10 Best Free & Paid Custom URL Shortener 2023

A good URL shortener lets you create and share short, easy-to-read, good-looking and fully trackable links in just a few clicks. It is an important tool for marketing teams, customer service agents and others who are looking to attract customers safely and efficiently.

To help you find the best custom URL shortener, I’ve tested over 20 different options. Here I pick 10 of my favorites. These URL shortener tools may help you shrink your site’s links, analyze clicks, add UTM tags and more.

From free URL shortener services to business-focused premium plans, you’ll find a great option on this list.

Let’s check.

1.     Bitly – For The Best All-Round URL Shortener

Bitly is one of the most popular URL shorteners available. is a service that has been trusted by major companies such as McDonald’s, Dunkin’ Donuts and GE.

You can create a free account by logging in with a Gmail account, Facebook or Twitter. With Bitly, not only can you shorten your URLs, but the tool offers features specifically for businesses that want a custom link experience.

Main Features:

  • Replace bit.ly with your brand
  • Easy link redirecting
  • Insights such as geographic data and referring channels
  • More than 700 integrations
  • Create secure links

Bitly Price: Free plan with limited customization; Basic plan from $35/month with branded domains, more links per month, and support.

Bitly

2.     Rebrandly – Best URL Shortener for Creating Branded Links

Rebrandly believes that brands, whether it’s a product or a person, get value out of customizing links to content that references them from all over the web. This tool allows a user to create custom short links that go along with the company’s brand. This feature is particularly useful when sharing URLs in any form of print advertising, such as posters, flyers, magazines, or business cards.

According to Rebrandly, branded short links receive up to 39% more clicks when compared to generic short URLs.

Main Features:

  • Customize URLs after the / .
  • Branded domain 404 redirect.
  • Allow team members to create and share links.
  • UTM builder for Google Analytics.
  • Add tracking pixels to retarget visitors.
  • Analytics and reports that display link history, total number of clicks, location of clicks and more.

Rebrandly Price: Free plan with up to 500 links and 5,000 clicks tracked per month; Starter plan from $29/month for 5,000 links and 25,000 clicks tracked per month.

3.     short.io – For Sending Different Visitors Different Links

Short.io is a URL shortener that puts your branding first by allowing you to shorten, personalize and share fully branded short URLs.

Most URL shorteners can tell you where people are clicking on your links and what devices they’re using, but Short.io goes one better: it redirects users to relevant web pages depending on their location. With Short.io geo-targeting, you can divide users not only by country but also by regions. Users in two different areas will face different web pages.

Main Features:

  • Custom-branded URLs available.
  • Unlimited number of redirects.
  • Country and regional targeting using the geo-targeting features.
  • Link cloaking and deep links.
  • Link retargeting.

Short.io Price: Free plan with 1,000 branded links, 50,000 tracked clicks, and device targeting; Personal plan from $20/month for 10,000 branded links and geo-targeting.

Short.io

4.     Cutt.ly – Free for Unlimited Branded Links

Cutt.ly is a user-friendly URL shortener & link management platform with branded URLs. It allows you to generate QR code for each short link. You will also get a feature of preview mode and user protection to prevent suspicious links. This free custom link shortener offers a sortable list of shortened URLs.

Main Features:

  • Shorten links using your own branded domain
  • Link retargeting / Pixel script
  • Track and analyze links to increase conversion
  • Manage links in teams by inviting members and assigning roles to team members
  • Generating a QR code for short link
  • Bulk short links

Cutt.ly Price: Free plan with unlimited branded links, 30-day tracking history; Single plan from $25/month for unlimited link analytics history and link rotation – A/B/C test.

5.     TinyURL – Best URL Shortener for Quick, Anonymous Use

TinyURL is a free site that offers both URL shortening and customization. When you visit the website, you’re immediately met with a simple webpage, and you can enter your long URL right on the main page and have it shortened in a matter of seconds.

You can use TinyURL anonymously – no need to register an account. The downside, though, is that it doesn’t offer any analytics or other advanced features.

Main Features:

  • Fast redirection
  • Option to customize the shortened URL
  • Anonymous usage
  • Easy-to-use
  • Generating a QR code for short link

TinyURL Price: Free to use; Personal from $9.99/month for tracked links and branded domains. 

TinyURL

6.     IS.GD – Best for Casual Users Who Need a Quick and Easy-to-Use URL Shortener

is.gd is a free link shortener that doesn’t require registration. Its home page features nothing but the URL input field and the Shorten button.

You can generate a custom small link, unroll Further options and select of the following:

  • Standard;
  • Lower case;
  • Lower case pronounceable;
  • Log statistics for this link.

You can also get your hyperlink as a QR code if you click Give me this URL as a QR code under the shortened link.

If you tick Log statistics for this link, you’ll be able to monitor the click rate based on the browser, country, date, etc.

Main Features:

  • Straightforward and convenient
  • Analytics of link clicks
  • Generating a QR code for short link

IS.GD Price: Totally free.

7.     T2M – Best for Agencies Who Need All-in-One Link Management Solution

T2M is another link management platform for agencies and businesses who need an all-in-one solution. You can quickly create branded shortened links, customize them, and share them.

It was built with agencies in mind, and there are some helpful features like the ability to share analytics dashboards with non-registered users, password protection on links, and the ability to import links in bulk via a CSV.

On their higher plans you’ll also get access to the API to connect T2M with all of your other business processes.

Main Features

  • Branded custom domains
  • Personalized/editable short URLs
  • Lifelong access to URLs
  • Printable QR codes
  • Geo/region targeting
  • Custom analytic reports

T2M Price: Here is no free plan.The basic plan requires a $5 startup fee and then will be free forever with monthly link creation and tracking limits. Premium plans start at $9.99/month for access to advanced features.

8.     Sniply – Best for Adding Call-To-Action to Shortened Link

Sniply’s URL shortener is packed with features that allow you to customize your shortened URLs and design the perfect call-to-action, plus the ability to track, test, and engage with your followers when you share content.

Main Features:

  • Custom colors/positioning/domain/shortlink
  • Add a call-to-action to every link you share
  • Has a browser extension
  • Sniply tracks the effectiveness of both your links and CTAs

Sniply Price: No free plan, but you can try any plan for 14 days free! The basic plan starts with $29/month. All plans come with basic CTAs and unlimited short links, though higher-priced plans are necessary to add A/B testing and custom branding to your links and CTAs. 

Sniply

9.     Polr – Best URL Shortener for Developers

Polr is a quick, modern, and open-source link shortener. It allows you to host your own URL shortener, to brand your URLs, and to gain control over your data. However, this will most likely only work for those that have technical knowledge about things like PHP, Lumen, and MySQL.

Main Features

  • Self-hosted link shortener
  • Open-source
  • Easy to use
  • Create QR codes for every link

Polr Price: Free

10. Hyperlink – Best for Tracking Links in Real-Time with Notifications

Hyperlink is a link shortener that keeps you up-to-date with how people engage with your link using push notifications.

If you’re sending important links to customers, it’s a great way to see if they’re engaging with them, and will help you reach back out at the right time.

Every notification you receive will have details on the location and device someone is using to click your links. You can set a schedule that means you only get notifications at a certain interval, and integrate it with Slack and Zapier to get notifications wherever you want them.

Main Features

  • Create QR codes from links
  • Integrations with Zapier and Slack
  • Real-time or staggered notifications
  • Analytics dashboards that update in real-time
  • Chrome extension to create links anywhere on the web

Hyperlink Price: Free plan with unlimited Hyperlinks and clicks. Custom domains are available with paid plans, which start at $39 per month.

Which URL Shortener is Right for You?

As is the case with most users, deciding on a URL shortener comes down to two things: your budget and what you need it for. There are a few free and low-cost options on this list, for starters.

On the other hand, if you need a tool has the ability to group, track, and show how links perform, then you might want a more robust tool like Bitly and T2M.

Most of the URL shorteners on this list are very similar when it comes down to the basic features. Once you’ve decided on a price point, you may need to have a look at their user interfaces through free trials and detailed reviews to truly get a grasp on how it feels to actually use each one.

Most of the time, a shortened custom URL is better than a long and spammy looking one, so I hope one of the above solutions will get your work done with ease.