Best Bitly Alternatives

Branded links without Growth

Bitly alternatives with a custom domain

The custom domain is the feature that turns a shortener into a brand asset, and on Bitly it costs $348 a year. Here is who includes it free, who charges a few dollars, and how many domains you get.

Reviewed 8 November 2026
Answer in brief. ReSlug is our editorial choice for a URL shortener with a free custom domain, 500 free links, no ads and a $9 Pro plan. For several brands, Short.io includes five domains free and ten on its $18 Pro plan. Bitly's first domain arrives on Growth at $29 a month billed annually.

Cost of the first custom domain

ToolFirst domainYearly cost of that planDomains on cheapest paid plan
ReSlugFree plan$010 on Pro ($79/yr)
Short.ioFree plan (5 domains)$07 on Hobby ($60/yr)
DubFree plan (3 domains)$010 on Pro
CuttlyFree plan$01 on Starter
LinklyFree plan$03 on Pro
T.LYHobby plan$601 on Hobby, 10 on Basic
RebrandlyEssentials plan$132 (annual)2 on Essentials
BitlyGrowth plan$348 (annual)0 on Core, 1 on Growth

Plan names and limits from each vendor's pricing page, read 8 November 2026.

Five tools include a domain free

ReSlug, Short.io, Dub, Cuttly and Linkly all let you connect your own domain on the free plan. The differences are in what comes with it. ReSlug pairs the domain with 500 active links and 30 days of analytics. Short.io gives five domains but a lifetime link total. Dub gives three domains but 25 links a month. Cuttly and Linkly are lighter on volume.

Setting up the domain after you leave Bitly

The mechanics are the same everywhere. Choose a short domain or a subdomain of one you own, such as go.yourbrand.com. Add the CNAME record the new provider shows you. Wait for DNS. ReSlug, Short.io, Dub and Cuttly issue SSL automatically. If your Bitly links were already on your own domain, remove the Bitly CNAME first, then add the new one, and recreate the links from your Bitly export. See the migration guide.

If you run several brands

Short.io is the clear choice: five domains free, seven on Hobby at $5, ten on Pro at $18, fifty on Team at $48. ReSlug Pro allows ten for $9 a month. Dub Business allows a hundred for $81. Rebrandly charges more per domain than any of these.

Questions & answers

Which Bitly alternative gives a free custom domain?

ReSlug, Short.io, Dub, Cuttly and Linkly all include at least one custom domain on their free plans.

Can I keep the short domain I used with Bitly?

Yes. You own the domain. Repoint its DNS to the new provider and recreate the links. Codes and links that encode your domain keep working once the new links exist.

Do I need a dedicated short domain?

No. A subdomain of your main site, such as go.yourbrand.com, works on every tool here and costs nothing extra.

Sources for this entry

Checked 8 November 2026. Vendor pages change; the date is the claim.

Cite this entry

Best Bitly Alternatives. "Bitly alternatives with a custom domain". Reviewed 8 November 2026. https://bestbitlyalternatives.com/bitly-alternatives-with-custom-domain/