Dub.co Free Plan in 2026: 25 New Links a Month, 1,000 Tracked Events, and When It Runs Out
What Dub's free plan includes in 2026, what happens when you pass its limits, what the paid plans cost, and when another shortener fits better.
Yes, Dub has a free plan, and it is rich in features: API access, 3 custom domains, QR codes, UTM templates and real-time analytics. The limits are what to watch: 25 new links and 1,000 tracked events a month, and only 30 days of analytics history.
Dub is an open-source link platform aimed at marketing and product teams. The free plan is a good way to try it, and a poor fit if you shorten links in volume or need to look back at old click data.
Short answer: Dub is free for 1 user with 25 new links and 1,000 tracked events a month, 3 custom domains, API access and 30-day analytics retention. Pass the 1,000 tracked-events limit and your links keep working but their analytics are hidden until you upgrade; pass 25 new links and you cannot create more until the next billing period. Paid plans start at $30 a month, or $27 billed yearly.
What does Dub's free plan include in 2026?
| Feature | Free plan |
|---|---|
| New links | 25 a month |
| Tracked events | 1,000 a month |
| Analytics history | 30 days |
| Custom domains | 3 |
| API access | Yes (Dub's help center lists the analytics API from Pro) |
| QR codes | Yes |
| Link tags and UTM templates | Yes |
| Real-time analytics | Yes |
| Users | 1 |
| Support | Basic |
| Free .link domain, link folders, deep links | Not listed on Free (listed from Pro) |
Dub's own pricing page describes it as the most generous free plan on the market. It is generous on features. It is tight on volume. The numbers above come from Dub's pricing page, read on 27 October 2026.
What happens when you pass Dub's free limits?
Dub's help center explains what happens when a workspace passes its tracked-events limit. Your links keep redirecting and Dub keeps tracking events on them. What you lose is the ability to view analytics for those links until you upgrade. Dub says it currently does not bill for overages, though its help center adds that excessive usage may get links disabled. It sends an email when you first pass the limit and another three days later if you have not upgraded.
There is one subtlety. If usage climbs past 4 times the free limit, which is 4,000 events, the count does not reset at the start of your billing period until you upgrade. The new-links limit works differently: Dub's pricing FAQ says that once you exceed it, you cannot create new links until the next billing period. The quota resets each period with no rollover, and deleting a link does not reduce that month's usage.
What are the catches on Dub's free plan?
1. 25 new links a month is small
That is 300 links a year. Pro includes 12,000 new links a year, or about 1,000 a month, so the jump from Free to Pro is a large one.
2. A thousand tracked events goes fast
Tracked events are the events Dub records on your links, mainly clicks. One link that goes mildly viral can use a month's allowance in an afternoon. Pro allows 50,000 a month.
3. Analytics are kept for 30 days
You can only look back 30 days on the free plan. Pro keeps 1 year, Business 3 years and Advanced 5 years. If you compare campaigns quarter over quarter, you will need a paid plan.
4. The strongest features are paid
Conversion tracking, A/B testing, customer insights and event webhooks start on Business at $90 a month ($81 billed yearly).
How much does Dub cost in 2026?
| Plan | Price a month (billed yearly / billed monthly) | Analytics history |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 30 days |
| Pro | $27 / $30 | 1 year |
| Business | $81 / $90 | 3 years |
| Advanced | $270 / $300 | 5 years |
| Enterprise | Custom | Unlimited |
| Plan | New links | Tracked events |
|---|---|---|
| Free | 25 a month | 1,000 a month |
| Pro | 12,000 a year (about 1,000 a month) | 600,000 a year (50,000 a month) |
| Business | 120,000 a year (10,000 a month) | 3 million a year (250,000 a month) |
| Advanced | 600,000 a year (50,000 a month) | 12 million a year (1 million a month) |
| Enterprise | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Prices are the ones on Dub's links pricing page on 27 October 2026. Paid plans include a 14-day trial. Dub also sells a separate product for affiliate programs, called Dub Partners, with its own plans, which we did not compare. Dub's core code is published on GitHub under the AGPLv3 license, with a separate commercial license for its enterprise directory.
How many links can you create on each free plan?
| Free plan | Link limit | Links in a year |
|---|---|---|
| Dub | 25 a month | 300 |
| Rebrandly | 10 a month | 120 |
| Bitly | 5 a month | 60 |
| Short.io | 1,000 branded links in total | 1,000 (lifetime), then upgrade |
| TinyURL | Not stated in its help center | Not stated |
| FattyURL | No monthly or total cap; creation speed is limited (100 an hour, 1,000 a day with a verified account) | No cap, but limited to 1,000 a day |
Among the plans with a monthly cap, Dub is the most generous. See our guides to the Rebrandly free plan and the Short.io free plan for the others.
What are the best free Dub alternatives?
Dub is strong on analytics and developer tools. These alternatives suit different limits. Disclosure: FattyURL is our product.
| If you need | Consider | Why |
|---|---|---|
| More than 25 links a month, free | FattyURL | No monthly cap on links. Rate limits only |
| A year of click history, free | FattyURL | A free account shows analytics for 7, 30, 90 or 365 days |
| No account at all | FattyURL | Shorten and make a QR code with no sign up |
| Several branded domains, free | Short.io | 5 custom domains and 1,000 branded links in total |
| An open-source platform | Dub | Core code is open source under AGPLv3 |
You can shorten a link with no account. A free account adds custom slugs, click analytics for every link, editing a link's destination and CSV export, and links in a free account never expire. Links made without an account from 7 October 2026 expire after 30 days with no click. Free links may show ads; links on a paid plan never do. Your own domain is a paid feature. Dub's free plan includes an API and real-time analytics, and its paid plans add conversion tracking and A/B testing. FattyURL's API is part of its paid plans (Pro and Business). If you need an API on a free plan, Dub is one of the options, along with Rebrandly and Short.io, which both list API access on theirs.
For the wider field, see our comparison of the best free URL shorteners in 2026, or our guide to tracking link clicks for free.
Is Dub worth it, or should you switch?
- Stay on Dub if you are a developer or marketer who wants an API, UTM templates and a clean dashboard and creates fewer than 25 links a month.
- Upgrade to Pro when you need more than 1,000 tracked events a month or more than 30 days of history.
- Switch if you shorten links in volume or want a year of click history without paying.
FAQ
Is Dub free?
Yes. Dub's free plan includes 25 new links and 1,000 tracked events a month, 3 custom domains, API access and QR codes for one user, with 30 days of analytics history.
What happens when I exceed Dub's free tracked events?
Your links keep working and Dub keeps tracking. You cannot view analytics for them until you upgrade. Dub says it currently does not bill for overages. Passing the 25-link limit is different: you cannot create new links until the next billing period.
How many links can I create on Dub's free plan?
25 new links a month, which is 300 a year.
Is Dub open source?
Yes. Dub's core code is on GitHub under the AGPLv3 license. A separate enterprise directory is under a commercial license.
How much does Dub cost?
Pro is $30 a month ($27 billed yearly), Business $90 ($81) and Advanced $300 ($270). Enterprise is custom, and paid plans include a 14-day trial.
What is the best free alternative to Dub?
For more links and no monthly cap, plus free click analytics and editing, FattyURL. For free branded domains, Short.io. Dub itself is a strong free option if you want an open-source platform with an API.
Sources
- Dub: links pricing (read 27 October 2026)
- Dub help: analytics limits
- Dub on GitHub
- Rebrandly pricing, Short.io pricing, Bitly free plan, TinyURL: what is included in the free plan
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.
