# Free alternatives to Bitly

> Bitly (Core) costs $120 a year. Free alternatives: Shlink and Dub. Data checked 2026-10-17.

- Page: https://stoprenting.dev/apps/bitly/
- Category: Marketing (https://stoprenting.dev/categories/marketing/)
- Vendor: Bitly
- Plan: Core
- Price: $10/month, $120/year
- Billing: annual only ($120/yr)
- Price quote from the vendor's page: "Core Annual Only $ 10 /month Annual charge of $120"
- Price source: https://bitly.com/pages/pricing (checked 2026-10-17)

## Alternatives

### Shlink

- Website: https://shlink.io
- Repository: https://github.com/shlinkio/shlink (5,338 stars, last push 2026-10-12)
- License: MIT
- Open source: yes, OSI-approved license
- Type: server app
- Linux: self-hosted server; web UI
- Self-hostable: yes
- More: https://stoprenting.dev/alternatives/shlink/
- Checked: 2026-10-17

### Dub

- Website: https://dub.co
- Repository: https://github.com/dubinc/dub (24,877 stars, last push 2026-10-12)
- License: AGPL-3.0 (ee dirs commercial)
- Open source: yes, OSI-approved license
- Type: server app
- Linux: self-hosted server; web UI
- Self-hostable: yes
- More: https://stoprenting.dev/alternatives/dub/
- Checked: 2026-10-17

## FAQ

### Is there a free alternative to Bitly?

Yes. The 2 free alternatives are Shlink (open source, MIT) and Dub (open source, AGPL-3.0).

### How much does Bitly cost?

Bitly's Core plan costs $10 a month, which is $120 a year (annual only ($120/yr)). Source: the official pricing page at bitly.com, checked Oct 17, 2026.

### Which Bitly alternatives run on Linux?

Shlink (self-hosted server; web UI) and Dub (self-hosted server; web UI).

### Can you self-host a Bitly alternative?

Yes. Shlink and Dub run on your own server.

### Are these Bitly alternatives open source?

Yes. All 2 use OSI-approved open-source licenses: Shlink (MIT) and Dub (AGPL-3.0).

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Source: Stop Renting (https://stoprenting.dev). Methodology: https://stoprenting.dev/methodology/