Are you reviewing link shorteners that let you create custom links, access detailed analytics, and manage your information? Want to find the best deal for your budget? Then look no further! Here at Droplr, we have compiled a list of the 5 best URL shorteners in 2022 and compared their services and pricing so that you can start producing and managing links that are easy to create, use, and manage for businesses and clients alike. All of the following shorteners are verified better than TinyURL and any other free platform.
Why Use a URL Shortener?
URL shorteners shrink URLs; they turn long, unwieldy URLs into attractive tiny links that are easy to share and access. Customers and clients are more likely to click on tiny URLs, especially those with custom branding that feature your brand’s domain name. URL shorteners also typically include security features that protect your links and link editing so you can change your link’s address or destination later on. If you would like to learn how to shrink a URL, check out our article How to Shorten a Link.
It is important to note that enterprise pricing for these services, which includes more tiny URLs, customization options, and robust reporting, tends to be quite expensive. The price tiers discussed in this article are mostly aimed towards small and mid-sized businesses, while custom pricing can cost upwards of $500-$1,000/month. If you’re a larger business looking for more options for link compressors, you will need to get a quote directly from the platform.
The 5 Best URL Shorteners
Bitly is known for its easily accessible interface and free data analytics and may be the most well-known of URL shorteners. The Bitly dashboard displays the total number of clicks, top referrers, and top locations for each Bitly URL and for all of your Bitly URLs combined. The Bitly link generator also provides free tags, making it easy to sort your Bitly URLs. However, both the free and basic plans provide limited link management services and can only track link history for up to 30 days. Bitly’s best product is its customizable pricing option, which allows enterprises to choose which services they need and receive a custom quote.
Pros:
- Custom Bitly pricing: Enterprises can choose which products they want to pay for.
- Unlimited tracked clicks: Bitly doesn’t place a limit on how many clicks it tracks.
- Tags: Edit your links with tags in order to group and find them easily.
Cons:
- Limited free plan: Bitly’s free plan does not include any branded links or custom domains.
- Link history: Bitly only tracks links for 30 days on basic accounts.
- Link redirects: Bitly’s Basic plan only include 10 branded link redirects.
Rebrandly is a custom link shortener used solely for the creation of custom URLs and domains. With regards to Rebrandly pricing, the free shortener option provides one of the best deals in the business, with 5 domain names, 500 branded links, limited free link tracking, and unlimited redirects. When reviewing Rebrandly, we discovered its paid plans don’t provide as many tracked clicks per month as competitors, but additional clicks can be added at a low price. Rebrandly also includes customizable reports for its premium users, a feature not found in most competing platforms.
Pros:
- Free custom domains: Rebrandly’s free plan includes 5 free custom domains.
- Unlimited redirects: Rebandly includes unlimited redirects in every plan.
- Link history: Rebrandly tracks your links forever.
Cons:
- Click tracking: Rebrandly tracks a limited number of clicks per month, then charges you for every click after.
- Paid custom domains: To get more than 5 domains, you have to pick the Premium plan that costs $499/month, and even that will only get you 20 domains.
- User limits: Rebrandly limits the number of users per pricing plan more than other shorteners.
Tinycc provides the cheapest plan for a link shortener at a mere $5/month. This basic plan, along with the $25/month business and $44/month pro plans, track more clicks than most competitors with daily limits for tracking instead of monthly ones. Tinycc is also unique in that it offers plans that include multiple users for a much cheaper price than competitors. All of Tinycc’s plans begin with a 7-day free trial and include link editing, a user help library, and merging with Google Analytics. Tinycc is a great option for small and medium-size marketing teams working on a budget.
Pros:
- Cost: Tinycc provides the cheapest basic plan of any link shortener.
- Users: Even Tinycc’s cheapest plan includes 2 users. The most expensive plan, at only $44/mo, includes an impressive 50 users.
- Unlimited redirects: You can edit any link you want, whenever you want.
Cons:
- Use by spammers: Is Tinycc safe? In the past, Tinycc has had a bad reputation as a tool used by spammers, leading many to wonder if Tinycc’s links are safe. In general, be wary of Tinycc links that claim to offer deals for Apple Watch, iPad Pro, Xbox One, PS4 Pro, and Switch, as they are very common spam links. However, Tinycc is safe to use to create your own links.
- Branded link limits: Tinycc’s basic and business plans offer fewer branded links compared to competitors (though its pro and enterprise plans offer more than competitors).
- Free option: Tinycc’s free URL shortener is very basic with no custom branding and few analytics and security features.
BL.INK offers a great package deal for the number of branded links and custom domains. For $48/mo, you can use 15 custom domains. BL.INK is also unique in that it limits link tracking in clicks per-link instead of total clicks per month. Overall, BL.INK’s link shortener is an excellent option for those whose marketing goals rely on generating many links over many domain names.
Pros:
- Branded link limits: BL.INK offers a high number of custom links.
- Custom domains: The URL shortener offers a high number of custom domains on each plan.
- Plan options: BL.INK offers a diverse number of plan options.
Cons:
- Click tracking: BL.INK offers a limited number of clicks tracked per link.
- Limited custom pricing: BL.INK’s website does not include any information about custom Enterprise pricing.
- Search history: It is difficult to find past links.
ClickMeter brands itself as the best URL shortener for managing redirection, tracking clicks, and monitoring the status of external links and traffic sources all in one; it is one of the best deals for click tracking software on the market. Clicks are referred to as “events,” while tracking links and banners are called “data points.” ClickMeter’s X-Large package provides the best deal in comparison with competitors, with 100 users and 2 million tracked clicks per month. More expensive packages with more custom links and click-tracking are also available. ClickMeter is a solid selection for marketers who want to integrate short URLs into their marketing campaign alongside tracking pixels and banners.
Pros:
- Users: ClickMeter’s X-Large package includes 100 users, ideal for large enterprises.
- Marketing options: ClickMeter tracking tracks clicks for pixels and banners as well as links.
- Rebrandly integration: ClickMeter is made by the same company as Rebrandly and integrates with their platform.
Cons:
- Pricing: Though ClickMeter’s pricing options are competitive, they charge an additional fee once you reach limits on links and clicks and offer no custom pricing plan.
- Interface: ClickMeter’s interface can be difficult to figure out for new users.
- Limited storage: ClickMeter stores data for one, two, or three years for each plan, respectively.
What about free URL shorteners?
Don’t have the means to dish out a monthly fee for custom branding and advanced analytics with your link compressor? Want to research more free URL shorteners, include custom URL shorteners? Then check out our article on the Best Free URL Shorteners to find the perfect free link shortener for your needs.