URL shortener privacy ratings
Link shorteners and link management.
6 URL shorteners are rated against 9 public criteria, and 6 have enough evidence for a letter grade. Of the 3 with a known jurisdiction, 3 are based in a Five Eyes country, and 3 in the wider Fourteen Eyes.
Open-source URL shorteners only · Criteria for this category · Suggest an addition · Markdown
| Name | Grade | Score | Data | Jurisdiction | Open source | No trackers or telemetry | No ads or data sales | Independent audit | Transparency report | Tells users about requests | TLS configuration | Security headers | Modern web standards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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. |
Grade B | 80 | 100% | – | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable |
Self-hosted PHP URL shortener with a plugin system, an API, bookmarklets and click statistics for your own short domain. |
Grade C | 65 | 100% | – | Yes | Partial | Yes | No | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable |
Open source link management platform for short links, QR codes, conversion tracking and affiliate programs. Available as a hosted service or for self-hosting. |
Grade C | 63 | 100% | United States Five Eyes | Yes | Partial | Yes | Partial | No | No | Yes | Partial | Not tested yet |
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. |
Grade D | 56 | 100% | – | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Partial | No | Not tested yet |
Link management platform for creating short links, QR codes and landing pages, with click analytics and branded domains. |
Grade F | 31 | 100% | United States Five Eyes | No | No | No | Partial | Yes | No | Yes | No | Not tested yet |
Long-running URL shortener that creates short links without an account, with paid plans for custom aliases, branded domains and link analytics. |
Grade F | 16 | 100% | United States Five Eyes | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Partial | Not tested yet |
Questions
What is the most private option among URL shorteners?
No pick has been made yet. The table above is sorted by score, based on public evidence.
How are URL shorteners rated?
Each entry answers 9 questions: open source, no trackers or telemetry, no ads or data sales, independent audit, transparency report, tells users about requests, TLS configuration, security headers and modern web standards. Answers need links to evidence. See the full criteria.
Does jurisdiction matter?
Jurisdiction decides which laws can compel a provider to hand over data. Each entry shows its country and whether it is in the Five, Nine or Fourteen Eyes. The data a provider can hand over depends mostly on what it stores and who holds the keys. Read about jurisdictions and the CLOUD Act.