Bitly alternative: build your own link shortener with AI

Bitly is a link management platform: short and branded links, QR codes, landing pages and click analytics, priced by the links and QR codes you create each month and how long click data is kept. A marketing team that mainly needs consistent tracking links on its own domain can build that part.

Pricing checked October 2026 on bitly.com/pages/pricing

Is there a Bitly alternative for a marketing team?

If several people need to create links, you want UTM values kept consistent, or you change QR code destinations often, build a link shortener from this blueprint: short links on your own domain, a UTM builder with agreed values, QR codes, counted clicks without bots or previews, and unlimited destination changes with history. Bitly costs $10, $29 or $199 a month billed annually on Core, Growth and Premium, limits destination changes to 5, 20 or 110 a month on those plans, and lists multiple users as an Enterprise addition (checked October 2026). Keep Bitly if you want landing pages, deep linking or device analytics.

Bitly compared with building your own

Compared	Bitly	Build from the blueprint
Price	Free with ads; Core $10, Growth $29, Premium $199 a month billed annually; Enterprise custom.	Free blueprint. You pay for your AI builder and hosting.
Links and QR codes	5, 100, 500 or 3,000 links and 2, 5, 10 or 200 QR codes a month.	No monthly limits.
Changing destinations	5, 20 or 110 a month on Core, Growth and Premium.	Unlimited, with a history of every change.
Custom domain	Complimentary from Growth.	Your own domain from the start.
UTMs	UTM builder from Core.	UTM builder that only accepts agreed values, with presets and campaigns.
Click data	30 days (Core), 120 days (Growth), 1 year (Premium), 2 years (Enterprise).	Kept as long as you keep it; bots and previews left out.
Users	Multiple users and group permissions on Enterprise.	Team accounts: admins and members, every link with an owner.
Who maintains it	The vendor.	You.

Which should you choose?

Build your own if

Several people need to create and edit links, which Bitly lists as an Enterprise addition.
You want UTM values checked against an agreed list, so reports aren't split by spelling.
You change where printed QR codes point more often than a plan's monthly limit allows.
You want click history kept as long as you like, without bots and link previews.

Pay for Bitly if

You want landing pages, link-in-bio pages or a digital business card.
You need mobile deep linking, city and device analytics, or browser extensions.
One person creates a handful of links a month: Bitly's Core plan at $120 a year may be enough.
You don't want to run a redirect service that your printed QR codes depend on.

What the blueprint covers

Short links on your own domain with readable back-halves; a UTM builder that only accepts your agreed sources and mediums, with presets and campaigns; QR codes as PNG and SVG; destination changes without limits, each kept in a history; link expiry with a fallback page; click and scan counts that leave out bots, link previews and repeat clicks; reports by link, campaign, source, medium, country and referring site; CSV exports; team accounts with owners; a root redirect and a friendly not-found page.

What you give up

Landing pages and link-in-bio pages, mobile deep linking, city and device analytics, browser extensions and mobile apps, more than one short domain, an API for other tools, retargeting pixels, splitting traffic between destinations, and AI features.

Read the Link Shortener blueprint

Bitly alternatives: questions people ask

What does Bitly do that this blueprint doesn't?

Landing pages and digital business cards, mobile deep linking, city-level and device data, browser extensions and mobile apps, bulk creation, an API and webhooks, AI features, and SSO.

Is Bitly free?

Bitly has a free plan with ads that allows 5 links and 2 QR codes a month (checked October 2026). Paid plans start with Core at $10 a month, billed annually.