Private and open-source alternatives to Bitly
4 URL shorteners rated against the same public privacy criteria as Bitly, with our picks first.
Why look for an alternative?
- Open source: no. Closed source.
- No trackers or telemetry: no. The website loads Google Tag Manager and Optimizely, and the privacy policy describes tracking pixels and third-party analytics providers.
- No ads or data sales: no. Link destination previews may include third-party advertising, and mobile advertising identifiers are collected.
- Independent audit: partial. Bitly states it is SOC 2 Type 2 compliant, but the report is not public.
- Tells users about requests: no. No published policy on notifying users about data requests.
- Security headers: no. Grade F (20/100+)
The alternatives
Shlink Grade B
Self-hosted URL shortener with a REST API, command line tools, custom domains, QR codes and visit tracking. Managed through a separate web client or the API.
Shlink scores 80 out of 100 (grade B) on the URL shorteners criteria. It meets 3 of 4 criteria: open source, no trackers or telemetry and no ads or data sales.
YOURLS Grade C
Self-hosted PHP URL shortener with a plugin system, an API, bookmarklets and click statistics for your own short domain.
YOURLS scores 65 out of 100 (grade C) on the URL shorteners criteria. It meets 2 of 4 criteria: open source and no ads or data sales.
Dub Grade C
Open source link management platform for short links, QR codes, conversion tracking and affiliate programs. Available as a hosted service or for self-hosting.
Based in the United States (Five Eyes). Dub scores 63 out of 100 (grade C) on the URL shorteners criteria. It meets 3 of 8 criteria: open source, no ads or data sales and TLS configuration.
Kutt Grade D
Open source URL shortener with custom domains, password-protected and expiring links, and link statistics. Can be self-hosted, and the developers run a hosted instance at kutt.to.
Kutt scores 56 out of 100 (grade D) on the URL shorteners criteria. It meets 3 of 8 criteria: open source, no trackers or telemetry and no ads or data sales.