Categories: MarketingSoftware

10 Best URL Shortener Sites

Image by Descrier from Flickr

Long URLs that look never-ending are a huge turn off for viewers, and you don't want your URL to keep people from clicking on it. Luckily, there's a simple solution. The best URL shortener can turn your URLs from long and overwhelming to short and sweet while also providing a ton of other perks. There are so many URL shorteners out there, sorting through them all is a daunting task. To save you the time, we've done the research and made this list of the best URL shortener tools available.

Product FAQ

1. What Is the Best URL Shortener?

A URL shortener is a tool used on the internet that takes a long URL (Uniform Resource Locator) and shortens it and turns it into your desired URL while still connecting to the required page.

2. Why Should You Use a URL Shortener?

There are many reasons to use a URL shortener. Here are some of them:

  • Make links more manageable
  • Track and compile click data
  • Easier content sharing
  • URL customization
  • A better understanding of your site traffic behavior
  • Boost SEO
  • Easier and more cost-effective marketing
  • And more

3. Where Can You Get One?

A URL shortener can be downloaded from the URL shortener service provider or used directly on the URL shortener website.

4. How Does a URL Shortener Work?

A URL shortener works through a web server function called “redirect” (URL redirection). The redirect function allows the new shortened URL to direct to the old, long URL. This is because when you search for a URL the browsers sends an HTTP command to the web server directing it to find and transmit the desired page. But don't worry. While this is how a URL shortener works, you don't really need to understand the mechanism to effectively use a URL shortener.

5. What Are Questions to Ask When Choosing a URL shortener?

Determining the right URL shortener for you depends on specific components and goals. Some questions you should ask are:

  • How many clicks and links are you generating or planning on generating?
  • What's your budget?
  • How big is your team?
  • Why are you using a URL shortener?

If you have less than 2,500 link clicks or create less than 500 links a month, you can probably get by with a free URL shortener. If your numbers are higher, you may enjoy a paid URL shortener service. If you have a low budget or are just starting out, then you'll want to stick to a free tier, but if you have a big budget and plan on a large amount of site traffic you want to monitor, you'll want to pay for a higher tier.

For your team, some URL shorteners are great for sharing while others make working as a team more difficult. It's also important to consider your goals. Whether you want to achieve better tracking, monetize your links, or advance your social media marketing, this all plays a role in determining the best URL shortener for you.

How We Reviewed

A lot goes into picking out the best URL shortener, so to make sure we provide you with the finest options, we've taken the time to extensively research each best URL shortener on our list. We've considered features, pros and cons, price, accessibility, and more. We've also considered user friendliness, customization, integration abilities, sign up requirements, and more.

Overall Price Range of This Product (and Similar Products)

The price range of URL shortener services is very varied. The best URL shortener services on this list range from $0 to $1,000 per month. While a free URL shortener service might be enough for some needs and goals, those with monthly fees offer more features and benefits.

What We Reviewed

  • Bitly
  • TinyURL
  • AdF.ly
  • Ow.ly
  • Bit.do
  • Is.gd
  • Rebrandly
  • Branch.io
  • Clk.im
  • Buff.ly

Image from Bitly

Features

Bitly is one of the more commonly used URL shortening services out there, and it integrates with many other services and third-party apps like TweetDeck and TwitterFeed. You can use Bitly without even signing up, but creating an account will allow for better link management and customization with keywords. While the basic version of Bitly is free, the higher tiers are pricey.

Price

The standard, no sign-up required version of Bitly is free, but the higher tiers that come with added perks cost much more. Bitly isn't open about their pricing for their higher tiers unless you're ready to sign up and have taken a demo. But it seems they have a startup version for around $500 per month and a growth version for around $1,000 per month.

Pros

  • Easy to use
  • Customizable
  • The free version is available to all

Cons

  • Higher tiers are expensive
  • The free version has limited features
  • Analytics only work for past 30 days on the free version

Image from TinyURL

Features

TinyURL has also been around for some time and is popular. TinyURL creates links that have a few more characters than other URL shorteners but it's great for brands or businesses that want customized domains and for those who are looking to shorten links in a hurry. This best URL shortener lets you customize your links and has browser extensions so you can shorten links quickly.

Price

This best URL shortener is free to use.

Pros

  • No sign up required
  • Customizable
  • Fast and easy to use

Cons

  • Limited features
  • Doesn't provide statistic data
  • Not the best for monitoring marketing effectiveness

Image from Adf.Ly

Features

AdF.ly has been around for a while and is a reliable URL shortener. It also comes with some unique features. This service is multi-language, easy to use, and gives you the option to use with or without signing up. If you do sign up, there's an added perk of earning money by using this service. AdF.ly will pay you based on the clicks you get on your links, and while the payments will be small, a lot of clicks can add up to a modest sum.

Price

This best URL shortener is a free service.

Pros

  • Easy to use
  • AdF.ly pays you for your link clicks
  • Detailed statistic reports

Cons

  • Doesn't allow branded links
  • Doesn't support QR (quick response) code generation

Image from Ow.Ly

Features

Ow.ly is another great URL shortener and while it was once a free URL shortener service, it is now part of Hootsuite. Integration with Hootsuite is a great feature because Hootsuite is one of the best social media sharing and monitoring software available. If your URL shortener goals are to enhance social media marketing this is a great option.

Price

Ow.ly can be used with the free version of Hootsuite, but depending on your needs you may need to upgrade to more advanced tiers for more features. The professional tier costs around $30 per month, the team tier costs around $130 per month, and the business tier costs about $600 per month. The enterprise tier comes at a custom price after discussion with Hootsuite.

Pros

  • Easy integration to social media
  • Great for social media marketing
  • Can also easily share files, videos, and images in an array of formats

Cons

  • Need to pay for more advanced versions
  • Can't use without Hootsuite

Image from bit.do

Features

Bit.do is another easy to use but effective URL shortening service. It allows for easy link shortening, use of your own domain, customization, and real-time statistics. Using this best URL shortener you can see what country the clicks your link gets are coming from.

Price

There is a free version of this best URL shortener, but for advanced features, you can pay for a basic or enterprise plan at around $85 per month and $250 per month, respectively.

Pros

  • Free version available
  • Easy to use
  • No sign up required

Cons

  • Need to pay for the advanced version for many features
  • The design is a bit outdated

Image from Is.gd

Features

Is.gd is a super simple feature that provides short URLs quickly and with no sign-up required. This service is a no-fluff tool, and while it allows for customization and some statistics, it doesn't do much else. It's perfect for anyone who just wants to shorten their links as quickly and easily as can be.

Price

This best URL shortener is free to use.

Pros

  • Easy to use
  • No sign-up required
  • Allows for customized addresses

Cons

  • Statistics feature is not efficient
  • Might be too simple for some needs
  • The interface is a bit outdated

Image from Rebrandly

Features

Rebrandly doesn't just shorten links—it's also an excellent tool for branding and increasing brand awareness. This best URL shortener allows for easy creation, measuring, and management of custom domain names.

Price

There is a free version of Rebrandly, but for more features, you can pay for higher tiers. Rebrandly offers a starter tier at around $30 per month, a premium tier at around $450 per month, and an enterprise tier that comes with a customized price determined upon discussion with Rebrandly.

Pros

  • Branded links
  • Link view tracking tools
  • Easy to use

Cons

  • Sign up required
  • 500 branded links limit on the free version
  • Need to pay for unlimited perks

Image from Branch.io

Features

Branch.io is a great tool for shortening and optimizing websites and for increasing mobile friendliness. More and more people are using mobile devices to conduct searches, so mobile friendly websites are essential for success. Branch.io allows you to shorten links, create deep links, integrate with other applications, and track links.

Price

Branch.io provides three tiers of service and they are launch, startup, and enterprise. The launch tier is free to use, the startup tier costs around $60 per month, and the enterprise tier is a custom price determined upon contact with Branch.io.

Pros

  • Great for all devices
  • User-friendly
  • Good analytical reports

Cons

  • Need to pay for more advanced features
  • Sign-up required

Image from Clk.im

Features

Clk.im is very similar to Rebrandly and is a great choice for a URL shortener that offers more than just link shortening. Clk.im puts a focus on link monetization, interstitial advertising, social sharing, and link branding, so this is a great option for marketing.

Price

This URL shortening service provides a 14-day free trial, and after that trial, there are three tiers to choose from. The Analyze tier is about $10 per month, the optimize tier is about $70 per month, and the monetize tier is about $100 per month.

Pros

  • Easy to use
  • Great analytics
  • Allows for customization

Cons

  • After a free trial, payment is required
  • Sign up required

Image from Buffer

Features

Similar to Ow.ly and Hootsuite, Buff.ly is a URL shortener that works through the social media management tool Buffer. This best URL shortener is great for sharing and tracking posts on social media and is a great tool for social media marketing.

Price

There are two starter plans and three business plans provided by Buff.ly. Of the two starter plans, there is a free plan and a pro plan that costs around $15 per month. Of the business plans, the small plan is around $100 per month, the medium plan is around $200 per month, and the large plan is around $400 per month.

Pros

  • Free version available
  • Great for social media posting and tracking
  • Integration with Buffer

Cons

  • Need to pay for more advanced features
  • Sign up required
  • Need Buffer to use Buff.ly

The Verdict

The best URL shortener for you depends on your specific needs and goals. If you're focusing on social media, then Ow.ly and Buff.ly are great options. If you're just starting out and don't need any extra features or are on a tight budget and are only looking for shortening links, then TinyURL and Is.gd are good choices. If you're trying to bring in some extra money from link clicks, then AdF.ly can do the trick. And, if you want to increase brand awareness and have a little bit of a budget to work with then Rebrandly and Clk.im are great tools.

Whatever your needs and goals, you won't be let down by the best URL shortener options provided in our list.

Sima Ioana

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