Rebrandly alternatives: 11 link shorteners and QR codes tools compared

People who look past Rebrandly usually hit its meters: links and QR codes share one monthly allowance, tracked clicks are capped separately, and teammates arrive only on the third plan. The alternatives below include small European suppliers, self-hosted open source tools and a few specialist products.

Short answer: Looking for a replacement for Rebrandly? Cuttly, URLR and Linkly come first in our link shorteners and QR codes ranking. The first three places are kept for challengers when the category has enough of them; the best-known brands come after that, in ranked order. Start with Cuttly if you want a very small Polish supplier and a free plan with 30 links a month. These 11 products are all in Best Link Shortener Software in 2026; the notes say how each one compares with Rebrandly.

Vendors can pay for more visibility on this website, for example a higher place in a ranking or more room on a page. Commercial relationships can also affect which products we feature and how prominently. Every vendor link is marked the same, whatever the arrangement behind it. How that works.

Rebrandly

#10 of 13 in our link shorteners and QR codes ranking

  • Pricing: Free tier; per month per plan, published; Enterprise quoted
  • Established in: Ireland
  • Built for: Marketing teams that need branded links plus QR codes under one allowance
  • Not for: High-volume link creators on a tight budget
01

Why buyers look past Rebrandly

  1. 01

    Links and QR codes draw on the same allowance

    Rebrandly's pricing page gives the free plan 10 links and 10 QR codes a month, then 250 on Essentials, 1,500 on Professional and 3,500 on Growth. A team that prints many QR codes for packaging or events can use up the allowance on codes alone, and the next step up is a whole plan.

  2. 02

    Click data is capped even when clicks are not

    The pricing page lists unlimited clicks on the free plan, but tracked clicks for analytics stop at 100 a month there, 10,000 on Essentials, 25,000 on Professional and 150,000 on Growth. Redirects keep working past that point; the reporting you bought the tool for does not. Editing a destination is metered too, from none on free to 10, 50 and 150 a month.

  3. 03

    Collaboration and controls sit higher up the ladder

    Teammates and webhooks appear from Professional, and password-protected links start there at 50 a month. Mobile deep linking and advanced role permissions arrive on Growth. SAML single sign-on, SCIM and the compliance attestations the page lists belong to Enterprise, which is quoted individually.

02

11 alternatives at a glance

Smaller vendors first, big brands after
AlternativeHeadquartersFree optionPricing model Switch ifOur rank
CuttlyPolandYesPublishedyou want a very small Polish supplier and a free plan with 30 links a month#2
URLRFranceYesPublishedyou want a French single-product supplier with EU hosting#1
LinklyUnited KingdomYesPublishedyou want a UK company and a bill that follows your traffic#13
ShlinkNot stated by the vendorYesPublishedyou can host it yourself and want no per-link meter#6
YOURLSNot stated by the vendorYesPublishedyou want a private shortener with data on your own server#7
KuttNot stated by the vendorYesPublishedyou want a light open source shortener and are happy to host it#8
Short.ioUnited StatesYesPublishedyou need several branded domains early and accept a US operator#4
Pretty LinksNot stated by the vendorNo free tierPublishedyour links live on a WordPress site you already run#11
GeniuslinkUnited StatesNo free tierPublishedyou earn affiliate commission and need country-aware routing#9
DubNot stated by the vendorNo free tierPublishedyou run partner or affiliate programmes and want an open codebase#5
BitlyUnited StatesYesPublishedyou want the widest recognition and accept a US supplier#12
03

What each one does differently

Cuttly

Poland · Published

Cuttly is a one-person business in Gdansk, so the contact for any complaint is the owner. Its free plan lets you create 30 links a month and attach one branded domain, which is three times Rebrandly's free link count. Price steps up through six published tiers, with team features and single sign-on only on the higher ones.

Switch from Rebrandly if you want a very small Polish supplier and a free plan with 30 links a month.

Where Cuttly stands: place 2 of 13 in the link shorteners and QR codes ranking →

URLR

France · Published

URLR is a French company that sells only this product and says it hosts in France. The free plan caps new links at ten a month, and branded domains begin on the first paid tier. Larger plans count tracked visits rather than raw clicks, so check that definition against your expected campaign traffic before you commit.

Switch from Rebrandly if you want a French single-product supplier with EU hosting.

URLR holds rank 1 among 13 entries in our link shorteners and QR codes guide →

Linkly

United Kingdom · Published

Linkly Ltd is a London company that meters plans by new links and clicks each month. Its free tier covers 100 links and 500 clicks with one custom domain. Rotators, geo redirects and tracking pixels start on Pro, and the Starter plan is annual only. A viral campaign can use up the click quota and call for add-on packs.

Switch from Rebrandly if you want a UK company and a bill that follows your traffic.

See the full Linkly entry, ranked 13 of 13 among link shorteners and QR codes products →

YOURLS

Not stated by the vendor · Published

YOURLS is a set of PHP scripts you install on a server of your choice, under the MIT licence, with bookmarklets, an API and click reports. There is no operating company behind it, only community sponsorship. QR codes and team features arrive through plugins, so the capability you end up with depends on what you add.

Switch from Rebrandly if you want a private shortener with data on your own server.

YOURLS review, listed at 7 of 13 link shorteners and QR codes products →

Kutt

Not stated by the vendor · Published

Kutt is MIT-licensed, stores data in SQLite, Postgres or MySQL, and ships Docker compose files in its repository. An official hosted instance exists at kutt.to, but we saw no plan or price for it, so treat it as a tool you host. The maintainers are an open organisation with no stated company or address.

Switch from Rebrandly if you want a light open source shortener and are happy to host it.

Our link shorteners and QR codes guide puts Kutt at 8 of 13; read why →

Short.io

United States · Published

Short.io allows five custom domains on its free plan, where Rebrandly allows one branded domain plus one Rebrand.ly domain. The free branded-link cap is 1,000 in total rather than per month, so it runs out for good. The operator is Short.cm Inc, a Delaware corporation, and the paid trial lasts seven days.

Switch from Rebrandly if you need several branded domains early and accept a US operator.

Short.io comes 4 of 13 when link shorteners and QR codes products are ranked here →

Dub

Not stated by the vendor · Published

Dub centres on attribution, conversion tracking and partner programmes, and its pricing starts with a paid plan and a 14-day trial. Most of the code is AGPLv3 with a small commercial part, and self-hosting is documented. The price suits companies running affiliates, not those who only want tidy short links.

Switch from Rebrandly if you run partner or affiliate programmes and want an open codebase.

Open the Dub profile, 5th of 13 in the link shorteners and QR codes guide →

Bitly

United States · Published

Bitly is a New York company and the best-known name in the category. Its free plan is thin, at five links and two QR codes a month plus two landing pages. Core is billed annually only, and a free custom domain comes with the Growth plan. We list it last because small teams get least room there.

Switch from Rebrandly if you want the widest recognition and accept a US supplier.

Check Bitly in the ranked list (12 out of 13, link shorteners and QR codes) →

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Which alternative for which situation

  1. 01

    You want a very small European supplier

    Cuttly: A sole proprietor in Gdansk runs it, and the free plan allows 30 links a month with one branded domain.

  2. 02

    You want a French supplier hosting in France

    URLR: It is a single-product company; the free plan caps at ten new links a month and branded domains start on the first paid plan.

  3. 03

    You want to run the software yourself

    Shlink: It is MIT-licensed, distributed as a container image, and has no per-link meter; hosting and backups are yours.

  4. 04

    You need several branded domains on a free plan

    Short.io: The free plan allows five custom domains and 1,000 branded links in total, and the operator is a US corporation.

  5. 05

    Your links live on a WordPress site

    Pretty Links: The plugin keeps links on your own domain with no third-party redirect, on an annual licence priced by number of sites.

04

When Rebrandly is still the right choice

Rebrandly stays the sensible choice when branded domains are the core of the job and you want one vendor for links, QR codes, an API and webhooks. Its pricing page publishes every limit, the API allowance rises with each plan up to 1,000 calls a minute on Growth, and Enterprise adds the compliance and SSO your security team may require. If your pain is only the QR allowance, compare plan totals first.

05

What moving off Rebrandly involves

  1. 01

    Short links already printed must keep working

    Every printed QR code and posted link points at your Rebrandly domain. Keep the custom domain and move its DNS records to the new tool, or leave the old plan running until nothing live uses it. Moving domains is easier than reprinting.

  2. 02

    Click history rarely travels

    Tracked-click data and conversion data are held by Rebrandly, with conversion retention of 6 months on Professional and 1 year on Growth. Use the scheduled exports the page lists on those plans to save reports before you leave, and expect the new tool to start its own count from zero.

06

Questions about replacing Rebrandly

6 answers
How many links does Rebrandly's free plan allow?

The pricing page we read lists 10 links and 10 QR codes a month, with one Yourbrand.bio domain and one free Rebrand.ly domain. QR codes and link galleries on free carry a watermark.

Does Rebrandly cap clicks?

Redirects are described as unlimited, but tracked clicks used for analytics are capped: 100 a month on free, 10,000 on Essentials, 25,000 on Professional and 150,000 on Growth.

Where is Rebrandly based?

Our category notes list Ireland, which we did not re-check on the pricing page. The page does state GDPR, SOC 2 Type 2 and HIPAA compliance as Enterprise features.

Which alternatives are small European companies?

Cuttly is a sole proprietor in Gdansk, URLR is French and Linkly Ltd is in London. Shlink, YOURLS and Kutt are open source projects without a stated company.

Can I run my own shortener instead?

Yes. Shlink, YOURLS and Kutt are MIT-licensed and self-hosted. You take on hosting, upgrades and backups, and none of the three comes with a paid support contract.

Is there a free alternative with more links?

Cuttly's free plan allows 30 links a month, Linkly's 100 links and 500 clicks, and Short.io's a lifetime total of 1,000 branded links on five domains.

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Sources

Checked 5 November 2026
  • Rebrandly pricing: Plan limits for links, QR codes, tracked clicks, domains, teammates, API, webhooks, retention; free plan details; Enterprise features.
  • Cuttly: Gdansk sole proprietor, 30 free links, six tiers (as recorded in our category notes).
  • URLR: French single-product supplier, ten free links, branded domains on first paid plan.
  • Linkly: London company, 100 links and 500 clicks free, Starter annual only.
  • Shlink: MIT licence, container image, single maintainer.
  • YOURLS: MIT licence, PHP, community-driven, OpenCollective sponsorship.
  • Kutt repository: MIT licence, SQLite, Postgres or MySQL, Docker compose, kutt.to hosted instance.
  • Short.io: Five free custom domains, 1,000 lifetime branded links, seven-day trial, Short.cm Inc.
  • Pretty Links: WordPress plugin, annual licences by site count, introductory rates renew at full price.
  • Geniuslink: 1,000 clicks in base plan, extra thousands charged, custom domain as separate line.
  • Dub: 14-day trial, AGPLv3 core, self-hosting documented.
  • Bitly: Free plan of five links and two QR codes, Core annual only, New York company.
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Who wrote this

Last reviewed 5 November 2026

Sebastiaan Smits

Founder · Amsterdam, Netherlands

Founder of The Knowledge Engineers and of 2 Steps Ahead, an AI search visibility agency. Editorially responsible for every page on this site; research and drafting are AI-assisted.

Author and fact-checker: Sebastiaan Smits. This page was last reviewed on 5 November 2026; our review process is public.

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