Bitly vs Dub 2026: Plans, Limits and Which to Pick
Bitly lists a Free plan and Core at $10 /month. Dub lists a Free plan and Pro at $27 per month, with more links and domains. See both dated plan tables, limits and a clear rule for choosing.
Bitly sells short links, QR codes, landing pages and branded links, with monthly link and QR code limits by plan. Dub sells short links, conversion tracking and affiliate programs, and its core code is open source. Their pricing pages now look very different.
This comparison uses only each vendor's own pricing, docs, help and GitHub pages, read on 7 November 2026. Where a page would not confirm something, it is marked.
Short answer: Neither is better for everyone. Bitly has the cheaper paid entry: Core at $10 /month, Annual Only, against Dub Pro at $27 per month. Dub's free plan lists more: 25 new links a month and 3 custom domains, versus 5 links and no custom domain on Bitly Free. Pick Bitly for the lowest paid price, Dub for free custom domains, volume and developer control.
Is Dub better than Bitly?
It depends on what you are buying. Both list a free plan, and Dub's plans list higher link and domain limits at each step. Bitly's first paid plan costs less, at $10 /month, and every Bitly plan includes QR codes and landing pages.
Dub describes itself as a link attribution platform. Bitly's pricing page leads with links, QR codes and analytics history by plan. The two pricing pages measure different things, so compare what you need, not the logos.
What does Bitly's pricing page list?
Bitly lists Free, Core, Growth, Premium and Enterprise. Free costs $0 /month and carries ads. The cheapest paid plan is Core at $10 /month, sold on annual billing only. Limits are monthly and small until Premium.
Checked 7 November 2026 on Bitly's pricing page.
| Plan and price as shown | Links, QR codes, back-halves a month | Domain, analytics, API a month |
|---|---|---|
| Free: $0 /month | 5 links, 2 QR codes, 3 back-halves | No domain listed, no analytics history, 1,000 API requests |
| Core: $10 /month, Annual Only ($120 annual charge) | 100 links, 5 QR codes, 100 back-halves | No domain listed, 30 days, 5,000 API requests |
| Growth: $29 /month ($348 annual charge) | 500 links, 10 QR codes, 500 back-halves | 1 complimentary custom domain, 4 months (120 days), 25,000 API requests |
| Premium: $199 /month ($2,388 annual charge) | 3,000 links, 200 QR codes, 3,000 back-halves | 1 complimentary custom domain (everything in Growth), 1 year, 50,000 API requests |
| Enterprise: Custom Pricing | Custom | Multiple custom domains, 2 years, custom API |
The page offers a monthly toggle and says "Save up to 34% with our annual plans." For a deeper look at the free tier, see Bitly's free plan and pricing explained.
What does Dub's pricing page list?
Dub's link plans are Free at $0, Pro at $27 per month, Business at $81 and Advanced at $270 per month. Enterprise is custom annual billing, and Pro, Business and Advanced include a 14-day trial. The main pricing page shows Dub Partners plans first, so use its Dub Links tab.
Checked 7 November 2026 on Dub's Links pricing page.
| Plan and price as shown | New links, tracked events | Domains, analytics, users |
|---|---|---|
| Free: $0 | 25 new links/mo, 1K events/mo | 3 domains, 30-day, 1 user |
| Pro: $27 per month | 12K/year links, 600K/year events | 10 domains, 1-year, 3 users |
| Business: $81 per month | 120K/year links, 3M/year events | 100 domains, 3-year, 10 users |
| Advanced: $270 per month | 600K/year links, 12M/year events | 250 domains, 5-year, 20 users |
| Enterprise: Custom annual billing | Unlimited | Unlimited domains, analytics and users |
Dub shows paid usage per year and offers Yearly (10% off, 12x usage upfront) or Monthly billing, without saying which the prices use. Free is counted per month, so divide paid figures by 12 before comparing with Bitly's monthly caps.
How do the Bitly and Dub free plans compare?
Dub's free plan lists more new links and custom domains than Bitly's. Dub Free gives 25 new links a month, 3 custom domains and 30 days of analytics. Bitly Free gives 5 links and 2 QR codes a month, plus 2 landing pages, with ads and no analytics history.
Dub's custom domain help page says you can "add up to 3 custom domains to your workspace for free" and lists Pro at 10 domains. Dub's API rate limit page lists Free at 60 requests/min and Pro at 600 requests/min. Dub's Bitly comparison page shows the same $27 Pro price.
For more on Dub's free tier, see Dub's free plan and pricing explained.
Bitly vs Dub side by side
On listed plans, Bitly is cheaper at the first paid step and Dub lists more at each step. Dub gives more domains, longer analytics and an open-source repository. Bitly gives the lowest paid price, plus QR code and landing page allowances on every plan.
Checked 7 November 2026 on the pricing, rate limit and GitHub pages linked in Sources.
| Item | Bitly | Dub |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan on pricing page | Yes, 5 links and 2 QR codes a month | Yes, 25 new links a month and 3 custom domains |
| Cheapest paid plan listed | Core, $10 /month, Annual Only | Pro, $27 per month |
| What the cheapest paid plan adds | 100 links, 5 QR codes, 100 back-halves, 30 days of analytics | 12K/year links, 10 domains, 1-year analytics, 3 users |
| Custom domains | 1 complimentary from Growth ($29 /month) | 3 on Free, 10 on Pro, 100 on Business |
| Longest analytics before Enterprise | 1 year on Premium | 5-year on Advanced |
| API | 1,000 requests a month on Free, up to 50,000 on Premium | 60/min on Free, up to 3,000/min on Advanced |
| Open source | Not described as open source on pages read | README: open-source, core AGPLv3 |
Bitly's pricing page lists monthly API request totals, and its rate limit page adds hourly and per-minute platform limits. Dub lists per-minute rate limits by plan. They measure different things, so they are not a like-for-like number.
Which has better analytics?
Both track clicks, but the history you keep depends on the plan. Bitly's pricing page shows none on Free, 30 days on Core and up to 1 year on Premium. Dub's Links page shows 30 days on Free, 1 year on Pro and 3 years on Business.
Feature depth beyond history is not compared here. For a primer on what to measure, read how to track link clicks.
Is Dub open source and does it matter?
Dub's GitHub README calls it "The open-source link attribution platform." The README says the core is licensed under AGPLv3 and that a small part in the /ee directory needs a commercial license.
For most marketers this changes nothing, since both are hosted products. It matters if your team wants to read the code or self-host. Check the repository's LICENSE file against your legal needs.
What about custom domains?
Domains are where the two differ most on listed plans. Bitly's page shows one complimentary custom domain from Growth at $29 /month, with registration included. Dub's Links page shows 3 on Free, 10 on Pro at $27 per month and 100 on Business.
For one branded domain, Dub Free costs $0 and allows up to 3, while Bitly Growth also registers the domain for you. If you manage many client or brand domains, Dub's higher counts are the main draw. For prices per domain across more tools, see custom domain pricing across URL shorteners.
How do you choose between Bitly and Dub?
Use this rule, based only on what the pricing pages list today. Start with your volume and your budget, then check domains and developer needs.
- Up to 25 new links a month and nothing to spend: Dub Free, which also lists 3 custom domains.
- Up to 100 links a month on the smallest paid budget: Bitly Core at $10 /month, Annual Only.
- One domain registered for you, plus Bitly's QR codes and landing pages: Bitly Growth at $29 /month.
- Several domains or 100 to 1,000 new links a month: Dub Pro at $27 per month.
- Many domains, more than 1,000 new links a month, or multi-year analytics: Dub Business or Advanced.
- Want to read or self-host the code: Dub, after checking its license.
If you only need a quick free short link or QR code, FattyURL needs no account, with paid plans from $9 a month. For other free options, see best free URL shorteners compared.
FAQ
Is Dub cheaper than Bitly?
Not at the first paid step. Bitly's Core is $10 /month on annual billing, and Dub's cheapest paid plan is Pro at $27 per month. Dub's free plan lists more links and domains than Bitly's.
Does Dub or Bitly have the better free plan?
On links and custom domains, Dub: 25 new links a month and 3 domains. Bitly Free lists 5 links and 2 QR codes a month, with ads.
Is Bitly open source?
The Bitly pages read for this post do not describe it as open source. Dub's README does describe Dub that way.
Which is better for developers?
Both publish an API. Dub adds an open-source repository and lists per-minute rate limits by plan. Bitly lists monthly API request caps by plan, plus hourly and per-minute platform limits.
Can I switch from Bitly to Dub?
Dub's comparison page says it offers a one-click import. That is Dub's own claim, so test it on a small batch first.
Sources
- Bitly pricing, read 7 November 2026
- Bitly API rate limits, read 7 November 2026
- Dub pricing (Dub Partners plans), read 7 November 2026
- Dub Links pricing, read 7 November 2026
- Dub help: add a custom domain, read 7 November 2026
- Dub API rate limits, read 7 November 2026
- Dub: compare with Bitly, read 7 November 2026
- Dub on GitHub, read 7 November 2026
Disclaimer: This article is for general information only and is not legal or security advice. It was researched and drafted with the help of AI, and its facts were checked against the sources linked above, mostly each provider's own pricing, help and policy pages. URL shorteners, QR code tools and social platforms change their plans, prices and rules often, so confirm the details on the provider's website before you choose a plan, move your links or print a QR code. FattyURL is our own product. Spotted something out of date, or a FattyURL link being misused? Tell us and we will act on it.
