Have you ever found yourself in the middle of a Tweet and realized you don’t have enough characters to include a link to your brand new blog post? As you hurry to condense your Tweet, keep in mind that there is a simpler solution: a URL shortener.
You can reduce long and complicated URLs to a few configurable characters when you use URL shorteners. Anyone with a website, social media profiles, and a brand to promote can benefit from URL shorteners.
Below are several reasons why you need a URL shortener and check out our top eight picks.
Why Do You Need A Url Shortener?
There are numerous advantages to using URL shorteners when sharing your blog or social media campaign links.
- Create your brand links. URL shorteners allow you to customize your short link and provide you the ability to insert and advertise your brand name.
- Keep track of performance. Most URL shorteners allow you to track the performance of your links. Tracking data such as who visited your link and when or from where will assist you in calculating the ROI of the campaign.
- Make the most of your character limitations. Twitter, for example, frequently has character limitations. Twitter, for example, does not allow you to type more than 280 characters. Shortening URLs gives you additional space to discuss the stuff you’re promoting.
- Shorter links are neater. If you connect to a web page deep within your website or use UTM parameters to track your visitors, you may wind up with a long URL. A large URL looks cluttered and clumsy anywhere you share it, whether on social media, emails, or text. URL shorteners keep your links looking neat and trustworthy.
8 Best Url Shorteners
Here are some of the top URL shorteners available to assist you in shortening those lengthy URLs.
1. Bitly [Best overall URL shortener]
Bitly is one of the world’s most popular URL shorteners. You can shorten a link without making an account or signing up and shorten and track links from your account. You can shorten 50 links each month with unlimited clicks, app integrations, and link reporting with the free version.
The $35/month package includes 1500 links per month, link redirection, and other features. There is also a $300 plan available, which may be seen on the plans page. If you’re new to blogging or social media promotion and want to shorten and track the performance of your links, Bitly is worth a look.
2. TinyURL [Best for anonymous use]
TinyURL, founded in 2002, is one of the first URL shorteners. The tool’s usability is one of its most vital points. You may instantly shorten a link by going to the website and entering the URL details. The icing on the cake is that the shortened links never expire.
TinyURL requires a premium subscription to build your business, which starts at $9.99/month (Annual plan) for 500 active URLs or $99/month for 100k URLs. However, TinyURL is, in general, one of the greatest URL shorteners you should try.
3. Rebrandly [For branded short links]
While you can’t shorten links without signing up with Rebrandly, it’s an excellent solution if you want to establish a business and keep track of links. You receive unlimited fast redirection, 25,000 monitored clicks each month, 5,000 branded links, and five custom domain names for just $24 per month (Annually).
Once you sign up for a plan, you can track almost everything from the Rebrandly dashboard, which is undoubtedly one of the best features of this program. The user interface is excellent, and tracking is simple. Even a fifth-grader can generate and track short links with Rebrandly.
4. Tiny.CC [For quick, anonymous use]
Tiny.CC is an excellent replacement for Bitly and Tiny URL. If you are in a rush, you can create a quick short link or register and create a long-lasting short link in your account. If you’re looking for a link shortener for commercial needs, Tiny.CC has you covered.
The basic monthly plan is $5, while other options cost up to $44 per month. Visit the official Tiny.CC website to learn more about the features of each plan. You receive a Dashboard to monitor things, a URL manager, Link health, and so on, just like with other premium UI shorteners. Overall, it is one of the greatest link shorteners and is well worth a look.
5. Cuttly [For adding a CTA to the links]
If you’re looking for a quick way to shorten a link, you might want to stick with one of our top selections on the list. However, Cuttly is an excellent tool if you have a business and want to track links and their statistics in depth.
After creating an account, you’ll be brought to your dashboard, where you can view the number of clicks, all URLs and links added this month, and add new domains. One big criticism is Cuttly’s login method. It’s long, with no Google, Twitter, or Facebook connection. After you submit the information, you must additionally validate your email address.
Regarding the tool’s plans and pricing, the basic plan is $25 per month, and the other options range up to $149 per month. Visit the official Cuttly website to learn more about the plans and select the best one for your needs.
6. BL.INK [For business owners]
BL.INK is a full-featured URL shortener tool with an easy-to-use dashboard tracking link activity. You can, for example, analyze traffic depending on geographic area, device type, language, and even referrer to better understand where your target audience is and how they’re accessing your content. You can also learn what time of day your clicks are most active.
You can also use BL.INK to build bespoke short links for better branding, and you can even try out the beta version of Smart Link to generate highly targeted word-based URLs that will drive traffic to your site and inspire people to convert. And, to ensure that only the appropriate team members have access to your link shortener tool, enable user rights.
BL.INK has tiered plans, meaning you only pay for your use. The free plan contains 1000 links, each with 1000 clicks. Premium options begin at $48/month and include numerous users, more links and clicks, priority assistance, and tracking such as device/language/location.
7. T2M [Best for branded short URLs with QR Codes]
T2M is yet another full-service link shortener with a dashboard full of statistics and link activity for you to review. You can also create custom branded links that never expire, create links in bulk to save time and work, and distribute links to social media with a single click.
T2M also has the following outstanding features:
- Target geographic locations with your links
- Password protect URLs
- Unlimited link creation and tracking stats
- No advertisements or spam are allowed.
- Easy-to-use dashboard with search functionality for easy link management
- Free Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate.
- 404 redirects
- Built-in GDPR privacy
- CVS import and export tool
The basic plan has a $5 setup cost and is free indefinitely with monthly link creation and tracking limits. Premium plans begin at $9.99 per month and include access to premium features.
8. Shorte.ST [For monetizing links]
Shorte.ST makes it simple to monetize links and distribute the perfect URLs to the right audience. When consumers click on a URL, they are taken to an intermediary page before accessing the destination page. You will then be paid a commission for each time the ad is viewed.
Most URL shorteners will tell you where people click on your links and what device they use. Shorte.ST, on the other hand, goes this further by allowing you to send a customized link to visitors in different regions or using different devices.
This is useful to ensure that visitors from different locations see the correct currency or those other device users receive the right app download link. In addition, the Statistics and Click Stream sections help delve into the statistics surrounding when, where, and how users click on your links.
Integrations with Slack, Zapier, and Google Chrome make it possible to shorten URLs without leaving the program you’re working in. A free plan includes 1,000 branded links and 50,000 tracked clicks. A Personal account is $20 per month and includes limitless branded links, tracked clicks, and other capabilities such as nation targeting.
Finally, the Editor’s Choice
To summarize, all of them are excellent URL shorteners, but if we had to pick and recommend just a few, we’d go with Bitly, Tiny URL, and Tiny.CC because they are among the oldest and most trusted URL shorteners on the market.
The best URL shortener for you is determined by how many active links you require, whether you want analytics features, or you want to customize the domain. So, choose your priorities and the purposes for which you will use the URL shortener, and then, like with other software, use the free tiers and trials before committing.