Shlink vs Simple URL Shortener

Comparing two open source alternatives to Bitly and TinyURL and Rebrandly and Short.io and Cutt.ly . Use the comparison below to decide which one fits your needs.

Shlink

MIT

The definitive self-hosted URL shortener with analytics, QR codes, custom domains, and a powerful API.

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Simple URL Shortener

MIT

A lightweight PHP-based URL shortener with MySQL or SQLite support and user history tracking.

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Side-by-side comparison

	Shlink	Simple URL Shortener
License	MIT	MIT
Self-hostable	Yes	Yes
GitHub Stars	4,980	58
Forks	389	16
Open Issues	22	2
Last Commit	May 5, 2026	Aug 28, 2025
First Released	Apr 8, 2016	Apr 18, 2015
Categories	URL Shortener	URL Shortener
Tags	#url-shortener #self hosted #qr-code	#url-shortener #self hosted

Similar open source alternatives

Kutt

A modern, free, and open-source URL shortener with custom domains, analytics, and a clean API.

Alternative to:

Bitly

Syano

Self-hosted URL shortener with analytics, QR codes, and link-in-bio pages. A privacy-first open source alternative to Bitly.

Alternative to:

Bitly

Dub

The open-source link attribution platform for short links, conversion tracking, and affiliate programs.

Alternative to:

Bitly

Flink

A zero-config, FOSS URL shortener with QR code generation and OpenTelemetry support, built in ASP.NET Core.

Alternative to:

Bitly