As someone who writes blog posts, have you ever attempted to distribute a link to your most recent work and discovered that it was excessively long, unattractive, and exceeded Twitter’s character limit? I can empathize. And believe me when I say that nobody wants to click on an unappealing link, even if it is within the character limit.

The fact of the matter is that concise URLs are always more favorable. They are more aesthetically pleasing, create a superior user experience for customers and social media followers, and are remarkably effortless to obtain. All you need is a little bit of know-how.

Therefore, we are here today to present to you the best URL shorteners available, allowing you to choose the one that best fits your link-sharing requirements.

1. Why Use URL Shorteners?

Before we dive into the best URL shorteners, let’s first talk about why you should use them.

1. Shorter URLs are easier to remember and type.
2. Shorter URLs look cleaner and more professional.
3. Shorter URLs take up less space in social media posts and other online content.
4. URL shorteners often come with tracking and analytics features, allowing you to see how many people clicked on your links and when.

Now that we’ve established why URL shorteners are useful, let’s take a look at the best ones available.

2. The best URL shorteners review

1. Sniply.io

Sniply.io, a distinctive link shortener tool, offers more than just the basic service of shortening URLs. It allows users to customize their brand’s links with Call-To-Action (CTA) blocks, which can be added to websites, blog posts, and social media platforms.

In creating shortened links, the user has the option to personalize various design elements, such as colors, text, buttons, and images, as well as create forms. The customization process is fully flexible to cater to the user’s preferences.

If the user is uncertain which design will convert better, Sniply.io provides a solution by offering A/B tests to optimize conversions. The data is tracked and managed via the Analytics tab, which provides information on clicks, conversions, average pages per visit, and more. The data can also be filtered by brand, campaigns, and timeframes for easy tracking and analysis.

Moreover, Sniply.io offers browser extensions for Google Chrome, Firefox, and other popular browsers, making it convenient to generate customized links from anywhere on the internet. Whether the user is browsing informative content that their audience will find valuable or utilizing social media marketing tools such as Buffer or Sprout Social, the Sniply.io extension allows for easy link customization and generation.

Price: Paid plans (2 Months FREE with any annual plan)

• • Basic – $9/month ($8/month billed annually).
  • PRO – $29/month ($25/month billed annually).

2. JotURL

JotURL is not just a URL shortening tool. It’s a comprehensive, cost-effective marketing solution for businesses that want to get the most out of their campaign links, boosting leads and revenue.

This tool offers an impressive range of over 100 features that help you optimize every interaction with your audience. JotURL achieves this by constantly monitoring and tracking your links, making sure that they are performing to their full potential.

By employing branded links, you can ensure a consistent and trustworthy experience for your audience. JotURL’s Social Opt-in CTA feature takes this one step further, enabling you to enhance your branded links with a personalized call-to-action message, which you can then share on social media.

With 24/7 monitoring, you can rest assured that every link is safe and available at all times, eliminating the risk of broken links. Moreover, JotURL has implemented 24/7 click-fraud monitoring to filter out bot clicks, allowing you to blacklist these sources or IP addresses.

JotURL’s user-friendly dashboard makes it easy to view all your analytics in one place. You can sort and filter through your data via keywords, channels, sources, and more, to help you better understand how your links are performing.

And if that wasn’t enough, JotURL’s InstaURL feature lets you create mobile-optimized social media landing pages that work great, especially on Instagram. With JotURL, you can be sure that you have all the tools you need to take your marketing game to the next level.

Price: Plans start from €9/month for monthly and  €7/month for Annually billed.

3. Bitly

Bitly, one of the most ubiquitous URL shorteners services is renowned for its account-less convenience and the ability to create an infinite number of shortened links. This feature has catapulted Bitly to the forefront of the URL shortening industry.

With Bitly, you can track and analyze data related to link clicks, click destinations, and even primary referrers. This invaluable tool can assist in perfecting campaign strategies and promoting content in the most effective manner possible. Furthermore, Bitly can be integrated with Zapier, enabling it to cooperate with other tools that support Zapier to optimize marketing efforts.

Each and every link created using Bitly is encrypted with HTTPS to prevent nefarious third-party intervention. This ensures that your intended audience is never at risk of falling victim to the ruse of phony links, and can access the authentic source.

Bitly goes beyond basic shorten links, offering the ability to create QR codes, utilize mobile deep links to drive traffic to your desired destination, and even replace the standard ‘bit.ly’ identifier with your own customized branding.

Price: 

Free to use without an account. To make creating and managing links easier, create a free account.

For custom domains and more branded links, the premium plans start at $29/month.

4. TinyURL

The TinyURL is an effortlessly uncomplicated URL shortener Tool, which is highly intuitive and a cinch to use. By simply entering the URL you want to shorten, the TinyURL will work its magic and voila, you’ll have a pocket-sized URL, perfectly tailored to your needs. But wait, it gets even better! You can add the TinyURL extension to your browser for streamlined access and accelerated link shortening.

The longevity of your shortened links is paramount, which is why you’ll never have to concern yourself with expired links or broken connections. Your content will persist and remain available to your audience for perpetuity.

If you’re looking for additional features to supplement your TinyURL experience, consider opting for the paid plans, which offer robust monitoring and analytics for up to two years. From the highly user-friendly dashboard, you can gain insights into the geographical locations of your clicks, the dates and times, as well as the devices used to access your content.

And for those who place a premium on branding, fear not! The branding and customization feature is here to save the day. This feature enables you to modify the front end of your shortened URLs and affords you the opportunity to incorporate your own domain or subdomain into the mix.

Price: 

Free basic ad-supported shortening for individual users. Customize your links and keep track of your link history.

Paid plans start at $12.99/month For monly and $9.99/month Yearly.

5. Rebrandly

6. BL.INK

BL.INK, a highly advanced URL shortener solution, provides an extensive array of features that offer unrivaled convenience and ease of use to users. This dynamic tool comes equipped with a user-friendly dashboard that is especially designed to cater to beginners, enabling them to effectively track link activity with remarkable simplicity.

Moreover, BL.INK’s cutting-edge technology allows users to gauge the effectiveness of their campaigns by analyzing a wide range of data points, such as geographic location, device type, language, and referrer. This enables users to gain valuable insights into the preferences and behavior of their target audience, thereby allowing them to tailor their content to maximize engagement.

Not only that, but with BL.INK, users can also create customized short links that effectively represent their brand, while simultaneously testing out the beta version of Smart Link, which is designed to create highly targeted word-based URLs that can significantly enhance website traffic and encourage users to convert.

To ensure that team members are granted access to the link shortener tool in a streamlined and hassle-free manner, BL.INK also offers an easy-to-use user permission feature that empowers users to easily manage and control access. With BL.INK’s advanced feature set, users can take their marketing campaigns to new heights and achieve unparalleled levels of success.

Price:

BL.INK provides its users with the flexibility to choose from a variety of tiered plans, ensuring that they only pay for what they need. The free plan includes up to 1000 links and 1000 clicks per link, in addition to offering one custom domain, branded links, and integration with Zapier.

However, for users looking for additional features such as multiple users, a higher number of links and clicks, priority support, and advanced tracking capabilities like device/language/location, premium plans are also available.

These plans start at a reasonable price point of $48 per month, making them an affordable option for businesses of all sizes.

7. T2M

T2M stands as an all-inclusive URL shortening service, with provides an all-inclusive dashboard that is replete with an assortment of statistics and link activity to help you analyze your data. Additionally, you have the capability to create custom branded links that never expire. Moreover, you can save time and effort by bulk creating links, and with a single click, sharing them to social media.

T2M has a lot of Features, which include:

• • Target geographical locations through your links
  • The ability to lock URLs with passwords
  • Infinite creation of links with tracking stats
  • Zero tolerance for spam or advertisements
  • A user-friendly dashboard with a search function for effortless link management
  • Free Encrypt SSL certificate
  • The inclusion of 404 redirects
  • A built-in GDPR Privacy Tool
  • A tool for importing and exporting files in CVS format

8. Tiny.cc

Effective URL Shortening with Tiny.cc. Tiny.cc is a powerful yet straightforward URL shortening service that allows you to create custom URLs for branding purposes.

Create Custom URLs for Your Brand

With Tiny.cc, you can create unique and branded URL endings that represent your brand’s identity. These custom URLs are memorable and help to increase brand recognition and recall.

Track Your Links with Ease

Tiny.cc provides detailed link tracking statistics that give you insights into your link performance. You can view metrics based on returning clicks, location or origin, browsers used, unique visitors, and much more. The best part? You don’t need an account to access these statistics.

Manage Your Links with Ease

Tiny.cc allows you to manage your links with ease. You can easily edit or delete any URL, view your entire link history, and use the manage, filter, tag, and search functions to find the URLs you need.

Bookmark for Quick Access

Bookmarking Tiny.cc ensures that you have quick and easy access to the URL shortening tool whenever you need it. It saves you time and effort.

Use Custom URLs for Multiple Purposes

Tiny.cc allows you to use your custom URLs for various purposes. You can create links for SMS messages, email campaigns, social media, advertisements, and more. You can also use links in QR codes and track their statistics.

Get Any Custom URL Slug You Want

With Tiny.cc, you can access any custom URL slug you want. This means that you can create the perfect URL for your brand without any restrictions.

Price: In free plan, create 500 short URLs, the ability to edit links, and tags for organizing links.

In Premium plans,  features like a custom domain, multiple users, more links and clicks, and geolocation reporting, etc. And Plans start at $5/month.

9. Polr

Polr is an open-source project that caters to those individuals who yearn to produce and maintain their own URL shortener. However, it is imperative to note that this endeavor is most likely only achievable for those who possess technical expertise in domains like PHP, Lumen, and MySQL.

This tool for shortening links is furnished with a suave and contemporary interface, along with limited inbound traffic instruments for scrutinizing the activities of the links, and branded domain names customized to bolster your commercial standing within your intended audience.

It is noteworthy that a considerable number of URL shortening facilities do not proffer a neat exhibition page that enables prospective users to peruse the features of the tool before they commit to it. Furthermore, if you aspire to make the management of your brief links a seamless process, you need to sign up for an account.

Price: FREE

10. Yourls

Yourls, an acronym for ‘your individual URL shortener,’ is an alternative open-source and self-hosted hyperlink abridger, like Polr. However, it necessitates the installation and operation on a self-owned server, rendering it distinctive from other URL shorteners enlisted here.

Some of the preeminent attributes of Yourls encompass:

• The ability to create both private and public links
• Detailed statistics such as click reports, referrers, and geolocation
• Sequential or custom generated links
• Sample files to produce your own public interface
• Additional features obtainable via plugins
• Bookmarklets to shorten and share with simplicity

Notwithstanding the need to self-host and self-install this URL shortener, it was formulated to be lightweight and non-bloated, thereby never exerting a strain on your server’s resources.

Price: FREE

3. Choosing the best URL shortener for you

When selecting a URL shortener, it’s crucial to keep in mind that not all of them are created equal. If you desire a completely free URL shortener, bitly is the optimal choice. Their complimentary offering is exceptional and perfectly suitable for business clients as well.

For those who require a fast and simple solution to shorten links, TinyURL is the best choice. These are the top URL shorteners accessible at the moment. The best part is that there is a tool available to meet all of your link shortening requirements.

Whether you’re seeking a feature-rich solution, a free URL shortener, or a replacement for the now-defunct Google URL shortener, you’ll find something here that suits your needs.

FAQs

Q1: Why should I use a URL shortener?

A: URL shorteners offer a range of benefits, including making it easier to share links on social media, tracking click-through rates, and even improving your SEO.

Q2: Are URL shorteners safe to use?

A: Yes, most URL shorteners are safe to use as long as they come from reputable sources and use HTTPS encryption to secure your links. However, you should be cautious of phishing links, malicious redirects, or spammy content that may harm your device or steal your data.

Q3: Can I customize my shortened links with my brand name or domain?

A: Yes, most URL shorteners allow you to customize your links with your own domain name or custom slug.

Q4: Can I track clicks and analytics for my shortened links?

A: Yes, most URL shorteners provide basic analytics such as clicks, referrers, and geographic distribution. Some also offer advanced features such as conversion tracking, A/B testing, and retargeting.

Q5: Do I need to pay for using URL shorteners?

A: It depends on the URL shortener. Some offer free plans with limited features, while others require payment for accessing advanced features or higher usage limits.

Q6: Can I use URL shorteners for affiliate marketing?

A: Yes, URL shorteners are often used for affiliate marketing purposes, as they allow you to track and optimize your links’ performance, and share them on social media platforms. However, you should check the affiliate program’s terms and conditions to ensure that URL shorteners are allowed.

Q7. Can URL shorteners affect SEO?

A. Using URL shorteners does not affect SEO. However, it’s important to use a URL shortener that allows for customization, as this can help with branding and recognition.