When it comes to URL shorteners, the market has long been dominated by the rivalry between Bitly and Rebrandly. Both link shorteners are not only popular, but genuinely good products as well. As such, it can be difficult to decide which link shortener to use. Bitly and Rebrandly share similar features, but each excel in different aspects, meaning which is right for one person may not be right for you. To help with this difficult decision, read on for a comparison of Bitly vs Rebrandly along 5 different features. By the end of this article, you should be able to pick which link shortener best fits your needs, or whether you should research more options instead.
Bitly vs Rebrandly: Comparing the Features of the Best Link Shorteners
Read on to compare Bitly vs Rebrandly on custom URLs, custom domain, link management, link tracking and analytics, and secure sharing.
Custom URLs
Both Bitly and Rebrandly promote the use of branded links. Custom links are small URLs that include a custom domain in place of the shortener’s domain. You can’t get a Bitly custom URL with a free account, but the basic account (starting at $29/mo) allows 1,500/month. If you need more custom URLs, you will need to contact Bitly for a custom quote.
Rebrandly limits its total custom branded links for each account instead of limiting them per month. With a free account, you can get 500 branded links. With a starter account, beginning at $24/mo, you get 5,000 total links. Additional links after that cost $3 for each 1,000. More expensive plans offer more links–you can pay $75/mo for a pro plan with 15,000 links or $416/mo for a premium plan with 150,000 links. Like Bitly, Rebrandly also offers custom enterprise pricing if your business needs more links.
Custom Domain
As stated above, a custom domain takes the place of the URL shortener’s domain in your branded links. Custom domains promote your brand name and ensure that customers know your links are yours. Bitly’s link shortener offers a free custom domain on any of its paid plans.
However, when it comes to custom domains, nobody has Rebrandly beat. Rebrandly offers 5 custom domains just on its free account! This means you can advertise for different brands on the same account, or test out different domains to see which attracts the most customers. Rebrandly starter and pro accounts likewise include 5 domains. For more, you will need to upgrade to a team premium or enterprise account. Premium accounts come with 20 domain names, while enterprises can negotiate for a custom deal.
Link Management
After creating your links, you may need to edit them later. Link management features let you edit your links’ back-half or which site they redirect to. You can also manage your links by organizing them into tags, campaigns, etc.
The Bitly link shortener includes tags on all of its plans, but campaigns are only available on custom accounts. Link editing is limited on all plans–you only get a limited number of custom back-half links per month, ranging from 50 on a free plan to 3,000+ on custom plans. The number of links you can redirect is likewise limited. You cannot edit redirects on a free plan, and must pay for a custom account for more than 10 total redirects.
On the other hand, Rebrandly offers unlimited link editing on any account. You edit the back-half or destination of your URL at any time. However, link tags are only available for custom plans and up.
Link Tracking and Analytics
If you’re running a marketing campaign, then you need to measure how well your links are performing. You will want to know how many clicks your links are getting as well as information about who is clicking on your links. As such, link tracking and analytics are a necessary feature of any URL shortener for businesses.
Bitly provides a full link analytics package with tracking for over 20 data points from geographic location to referral type. Custom enterprise solutions add additional data points like device type and city. Bitly’s free and basic plans track an unlimited number of clicks for each link for 30 days. If you want longer link tracking, you will have to sign up for a custom plan. High-priced plans can track clicks for up to 2 years, though detailed performance metrics are still only reported for 90 days.
Meanwhile, Rebrandly limits the amount of clicks that can be tracked each month. Free accounts can track 5,000 clicks per month, while paid plans range from 25,000/mo on a starter account to 1.5 million/mo on premium. For additional click tracking, you either have to sign up for a custom enterprise account or pay extra per month for more clicks. Rebrandly’s data metrics are available for all accounts and include top countries, devices, languages, and more!
Secure Sharing
Both Bitly and Rebrandly include security measures that keep your account and links safe. Bitly includes SSO (single sign-on) with SAML 2.0, SCIM 1.1 and SCIM 2.0. You can also set up 2-Factor Authentication to further protect your account. 2FA is available on all accounts, while SSO is for custom solutions only. Bitly is also fully compliant with GDPR.
Rebrandly also includes SSO for enterprises and 2FA for all accounts. Rebrandly is also GDPR compliant. In addition, Rebrandly advertises secure link sharing with SSL encryption.
Bitly vs Rebrandly: Which Link Shortener is Best for You?
This depends on what you’re looking for in a link shortener, though we generally recommend Rebrandly over Bitly. Rebrandly is the less expensive option with more custom domains, longer link history, and unlimited link editing. However, Bitly can be the better option if you need unlimited click tracking and don’t mind that tracking expires after 30-90 days. Bitly’s monthly quotas on branded links also give you more links in the long-run, while Rebrandly’s lifetime limits on links can be quite frustrating for businesses.
What About Other URL Shorteners?
Of course, Bitly and Rebrandly are not the only URL shorteners out there. If you want to look at more options, including free ones, then we have you covered. Check out our article on the 5 Best URL Shorteners to check out other competitors to Bitly and Rebrandly such as BLINK, Tiny.cc, and ClickMeter! If you’re looking for an enterprise-level solution, then read up on how to pick the best URL shortener for enterprises. You can also learn more about the best link shorteners for specific features like link tracking, custom URLs, secure sharing, and social media marketing.