Bitly if you need branded domains and campaign analytics and will pay for them. TinyURL or is.gd if you want the simplest possible free link. URLVanish if you want a free link with no account that can also carry a password, an expiry date or a click limit — and a GET API that needs no key.
On prices and quotas: this page deliberately does not list them. Free-tier limits and pricing across this category change several times a year, and a comparison table full of out-of-date numbers is worse than none. The capabilities below are stable and take a minute to verify on each provider’s own site, which is linked.
The comparison table
| Capability | URLVanish | Bitly | TinyURL | is.gd | Rebrandly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shorten without an account | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Custom alias without an account | Account | Account | Yes | Yes | Account |
| Your own branded domain | No | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Password-protected links | Yes, free | Paid tiers | No | No | Paid tiers |
| Expiry date on a link | Yes, free | Paid tiers | No | No | Paid tiers |
| Click limit / single-use link | Yes, free | No | No | No | No |
| Preview a link before opening | Add + | Add + | preview. | No | No |
| API without any key | Yes, GET | Token | Token | Yes, GET | Token |
| Team features & seats | No | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Deep campaign analytics | Click counts only | Yes | Basic | No | Yes |
| QR code included free | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Ads or interstitial pages | None | None | None | None | None |
Reviewed September 2026 against each provider’s public documentation. Capabilities marked “paid tiers” exist on that product but not on its free plan. If something here is out of date, tell us and it will be corrected.
URLVanish vs Bitly
Bitly is the category leader and is a marketing platform, not a utility. Branded domains, campaign tracking, team seats, integrations and reporting are the product.
Choose Bitly when
You want links on your own domain, you need per-campaign reporting, several people manage links together, or you are integrating with marketing tooling that already speaks Bitly.
Choose URLVanish when
You do not want an account, you do not want a monthly link quota, or you need a password, an expiry or a single-use limit on a link without upgrading to a paid tier.
The honest summary: if you are a marketing team, Bitly is a better product and worth paying for. If you are one person who needs a link to work, an account and a quota are friction you do not need.
URLVanish vs TinyURL
TinyURL is the closest comparison: free, no account required, custom aliases without signing up, links that stay forever. It has been doing this longer than almost anyone and does it well.
The differences are narrow and specific:
- Per-link controls. URLVanish can put a password on a link, expire it on a date, or limit it to a number of opens — all free and without an account. TinyURL does not offer these.
- API without a key. URLVanish accepts
GET /api/shorten?url=…anonymously. TinyURL's API expects a token. - Custom alias without an account. TinyURL wins here — you can pick your own alias without signing up. On URLVanish that needs a free account.
If all you need is a short link with a word you choose and no sign-up, TinyURL is genuinely the simpler answer. Come to URLVanish when you need the link to do something — expire, require a password, or work once.
URLVanish vs is.gd
is.gd is a minimalist, long-running free shortener whose real strength is its API: a single GET request with no key, which is exactly why developers reach for it.
URLVanish's GET API was built to the same shape deliberately, because it is the convention people expect:
curl "https://urlvanish.com/api/shorten?format=simple&url=https://example.com/page"
https://urlvanish.com/a1b2c3d4Where they differ: is.gd is deliberately spartan — no QR codes, no per-link controls, no preview. URLVanish adds those. If you want the absolute minimum and nothing else, is.gd is a fine choice and has earned its reputation.
Rebrandly, Short.io and Cuttly
These three sit between Bitly and the free utilities. All are built around branded domains — short links on a domain you own rather than theirs — and all expect an account.
- Rebrandly — the most established of the three, strong custom-domain management and integrations.
- Short.io — developer-friendly, good API, multiple domains.
- Cuttly — analytics-focused with a usable free tier.
If a branded domain matters to you, URLVanish is not the answer — it does not offer them, and one of these will serve you better.
Which should you pick?
| If you… | Use |
|---|---|
| Run marketing campaigns and need reporting | Bitly |
| Want links on your own domain | Rebrandly, Short.io or Bitly |
| Want a custom word in the link, no account | TinyURL |
| Want the simplest possible API, no key | is.gd or URLVanish |
| Need a link that expires or works once | URLVanish |
| Need a password on a link, free | URLVanish |
| Want to shorten without an account or quota | URLVanish, TinyURL or is.gd |
| Want recipients to verify a link before clicking | URLVanish, Bitly or TinyURL |
How this was compared
Each capability was checked against the provider’s own public documentation in September 2026. Nothing here is based on a third-party listicle, and there are no affiliate links on this page — every competitor link is a plain nofollow.
Two deliberate omissions:
- Prices. They change often enough that any figure published here would be wrong within months.
- Free-tier quotas. Same reason, and they vary by region and signup date.
This page is published by URLVanish, so treat it as an interested party’s summary rather than a neutral review. It is written to be checkable: every claim above can be verified on the linked sites in a few minutes, and if one is wrong we would rather hear about it and fix it.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free alternative to Bitly?
Depends on what you used Bitly for. For branded domains and team analytics, Bitly or Rebrandly remain better products. For shortening without an account, a quota or ads, URLVanish, TinyURL and is.gd all qualify — URLVanish adds passwords, expiry, click limits and a no-key GET API.
Bitly vs TinyURL — which is better?
Different tools. Bitly is a marketing platform with analytics and branded domains and expects an account; TinyURL is a utility that shortens a link with no account and keeps it forever. Pick by which of those you actually need.
Which shortener works without an account?
URLVanish, TinyURL and is.gd. URLVanish is the only one of the three that also offers passwords, expiry dates and click limits without signing up.
Which has a free API with no key?
is.gd and URLVanish. Both take a single GET request with no authentication. Bitly, Rebrandly and Short.io all require a token.
Do links from these services expire?
URLVanish, TinyURL and is.gd keep links indefinitely. Free-plan terms elsewhere change, so check before relying on a link long term. URLVanish also lets you set a deliberate expiry if you want one — see temporary links.
Is this comparison impartial?
No — we publish it. It has no affiliate links, it says where competitors are better, and it omits prices rather than publishing figures that go stale. Every service is linked so you can check.