The Best Custom & Branded URL Shorteners in 2026 (and Which Ones Are Actually Free)

You want your short links to look like you — go.yourbrand.com/sale, not a random string on someone else's domain. That single wish is where most "best URL shortener" articles quietly fall apart. They lump together three very different things, bury the one fact that actually decides your choice, and rank whoever pays the biggest affiliate commission. So before you sign up anywhere, here is the honest version: a genuinely custom domain is almost always a paid (or tightly limited) feature, the short domain itself is never free, and only a handful of tools give you a real branded domain without opening your wallet.

This guide gives you the real free-plan numbers for each tool, names exactly which ones let you connect a custom domain for free, and explains what kind of "custom" you actually get. Disclosure: Minily is our own product. We include it below, list its real limits honestly (only 5 links on free, no custom domain on free, no public API), and we do not crown it the winner for "free custom domain" — because it isn't. Plans were verified in May 2026; pricing changes often, so check each vendor's current pricing page before you commit.

Custom alias vs. branded link vs. vanity URL: what "custom" actually means

The word "custom" hides three different features. Knowing which one you need will save you from paying for the wrong tier — or expecting something the free plan was never going to give you.

Custom alias / back-half — usually free

This is the editable part after the slash: short.dom/spring-sale instead of short.dom/aX9k2. The domain still belongs to the tool, but you control the readable ending (the "back-half"). Most shorteners let you set a custom alias even on free plans. It is the cheapest path to a link that at least reads like your campaign.

Branded short link — usually paid

A branded short link uses a dedicated short domain you own plus a condensed back-half — think bit.ly/ent where bit.ly is replaced by your own short domain like yb.co/ent. This is what most people picture when they say "branded link," and it is the feature that typically lives behind a paywall, because connecting a custom domain is where vendors draw the monetization line.

Vanity URL — needs your own domain

A vanity URL is a readable, descriptive path on a domain you control — for example yourbrand.com/enterprise. As Bitly explains in its own glossary, a vanity URL is the human-readable descriptive path, while a branded short link is a dedicated short domain plus a condensed back-half (Bitly, "What Is a Vanity URL"). The distinction matters: a vanity URL leans on a domain you already own; a branded short link usually means buying a brand-new short domain just for links.

If you only need readable endings, a free custom alias is enough. If you need your brand in the domain itself, you're shopping for a custom-domain feature — and that's where free plans start saying no.

Do branded links actually convert better? The evidence, honestly

You'll see one number everywhere: branded links increase click-through rate "by up to 39%." It is worth being precise about where that figure comes from. The most commonly cited source is Rebrandly's own blog — a vendor that sells branded-link software. In the article, the figure is presented as a marketing claim, not attributed to a published, independent experiment you can inspect. A secondary "34% more clicks" stat circulates online with the same problem: no traceable methodology behind it.

So treat exact percentages skeptically. We could not find an independent, peer-reviewable study that pins branded-link CTR to a specific number. What is defensible, and supported by plain reasoning, is qualitative: a branded domain signals trust (people are wary of unknown short domains), it reinforces recognition across print and social, and a readable link is easier to remember and to type. Those are real benefits. A precise "+39%" you can take to your CFO is not — at least not from the sources currently making the claim.

How we evaluated these tools

Rather than rank by hype, we scored each shortener against criteria that map to the actual decision you're making:

• Free monthly link limit — how many links you can create without paying.
• Custom domain on the free plan? — the headline column. Yes, no, or limited.
• Custom alias / back-half on free — can you at least control the readable ending?
• Analytics included on free — and how deep (clicks only vs. geo/device/referrer).
• Clean redirect — does the free plan add ads or interstitials?
• Cheapest paid tier that unlocks a custom domain — your real upgrade cost.
• Link permanence and editability — do links stick around and can you edit them?
• Privacy / data location (GDPR) — where your click data lives.

Bias note: Minily is ours. We held it to the same criteria and list its weaknesses plainly. When a competitor wins a category, we say so.

Comparison table at a glance

The single most useful column below is "Custom domain on FREE?" — that one fact decides most readers' choice. Numbers verified May 2026 against each vendor's pricing page; re-check before relying on them.

Tool	Free links	Custom domain on FREE?	Custom alias on free	Analytics on free	Cheapest paid tier with custom domain
Short.io	~1,000	Yes	Yes	Yes (rich, real-time)	~$18/mo
Cuttly	30/mo	Yes (1 domain)	Yes	Yes	$12/mo
Rebrandly	10/mo	Yes (1 domain)	Yes	Basic (100 clicks/mo)	$11/mo ($8 annual)
Dub	25/mo	Yes (3 domains)	Yes	Yes (30-day retention)	Free tier already includes it
TinyURL	100/mo	1 branded domain	Yes	No	$13–16/mo
Bitly	5/mo	No	Custom back-half	No	~$29/mo (Growth)
Minily	5 total (lifetime)	No	Alias at link creation	Global (clicks, top-3 countries, last 10 clicks)	5 EUR/mo (Pro)

The best custom URL shortener options in 2026, tool by tool

One section per tool: who it's for, the free plan in real numbers, what "custom" you actually unlock, and a mandatory honest limit.

Short.io — best free plan for a custom domain

Who it's for: anyone who wants a real branded custom domain without paying, at scale.

Short.io is the standout for free custom domains. The free plan supports a custom domain, up to roughly 1,000 branded links, real-time analytics (geo, device, browser, referrer), QR codes, and API access. Zapier's reviewers report around 50,000 tracked clicks per month on the free tier, which is unusually generous (Short.io; Zapier, "Best URL shorteners"). The cheapest paid plan starts around $18/mo when you outgrow free.

Honest limit: the interface is built for power users and can feel dense if all you want is a single quick link, and you still have to buy the short domain yourself.

Cuttly — best free branded domain plus deep analytics

Who it's for: creators and small businesses who want one branded domain free, with solid stats.

Cuttly's free plan includes 30 short links per month, click analytics, one branded custom domain, QR codes, a link-in-bio page, and one survey — with no ads on clicked links. One quirk: Cuttly connects a custom domain via DNS A + TXT records (not a CNAME), unlike most competitors. Paid plans start at $12/mo and scale to a Team/Enterprise tier at $149/mo, unlocking 5, 10, or up to 99 domains depending on tier (Cuttly pricing; Cuttly free-plan breakdown).

Honest limit: the free plan excludes password-protected links, link expiration, A/B rotation, destination editing, bulk CSV, and retargeting pixels — those are paid-only.

Rebrandly — best for managing multiple branded domains

Who it's for: agencies and marketers juggling several brand domains.

Rebrandly's free plan gives you 10 links per month, 1 custom domain, 100 clicks tracked per month, and watermarked QR codes. Its real strength shows higher up: Essentials at $11/mo ($8/mo annual) bumps you to 250 links, 2 custom domains, and 10,000 clicks; Professional ($32/mo, $22 annual) adds 1,500 links and 3 domains; Growth ($99/mo, $69 annual) reaches 3,500 links and 10 domains (Rebrandly pricing).

Honest limit: 10 links and 100 tracked clicks per month on free is barely enough to test the product — Rebrandly is built to move you to a paid plan quickly. See how it stacks up in our Minily vs. Rebrandly comparison.

Dub — best for developers

Who it's for: developers who want an open-source, modern, self-hostable option.

Dub's free plan includes 25 links per month, 1,000 tracked events per month, 3 custom domains, 1 user, and 30-day data retention (Zapier review; Dub pricing). Three custom domains on free is excellent. Dub is open-source and self-hostable (codebase on GitHub), which appeals to teams who want full control.

Honest limit: Dub's paid tiers have pivoted toward partner/affiliate payout features (Business $75/mo, Advanced $250/mo), so its roadmap is increasingly attribution-focused rather than pure link management — and the free .link domain is only available on paid plans (Dub: free .link domain).

Bitly — most recognized, but custom domains cost more

Who it's for: teams that want the most recognized name and don't mind paying for branding.

Bitly's free plan is now quite limited for branding: 5 links per month, 2 QR codes per month, unlimited clicks/scans tracked, but no custom domain and no branded links on free (Bitly pricing; Bitly free plan). A custom domain only arrives at the Growth tier (~$29/mo annual, $35 monthly) with 500 links/mo and 4 months of click data — the cheaper Core tier ($10/mo annual, 100 links) does not include a custom domain. The free plan does include browser extensions, 2FA, and roughly 1,000 API requests/mo.

Honest limit: for branding specifically, Bitly is the most expensive mainstream option here. If you're weighing it against a cheaper alternative, see Minily vs. Bitly.

TinyURL — best for free custom aliases

Who it's for: people who want a permanent, no-fuss custom alias and don't need stats.

TinyURL's free plan offers 100 links per month, 1 branded domain, custom aliases, and QR codes with permanent redirects on the default tinyurl.com domain — but no analytics on free (TinyURL free plan; TinyURL pricing). Pro at roughly $13–16/mo adds up to 3 branded domains, full analytics, and 2 years of history.

Honest limit: zero analytics on free means you're flying blind on clicks. Compare the trade-offs in Minily vs. TinyURL.

T.LY — solid free tier, custom domain on paid

Who it's for: users who want a clean, fast free shortener and will pay later for branding.

T.LY offers free URL shortening with a tidy interface; custom domains, private analytics, API access, QR management, and team features sit on its paid tiers (T.LY).

Honest limit: the free plan doesn't get you a custom domain — branding is a paid upgrade, like most tools here.

Minily — best for affordable EU/GDPR analytics with custom domains on Pro

Who it's for: EU-conscious users who want clean, ad-free analytics and a cheap path to a custom domain.

Here is the honest placement. Minily is not the pick if your goal is a free custom domain — its free plan caps you at 5 links total (a lifetime counter, not 5 per month) and includes no custom domain. What the free plan does give you: unlimited QR codes, password protection, global analytics (total clicks, your top 3 countries, your last 10 clicks), link expiration and scheduling, opt-in preview pages, geo/device conditional redirects, a UTM builder, and GDPR-friendly CSV export. No tags, no custom domain, no live mode on free.

Where Minily earns its spot is the Pro plan at 5 EUR/month (or 48 EUR/year): unlimited links, tags, custom domains, and full analytics — per-link and per-tag breakdowns, cities/device/OS/referrer, all countries, unlimited clicks, and live mode. That makes Minily Pro one of the cheapest ways to get a branded custom domain alongside genuinely complete analytics. Data is EU/France-based, exports are aggregate (no personal data), and clicked links carry no ads. If your need is custom domains, that's the custom domains feature; for the branding side specifically, see branded links, and for the analytics depth, analytics.

Honest limit: only 5 links on free and no custom domain on free, so for a free branded domain you should pick Short.io or Cuttly instead. Minily also has no public/REST API, no white-label, and no multi-touch attribution — if any of those are dealbreakers, it isn't your tool. Full plan details are on the pricing page.

When a custom domain is worth paying for

A custom domain isn't a vanity purchase for everyone. It pays off in specific situations:

• Campaigns and print where a trustworthy, branded link materially affects whether people click or type it.
• Consistent brand presence — every link reinforces your domain instead of advertising the shortener's.
• You've outgrown a shared domain and want full control over your links' permanence and reputation.
• You need per-link analytics and a branded domain together, which usually lands you on a paid tier regardless of vendor.

The honest cost reality has two parts. First, the feature: a custom domain on a SaaS shortener typically means a paid tier — Bitly Growth (~$29/mo), Rebrandly Essentials ($11/mo, $8 annual), TinyURL Pro ($13–16/mo), or Minily Pro (5 EUR/mo). Second, and this is the part vendors gloss over, the domain itself: you buy a short domain from a registrar separately. That registration fee — usually a few to a few dozen euros a year depending on the TLD — is never included, on any tool, free or paid.

Want to roll your own? Self-hosted and DIY options

If you'd rather own the whole stack, you can build a custom shortener yourself:

• YOURLS — "Your Own URL Shortener," an open-source PHP/MySQL project you host on your own server. Full control, full responsibility.
• Dub (self-hosted) — the same open-source codebase from the listicle above, deployable on your own infrastructure.
• GitHub Pages static redirect — a lightweight trick using static HTML redirect files on a free GitHub Pages site, suitable for a small, fixed set of links.

The honest trade-off: free software is not a free shortener. You still buy and renew the domain, pay for hosting (or accept the limits of a free static host), handle SSL, and maintain updates and uptime yourself. For a handful of links, DIY can be cheaper than any SaaS; at scale, the maintenance time usually outweighs a 5–18 EUR/mo plan.

How to set up a custom domain on any shortener

The flow is broadly the same across tools, with one notable exception:

1. Buy a short domain from a registrar (a short, memorable one — ideally tied to your brand).
2. Add the domain in your shortener's domain settings.
3. Set the DNS records the tool specifies. Most use a CNAME pointing to the shortener; Cuttly is the exception, using an A record plus a TXT record (no CNAME).
4. Verify — the tool checks DNS propagation, which can take minutes to a few hours.
5. Set it as default so new links use your domain automatically.

Once verified, every new link carries your brand. If you're starting from scratch and just need a working short link first, our URL shortener walks through the basics, and you can spin up a free QR code for the same link without an account.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a custom URL shortener?

A custom URL shortener lets you shorten links on your own brand instead of a generic shared domain. "Custom" can mean a full custom domain (go.brand.com/x) or, more modestly, a custom alias / back-half — the readable ending you control on a shared domain. The full custom domain is the version most people mean by "branded link."

Can I use a custom domain on a free URL shortener?

Yes, with a few specific tools. Short.io, Cuttly, Rebrandly, and Dub each allow at least one custom domain on their free plan. Bitly and Minily require a paid plan for a custom domain (see the comparison table above for exact limits).

What's the difference between a branded link and a vanity URL?

A branded short link is a dedicated short domain plus a condensed back-half (like yb.co/ent). A vanity URL is a readable, descriptive path, usually on a domain you already own (like yourbrand.com/enterprise), per Bitly's definition. A branded link usually means buying a new short domain; a vanity URL leans on a domain you have.

Is a custom domain free?

The feature is free on some tools (Short.io, Cuttly, Rebrandly, Dub), but you still have to buy the short domain from a registrar — that part is never free on any shortener. Budget for the annual registration fee separately from any subscription.

Do branded links get more clicks?

Vendors claim up to +39% CTR, but that figure is self-reported by Rebrandly and not backed by a published, independent study (source). Branded links plausibly help with trust and recognition, but treat exact percentages skeptically — we couldn't find a verifiable experiment behind them.

What's the cheapest custom URL shortener with a custom domain?

Among free options: Short.io (~1,000 links) and Cuttly (1 domain, 30 links/mo). Among paid plans with a custom domain: Rebrandly Essentials (~$11/mo, $8 annual) and Minily Pro (5 EUR/mo) are the most affordable. The right pick depends on how many links and how much analytics depth you need.

Can I build my own custom URL shortener?

Yes. You can self-host an open-source project like YOURLS or Dub, or use a GitHub Pages static-redirect setup for a small set of links. You'll still pay for the domain and hosting and maintain it yourself, so DIY is cheapest for low volume and high-control needs, not for convenience.

Are short and branded links permanent?

On most reputable tools, redirects are permanent unless you delete or edit them. Always check the specific tool's policy — some free tiers or discontinued domains can expire links, so for anything mission-critical, use a tool whose permanence terms are clear.

Does Minily offer a custom domain?

Yes — on Pro (5 EUR/month) and on Enterprise (shared team domains). The free plan does not include a custom domain; free is limited to 5 links total. See the pricing page for the full breakdown.

Bottom line

Match the tool to what "custom" really means for you, not to whoever tops a sponsored list:

• Want a free custom domain? Pick Short.io (most generous, ~1,000 links) or Cuttly (one branded domain plus deep analytics). Dub is excellent too if you're technical.
• Managing several branded domains? Rebrandly is built for that, though you'll pay past its tiny free tier.
• Want a cheap paid branded domain with complete, ad-free, EU-based analytics? Minily Pro at 5 EUR/mo is among the most affordable — just know its free plan won't get you there.
• Only need a permanent custom alias, no stats? TinyURL free does the job.
• Want full control and don't mind maintenance? Self-host YOURLS or Dub.

Whatever you choose, remember the one cost no tool absorbs for you: the short domain itself. Pick the feature plan that fits your volume and analytics needs, buy a domain you'll be proud to put on print and social, and you'll have branded links that look like you — without paying for a tier you don't need. Plans verified May 2026; re-check current pricing before you subscribe.