Is FattyURL Free? What's Free and How It's Paid For

FattyURL is free to use. You can shorten a link and make a QR code without signing up, and a free account adds click analytics, custom slugs, editing and links that never expire. People reasonably ask what the catch is, because with most free shorteners there is one. This post explains how free shorteners usually make money, how FattyURL pays for itself, and what we have committed to in writing.

Short answer: Yes. Shortening and QR codes are free with no account, and a free account adds analytics, custom slugs, editing and links that never expire. The business model has two parts: paid plans, which add your own domain, bulk CSV import and the API, and ads, which free links may show. Links on a paid plan never show ads.

How free URL shorteners usually make money

A short link costs very little to run. The expensive part of a shortener is usually the business model built around it. The common ones, all visible on competitors' own pages:

Ads in front of your link. Bitly says it now uses ads on free accounts: links from them can show visitors "an interstitial page that includes a preview of the link destination and an ad."
Tiny free allowances. Bitly's free plan allows 5 links a month, Rebrandly's 10, Dub's 25 and Cuttly's 30. The free plan exists to be outgrown.
Paywalled click data. Bitly's free plan shows no click analytics at all, and TinyURL records clicks on free accounts but describes seeing them after upgrading.
Links that stop working. Some dynamic QR code vendors deactivate codes when a free trial ends. Linkly's free links stop redirecting when they reach the monthly click cap.
Accounts for everything. Bitly now requires an account for every link, which it says improves security. It also means handing over an email address before you can shorten anything.

None of this is hidden or illegal, and some of it pays for real products. The useful question about any free shortener is which of these it uses, and whether that is written down. We cover the details in our comparison of free URL shorteners.

What is free on FattyURL, and what is paid

	No account	Free account	Paid plans
Shorten links	Yes, 10 an hour and 50 a day	Yes, 100 an hour and 1,000 a day once your email is verified	Yes
QR codes (PNG or SVG, your colors, no watermark)	Yes	Yes	Yes
Link expiry	After 30 days with no click (links made from 7 October 2026)	Never	Never on fattyurl.com
Click analytics, custom slugs, editing	No	Yes	Yes
CSV export of your links	No	Yes	Yes
Ads on your links	May show	May show	Never
Your own domain, bulk CSV import, the API	No	No	Yes

There is no monthly cap at any level. The hourly and daily limits only stop bots, and clicks are never limited. Links to a fixed list of free website and form builders, including every Google Docs and Google Forms link, need a free account with a verified email, because phishing kits favor those sites. Current prices are on the pricing page.

So how does FattyURL pay for itself?

FattyURL's business model has two parts. Paid plans add your own domain, bulk CSV import, the API and, on Business, a CSV of every click. And free links may show ads. Links on a paid plan never do.

A redirect is a small database lookup, and FattyURL is run lean, so the running costs are modest. FattyURL is self-funded today.

Our promise, in writing

A support reply is not a policy, so ours is public on the promise page. Version 2.0 has six points:

Ad-free on paid plans. Links on a paid plan never show ads. Free links may show ads; write to us and we may switch them off, free or for a fee.
Links that never expire. With a free account, your links work forever, even if you never pay. Links made without an account from 7 October 2026 expire after 30 days without a click.
Free stays free. Shortening and QR codes need no sign up, and a free account's analytics, custom slugs, editing and CSV export stay free.
Good links stay on. We never switch off a link for being old, popular or unpaid.
No monthly cap. We limit how fast new links are made, never how often they are clicked.
Fair notice. The latest version of the promise applies to all links. If FattyURL ever shuts down, you get 3 months' notice and can export everything.

The fourth point has a limit on purpose. Links used for phishing, malware or other abuse break our rules, and they are paused, never deleted. We tell the owner why, and we restore a link if a re-check finds it clean. That protects everyone who clicks a FattyURL link.

What FattyURL does not do yet

Being clear about the gaps matters as much as the features. Today FattyURL has no team workspaces or third-party integrations. If you need those now, Short.io, Dub or a paid Bitly plan will serve you better.

FattyURL is also young. It launched in 2026, so it does not have the long track record of older services. The sensible advice for any shortener applies to us too: keep a copy of the links you depend on. With a free account you can export yours to CSV at any time. Our guide to whether short links expire explains what to look for in any service's policy.

Where FattyURL comes from

FattyURL is an independent, self-funded product built in Bengaluru, India. It started from a simple frustration: free shorteners were shrinking their free plans and charging for basic click data. If you have a question, a feature request, or want to report a link being misused, write to us through the contact page. A person reads every message.

FAQ

Is FattyURL really free?

Yes. Shortening and QR codes need no account, and there is no monthly link limit. Click analytics, custom slugs, editing and links that never expire are free with a free account. Free links may show ads; links on a paid plan never do.

How does FattyURL make money?

Its business model has two parts: paid plans, which add your own domain, bulk CSV import and the API, and ads, which free links may show. Everything the promise makes free stays free.

Will my FattyURL links stop working?

Not if you make them with a free account: our written promise says those links never expire and that we never switch off a link for being old, popular or unpaid. Links used for phishing or malware are paused. Links made without an account from 7 October 2026 expire after 30 days with no click. Links on your own domain need an active paid plan, plus 7 days; after that the same links keep working on fattyurl.com. As with any service, keep an export of links you depend on.

Where is FattyURL based?

In Bengaluru, India. FattyURL is independent and self-funded.

Is FattyURL safe to use?

FattyURL checks new links against Google Web Risk's lists of malware and phishing sites, keeps hashed rather than raw IP addresses in click data, never sells data, and pauses links used for abuse. As with any short link, you can check a link's destination before clicking. See our guide on whether URL shorteners are safe.

Why don't I need an account on FattyURL?

Because a short link does not need one. An account adds the features that need to know who you are: analytics for your links, custom slugs, editing, higher fair-use limits, and links that never expire.

Sources

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.

Why FattyURL Is Free, and How It Stays That Way