Rebrandly gives you a branded domain for free, and Bitly doesn't. That's the shortest honest answer. On the pricing pages I checked on 2026-10-24, Rebrandly's free plan lists 1 custom domain, while Bitly's Free and Core plans list none and a complimentary custom domain appears from Growth.
Beyond that the two differ in emphasis. On one side, Bitly sells a link platform with landing pages, link-in-bio and QR pages attached. Rebrandly sells branded links with traffic routing from its Professional plan. Below I lay both out in the same format I use for Short.io vs Rebrandly and Dub vs Bitly, so you can compare across all three.
Sources: Bitly pricing and Rebrandly pricing, both accessed 2026-10-24. Where a page was unclear or didn't say, I've said so and stated no number.
At a glance
- Custom domain on the free plan: Bitly no, Rebrandly yes (1, plus a Rebrand.ly domain).
- Custom domain count: Bitly "complimentary" from Growth, count not shown. Rebrandly 1, 2, 3, then 10 from Free to Growth.
- Free plan: Bitly 5 links and 2 QR codes a month, labeled "With Ads". Rebrandly 10 links, 100 tracked clicks and 10 QR codes a month.
- Location and device routing: not shown on Bitly's page, listed by Rebrandly from Professional.
- Landing pages: Bitly lists them (2 on Free up to 20 on Premium). Rebrandly's galleries weren't shown in my fetch.
- Analytics retention: Bitly 30 days (Core), 120 days (Growth), 1 year (Premium). Rebrandly 6 months (Professional), 1 year (Growth).
- Data location stated: neither.
Pricing and limits
Both pages have quirks, and I'd rather show them than smooth them over.
| Level | Bitly | Rebrandly |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0: 5 links, 2 QR codes a month | $0: 10 links, 100 tracked clicks, 10 QR codes a month, 1 domain |
| Entry | Core $10 a month billed $120 a year: 100 links, 5 QR codes, no custom domain | Essentials: 250 links, 10,000 tracked clicks, 250 QR codes, 2 domains |
| Mid | Growth $29 a month as displayed ($348 a year): 500 links, 10 QR codes, branded links | Professional: 1,500 links, 25,000 tracked clicks, 1,500 QR codes, 3 domains, routing |
| High | Premium $199 a month as displayed ($2,388 a year): 3,000 links, 200 QR codes | Growth: 3,500 links, 150,000 tracked clicks, 3,500 QR codes, 10 domains |
| Top | Enterprise, custom | Enterprise, custom |
What I can't give you: a single clean Rebrandly price per tier. The page shows pairs such as $32 and $22 for Professional and $149 and $104 for Growth, with no label for which is monthly and which is annual, and it also shows a stray "$22/mo" next to Free. I'm not going to guess, so check the toggle yourself. Bitly's page lists only annual charges for Core, Growth and Premium, so the monthly figures there are "as displayed" and may not match month-to-month billing.
One meter matters more than the price.
The link allowance on Bitly is small: 100 a month on Core, 500 on Growth. Rebrandly's is 250 on Essentials and 1,500 on Professional. If you create links in volume, that gap decides your tier before branding does.
Branded domains
A branded link needs a custom domain, and this is where the vendors split. On Rebrandly, the free plan includes 1 custom domain, and the count climbs slowly: 2, 3, then 10 on Growth. Bitly's page shows no custom domain on Free or Core and a complimentary one from Growth, without a count. The page's check marks didn't come through in the text I fetched, so I read this from the plan descriptions. If a branded domain is a hard requirement, confirm the Growth line on the live page before you pay.
For choosing a domain and slug style, see vanity URLs explained and the custom domains guide.
Analytics, QR codes and routing
Both meter analytics. The retention window on Bitly grows with the plan: 30 days on Core, 120 days on Growth, 1 year on Premium and 2 years on Enterprise. Rebrandly lists 6 months on Professional, 1 year on Growth and 2 years on Enterprise, and meters detailed engagement data in tracked clicks per month. Bitly's page says click totals are unlimited on every plan, so the two use different meters and you shouldn't compare the numbers directly.
QR codes are rationed by both. Bitly lists 2, 5, 10 and 200 a month from Free to Premium. Rebrandly lists 10, 250, 1,500 and 3,500 from Free to Growth. If you print QR codes in volume, Rebrandly's allowance is much larger per tier. The differentiator for Bitly is the surrounding product: its page describes landing pages that a QR code can point to, plus link-in-bio pages and a UTM builder.
Routing is where Rebrandly leads. Its page lists dynamic traffic routing from Professional, and its comparison table lists location and device rules. Bitly's page doesn't show device or geo routing; it lists mobile deep links and country and city data as tracking features. For how conditional routing works in practice, see smart links explained.
Residency and compliance
Neither pricing page says where click data is stored. The Bitly page only says customer data "stays yours and is never used to train AI models." I found no region choice on either, and I won't claim there isn't one elsewhere on their sites. If you have a written EU requirement, ask both vendors for a written answer. Is Bitly GDPR compliant? goes through that question for Bitly.
A fair note on Elido, since I'm publishing this on its blog. Elido's privacy page says its primary database, analytics store and backups are in the EU, but its redirect network also has nodes in the US and Asia that process visitor requests, and per-workspace region selection isn't available yet. So Elido isn't a clean answer to every residency requirement either.
Elido does support country and device targeting rules per link. Elido vs Bitly and Elido vs Rebrandly have the detail, and the best EU URL shorteners compares the wider field.
Which one to pick
Pick Rebrandly if you want a branded domain at the lowest price, larger QR allowances, or per-link routing by country and device. Pick Bitly if landing pages, link-in-bio and a mainstream, familiar brand matter more than the domain count, and you can accept that branded links start at Growth. If you're comparing against a third vendor, the Dub vs Bitly and Short.io vs Rebrandly posts linked at the top use the same layout.
Related on the blog
Frequently asked questions
What is the main difference between Bitly and Rebrandly?
Rebrandly includes a custom domain on its free plan and lists location and device routing from its Professional plan. Bitly's free plan has no custom domain, and its pricing page lists a complimentary custom domain only from Growth. Bitly puts more weight on landing pages and QR pages. Both figures are from the vendors' pricing pages, accessed 2026-10-24.
Does Bitly include a custom domain for free?
No. Bitly's pricing page (accessed 2026-10-24) shows no custom domain on Free or Core. A complimentary custom domain appears from Growth, which the page lists at $29 a month as displayed ($348 a year). Rebrandly lists 1 custom domain on its free plan.
Is Rebrandly better than Bitly for branded links?
On price of entry, yes: Rebrandly lists 1 custom domain at $0, 2 on Essentials, 3 on Professional and 10 on Growth. Bitly lists branded links from Growth. Bitly offers more landing-page and QR-page tooling. If one branded domain at low cost is the job, Rebrandly gets you there sooner.
Which is cheaper, Bitly or Rebrandly?
At the paid entry level, Bitly Core is the cheaper line item ($10 a month billed $120 a year, accessed 2026-10-24), but it has no custom domain and 100 links a month. Rebrandly's page shows several unlabeled figures per tier, so I don't state one price for Essentials. For a branded domain you compare Bitly Growth ($29 displayed) with Rebrandly's free or Essentials plan.
Do both Bitly and Rebrandly offer QR codes and analytics?
Yes, both meter them. Bitly lists 2 QR codes a month on Free, 5 on Core, 10 on Growth and 200 on Premium. Rebrandly lists 10, 250, 1,500 and 3,500 a month from Free to Growth. Bitly lists 30 days of analytics retention on Core and 120 days on Growth. Rebrandly lists 6 months on Professional and 1 year on Growth.
Is there a better alternative to both Bitly and Rebrandly?
It depends on what they miss for you. Neither pricing page states where click data is stored, so a team with a written EU requirement has to ask both vendors. Elido hosts its primary database and analytics store in the EU, but per-workspace region selection isn't available yet.
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