5 self-hosted options
Open-source alternatives to Bitly
The best open-source alternative to Bitly is YOURLS (MIT, 12,284 GitHub stars). Kutt stands out for a permissive MIT license, and Shlink stands out for a published Docker image.
About Bitly: A link shortener with click analytics and branded links.
Updated · data from GitHub, refreshed daily
Top picks
- Rank 1:
YOURLS
YOURLS/YOURLS
YOURLS is a set of PHP scripts that will allow you to run Your Own URL Shortener. Features include password protection, URL customization, bookmarklets, statistics, API, plugins, jsonp.
Active · last commit Oct 25, 2026
URL ShortenersPHPStands out for the most GitHub stars.
- Rank 2:
Kutt
thedevs-network/kutt
Modern URL shortener with support for custom domains and custom URLs.
Active · last commit Oct 19, 2026
URL ShortenersJavaScriptDockerStands out for a permissive MIT license.
- Rank 3:
Shlink
shlinkio/shlink
URL shortener with REST API and command line interface. Includes official progressive web application and docker images.
Active · last commit Oct 24, 2026
URL ShortenersPHPDockerStands out for a published Docker image.
At a glance
Bitly alternatives compared
Open-source apps come first, then source-available ones and apps whose license appsgit could not verify; within each group, projects with at least 12 commits in the last 12 months come before less active or archived ones, then by GitHub stars.
| App | Stands out for | License | GitHub stars | Commits (12 mo) | Last commit | Docker image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| YOURLS | the most GitHub stars | MIT | 12,284 | 127 | Oct 25, 2026 | No |
| Kutt | a permissive MIT license | MIT | 11,171 | 22 | Oct 19, 2026 | Yes |
| Shlink | a published Docker image | MIT | 5,371 | 298 | Oct 24, 2026 | Yes |
| Chhoto URL | the most commits in the last 12 months (397) | MIT | 994 | 397 | Oct 26, 2026 | Yes |
| Simple-URL-Shortener | – | MIT | 60 | 0 | Aug 28, 2025 | No |
Full list
All 5 Bitly alternatives
Open any app for live stats, license details and a deploy option.
- 1
YOURLS
YOURLS is a set of PHP scripts that will allow you to run Your Own URL Shortener. Features include password protection, URL customization, bookmarklets, statistics, API, plugins, jsonp.
URL ShortenersStands out for the most GitHub stars. YOURLS has 12,284 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license and had 127 commits in the last year.
- 2
Kutt
Modern URL shortener with support for custom domains and custom URLs.
URL ShortenersDockerStands out for a permissive MIT license. Kutt has 11,171 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 22 commits in the last year.
- 3
Shlink
URL shortener with REST API and command line interface. Includes official progressive web application and docker images.
URL ShortenersDockerStands out for a published Docker image. Shlink has 5,371 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 298 commits in the last year.
- 4
Chhoto URL
Simple, lightning-fast URL shortener with no bloat (fork of simply-shorten).
URL ShortenersDockerStands out for the most commits in the last 12 months (397). Chhoto URL has 994 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 397 commits in the last year.
- 5
Simple-URL-Shortener
KISS URL shortener, public or private (with account). Minimalist and lightweight. No dependencies.
URL ShortenersSimple-URL-Shortener has 60 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license and was last updated in August 2025.
Is there a free alternative to Bitly?
Yes. All 5 apps on this page are open source and free to self-host, so you can replace Bitly without per-user fees. You pay only for the server.
Can I self-host an alternative to Bitly with Docker?
Yes. 3 of the 5 apps here publish a Docker image, including Kutt, Shlink and Chhoto URL, so you can run them on a home server or VPS with Docker Compose.
Which Bitly alternative is the most actively developed?
Chhoto URL (MIT), with 397 commits in the last 12 months. Activity is a good sign that bugs and security issues get fixed.
How is this list ranked?
Open-source apps come first, then source-available ones and apps whose license appsgit could not verify; within each group, projects with at least 12 commits in the last 12 months come before less active or archived ones, then by GitHub stars.