Honest comparison of 7 free URL shortener APIs. Custom aliases, click analytics, rate limits, and working code examples. We include our own API alongside the best alternatives.
Last updated: March 6, 2026. All limits verified against official documentation.
Common use cases that require programmatic link shortening.
Generate trackable links for email campaigns, social media posts, and ad creatives. Track click-through rates per channel.
Shorten long URLs before sending in chat messages, SMS, or social media replies. Character limits matter.
Short URLs encode into simpler QR codes. Easier to scan, smaller to print. Branded domains add professionalism.
Generate short links for deployment previews, build artifacts, documentation URLs, or webhook payloads.
Shorten user-generated content URLs, sharing links, or invite URLs. White-label with your own domain.
Track which channels drive clicks. A/B test different URLs. Measure conversion from link to action.
The critical differences between free URL shortener APIs, at a glance.
| Provider | Free Links | Rate Limit | Signup? | Custom Alias | Analytics | Custom Domain | Bulk API |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bitly | 5/mo | 1K req/mo | Yes | 3/mo | 30-day | No | No |
| TinyURL | Unlimited | 600/mo | Yes | Yes | Paid only | No | No |
| Rebrandly | 10/mo | 10 RPS | Yes | Yes | Limited | 1 domain | No |
| Short.io | 1K total | 5-50 RPS | Yes | Yes | 50K clicks/mo | 5 domains | Yes |
| is.gd | Unlimited | 200/hr | No | Yes | Basic | No | No |
| Dub.co OSS | 25/mo | 60 req/min | Yes | Yes | 1K events/mo | 3 domains | Yes |
| Frostbyte This API | 200 credits | 120 req/min | No | Yes | Click count | No | No |
Note: Short.io's 1,000 links is a lifetime total, not monthly. Bitly shows interstitial ads on free-tier links. is.gd rate limits are per-IP.
Detailed pros and cons for each free URL shortener API.
The most recognized short link brand
Simple, unlimited shortening since 2002
Brand-focused with free custom domain
Most generous free tier for branded links
Zero-signup, zero-cost, dead simple
Modern, open-source, feature-rich
Developer-first, no signup required
Working code to shorten a URL with each provider. Copy, paste, run.
# Shorten a URL with is.gd (no auth needed)
curl "https://is.gd/create.php?format=json&url=https://example.com/very/long/url"
# With custom alias
curl "https://is.gd/create.php?format=json&url=https://example.com&shorturl=myalias"
# Response:
# {"shorturl":"https://is.gd/abc123"}// Shorten URL with is.gd - no API key needed
const url = 'https://example.com/very/long/url';
const res = await fetch(
`https://is.gd/create.php?format=json&url=${encodeURIComponent(url)}`
);
const data = await res.json();
console.log(data.shorturl);
// "https://is.gd/abc123"import requests
url = "https://example.com/very/long/url"
r = requests.get("https://is.gd/create.php", params={
"format": "json",
"url": url
})
print(r.json()["shorturl"])
# "https://is.gd/abc123"# Shorten a URL with TinyURL API
curl -X POST https://api.tinyurl.com/create \
-H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"url":"https://example.com/very/long/url","domain":"tinyurl.com"}'
# Response:
# {"data":{"tiny_url":"https://tinyurl.com/abc123","url":"https://example.com/..."}}// Shorten URL with TinyURL
const res = await fetch('https://api.tinyurl.com/create', {
method: 'POST',
headers: {
'Authorization': 'Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN',
'Content-Type': 'application/json'
},
body: JSON.stringify({
url: 'https://example.com/very/long/url',
domain: 'tinyurl.com'
})
});
const data = await res.json();
console.log(data.data.tiny_url);import requests
r = requests.post("https://api.tinyurl.com/create",
headers={"Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN"},
json={"url": "https://example.com/very/long/url",
"domain": "tinyurl.com"}
)
print(r.json()["data"]["tiny_url"])# Shorten a URL with Frostbyte (no signup needed)
curl -X POST https://agent-gateway-kappa.vercel.app/v1/short-url \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"url":"https://example.com/very/long/url"}'
# With custom alias
curl -X POST https://agent-gateway-kappa.vercel.app/v1/short-url \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"url":"https://example.com","alias":"my-link"}'
# Response:
# {"shortUrl":"https://agent-gateway-kappa.vercel.app/s/abc123","alias":"abc123","originalUrl":"https://example.com/..."}// Shorten URL with Frostbyte - no API key needed
const res = await fetch('https://agent-gateway-kappa.vercel.app/v1/short-url', {
method: 'POST',
headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
body: JSON.stringify({
url: 'https://example.com/very/long/url'
})
});
const data = await res.json();
console.log(data.shortUrl);
// "https://agent-gateway-kappa.vercel.app/s/abc123"import requests
r = requests.post(
"https://agent-gateway-kappa.vercel.app/v1/short-url",
json={"url": "https://example.com/very/long/url"}
)
print(r.json()["shortUrl"])
# "https://agent-gateway-kappa.vercel.app/s/abc123"Try the Frostbyte URL shortener right now. No signup, no API key.
What happens when you outgrow the free tier? Cost comparison for 10K and 100K links/month.
| Provider | Free Tier | 10K links/mo | 100K links/mo | Billing Model |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bitly | 5 links/mo | ~$199/mo (Growth) | ~$499/mo (Premium) | Tiered plans |
| TinyURL | Unlimited | $12.99/mo (Pro) | Custom pricing | Feature-based plans |
| Rebrandly | 10 links/mo | $89/mo (Premium) | Custom pricing | Link volume tiers |
| Short.io | 1K links total | $19/mo (Personal) | $49/mo (Team) | Volume tiers |
| is.gd | Unlimited | Free (200/hr) | Free (200/hr) | Rate-limited only |
| Dub.co | 25 links/mo | $24/mo (Pro) | $59/mo (Business) | Volume + features |
| Frostbyte | 200 credits | $1 USDC top-up | $10 USDC top-up | Pay-per-use (credits) |
Key insight: is.gd is free forever but rate-limited to ~4,800 links/day. For high-volume branded links, Short.io and Dub.co offer the best value. Frostbyte uses pay-per-use credits with no monthly commitment.
Pick the right URL shortener API based on your specific use case.
Need to shorten URLs in a script or bot without creating accounts or managing API keys?
Want your company domain (yourbrand.co/link) on shortened URLs for professional appearance?
Need to track who clicks your links, where they come from, and measure campaign performance?
Shortening thousands of URLs per month for a platform or SaaS product?
Want to self-host your URL shortener or contribute to the codebase?
Want a simple REST API with no monthly commitment? Pay only for what you use?
Common questions about URL shortener APIs.
- to any URL). TinyURL requires a paid plan for analytics.yourbrand.co/link instead of bit.ly/abc.No signup required. Shorten your first URL in under 10 seconds.