Start Exploring Keyword Ideas
Use Serpstat to find the best keywords for your website
Top 10 URL Shorteners: How To Choose The Best One For Your Needs
Stacy Mine
Editor at Serpstat
News about Google closing its URL shortener goo.gl
made people think about its alternatives. There are dozens of tools which perform the same functions but still are slightly different.
I want to share top 10 URL shortener sites that can be alternative to goo.gl and review their pros and cons to help you decide what tool to choose.
made people think about its alternatives. There are dozens of tools which perform the same functions but still are slightly different.
I want to share top 10 URL shortener sites that can be alternative to goo.gl and review their pros and cons to help you decide what tool to choose.
Let's start with two tools which we believes to be its credible alternatives:
Rebrandly
Rebrandly
Rebrandly url shortener review
Cons:
- you need to sign up to start using it;
- only 1000 links on one domain in free account;
- payment starts at 19$/month.
Top tool for creating branded links but you'll need to sign up and/or get a paid account.
bitly.com
bitly.com
Bitly.com is presented by an American company with headquarters in NY.
Pros:
Pros:
- a heavy player at the Internet analytics market;
- allows a corporate service plan;
- maintains such transnational corporations as Pepsi Co and Samsung;
- has a clear interface;
- provides 24-hour technical support and an individual manager for paid account users;
- has all standard options, including data on page views available for free;
- this custom url shortener gives you an opportunity to create your own links.
Bitly is one of the most trusted url shorteners
Paid version allows you to create your short domain, view advanced analytics and many other features.
What's more, you can shortly name your link while creating in Customize section.
What's more, you can shortly name your link while creating in Customize section.
Bitly user friendly link shortener interface
The backlink analytics page shows the amount of shortened versions of the original link and link transitions made by other users.
Bit.ly is a universal free branded url shortener tool for everyone: you can just shorten links and see the number of views link gets with a free version or buy an account to get additional features.
ow.ly
ow.ly
owly url tool review
owly url tool
Hootsuite link shortener itself is handy for those who works with social media: it allows you to post content in 10 and more profiles at once. What more, you can postpone your publication to be in touch with social media users 24/7.
Ow.ly can be a perfect link shortener for social media: you can immidiately share links into your social channels.
Ow.ly can be a perfect link shortener for social media: you can immidiately share links into your social channels.
Cons:
- you need to sign up for Hootsuite even if you need just its URL shortener;
- it is completely integrated with Hootsuite, so it isn't an easy-to-use tool if you want to cut links for other purposes.
Ow.ly can be a perfect link shortener for social media: you can immediately share links into your social channels connected to Hootsuite url shortener. But it won't be useful if you want find anonymous url shortener without tracking that cut URLs quickly.
u.to
u.to one click url shortener
u.to url shortener review
Registered users can see page views statistics which includes standard reports:
To see the results press the Statistics button (available for registered users only).
Cons:
- page transitions;
- referring resources;
- user's browser;
- user's location.
To see the results press the Statistics button (available for registered users only).
Cons:
- inconvenient registration form;
- you can't create links on your domain;
- the design is quite outdated.
U.to is a convenient tool with simple design. It will be handy for those who need to track statistics and cut url for free but don't need more complex features like creating links on own domain.
Capsulink
Capsulink is a custom URL shortener and link management tool that empowers users to create, personalize, target, automate, manage, and measure short links.
Here are the key features:
Cons:
Here are the key features:
- Custom Short Links: Create branded and customized short links.
- Smart Links: Adapt content based on factors like time and geolocation.
- Branded Links: Connect and manage your branded short domain.
- API URL Shortener: Provides an API for developers.
- Free custom URL shortener.
- Simple interface.
- No need to sign up.
- Option to use default or custom URLs.
- QR code generator.
Cons:
- Half of the functionality is paid.
cutt.us
cuttus url tool
cutt.us url shortener with qr code
Cons:
- simple and even outdated interface;
- it doesn't show statistic data.
Cutt.us performs all the tasks of link cutting but doesn't show statistic data. You should choose another tool if you need to track link statistics.
is.gd
is gd url shortener
Is.gd is one of the safest and most convenient tools. Their slogan "Compress That Address" definitely catches attention.
Pros:
Cons:
Pros:
- it's free;
- there's no need to sign up;
- allows you to customize addresses;
- presents statistic data as a graph. To track statistics you need to press Further options, then Custom URL while shortening the link and tick Log statistics for this link;
- allows to work with the tool in API (see instructions in Developers);
- has an FAQ section;
- creates QR codes.
Cons:
- simple and even outdated interface;
- the statistics feature is not user-friendly;
- you can't create links on your domain.
is gd url shortener interface
It's a great service for those who is searching free custom url shortener, but in case there's no need to build links on your domain. Is.gd is not the best choice if you want to shorten many links at once and track how well each performs.
tinyurl.com
Classic and safe url shortener — tinyurl.com
Tiny url shortener review
The only disadvantage is that tinyurl.com doesn't present statistic data, though collects it.
Safe and reliable url shortener tool with a toolbar button but without statistic data and ability to create links on your domain. If these features are crucial to you, then choose another service.
shorte.st
shorte.st
Shorte.st url shortener review
Shorte.st is a Polish product which is one the most popular tools to cut your links.
Pros:
Cons:
Pros:
- it's free;
- allows you to get paid for link transitions;
- sign in and get advanced features like Complete Stats or just use for URL shortening.
Cons:
- presented only in English, Spanish and Russian;
- doesn't create QR codes;
- doesn't allow you to create branded links.
Right choice if you want to get money for link transitions but wrong if you are searching for free branded url shortener or want to create QR codes.
AdFly
AdFly
AdFly — reliable and safe url shortener
AdFly is one of the oldest and most trusted url shorteners tools.
Pros:
Cons:
Pros:
- it's free;
- it's multi-language;
- you can just cut your links or sign up for an account and get paid for people visiting your links;
- has simple and clear interface.
Cons:
- doesn't support QR code generation;
- doesn't allow creating branded links.
Reliable tool for cutting links but won't be useful for QR code generation or creating branded links.
As you see there's a bunch of great tools, your task is to choose your best link shortening websites that meets all your goals. But remember — there is no url shortener with no restrictions.
Although URL shorteners have lots of benefits, you should remember that redirect base is a property of a legal entity. So if the company closes down, the base would be deleted, and all shortened links would stop working. If you're going to work with cloud docs for a long time and you're likely to use them in a year or 5, you should choose a safe url shortener service provider with positive reviews and history. But the most reliable way is, of course, to avoid using a redirect.
Moreover, according to the guidelines of lots of Facebook, LinkedIn, Reddit communities you cannot share shortened links as people don't know where they would go and what they would see. So you should always read community guidelines not to break the rules.
What URL shorteners do you use? Share your favorites with us!
Although URL shorteners have lots of benefits, you should remember that redirect base is a property of a legal entity. So if the company closes down, the base would be deleted, and all shortened links would stop working. If you're going to work with cloud docs for a long time and you're likely to use them in a year or 5, you should choose a safe url shortener service provider with positive reviews and history. But the most reliable way is, of course, to avoid using a redirect.
Moreover, according to the guidelines of lots of Facebook, LinkedIn, Reddit communities you cannot share shortened links as people don't know where they would go and what they would see. So you should always read community guidelines not to break the rules.
What URL shorteners do you use? Share your favorites with us!
Speed up your search marketing growth with Serpstat!
Keyword and backlink opportunities, competitors' online strategy, daily rankings and SEO-related issues.
A pack of tools for reducing your time on SEO tasks.
Found an error? Select it and press Ctrl + Enter to tell us
Discover More SEO Tools
Domain Analysis Tools
SEO Domain Analysis – gain insights into your website's strengths and weaknesses
URL Inspection Tool
Uncover hidden SEO opportunities with our powerful URL Inspection Tool
Keyword Rank Checker
Google Keyword Rankings Checker – gain valuable insights into your website's search engine rankings
Competitor Website Analytics
Complete analysis of competitors' websites for SEO and PPC
Recommended posts
Cases, life hacks, researches, and useful articles
Don’t you have time to follow the news? No worries! Our editor will choose articles that will definitely help you with your work. Join our cozy community :)
By clicking the button, you agree to our privacy policy.