Best Self Hosted Alternatives to Bitly

YOURLS (Your Own URL Shortener) is a PHP application for running a private URL shortening service under your own domain. It provides a web interface and an API to create, manage, and track short links, with extensibility via plugins and themes.

Key Features

• Create short URLs for long links using sequential IDs or custom keywords
• Public or private mode (use as an internal shortener or an open service)
• Link analytics: click counts and referrer tracking for each short URL
• Admin web interface for managing links, keywords, titles, and stats
• Developer-friendly API for automation and third-party integrations
• Plugin system to extend behavior (authentication, spam controls, custom formats, etc.)
• Custom URL structures (e.g., prefixing, reserved keywords) and configurable redirects

Use Cases

• Branded short links for marketing campaigns and social media posts
• Internal link shortener for teams (docs, ticket links, shared resources)
• Programmatic short-link generation via API for apps and automation workflows

Limitations and Considerations

• Requires a traditional LAMP/LEMP-style stack (PHP + MySQL/MariaDB) and ongoing patching like any web app
• Built-in analytics are basic compared to dedicated marketing analytics suites

YOURLS is a mature, widely-used option for organizations that want full control over short-link domains and data. It fits well when you need simple link management, dependable redirects, and lightweight per-link statistics with the option to extend via plugins.

Kutt is a modern URL shortener you can run yourself, designed for creating branded short links and tracking how they perform. It provides a clean web interface and an API for managing links, domains, and users, making it suitable for teams and automated workflows.

Key Features

• Custom domains for branded short links
• Web UI for creating, editing, disabling, and deleting short URLs
• Link analytics (e.g., clicks over time, referrers, countries/devices depending on configuration)
• Optional authentication and multi-user support for managing links
• REST API for programmatic link creation and management
• Admin features for managing users, links, and settings
• Docker-based deployment support

Use Cases

• Replace SaaS shorteners (e.g., Bitly) for marketing or internal link sharing
• Create branded short links for documentation, campaigns, and QR codes
• Provide an internal link-shortening service integrated into scripts and CI via API

Limitations and Considerations

• Analytics depth depends on deployment configuration and may be less extensive than enterprise SaaS platforms.

Kutt is a practical choice when you need branded short links, basic-to-moderate analytics, and an automation-friendly API without relying on a third-party short-link provider. It fits both personal and organizational deployments with lightweight administration.

Shlink is a self-hosted URL shortener built around a robust REST API, designed for creating and managing short links at scale. It supports multiple ways to interact with the service (API, CLI, and companion web UI) and includes detailed tracking and operational features.

Key Features

• REST API-first design for creating, resolving, and managing short URLs
• Web UI available via the companion project (Shlink Web Client) for link and analytics management
• Detailed visit analytics (visits over time, referrers, user agents, countries/cities when available)
• QR code generation for short URLs (downloadable/embeddable)
• Custom domains and per-link domain selection
• Custom slugs, link expiration, and maximum-visit limits
• Tagging and search/filtering of short URLs
• Multiple storage backends supported (commonly relational DBs like MariaDB/MySQL/PostgreSQL)

Use Cases

• Replace hosted shorteners for marketing links with privacy-controlled analytics
• Create shareable short links and QR codes for printed materials and events
• Provide an internal link shortener for teams, docs, and tooling via API/CLI

Limitations and Considerations

• Geolocation analytics depend on IP-to-geo databases/configuration and may be less precise behind proxies/VPNs if not configured correctly.

Shlink fits teams and individuals who need a reliable short-link platform with strong automation support. Its API-centric approach and companion tools make it suitable both for ad-hoc usage and integration into existing systems.

LinkAce is a web-based bookmark manager for saving and organizing links in your own installation. It focuses on fast link capture, structured organization (tags/lists), and powerful retrieval via search, while supporting multiple users and granular visibility.

Key Features

• Save bookmarks with title, description, tags, and lists for structured organization
• Full-text search across stored link data to quickly retrieve saved resources
• Private/unlisted/public visibility options to control who can see saved links
• Multi-user support for shared installations (e.g., team or family use)
• Import/export capabilities to migrate bookmarks between services/installations
• Optional link checks/metadata fetching to enrich saved URLs (site title/preview)
• Responsive web UI designed for daily “read later” and reference workflows

Use Cases

• Personal knowledge collection: keep a searchable archive of articles, docs, and tools
• Team link library: share curated resources with controlled visibility
• Research workflows: tag and categorize sources for later citation and review

LinkAce is a practical alternative to hosted bookmarking services when you want ownership of your saved links and flexible organization. It combines tagging, lists, and search in a single web app suitable for both individuals and small groups.

Slash is a self-hosted URL shortening service focused on creating and managing branded short links for individuals and teams. It provides a web UI and API to generate, organize, and track short URLs using custom domains.

Key Features:

• Create short links with customizable slugs/aliases
• Support for custom domains for branded links
• Web-based management UI for creating and organizing links
• Click analytics (basic traffic insights per link)
• Team/workspace-oriented management (multi-user collaboration)
• API for programmatic link creation and management

Use Cases:

• Host branded short links for marketing campaigns and social posts
• Provide stable redirect links for documentation, QR codes, and printed materials
• Offer an internal link shortener for teams to share memorable URLs

Limitations and Considerations

• Feature depth and analytics capabilities may be more basic than enterprise hosted short-link platforms
• Deployment and scaling options depend on your chosen infrastructure and database/runtime configuration n Slash is a practical choice if you want ownership of your short-link domain(s) and link data while keeping a simple workflow for link creation and sharing. It fits well for organizations that need branded short URLs and basic tracking without relying on third-party hosted services.

Zipline is a self-hosted file upload and sharing service designed for quickly uploading files (especially images) and sharing them via clean links. It provides an admin UI and API-focused workflow, with configurable storage backends and link utilities so you can run a lightweight “ShareX-like” server.

Key Features

• Web UI for uploads and administration, plus an HTTP API for programmatic/CLI clients
• URL shortening with redirect management alongside file hosting
• Supports local disk and S3-compatible object storage backends
• Direct links and share pages optimized for quick sharing (including images)
• User/auth management and configurable application settings for controlled access

Use Cases

• Personal or team “ShareX target” for fast screenshot/image uploads and share links
• Host and share small files internally with simple URLs
• Run a private URL shortener for homelab/teams alongside file uploads

Limitations and Considerations

• Not intended to be a full sync-and-collaboration suite (e.g., drive-style document editing)

Zipline fits best when you want a minimal, fast upload endpoint with a clean UI and API. With object storage support and URL shortening in one service, it works well as a small, private sharing utility for individuals or teams.

Slink is a lightweight, self-hosted URL shortener that lets you create and manage short links that redirect to long URLs. It focuses on a clean UI and straightforward operations for individuals and small teams that want to control their link data.

Key Features

• Create short links that redirect to target URLs
• Optional custom slugs for human-friendly short URLs
• Link management UI (create, list, edit, delete)
• Basic click tracking/analytics per link
• Configuration via environment variables for deployment

Use Cases

• Replace SaaS shorteners for internal tools, documentation, and marketing links
• Create memorable short URLs for printed materials or presentations
• Track basic engagement (click counts) for shared links

Limitations and Considerations

• Analytics and audience insights are relatively basic compared to enterprise/SaaS shorteners
• Feature depth (teams/roles, advanced campaigns, deep integrations) may be limited depending on your needs

Slink is a good fit when you need a simple, controlled alternative to hosted link shorteners without extra marketing-suite complexity. It’s best suited for straightforward shortening and lightweight tracking.