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

Simple URL Shortener is a lightweight PHP URL shortener with MySQL or SQLite support, per-user history, an admin panel, REST API, and an easy self-hosted setup process.

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Side-by-side comparison

	Shlink	Simple URL Shortener
License	MIT	MIT
Self-hostable	Yes	Yes
GitHub Stars	5,303	60
Forks	419	16
Open Issues	23	2
Last Commit	Sep 21, 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

GitHub stars over time

Shlink

Simple URL Shortener60

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