comparison

URLinks vs Bitly

Bitly is the most recognized URL shortener. But its free tier is severely limited, and useful features cost $29-$199/month. URLinks gives you everything Bitly charges for — free.

tl;dr

Bitly's free plan gives you 5 links/month and 2 QR codes with no analytics history. Their Growth plan ($29/month) unlocks branded links and 4 months of data. URLinks gives you unlimited links, unlimited QR codes, full analytics, and a complete API — all free. Plus go links and link-in-bio pages that Bitly doesn't offer at all.

what you pay

URLinks
$0
for everything. forever.
  • Unlimited links
  • Unlimited QR codes
  • Full analytics: geo, device, browser, referrer, unique visitors
  • Full API access
  • Go links in browser bar
  • Link-in-bio pages, unbranded
  • AI agent support (MCP)
Bitly
Free$0
5 links/mo, 2 QR codes, no analytics history
Core$10/mo
100 links/mo, 30 days data
Growth$29/mo
500 links/mo, custom domain, 4 months data
Premium$199/mo
3,000 links/mo, city-level tracking

feature comparison

FeatureURLinksBitly
Links per monthUnlimited5 (free) / 3,000 ($199)
QR codesUnlimited, free2/mo (free) / 200 ($199)
Analytics historyFull, no time limitNone (free) / 1 year ($199)
City-level geo trackingFree$199/month (Premium)
Device + browser + OSFree$199/month (Premium)
Referrer trackingFree$199/month (Premium)
Unique visitorsFree$199/month (Premium)
Custom short domainsComing soon$29+/month
Go links (browser bar)Yes, freeNot available
Link-in-bio pagesFree, unbrandedLimited (2 free)
API requestsUnlimited1,000/mo (free) / 50,000 ($199)
AI agent support (MCP)Native MCP serverNot available
Bulk creationAPI: 50 at onceCSV: 100/upload ($29+)
UTM builderComing soon$10+/month
Branded linksComing soon$29+/month

when to choose which

UChoose URLinks when

  • You need more than 5 links a month without paying
  • You want QR codes without a $29/month paywall
  • You want city-level geo, device, and referrer tracking — free (Bitly charges $199)
  • You want go links in your browser bar (Bitly can't do this)
  • You need an API without request caps
  • You want AI agents to manage your links

BChoose Bitly when

  • You need branded short domains (e.g., yourbrand.link)
  • You need campaign-level tracking and UTM management
  • You need mobile deep linking
  • You're already integrated with Bitly across your marketing stack
  • You need UTM parameter management built in
  • Enterprise features like SSO and SLA guarantees matter

stop paying for short links.

Unlimited links, QR codes, and analytics. No credit card. No usage caps. No surprise invoices.

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