The best Cutt.ly alternative depends on which Cutt.ly limit you hit. If it is analytics history or EU data residency, Elido is our pick, and we make it, so read that as a disclosed bias. If you want the most free branded links, Short.io. If you automate branded domains at volume, Rebrandly. If you build from code, Dub. If recipients should recognise the domain, Bitly. If you need one link in ten seconds, TinyURL.
Cutt.ly is a decent shortener with a free plan that includes a custom domain, so this is not a takedown. It is a map for people who already hit a wall. For the wider field, start from the best URL shorteners roundup or the EU-focused version.
Why People Leave Cutt.ly
People leave Cutt.ly because of numbers on its own pricing page, not because the product is broken. As of 2026-10-02 (accessed on Cutt.ly's pricing page), the Free plan gives 30 new links a month, one branded domain, 30 days of analytics history, one non-customisable QR style and an API limit of 3 requests per 60 seconds.
The paid ladder is where most switches start:
- Starter is $12 a month ($132 yearly): 300 links a month, still 1 domain, still 30 days of analytics.
- Single is $25 a month: 5,000 links, 5 domains, 1 year of analytics, customisable QR codes.
- Team is $99 a month: 20,000 links, 10 domains, 2 years of analytics, up to 5 team members.
- Team Enterprise is $149 a month: 50,000 links, 99 domains, up to 20 members.
Read that as a pattern. The $12 plan does not fix the 30-day analytics window, and you only get seats at $99. A freelancer who needs 90 days of history, or an agency that wants a second login, pays for a jump rather than a step. Cutt.ly's home page also shows link clicks as unlimited on Free, which is a genuine strength: low-volume users are not billed for traffic.
How These Alternatives Were Ranked
Ranked by how well each tool fixes a Cutt.ly pain point, using five criteria: link allowance, analytics history, branded domains on the free tier, API limits, and where the data is stored. Every price and limit below was read from the vendor's own pricing page on 2026-10-02 and moves often, so confirm before you buy. Where a page would not load, no claim is made.
Elido is listed first because EU residency plus analytics depth is the combination Cutt.ly does not document on its pricing page. That ordering is our judgement, not a neutral score, and it does not mean Elido is cheapest or the most generous on free. It is not.
Cutt.ly Alternatives Compared
The table puts Cutt.ly's free and entry numbers beside each alternative. Figures are from each vendor's pricing page, accessed 2026-10-02.
| Tool | Free tier | Custom domains on free | Cheapest paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cutt.ly | 30 new links a month | 1 | Starter, $12 a month |
| Elido | 50 links, 500 clicks a month | 0 | Pro tiers from 3.50 EUR |
| Short.io | 1,000 branded links, 50,000 clicks a month | 5 | Hobby, $5 a month |
| Rebrandly | 10 links a month | 1 | Essentials, $11 a month |
| Dub | No free plan listed | None | Business, $90 a month |
| Bitly | 5 links, 2 QR codes a month | None listed | Core, $10 a month (annual) |
| TinyURL | Not checked, pricing page would not load | Not checked | Not checked |
Two honest notes. Elido's free plan caps clicks while Cutt.ly's does not, so a hobby link that goes viral behaves differently on each. And Elido's free plan has no custom domain, which Cutt.ly and Short.io both include.
The 6 Alternatives, Ranked
Each entry says who it fits and where it falls short. Lengths differ on purpose; the first one is longer because it is our product and gets the most scrutiny.
1. Elido
Elido fits teams whose reason for leaving is analytics history, EU data location or an API without a tight rate cap. Per its trust page, operational data and backups stay in EU data centres. You get branded links on your own domain, click analytics, a QR designer with module styles, eye shapes, a logo and PNG or SVG export, and a REST API with SDKs for TypeScript, Python, Go and Ruby.
Demo workspace with synthetic example data, not customer results.
The gaps, stated plainly. The free plan is capped at 50 links and 500 clicks a month and has no custom domain, so the free tier is less generous than Cutt.ly's for a single branded link. Pro tiers in the billing catalogue start at 3.50 EUR a month (Pro 250: 250 links, 1 branded domain, 3 seats); live prices are on the pricing page. There is no one-click Cutt.ly importer, so migration goes through CSV (see below).
If the 30-day analytics window is what hurts, start a free workspace and check whether the reports answer your questions before you move anything.
2. Short.io
Short.io is the value pick for many domains. Its pricing page lists a free plan with 5 custom domains, 1,000 branded links and 50,000 tracked clicks a month; Hobby is $5 a month, Pro $18, Team $48. API access is on every plan at a stated 50 requests per second. The trade-off, in my view, is a plainer interface, and it does not publish the EU-residency story we are comparing on here, so ask about data location before you commit. See the Short.io alternatives post for the other side.
3. Rebrandly
Rebrandly built its product around branded domains and link management. The free plan is tight (10 links a month, 1 domain), but Essentials at $11 a month adds 250 links, and Professional at $32 adds conversion tracking. It fits marketing teams with many branded links to keep consistent. Pricing climbs fast with volume, which is the complaint covered in Rebrandly alternatives.
4. Dub
Dub is aimed at developers and growth teams: API, webhooks, A/B testing and link cloaking appear on every plan. The pricing page we read lists no free plan; Business starts at $90 a month for 10,000 new links, so it is a bigger commitment than the others. Fits product teams who create links from code. The Dub alternatives guide covers who outgrows it.
5. Bitly
Bitly is the recognisable name. Free is 5 links and 2 QR codes a month; Core is $10 a month billed annually for 100 links and 30 days of data; Growth is $29 for 500 links and 120 days. It fits people for whom recipient trust matters more than price per link. The tiers are explained in Bitly pricing.
6. TinyURL
TinyURL is the quickest route to a link without an account, and that is its niche. We could not load its pricing page on 2026-10-02, so no plan numbers are given here. For comparison with the paid tools see TinyURL alternatives.
Moving Your Links Off Cutt.ly
Only links on a domain you own can move. A link such as cutt.ly/abc belongs to Cutt.ly's domain and stays there, so keep the account active while those links are still printed or posted. Links on your own branded domain are portable because the redirect depends on your DNS, not on the vendor.
A migration that does not break anything, in order:
- Pull your link list from Cutt.ly (slug, destination, title). Cutt.ly's pricing page lists API rate limits per 60 seconds, so on a small plan batch the calls or export from the dashboard.
- Add the same domain to the new tool and wait for it to verify. Do not touch DNS yet.
- Import the links. In Elido the CSV tab takes one row per link in the format url, slug, title, and bulk import accepts the same shape; the Google Sheets import guide shows the workflow.
- Spot-check 20 slugs against the old destinations, including any with UTM parameters.
- Repoint the domain's CNAME and watch for a day. Create all new links on the new tool from this moment.
The same logic is written up for another vendor in migrating from TinyURL. If you have never set up a branded domain, set up branded short links before you switch, so the next move costs you nothing.
Demo workspace; the designer is shown with example content.
QR codes deserve a line of their own. Cutt.ly's Free and Starter plans give one QR style, so teams that print QR codes often leave for editing control. Check that the QR you printed points at a link you can still redirect before you cancel anything.
Which Alternative Fits Which Cutt.ly User
Match the tool to the wall you hit, not to the ranking. On the GDPR side, the European Commission explains Standard Contractual Clauses, the mechanism US vendors usually rely on. I would not move a freelancer who needs one branded domain and 30 links a month: Cutt.ly's free plan already does the job and moving is a cost with no gain.
- Hit the 30-day analytics window: Elido, or Cutt.ly Single if you stay.
- Need many domains cheaply: Short.io.
- Need a second login without $99: weigh Short.io and Elido, whose Pro tiers list 3 seats, against Cutt.ly Team.
- Building links from code: Dub, or Elido's API and SDKs.
- Need EU residency on paper: ask Elido and any other candidate for a DPA, then compare.
For a head-to-head with one vendor, read Elido vs Cuttly. For tools ranked purely on free plans, see free URL shorteners ranked.
Related on the Blog
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Cutt.ly alternative?
It depends on which Cutt.ly limit you hit. For EU data residency and long analytics history, Elido is our pick (and we make it, so weigh that). Short.io gives the most free branded links, Rebrandly suits branded-domain automation, Dub suits developers, Bitly suits brand recognition. If the 30 links a month on Cutt.ly's free plan is enough for you, there may be no reason to move.
Is there a free alternative to Cutt.ly?
Yes. As of 2026-10-02 Short.io's free plan lists 1,000 branded links, 5 custom domains and 50,000 tracked clicks a month, which is far above Cutt.ly's 30 new links a month. Elido's free plan has no custom domain but keeps a 50-link allowance. Rebrandly's free plan is 10 links a month and Bitly's is 5, so those are tighter than Cutt.ly.
Why do people switch away from Cutt.ly?
The usual triggers, from Cutt.ly's own pricing page: 30 new links a month on Free, only 30 days of analytics history on Free and Starter, one QR style below the Single plan, and a low API rate limit (3 requests per 60 seconds on Free). Teams also hit the price step, since seats only appear on the Team plan at $99 a month.
Can I move my Cutt.ly links to another shortener?
Only links on a domain you own can move, because you repoint that domain's DNS to the new provider and recreate the slugs there. Links on the shared cutt.ly domain cannot move, since Cutt.ly owns the domain. Keep the old account active while those links are still in circulation, and use branded links for everything new.
Does Elido have a Cutt.ly importer?
No. Elido ships one-click importers for Bitly, Rebrandly, Short.io, TinyURL and Dub, but not Cutt.ly. The route for Cutt.ly links is the CSV import in the dashboard, which takes a destination URL plus an optional slug and title per row. Export or pull your link list from Cutt.ly first, then paste or upload it.
Which Cutt.ly alternative is best for GDPR?
Pick on where the data is stored and who processes it, then ask the vendor for a DPA. Elido stores operational data and backups in EU data centres, which is its default rather than an add-on. Most US-headquartered shorteners rely on transfer mechanisms such as Standard Contractual Clauses instead. Ask each vendor directly rather than trusting a comparison table, including this one.
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