We evaluated 8 platforms across routing capabilities, analytics depth, custom domains, team features, and pricing. Here's what we found.
Last updated: June 2026
Feature matrix — top 4 platforms at a glance
| Criteria | Revolink | Bitly | Dub | Rebrandly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Routing rules | ✓ | ✗ | Partial | ✗ |
| A/B testing | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Custom domain free | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | Paid |
| Conversion tracking | ✓ | Paid only | ✗ | Paid only |
| Real-time analytics | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Value for SMBs | ✓ | Partial | ✓ | ✗ |
Quick picks
Jump to the right tool without reading every word. Each pick is the strongest option for a specific use case.
The only platform with geo, device, time, and A/B routing on the free plan. Built for marketers who run multi-destination campaigns.
Best for: Performance marketers, agencies, ecommerce teams
Price: Free · paid from $5/mo
Household name with strong brand recognition. But the free plan is limited to 10 links/month and has no routing — you'll hit the wall fast.
Best for: Enterprises needing a trusted shortener brand
Price: Free (limited) · paid from $35/mo
Open-source with a great API and self-hosting option. If your team writes code and wants full control, Dub is the strongest pick.
Best for: Developer teams, SaaS products, API-first workflows
Price: Free · paid from $19/mo
Deep white-label and brand management features. Custom domains, link retargeting, SSO. Overkill and expensive for small teams.
Best for: Large enterprises with strict brand governance
Price: Free (5 links) · paid from $29/mo
How we evaluated
We tested each platform hands-on across five dimensions that matter most for marketing and campaign teams.
Geo redirect, device-based routing, time-based routing, A/B split testing. These features determine whether a platform can handle real campaign complexity.
Real-time click dashboards, UTM parameter tracking, country and device breakdown, conversion event tracking. We tested what's available at each pricing tier.
Whether you can use your own branded domain (go.yourbrand.com) on the free plan or if it's gated behind paid tiers.
Multi-user access, role-based permissions, workspace separation, client reporting. Tested for agencies and teams managing multiple accounts.
What you actually get for free vs what costs money. We looked at limits, overage fees, and whether the free plan is genuinely usable or just a trial.
Platform breakdown
Strengths, weaknesses, and who each tool is actually right for. We're included in this list and noted where others outperform us.
Routing-first link management
Geo, device, time, and A/B routing on the free plan
Custom domain included free (no credit card)
Real-time analytics with UTM tracking
Smaller brand recognition than Bitly or Rebrandly
No mobile app yet
Best for: Marketers and agencies running multi-destination campaigns
Pricing: Free · paid from $5/mo
The most recognized link shortener
Universally trusted brand — links are accepted everywhere
Solid basic analytics with a clean dashboard
Large enterprise customer base with good uptime history
Free plan: only 10 links/month — not usable for real campaigns
No geo, device, or A/B routing on any plan
Best for: Enterprises that need a brand-safe shortener, not routing
Pricing: Free (10 links) · paid from $35/mo
↳ Revolink gives you routing capabilities Bitly doesn't offer at any price tier.
Open-source, developer-focused
Open-source — self-host for full control
Clean REST API with good documentation
Custom domains and team features on free plan
No native A/B testing or advanced routing rules
Smaller feature set for non-technical marketers
Best for: Developer teams and SaaS products needing API-first link management
Pricing: Free · paid from $19/mo
↳ Dub wins on API quality; Revolink wins on routing and A/B testing without needing to write code.
Enterprise brand management
Deep white-label and custom domain management
Link retargeting pixels and conversion tracking
SSO and enterprise governance features
Free plan: only 5 branded links — not a real free tier
No routing rules — destination is fixed per link
Best for: Large enterprises with strict brand control requirements
Pricing: Free (5 links) · paid from $29/mo
↳ Rebrandly has better white-label branding tools; Revolink has better routing and is far more affordable.
Developer-friendly with solid API
Generous free plan with custom domains
Good API documentation for technical teams
iOS/Android app for link creation on the go
No A/B testing or advanced routing
Analytics less detailed than Revolink or Rebrandly
Best for: Technical teams needing a reliable shortener with API access
Pricing: Free · paid from $19/mo
↳ Similar pricing, but Short.io has no routing. If you need smart link behavior, Revolink is the better pick.
Bio link pages for social creators
Very easy setup for social media link-in-bio pages
Large ecosystem of page templates
Native integrations with creator monetization tools
Not a link management platform — no URL shortening or tracking
Links are hosted on linktree.com, not your domain
Best for: Creators who only need a simple bio page, not link tracking
Pricing: Free · paid from $5/mo
↳ Linktree and Revolink solve different problems. Linktree is a page builder; Revolink manages and routes individual links.
Simple shortener, no frills
Completely free for basic shortening
No account required for quick links
Long-established — links are trusted by spam filters
No analytics, no custom domains, no routing
No team features, no API worth using
Best for: One-off link shortening where no tracking is needed
Pricing: Free · paid from $12.99/mo
↳ TinyURL is for convenience. Revolink is for campaigns. They're not really competing for the same use case.
Enterprise-only link management
Strong enterprise feature set with SSO and SAML
Click fraud detection built in
Good compliance and audit trail features
No free plan — starts at $48/mo
No routing or A/B testing capabilities
Best for: Large enterprises with compliance and governance requirements
Pricing: From $48/mo — no free plan
↳ BL.INK is for enterprise compliance; Revolink is for routing performance. Very different priorities.
Feature comparison
| Platform | Routing rules | A/B testing | Free custom domain | Conversions | UTM tracking | API access | Starting price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revolink | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Free / $5+ |
| Bitly | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | Paid only | ✓ | Paid only | Free (10 links) / $35+ |
| Dub | Partial | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | Free / $19+ |
| Rebrandly | ✗ | ✗ | Paid only | Paid only | ✓ | Paid only | Free (5 links) / $29+ |
| Short.io | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | Free / $19+ |
| Linktree | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | Partial | ✗ | Free / $5+ |
| TinyURL | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | Free / $12.99+ |
| BL.INK | ✗ | ✗ | Paid only | Paid only | ✓ | ✓ | From $48/mo |
Our honest take
Routing and A/B testing are part of your workflow. Running campaigns across multiple countries, platforms, or audience segments? Revolink is the only platform in this comparison where you can create a single link that routes visitors differently based on their country, device, or the time of day — all on the free plan. Same goes for A/B testing: split traffic between two destinations and measure which converts better without any extra tools.
Routing doesn't matter to you. If you just need a trusted shortener and brand recognition is the priority, Bitly is the safe choice despite its limited free plan. If you're a developer who wants an open-source, self-hosted option with a great API, Dub is a better fit. If you're an enterprise with governance and SSO requirements, Rebrandly or BL.INK are built for that.
No single platform is best for everyone. The question is whether smart routing is on your requirements list. If it is, the comparison becomes short.
8
Platforms evaluated
23
Features compared
<50ms
Revolink redirect speed
Free
Custom domain on free plan
FAQ
A link management platform lets you create, track, and control shortened URLs at scale. Unlike a basic URL shortener, a link management platform gives you analytics (clicks, countries, devices), the ability to change the destination URL without breaking the link, custom branded domains, and advanced routing — like sending US visitors to one page and EU visitors to another. Examples: Revolink, Bitly, Dub, Rebrandly.
A URL shortener (like the original TinyURL) just makes links shorter. A link management platform does that plus: click analytics with country and device breakdowns, the ability to edit the destination after publishing, custom domains (go.yourbrand.com), team collaboration, UTM parameter tracking, and routing rules that change where a link points based on who's clicking. You need a link management platform the moment you want to know what's happening with your links, not just shorten them.
Revolink and Dub offer the most generous free plans. Revolink includes custom domains, routing rules, and real-time analytics at no cost. Dub includes custom domains and API access. Bitly's free plan is limited to 10 links/month, which isn't workable for active campaigns. Rebrandly allows only 5 branded links on free. BL.INK has no free plan at all.
Most do — but many only on paid plans. Revolink and Dub include custom domain support on the free plan (e.g. go.yourbrand.com). Rebrandly and Short.io support custom domains but require paid tiers. Bitly moved custom domains to paid plans years ago. If a branded short domain matters to you, Revolink or Dub are the only platforms where you get it for free.
Revolink is the only platform in this comparison that includes advanced routing on the free plan. Routing means one link can send visitors to different destinations based on their country, device type, or the time of day. A/B testing lets you split traffic between two destination URLs and measure which converts better. Bitly, Rebrandly, Short.io, and BL.INK don't offer routing at any tier. Dub has basic geo routing but no A/B testing.
Migrating destination URLs is easy — you update where your links point. Migrating the short links themselves (the actual shortened URLs) is harder because those live on the old platform's domain. The practical approach: create new links on the new platform going forward, and for high-traffic existing links, set up a redirect from old to new. Most platforms, including Revolink, let you import link lists via CSV so you can recreate your library quickly. Historical click data typically stays on the old platform.
Deep dives
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