Bitly is hired to turn long web addresses into short links and count the clicks. The software is simple; the risk is the links already out in the world. Below: the published plans, the replacement we verified, and how to move without breaking what is printed.
Short links get printed, posted and forgotten. Years later a QR code on a package still points through the service, and no one wants to be the person who breaks it.
The price is small enough that nobody audits it, and the plan usually renews by itself. That is how a tiny line becomes a permanent one.
Only alternatives we have checked. An open-source project is listed with the license its repository reports, on the date shown; one whose license could not be read as a single standard id is not offered as open source. Read the license guide before running any of them.
| Alternative | Kind | License | Read from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shlink | Open source | MIT | Shlink repositoryChecked Oct 25, 2026 |
Each feature below is what the product's own page or README says, linked to where we read it on the date shown. Pros and cons are limited to what those pages state and to what the path itself changes. We do not rank products on quality.
| Plan | Price as published | Includes | Read from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bitly Free | $0 | 5 links and 2 QR codes per month; shows ads | Bitly pricingChecked Oct 25, 2026 |
| Bitly Core | $10 per month, billed $120 per year | 100 links and 5 QR codes per month; 30 days of click and scan data | Bitly pricingChecked Oct 25, 2026 |
| Bitly Growth | $29 per month, billed $348 per year | 500 links and 10 QR codes per month; 4 months of click and scan data | Bitly pricingChecked Oct 25, 2026 |
| Bitly Premium | $199 per month, billed $2,388 per year | 3,000 links and 200 QR codes per month; 1 year of click and scan data | Bitly pricingChecked Oct 25, 2026 |
List prices as printed on the vendor's page on the checked date, in US dollars and excluding tax. The page showed annual-view prices for paid plans and did not print monthly-billing prices. Prices may differ at checkout.
A link shortener is a lookup table with a counter. The difficulty is not building one; it is that every short link you have ever published is a promise to keep redirecting.
So the decision turns on the printed and shared links. If you control the domain, a replacement can answer the same links. If you do not, the old links are tied to the old service.
Samples are made up and are not Bitly's prices. Type in the figures from your own invoice or order form.
The honest yearly cost of running open-source software yourself, set against the bill it replaces, with the seat count where it stops paying.
Paid seats against seats in use: what the idle ones cost a year, and what you save by right-sizing at renewal.
Arithmetic only, not tax, accounting or legal advice. Check the figures against your own order form.
Redirect first, cancel last, and treat printed links as permanent.
Export the list of links with their destinations and click counts. Mark which have clicks in the past year and which are printed.
If you use a branded domain, confirm where it is registered and who holds the login. If you do not, decide on a domain you will keep for years.
Recreate the links that matter in the new tool with the same short paths, so the same address leads to the same place.
Point the domain at the new service, then open a sample of old links, including every printed code, and confirm each lands on the right page.
Replace links in email templates, pages and ads that you can edit. Leave printed ones working.
Wait a full cycle, keep your export, then end the plan inside the notice window and keep the confirmation.
Run the vendor report for QuickBooks Online or Xero, then open the free audit.
General information, not legal advice. See cancelling without penalties. Last reviewed Oct 25, 2026. Product names belong to their owners and are used only to identify them.
Send us the export and see which lines are worth a second look. A connected version is planned. Bitly is one of the lines worth a look.
Worked example. Type over it.
Result
| Self-hosting, per year | Amount |
|---|---|
| Hosting, backups, tooling | 720.00 |
| Admin and restore-test time | 2,640.00 |
| Total | 3,360.00 |
| One-off set-up (not in the yearly total) | 1,200.00 |
The saving holds only if the time is real. Price the admin hours at what that person's time costs the company, not at zero.
Worked example. Type over it.
Result
“In use” is your call: last sign-in in the past 30 or 90 days from the vendor's admin report. A seat for someone on leave is not idle.