Bitly vs TinyURL (2026): Prices, Free Plans & the Cheaper Third Option

Bitly and TinyURL are the two oldest names in link shortening. If you have ever pasted a long URL into a box and watched it shrink, one of these two probably did the shrinking. They are also very different products in 2026: one is a full marketing platform with a free plan that now shows ads, the other is a deliberately simple tool that has barely changed its pitch in two decades.

This comparison checks both on their own pricing pages (checked October 2026), compares them like-for-like, and then looks at a cheaper third option for people who want modern features without a subscription that renews itself.

Why these two get compared

Bitly and TinyURL dominate the "shorten a link" search because they were first and because they still work. People compare them for a simple reason: they want to know whether the famous name is still the best choice, or whether the quiet old tool does the job for less.

The honest answer is that neither is the obvious winner for everyone. Bitly is the stronger platform. TinyURL is the simpler tool. Which one fits depends on what you actually need a short link to do.

Bitly's plans and prices

Bitly's pricing page lists four tiers, and two details matter more than the headline prices.

Free: $0 per month, but the page labels it "With Ads" — the free experience now carries advertising. It includes 5 links per month, 2 QR codes per month, 3 custom back-halves per month, 2 custom landing pages, unlimited clicks and QR code scans, and QR code customizations.

Core: $10 per month, annual only (an annual charge of $120). It includes 100 links per month, 5 QR codes per month, 5 custom landing pages, 30 days of click and scan data, a UTM builder, advanced QR code customizations, and link and QR code redirects.

Premium: $199 per month (an annual charge of $2,388). It includes 3,000 links per month, 200 QR codes per month, 20 custom landing pages, a year of click and scan data, city-level and device-type click data, and mobile deep linking. A Growth tier sits between Core and Premium.

Enterprise: custom pricing, with multiple users, group permissions, at-scale link and QR code generation, advanced tracking, a dedicated customer success manager, high-volume API and webhook access, and SSO logins.

Auto-renewal: Bitly states on its pricing page that a purchase "will automatically renew every month or year, depending on the payment plan you've chosen." That is worth knowing before you enter a card: the subscription keeps charging until you cancel it.

The catch in the free plan: 5 links a month is a very small allowance. If you shorten more than a handful of links a month, the free plan stops being useful fast, and the next step up is $10 a month billed annually.

TinyURL's plans and prices

TinyURL keeps things much simpler, and its pricing reflects that.

Free: $0. The free plan allows 30 branded links per month, 1 branded domain, and links that never expire by default. You can also shorten a link on the TinyURL homepage without creating an account at all — the fastest one-off shortening anywhere.

Pro: $11 per month billed monthly, or $9 per month billed annually ($108 per year). It includes 125 links per month, unlimited tracked clicks, 3 branded domains, and a full analytics dashboard with 2 years of history covering clicks over time, referrer, geography, device, operating system, and browser. Links never expire.

Bulk 50K: $83 per month billed monthly, or $69 per month billed annually ($828 per year). It includes 50,000 links per month and 50,000 tracked clicks per month, bulk link generation and editing, and 3 branded domains.

Enterprise: custom pricing (shown as starting at $3,999 per year), with unlimited branded links, custom analytics, a 99.9% uptime SLA, a dedicated account manager, and emergency phone support.

Where TinyURL is genuinely strong: longevity and simplicity. Links created over 20 years ago still resolve, the brand is widely trusted, and there is no dashboard to learn. Its free plan also gives you six times Bitly's free link allowance (30 links a month versus 5), and custom aliases work even without an account.

Where TinyURL falls short: the free plan has no analytics dashboard — click tracking starts at Pro. TinyURL's pricing page does not state which plans include QR codes or API access, so neither can be counted as a TinyURL strength from its own pricing. There is no routing feature like country or device redirects, and the jump from Pro to Bulk is steep: $11 a month to $83 a month with nothing in between.

Head-to-head: the rows that decide it

Free plan: TinyURL wins on allowance — 30 links a month against Bitly's 5, and TinyURL's free links never expire. Bitly's free plan adds 2 QR codes a month and unlimited clicks, but carries ads.

Cheapest paid tier: Bitly Core is $10 a month but annual-only; TinyURL Pro is $11 monthly or $9 annual. TinyURL gives you 125 links a month against Bitly Core's 100, plus 2 years of analytics history against Bitly's 30 days. On the cheapest paid tier, TinyURL gives more for roughly the same money.

Bulk and CSV: TinyURL's Bulk 50K plan is built for volume, but at $83 a month it is a business purchase, not a casual one. Bitly's volume lives on Premium ($199 a month) and Enterprise. Neither is cheap at scale.

QR codes: Bitly includes QR codes on every tier, including free. TinyURL's pricing page does not state which plans include QR codes, so compare that row on the feature pages before choosing TinyURL for QR use.

API access: Bitly reserves high-volume API and webhook access for Enterprise. TinyURL's pricing page does not state which plans include API access, so do not assume a plan includes it — check TinyURL's API feature page before buying for developer use.

Renewal terms: Bitly auto-renews by default. TinyURL's own FAQ presents auto-payment as an option for paid subscribers rather than a mandatory condition, so confirm the billing choice at checkout on either tool before you pay.

Branded domains: Both support branded domains on paid plans — TinyURL Pro includes 3, and Bitly includes custom domain registration with subscription on its paid tiers. Neither free plan gives you a branded domain.

The third option: Urlzbit

If the comparison above leaves you cold — Bitly's free plan too small and ad-supported, TinyURL's free plan too bare — there is a third shape of deal.

Urlzbit's free plan gives you 100 saved links and 10,000 clicks per calendar month, with custom endings, password protection, a QR code for every link, Google sharing, and scheduling — no ads mentioned, and no card required to start.

Urlzbit Pro is $9 per 30 days and includes 5,000 links, unlimited clicks, country, device, and language routing, weighted A/B testing, bulk paste of up to 20 URLs, CSV import of up to 100 rows, CSV export, the Developer API, and personal redirect branding.

What Urlzbit does differently on billing: there is no auto-renewal anywhere. Pro costs $9 per 30 days, Business costs $29 per 30 days for 50,000 links, and Lifetime Pro is a $149 one-time payment. You renew when you choose to, and the subscription cannot quietly keep charging you.

Where Urlzbit honestly loses: it has no documented bring-your-own custom domain, so if branded domains are your top requirement, TinyURL Pro or Bitly is the better pick. It also has no enterprise tier with SSO or an uptime SLA. And it is a smaller, newer brand — it cannot match Bitly's ecosystem or TinyURL's two-decade track record yet.

Who should pick which:

• Pick Bitly if QR codes, landing pages, and deep linking matter, and you are comfortable with a $10-a-month annual commitment or more.
• Pick TinyURL if you want the simplest possible tool, links that never expire, and a cheap paid tier with solid analytics history.
• Pick Urlzbit if you want a generous free plan, modern features like routing and password protection, and billing that never auto-renews.

For a fuller comparison against the biggest name in the space, see our guide to Alternative to Bitly: a cheaper, simpler option for small teams. For the sibling comparison with the other major brand, see Bitly vs Rebrandly (2026): prices, free plans and the cheaper third option. For the current plans, see Urlzbit pricing.

Switching tools without breaking your old links

Changing shorteners is where most people get hurt, because a short link is only useful while it keeps resolving. Before you move, check three things.

Old links keep working: Links you already published in bios, print, videos, and old emails keep pointing at the old tool unless you recreate them. Neither Bitly nor TinyURL lets you import another tool's short links and take over their URLs, so plan to keep the old account alive for anything already in circulation, or replace the links where you can edit them.

Recreate, then test: Shorten the same destinations on the new tool, then click every recreated link and confirm it lands on the right page. Test at least one link per destination type — a product page, a landing page, a PDF — because a single mistyped destination can quietly send buyers to the wrong place.

Move in stages: Start with new links on the new tool and watch the analytics for a week before migrating anything important. If the new tool's dashboard, QR output, or routing behaves differently from what you expected, you find out on a low-stakes link, not on a campaign already in print.

FAQ

Is TinyURL really free?

Yes, for basic shortening. The free plan allows 30 branded links a month and links that never expire, and you can shorten a link on the homepage without an account. Analytics and bulk tools need a paid plan.

Is Bitly's free plan still free?

Yes, but it now shows ads and is limited to 5 links and 2 QR codes a month. It is best for occasional use, not regular shortening.

Which is cheaper for a small team?

On the cheapest paid tiers, TinyURL Pro at $9 a month annual (125 links, 2 years of analytics) edges out Bitly Core at $10 a month annual-only (100 links, 30 days of data). Urlzbit Pro at $9 per 30 days, with no auto-renewal, undercuts both on features per dollar — but lacks branded domains.

Does either tool auto-renew?

Bitly states plainly that purchases auto-renew monthly or yearly depending on the plan. TinyURL's FAQ presents auto-payment as an option for paid subscribers, not a mandatory condition. Urlzbit does not auto-renew at all.

Can I use my own domain with these tools?

TinyURL Pro and Bitly's paid tiers both support branded domains. Urlzbit does not document a bring-your-own custom domain option, so do not choose it for that feature.

Do TinyURL links expire?

On the free and Pro plans, links never expire by default, and the free plan cannot set its own expiration dates.

The bottom line

Bitly is the platform; TinyURL is the simple tool. Bitly wins if you need QR codes, landing pages, and deep linking. TinyURL wins if you want the cheapest capable paid tier and links that never expire. And if you want a generous free plan plus modern features without a subscription that renews itself, the third option is worth a look: start free on Urlzbit and only pay when the free plan stops being enough.

Prices checked October 2026 on bitly.com and tinyurl.com; plans change, so confirm before you pay.