Overview

Bitly is a link and QR Code management platform for businesses that need to create, route, and measure campaigns across channels. It is strongest for teams that want branded links and QR Codes alongside performance reporting; people who need only occasional short links may find the Free plan’s small monthly allowance restrictive.

Custom domains, destination changes, and audience-based routing make Bitly more than a basic URL shortener. Its plans also put firm ceilings on monthly link and QR Code creation, so the right fit depends on how much a team publishes and how long it needs to retain analytics.

Key features

Branded links and routing

Bitly supports custom domains and custom back-halves, giving organizations control over how shortened links appear. Teams can change destinations, schedule expiration, or route visitors by country, region, device, or platform. Those controls suit campaigns that need different destinations for different audiences, though plan limits on redirects matter for high-volume use.

Analytics and QR Codes

The dashboard brings together geography, referrer, device, campaign performance, and UTM data. Retention ranges from 30 days on Core to 120 days on Growth, one year on Premium, and two years on Enterprise. Core is adequate for recent activity, while longer campaign comparisons require a higher tier.

Dynamic QR Codes can be customized, updated, and downloaded as PNG, JPEG, or SVG files. Bulk creation supports teams managing many assets, but monthly quotas vary considerably: Free includes two codes, Core five, Growth 10, and Premium 200.

Integrations, API, and security

More than 60 marketplace integrations include Canva, HubSpot, Shopify, and Claude. API access is available, with high-volume API and webhook access included in Enterprise. Bitly says its links use HTTPS encryption and are scanned when created; it also identifies SOC 2 Type 2, GDPR, and CCPA compliance. These features support business use, while Enterprise adds administration such as group permissions, user management, SSO, and activity logs.

Pricing

The Free plan is free, requires no credit card or commitment, and allows five short links, two QR Codes, and three custom back-halves per month. Links receive unlimited clicks and never expire. It is a useful way to try the service or handle sparse publishing, but the five-link cap makes it unsuitable for active campaigns.

Core costs 10.00 USD per month, with an annual charge of $120 and annual billing only. It raises the allowance to 100 links and five QR Codes per month, includes five redirects, and retains analytics for 30 days. This is the entry paid tier for regular but modest publishing; it gives up the longer reporting windows and larger quotas of higher plans.

Growth is shown at 2934835.00 USD per month, with annual or monthly billing, and includes 500 links, 10 QR Codes, and 20 redirects per month, plus 120 days of analytics retention. The listed price makes this a difficult tier to recommend on cost, despite its substantially higher link quota than Core.

Premium costs 300.00 USD per month, billed as an annual charge of $2,388. It includes 3,000 links, 200 QR Codes, 20 custom landing pages, and one year of click and scan data. The larger quotas and longer retention target organizations running sustained campaigns, but its annual charge is a substantial commitment.

Enterprise has custom pricing and custom link, QR Code, and landing-page volumes. It adds multiple users, group permissions, high-volume API and webhook access, SSO logins, priority support, customized onboarding, a customer success manager, and a 99.99% uptime commitment. It is the fit for organizations that need administration and service commitments beyond fixed self-serve quotas.

Subscriptions automatically renew monthly or annually according to the selected payment plan. Check the billing term and renewal before committing, especially where a plan’s annual charge is stated.

Platforms

Bitly supports web access, browser extensions, Android, iOS, and an API. Mobile apps support creating, sharing, and monitoring short links, while the marketplace integrations can connect link work with other services.

Who it's for

Bitly is a good match for marketers and organizations managing branded campaign links, QR Codes, and audience-specific destinations in one service. Small publishers can start free, but the monthly creation cap is low. Teams needing durable reporting, larger volumes, multiple users, or high-volume API access should compare the higher tiers with their actual workload.

Pros and cons

Pros: Links can be routed by country, region, device, or platform, useful when one campaign needs different destinations for different audiences.
Pros: Link and QR Code creation, campaign analytics, and more than 60 integrations bring several campaign tasks together.
Pros: Free links have unlimited clicks and do not expire, making the free allowance usable for low-volume evergreen links.
Cons: Free permits only five links and two QR Codes per month, so regular publishing quickly requires a paid plan.
Cons: Analytics retention is limited to 30 days on Core, which may be too short for campaigns reviewed over longer periods.
Cons: The stated Growth price is 2934835.00 USD per month, sharply limiting its appeal at that price.

Alternatives

For a broader comparison, browse URL shorteners or Link-in-Bio Tools. Choose Replug if its free allowance of 100 short links, two bio links, and 10 smart QR codes better matches your needs. Go2 may suit users who want a self-hosted option and a free quota of 100 tracked links per month. LinkDevi offers 1,000 short links and 10 monthly link edits on its free plan, a better fit for high link counts with light editing. Short.io is an alternative with a free allowance of five custom domains and 50,000 tracked clicks per month. Cuttly provides 30 short links per month and 30 days of analytics history free, with Android, iOS, and Windows support. Hoko is another freemium alternative. T.LY is another option for comparing link-shortening plans. Abbriv is another freemium alternative.

Verdict

Choose Bitly if your work benefits from branded links, dynamic routing, QR Codes, and campaign analytics under one roof, and its plan quotas fit your publishing volume. Look elsewhere if you need generous free creation limits, or if the stated Growth price is central to your decision.

	Bitly	Shortly
Free plan	Yes
Paid from	$10/mo
Platforms	Android, api, extension, iOS, Web	Web
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Paid from	$10/mo
Custom domains	Yes	Yes
Analytics retention	30 days (Core); 120 days (Growth); 1 year (Premium); 2 years (Enterprise)
API access	Yes
Bulk link creation	Yes
Geo targeting	Yes
Custom domain	Yes
Sell products	No
Tips / donations	No
Email capture	No
Analytics	advanced

Bitly vs Shortly

Bitly

Shortly