Bitly vs SendURL: Free Plans, Analytics and Pricing Compared
Bitly is a full link management platform; SendURL is a simple shortener with free per-click analytics and a $5 Pro plan. Limits, history, features and price, compared.
Bitly is the bigger platform: custom domains, a UTM builder, bulk creation and long data history, all on paid plans. SendURL is the cheaper way to get click data: 100 links and per-click analytics on the free plan, and 1,000 links for $5 a month on Pro, which is set up by email at support@sendurl.to rather than self-serve checkout. The figures below come from Bitly's pricing page, checked on 15 October 2026. Plans change, so confirm there before you buy.
Disclosure: SendURL is our product. Bitly does many things SendURL does not, and we say so below.
At a glance
| Bitly | SendURL | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan links | 5 a month | 100 per workspace |
| Analytics history the Free plan lists | none | 7 days |
| First paid plan | Core, $10 a month, annual only ($120) | Pro, $5 a month, set up by email |
| Links on that plan | 100 new a month | 1,000 in total |
| Analytics history on paid plans | 30 days on Core, up to 2 years on Enterprise | 30 days listed on Pro |
| QR codes | 2 a month on Free, more on paid plans | one for every link, every plan |
| Custom domain | complimentary from Growth | not available |
| City-level data | from Premium | not recorded (country only) |
| Edit a destination | from Core, 5 a month | through the API, every plan |
| Clicks per link | unlimited on every plan | 100,000 visits per link on Free |
| Shorten without an account | no | yes |
Where Bitly is stronger
Bitly is a broad platform. Its pricing page lists a UTM builder from Core, link and QR code redirects (changing a destination) from Core, a complimentary custom domain from Growth, and bulk link creation from Growth.
Bitly also keeps data longer at the top end: 30 days of click and scan data on Core, 4 months on Growth, 1 year on Premium and 2 years on Enterprise. Premium adds city-level and device-type data.
SendURL has a few of these: QR codes for every link, a REST API, and destination editing through the API only. It has no custom domains, no bulk import, no team seats, no browser extension or mobile app, no QR styling, no CSV export, no bot filtering or unique clicks, and each Free link stops at 100,000 visits; its UTM builder is a free web tool outside the console. A Free link at its limit answers with a 410 page, while Bitly lists unlimited clicks on every plan, Free included. If you need those things inside one dashboard, Bitly is the better choice. The SendURL features overview lists everything SendURL does.
Where SendURL is stronger
SendURL wins on the free side and on price. Bitly's free plan, which the pricing page marks with a "With Ads" badge, lists 5 links a month and no click data history. SendURL's free plan holds up to 100 links and records the country, device, browser, operating system, referrer and time of every click.
You can also start without an account. Shorten a link on the home page, watch its counter, and when you sign up the link is claimed into your dashboard with its clicks.
The first paid step is cheaper too. Bitly Core is $10 a month, billed annually only, so $120 up front, for 100 new links a month and 30 days of data. SendURL Pro is $5 a month for 1,000 links in total (not per month) and lists 30 days of analytics history; it's set up by email at support@sendurl.to, not self-serve checkout. If you make more than 1,000 links over the life of your account, Bitly's monthly allowance goes further.
Analytics compared
On Bitly, depth depends on the plan: data history starts at Core, and city-level and device-type data at Premium.
On SendURL every plan records the same fields for each click: country, device, browser, OS, referrer, IP address, user agent and time, plus a flag on QR scans. Free lists 7 days of analytics history, Pro 30. The full field list is on the per-click link analytics page. SendURL records the country only, never the city.
Pricing compared
As of 15 October 2026, with Bitly's prices on annual billing (month to month, Growth is $35 and Premium $300):
| Plan | Price | Links | Data history (as listed) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bitly Free | $0 | 5 a month | none listed |
| Bitly Core | $10 a month, annual only ($120 a year) | 100 a month | 30 days |
| Bitly Growth | $29 a month ($348 a year) | 500 a month | 4 months |
| Bitly Premium | $199 a month ($2,388 a year) | 3,000 a month | 1 year |
| SendURL Free | $0 | 100 in total | 7 days |
| SendURL Pro | $5 a month, by email | 1,000 in total | 30 days |
The SendURL Free and Pro plans are on the home page.
Which should you choose?
Choose Bitly if:
- You want links on your own domain
- You need a UTM builder and destination edits inside the dashboard, or bulk creation
- You want a year or more of analytics history and can pay for it
Choose SendURL if:
- You want to make a tracked link without signing up
- You want per-click analytics on a free plan
- You need hundreds of links at a low monthly price, not a full marketing platform
Other options
If Bitly's 5-link free plan is what's pushing you away, our comparison of free Bitly alternatives puts six free plans side by side. The wider ranking is in the best URL shorteners.
Checklist before you switch
- List the bit.ly links already printed or widely shared: they stay on Bitly, so keep that account
- Decide whether you need a custom domain (SendURL has none)
- Make a test link on the SendURL home page and look at the click detail an hour later
- Compare your monthly link count with the free-plan limits above
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