host; a hosted service is available.
Sink is an AGPL-3.0 simple, speedy, and serverless link shortener with analytics that runs entirely on Cloudflare, with custom slugs, AI-generated slugs, and link expiration. It depends on Cloudflare's infrastructure.
Pricing: Free and open source; Cloudflare usage applies.
Shlink is an MIT-licensed, self-hosted, API-first URL shortener with a CLI, a web client, custom domains, visit tracking, and custom or automatic short codes. It is installed from a distribution file or a Docker image.
Pricing: Free and open source; self-hosted.
WR.DO is an MIT-licensed project that combines free domain name distribution, short URL generation, and DNS record management, built on Cloudflare. It is currently in beta, and its API availability should be checked in its documentation.
Pricing: Free and open source; Cloudflare usage applies.
| Alternative | Type | License | Self-hosted | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dub | Link management platform | AGPL-3.0 + commercial parts | Yes | Marketing teams |
| Sink | Serverless shortener | AGPL-3.0 | Cloudflare | Simple links with analytics |
| Kutt | URL shortener | MIT | Yes | Custom domains |
| Shlink | API-first shortener | MIT | Yes | Developers |
| WR.DO | Shortener and DNS tools | MIT | Cloudflare | Short URLs and domains |
Want the closest full link management platform
Dub offers custom domains, UTM builder, A/B testing, QR codes, and analytics, with some code under a commercial license.
Want a simple self-hosted shortener
Kutt is an MIT shortener with custom domains, analytics, password protection, an API, and browser extensions.
Want an API-first shortener
Shlink is an MIT, API-first shortener with a CLI, a web client, and visit tracking, installed from a distribution file or Docker.
Want a serverless shortener
Sink runs entirely on Cloudflare with analytics, custom slugs, AI-generated slugs, and link expiration under AGPL-3.0.