A URL shortener is a tool that shortens long web links, making them easier to remember and track. It doesn’t affect the original URL in any way. With numerous options available, choosing the right software for this task depends on your specific priorities.

Consider the following factors when selecting an ideal URL shortener:

1. Simplicity: Determine how important it is for the tool to be user-friendly and straightforward to use.
2. Comprehensive Data: Decide whether having extensive data and analytics provided by the URL shortener is crucial for your needs.
3. Cost: Consider whether you’re willing to pay for a premium tool or prefer a free option that you can use indefinitely.
4. Branding and Personalization: Think about whether you need the ability to customize and personalize the shortened links to align with your brand or specific topic.

To help you make an informed decision, I have identified five URL shortening services that cater to different priorities. Below, I will provide further details on what makes each of these services great. Let’s dive in! 👇

Here is a summarized comparison of the top 5 URL shorteners based on their best use cases and pricing:

1. Buffer:
   • Best for shortening links for social media.
   • Free plan available for buff.ly links.
   • Paid plans start at $6/month for one social media channel.
2. Bitly:
   • Best for large businesses requiring robust link analytics.
   • Free plan available for 10 links per month.
   • Paid plans start at $8/month (paid annually) for more quantity of links.
3. Short.io:
   • Best for creating multiple personalized domain short links.
   • Free plan available for five custom domains and 1,000 branded links.
   • Paid plans start at $19/month for more quantity.
4. Sniply:
   • Best for adding a call-to-action to every shortened link.
   • No free plan available.
   • Price starts at $9/month for 250 short links and five call-to-actions.
5. TinyURL:
   • Best for sporadic URL shortening.
   • Free plan available with no custom domain or metrics.
   • Paid plans start at $12.99/month for more features.

(Buffer) is an excellent choice for shortening links specifically for social media platforms. It is a comprehensive social media management tool that allows you to efficiently create, schedule, and analyze your posts across various social media channels. One of its convenient features is an integrated link shortener called buff.ly, which is available even in the free version. With buff.ly, you can effortlessly transform long URLs into concise and optimized links that are perfect for sharing on social media.

If you have a custom link shortener set up in Bitly, you can easily integrate it with Buffer. This allows you to track the clicks on your shortened links. Here are the steps to connect your personal Bitly account to your Buffer account:

1. From your Buffer dashboard, navigate to the left-hand side and select the desired channel.
2. At the top of the page, click on “Settings.”
3. In the “General” tab, locate the “Link Shortening” section.
4. Click on “Connect Bitly” and follow the prompts to authorize Buffer to access your Bitly account. This will establish the connection between the two platforms.

If you’re looking to add UTM parameters to your links for tracking social media traffic, Buffer makes it easy to customize them. With just a few clicks, you can set up personalized UTM parameters in Buffer and accurately attribute the incoming traffic to the appropriate source. This allows you to gain valuable insights into the effectiveness of your social media campaigns and better understand the impact of your marketing efforts.

Related: The Complete Guide to UTM Codes

To set up custom UTM parameters in Buffer, follow these steps:

1. Select the specific social media channel for which you want to configure custom UTM parameters.
2. Access the settings menu.
3. Look for the option labeled “Google Analytics Campaign Tracking” and ensure that it is enabled.
4. Click on “Customize Campaign Tracking.”
5. You can now personalize the details of your UTM parameters according to your preferences. Make the necessary adjustments and save the updated settings.

(Bitly) is an ideal choice for large businesses that need comprehensive and powerful link analytics capabilities.

Bitly is widely recognized as a leading provider of link-shortening services. However, its use-case and pricing structure are primarily tailored to enterprise-level businesses with significant online and offline link-sharing needs and substantial financial resources.

Bitly offers a range of link creation options, including short links, branded links, QR codes, custom logo QR codes, and UTM links. In terms of metrics, Bitly allows you to track link device data, click-through rates, OS & browser data, and country & city-level data. Similar to Buffer, Bitly also enables the creation of custom campaigns and UTM parameters to track the traffic from different marketing channels.

However, it’s important to note that many of Bitly’s advanced features are only available in their paid plans. The free plan limits the number of links to 10 and allows for the creation of only two QR code generators with limited customization options. Custom domains and detailed analytics are not included in the free plan.

Bitly offers an affordable $8/month plan that allows for 100 links per month and the creation of five QR code generators, but it requires annual payment and does not include the custom domain feature. The paid plans start at $35/month ($29/month if paid annually).

If you are seeking a more cost-effective option with similar features, Rebrandly is a recommended alternative. It offers the ability to create 25 branded links per month and track link analytics for free.

(Short.io) is the ideal choice for creating multiple personalized domains’ short links at no cost. With Short.io, you can create custom links for up to five domains without any charges. This is extremely useful if you have multiple websites and want to track the sources of each one individually. Furthermore, you have the option to add your own domain or purchase one from Short.io. This allows you to have unique settings for each website and effectively track audience data separately for each domain. The level of customization and tracking provided by Short.io makes it an excellent solution for managing multiple websites efficiently.

Additionally, Short.io offers a range of essential features that you would expect from a URL-shortening application. These include a QR code generator, comprehensive link statistics, and a UTM builder to track traffic sources effectively.

In terms of pricing, Short.io provides a free plan that includes five custom domains and 1,000 branded links. For more advanced options, paid plans start at $19 per month, offering ten custom domains and unlimited branded links.

(Sniply) is an ideal choice for those who want to add a call-to-action (CTA) to every shortened link. With Sniply, you can customize the CTA to be a button, form, image, or text, allowing you to create a personalized and branded experience. You have the flexibility to design the CTAs with your brand colors and style, and even perform A/B testing to compare the effectiveness of different CTAs.

The CTA feature is a valuable addition to attract more visitors to the links you share. This makes Sniply particularly beneficial for marketers, solopreneurs, and small business owners who desire a branded look and feel for their links, but lack the time to customize CTAs on their website’s backend. Sniply simplifies the process and allows you to achieve your desired results effortlessly.

In addition to its primary feature of adding custom call-to-actions (CTAs) to shortened links, Sniply also offers other essential URL shortening services such as UTM tags, detailed analytics, and the ability to use custom domains. However, it does not provide QR codes, and its analytics may not be as extensive as those offered by Bitly or Short.io.

In terms of pricing, Sniply does not offer a free plan. Its paid plans start at $9 per month, which allows you to shorten up to 250 links per month and add five call-to-actions to your links.

(TinyURL) If you require sporadic URL shortening and prefer a free option, TinyURL is the ideal choice for you. With TinyURL, you can quickly shorten your links without the need to sign up for an account. It offers a straightforward and hassle-free process, allowing you to create a short link within seconds.

TinyURL.com is the perfect choice if you require a URL shortener for occasional use, allowing you to send cleaner and more concise links. With TinyURL.com, you have the option to customize the end of your shortened URL, and these links will remain active indefinitely.

If desired, you can create an account on TinyURL.com to track the performance of your links and gain insights into their usage. Additionally, you have the option to add a custom domain to further personalize your shortened links.

In terms of pricing, TinyURL.com offers a free plan with limited features, although it does not include a branded domain. For more advanced features, such as enhanced analytics, paid plans starting at $12.99 per month are available. However, it’s important to note that TinyURL.com does not provide the option to create QR code links, and the available analytics may not be as comprehensive as other platforms.