Bitly alternatives: 4 free & open-source picks
Curated, verified, and actually free. No trials, no crippled tiers. Star counts and last-activity dates checked by hand, not scraped and forgotten.
Bitly con atribución más profunda; autoalojarlo implica recrear la mitad de la infraestructura de una startup.
licenseAGPL-3.0
runsyour machine or their cloud
installHosted signup, or a source deployment assembled across Vercel, MySQL/PlanetScale, Tinybird, Upstash and Cloudflare R2/AWS
dataDub Cloud stores links, users and analytics in Dub's infrastructure; the documented self-hosted stack keeps link/user metadata in PlanetScale-compatible MySQL, click events in Tinybird/ClickHouse, redirect cache and jobs in Upstash Redis/QStash, and assets in Cloudflare R2 or AWS.
the catch vs BitlyDub has richer attribution, but self-hosting depends on several external databases, queues, analytics, storage, email, and deployment services and still lacks Bitly's enterprise support and governance.
setupSelf-hosting is not one Compose file: the official guide requires accounts, credentials and configuration across GitHub, Tinybird, Upstash, MySQL/PlanetScale, Vercel and Cloudflare or AWS.
facts verified 2026-08-10
Un clon pulido de Bitly en Cloudflare; hosting gratuito, varios bindings y ningún servidor que parchear.
licenseAGPL-3.0
runsyour server
installFork the repository and deploy a Cloudflare Worker with D1 and KV bindings; Analytics Engine, R2 and Workers AI are optional
enginesOptional Cloudflare Workers AI for slug and OpenGraph suggestions
dataThe user's Cloudflare account holds links in D1, redirect cache in Workers KV, visit events in Analytics Engine and optional JSON snapshots or social images in R2; the public demo uses the maintainer's Cloudflare account.
the catch vs BitlySink is elegant on Cloudflare, but it lacks Bitly's mature QR campaign management, team permissions, branded-link governance, integrations, and vendor support.
setupA non-expert must create and wire several Cloudflare resources, copy binding IDs, set a stable site token and understand build-time versus runtime secrets.
facts verified 2026-08-10
Enlaces de marca, reglas de enrutamiento y estadísticas serias de clics en un solo contenedor; el endpoint de QR vive con tiempo prestado.
licenseMIT
runsyour server
installRun the official Docker image, or unpack the PHP distribution and connect SQLite, MySQL/MariaDB, PostgreSQL or SQL Server
dataShort links, domains, tags, visits and geolocation records live in the configured relational database; cache files live in Shlink's writable `data` directory, and the separate web client talks to the server through an API key.
the catch vs BitlyShlink supplies the shortening API and analytics, but the user must host a separate web client, operate the server, and accept that its built-in QR endpoint is being deprecated.
setupThe first hurdle is operating two pieces, a Shlink API plus its web client, and supplying a public domain, HTTPS, database persistence and an API key; built-in QR generation is deprecated.
facts verified 2026-08-10
Mil enlaces de marca, códigos QR y analítica real antes de que la página de precios importe.
licenseproprietary, free
runstheir cloud
installHosted signup, then connect a custom domain
enginesOptional Short.io AI allowance; the underlying model provider is not disclosed
dataLinks, custom-domain configuration, QR assets and click/conversion analytics live in Short.io's cloud; links can be exported through support, but the internal storage format is not disclosed.
the catch vs BitlyShort.io's free plan is generous, but the lifetime link ceiling and smaller campaign, governance, integration, and enterprise-support surface make it less durable than paid Bitly.
setupThere is no installation hurdle, but the free account has a lifetime ceiling of 1,000 branded links, one user, 10 MB storage and only the first 50,000 clicks per month visible in analytics.
facts verified 2026-08-10
last updated 2026-08-10 · no votes, no pay-to-list · just what's real
| tool | license | running it | platforms | stars | active |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dub | AGPL-3.0 | self-host, real ops | web, self-hosted | 24,200 | 2026-08 |
| Sink | AGPL-3.0 | self-host, real ops | web, self-hosted | 7,000 | 2026-07 |
| Shlink | MIT | docker to self-host | web, self-hosted | 5,171 | 2026-07 |
| Short.io | proprietary, free | they host it | web, browser-extension | — | — |
Bitly's actual product is a promise about the future: that a link printed on a box in 2019 still resolves today. No amount of code buys that, only an institution that intends to keep existing. Teams also pay for shared workspaces, SSO, and the audit trail, and marketing departments pay because the alternative is asking engineering for a redirect and waiting two weeks. If none of that applies to you, any pick above saves $420 a year.
Is there a free alternative to Bitly?
Yes: Dub, Sink, Shlink and 1 more. Every tool on this page is either open source or genuinely free to use long-term: no trials, no crippled tiers.
Should I just build my own Bitly?
Our verdict is SÍ. A slug, a lookup, a 302, and a row in a table. Cloudflare Workers plus KV and D1 does the whole job on the free tier, and QR codes are one library call. The only thing you are really buying is that bit.ly resolves links created in 2012 and will presumably still resolve them in 2032, which is an institutional promise rather than a technical one. If the links are going in a magazine ad or on packaging, that promise is worth something. If they are going in this week's newsletter, it is worth nothing, and Growth is 420 USD a year. If you'd rather build, the exact one-shot prompt is free at puedovibecodearlo.app/bitly.
