When you’re dealing with search engine optimization and user experience improvement, one of the things you need to take care of are URLs.
Long, weird URLs that don’t use recognizable and relevant words are doomed to be avoided by visitors.
Shorter URLs are always better, and that’s why we’ve come up with a list of 15 best URL shorteners so you can start sharing short URLs.
These shorteners aren’t just for freelancers and small businesses, you’ll find some are built specially for enterprises!
Let’s see:
15 Best URL Shorteners
1. BLINK
Blink is an enterprise URL shortener that’s used by Coca-Cola, Target and Zapier. It was founded in 2008 (back then it was called BudURL) and it’s based in Austin, Texas.
Blink has plenty of powerful features, for example, a customized URL builder v2.0.
Features
- Unlimited redirects.
- Custom 404 redirects.
- Multiple user accounts.
- API access, Zapier integration and more.
Pricing
Each plan offers a 21-day free trial to explore all the features and options available.
- Expert: $48 per month. Use up to 15 domains and invite other 2 users.
- SMB: $99 per month. Unlock dynamic links and 15 user accounts.
- Team: $299 per month. Track up to 30,000 clicks per link and contact Blink via phone.
- Business: $599 per month. Get customized training and custom API rate limits.
2. Sniply
Sniply is a shortener used by more than 100,000 marketers. This tool adds a CTA to every link you share to help you increase conversion rates.
Sniply has very accessible plans. And it also has an affiliate program, you can join and receive a 25% commission on all payments.
Features
- Link management and analytics.
- Conversion optimization.
- Customize the design of your Snips to be consistent with your brand’s aesthetic.
- Integrate with Zapier, Mailchimp and others.
Pricing
You can try any of the premium plans for free for 14 days.
- Free: includes one team member and 500 clicks per month.
- Basic: $29 per month. Includes one brand profile and 5,000 clicks per month.
- Pro: $79 per month. Invite other 2 team members and have up to 20,000 clicks per month.
- Business: $149 per month. Remove the Sniply logo and use a custom domain.
- Agency: $299 per month. Includes 10 team members and the API.
3. JotURL
JotURL is a web-based link management platform. JotURL’s branded links tool lets you create custom tailored links with call-to-actions. Their CTAs are optimized for all devices.
They work with “events” which are the maximum number of clicks you can track each month.
Features
- Personally, branded URLs.
- Page-specific QR codes.
- UTM builder and manager.
- Real-time analytics.
Pricing
- Starter: €9 per month. Includes 3 users.
- Pro: €69 per month. Unlimited retargeting pixel IDs.
- Business: €169 per month. Includes 500K events per month.
4. Rebrandly
Rebrandly is home for big brands like PayPal, HP and Heineken. But don’t worry, it’s also built for small businesses and it’s very easy to use.
You can download Rebrandly on your iPhone or Android, besides getting their browser extension.
Features
- Customized analytics.
- Send visitors to specific landing pages.
- 301 SEO redirect.
- Direct training.
Pricing
- Free: unlimited redirects and one custom domain name.
- Starter: $24 per month. Bulk link import and 404 redirect.
- Pro: $75 per month. Includes link retargeting and traffic routing.
- Premium: $419 per month. Access workspaces and multiple access levels.
- Enterprise: custom price.
5. Bitly
When you get Bitly you don’t only get a URL shortener but also a link in bio tool and a QR code generator. Bitly works with Disney and The New York Times, among other popular brands.
They have a mobile app, a Chrome extension and tons of free resources!
Features
- Unlimited link clicks.
- Create links in bulk for marketing channels and campaigns.
- Track marketing campaigns from email and social media
Pricing
- Free: includes 5 bit.ly links/month.
- Starter: $8 per month. Includes 200 bit.ly links/month.
- Basic: $29 per month. Access to custom link redirects.
- Premium: $199 per month. Get an advanced performance dashboard.
- Enterprise: custom. Multiple user seats and group permissions.
6. TinyURL
TinyURL has not so tiny numbers, in fact, it creates billions of redirects per month. And the great thing about TinyURL is you can use it online even if you don’t have an account.
They have flexible prices that vary according to the number of active URLs you have.
Features
- Unlimited clicks.
- URL editing.
- Advanced analytics: map and time chart.
Pricing
- Free: customize your links and keep track of your link history.
- Pro: $9.99 per month. Unlimited tracked clicks and link tagging.
- Bulk 100K: $99 per month. Includes the API.
7. Polr
Polr is an open-source project, very minimalistic and modern. So yes, it’s 100% free and you can also contribute to it. And it also includes a Safari extension.
Polr has a demo page where you can see it in action. You’ll only need to register if you want to keep track of the links.
Features
- Host your own URL shortener.
- Brand your URLs.
- Robust API.
- Lightweight.
Pricing
It’s free!
8. Yourls
Like Polr, Yourls is an open-source shortener. However, unlike the shorteners in this list, it’s not as simple to use for those who don’t have any coding skills.
In fact, it comes with an installation guide as well as server requirements and recommendations.
Features
- Dozens of plugins to integrate new features.
- Visitors geo-location and other analytics.
- Developer API.
- Private and Public mode.
Pricing
It’s free!
9. Short.io
Short.io is a white-label URL shortener with a neat interface that makes it super smooth to start using it. It has tons of powerful features such as letting you target visitors in different locations or using different devices and sending them to a different link.
Short.io also has a blog full of how-to posts.
Features
- Teams with roles.
- Deep links: redirect to your mobile app.
- Track clicks in real time.
- Integrates with Zapier, Slack and others.
Pricing
- Free: create 1,000 branded links.
- Personal: $16.67 per month if billed annually. Create unlimited branded links.
- Team. Includes unlimited users.
- Enterprise. Create multiple teams and access to advanced analytics.
10. URL Shortener by Zapier
Among all the tools Zapier offers, they have a URL shortener! The key difference here with other shorteners is the Zaps.
If you’re familiar with Zapier, you know a Zap is an automated workflow that triggers every time you do something. In this case, you can automatically create a shortened link every time you add a new product to your store, for example.
Features
- Create ready-to-share links on the fly.
- Automatically create the link every time you perform a certain action.
- Connect it to more than 5,000 apps.
Pricing
- Free: includes 5 active single-step Zaps and 100 tasks per month.
- Starter: $19.99 per month if billed annually. 20 multistep Zaps and 750 tasks per month.
11. Owly by Hootsuite
Owly is a specific tool in Hootsuite. Previously, Ow.ly was available to everyone, however now you need a Hootsuite account to use it.
In higher plans, you can use Ow.ly’s custom URL shortener and even enable Bit.ly shortener in your social posts.
Features
- Shorten your links.
- Add tracking parameters to see how much web traffic comes from the links.
- Analyze the number of clicks.
Pricing
Owly is part of Hootsuite’s plans, which start at $49 per month.
12. ClickMeter
ClickMeter is fundamentally a link tracker and a click-rate optimizer. However, it also lets you create a URL with tons of clicks and it has a free URL shortener.
It’s also a great option for those looking for flexible plans, since prices vary according to the number of events and data points.
Features
- Affiliate marketing tools.
- Click fraud protection.
- A/B testing.
Pricing
ClickMeter has a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- Medium: $29 per month. Includes one branded domain.
- Large: $99 per month. Access to sub-accounts.
- X-large: $349 per month. Get dedicated engineer support.
13. TinyCC
TinyCC started shortening links back in 2006, when it was the first free service to offer link editing. Now you can use it for free or check out their premium plans.
TinyCC’s features aren’t tiny at all. They even help you monetize short links by including your banner ads in redirects.
Features
- Segment customers and send to different landing pages.
- Configure short links to automatically open inside your app.
- Save insights to your Google Analytics.
Pricing
- Basic: $5 per month. Includes one custom domain.
- Business: $25 per month. Unlimited email support.
- Pro: $44 per month. Includes 50 users.
- Enterprise: custom features and flexible pricing.
14. Cuttly
Cuttly is a link management platform that lets you shorten, brand, manage and track all your links in one place.
You can edit the back half of the short link and give it your name, slug or alias for better conversion. It’s also available in multiple languages, including French and Spanish.
Features
- Shortened URLs that never expired.
- QR code.
- Collaboration tools
- Detailed analytics: geolocation, bots and more.
Pricing
- Free: includes up to 3 branded domains.
- Single: $25 per month. Branded domain 404 redirect.
- Team: $99 per month. Up to 10 branded domains.
- Team enterprise: $149 per month. Up to 99 branded domains.
15. T2M
T2M is an interesting option since it generates a QR code along with the short URL.
Moreover, it has two separate dashboards. One is for location analytics and the other is for devices or platforms.
T2M also has a blog full of tech news and SEO strategies.
Features
- Unlimited URLs.
- Dynamic QR codes.
- Zapier’s integration.
Pricing
They have a 30-day money-back guarantee in all plans.
- Basic: $5. The fee is for account verification, but after that, it’s free forever. Includes 5,000 redirects per month.
- Standard: $9.99 per month. Set HTTP redirect code and password protection.
- Pro: $29.99 per month. Detailed geo-localization analytics.
- Premium: $89.99 per month. API access.
- Dedicated: custom. Access a dedicated IP address.
Conclusion
There are plenty of URL shorteners out there! Even open-source ones!
Have you tried any of them?
Tell us in the comments!
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