Alternatives / Rebrandly
Looking for an open source Rebrandly alternative? We compared 5 open source link shorteners by license, custom domains, analytics, and maintenance. Dub and Shlink are the most complete, while Sink and WR.DO run on Cloudflare.
Written by Maxime DERAME
Last updated:
| Alternative | Best for | License |
|---|---|---|
| Dub | Marketing-focused link platform with attribution | AGPL-3.0 + commercial parts |
| Sink | Serverless shortener on Cloudflare | AGPL-3.0 |
| Kutt | Self-hosted shortener with custom domains | MIT |
| Shlink | API-first shortener under your own domains | MIT |
| WR.DO | Free short URLs and domains on Cloudflare (beta) | MIT |
We looked for open-source tools that create short, branded links with analytics like Rebrandly. 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 verify their repositories. See our methodology for the full criteria.
Dub is a link management platform for marketing teams with custom domains, UTM builder, A/B testing, geo targeting, QR codes, conversion tracking, a REST API, and webhooks. Shlink is an MIT self-hosted shortener with an API-first design, CLI, web client, and visit tracking.
Kutt is a self-hostable shortener with custom domains, analytics, password protection, and browser extensions. Sink is a serverless shortener that runs entirely on Cloudflare, and WR.DO distributes free domains and short URLs on Cloudflare and is still in beta.
Dub is AGPL-3.0 with commercial parts. Sink and WR.DO depend on Cloudflare services.
Shlink, Kutt, and WR.DO are MIT. Dub and Sink are AGPL-3.0, with commercial parts in Dub.
All five had commits within weeks of this update.
Rebrandly is a proprietary service priced by tracked links and domains, with link data stored on its servers. Open-source shorteners let you use your own domains and keep click data, but support and integrations are lighter.
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 platform | AGPL-3.0 + commercial parts | Yes (core) | Marketing teams |
| Sink | Link shortener | AGPL-3.0 | Cloudflare | No-server setups |
| Kutt | Link shortener | MIT | Yes | Simple self-hosting |
| Shlink | Link shortener | MIT | Yes | Closest all-round tool |
| WR.DO | Link shortener | MIT | Cloudflare | Experimenting |
Want marketing features such as UTMs and A/B tests
Dub offers conversion tracking and geo targeting, with some commercial parts.
Want an API-first self-hosted shortener
Shlink is MIT with a CLI, web client, and visit tracking under your domains.
Want a simple self-hosted shortener
Kutt has custom domains, password protection, and extensions.