# Best open source URL shorteners > The best open source URL shortener is Dub, with 24,864 GitHub stars, the AGPL-3.0 license and a Docker image; YOURLS and Shlink are strong alternatives. This page also breaks the picks down by team size and use: Dub leads for freelancers. The overall ranking weighs GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits across the 9 apps in the URL shorteners category of the appsgit catalog. ## Key facts | Fact | Value | |---|---| | Question | What is the best open source URL shortener? | | Picks | 14 | | Top pick | Dub (24,864 stars) | | Data as of | Oct 7, 2026 | | Canonical URL | https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-url-shorteners | ## Top picks 9 of the 9 apps in the URL shorteners category, ranked on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits. - [Dub](https://appsgit.com/apps/dub) (24,864 stars, AGPL-3.0, TypeScript, Docker): Dub has 24,864 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 5,652 commits in the last year. - [YOURLS](https://appsgit.com/apps/yourls) (12,253 stars, MIT, PHP): YOURLS has 12,253 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license and had 114 commits in the last year; it replaces Bitly. - [Shlink](https://appsgit.com/apps/shlink) (5,316 stars, MIT, PHP, Docker): Shlink has 5,316 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 246 commits in the last year; it replaces Bitly. - [Kutt](https://appsgit.com/apps/kutt) (11,138 stars, MIT, JavaScript, Docker): Kutt has 11,138 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 21 commits in the last year; it replaces Bitly. - [Chhoto URL](https://appsgit.com/apps/chhoto-url) (980 stars, MIT, Rust, Docker): Chhoto URL has 980 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 319 commits in the last year; it replaces Bitly. - [Flare](https://appsgit.com/apps/flare) (136 stars, MIT, TypeScript, Docker): Flare has 136 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 102 commits in the last year. - [snowshare](https://appsgit.com/apps/snowshare) (87 stars, CC0-1.0, TypeScript, Docker): snowshare has 87 GitHub stars, uses the CC0-1.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 269 commits in the last year. - [bit](https://appsgit.com/apps/bit) (107 stars, MIT, Crystal, Docker): bit has 107 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 45 commits in the last year. - [Simple-URL-Shortener](https://appsgit.com/apps/simple-url-shortener) (60 stars, MIT, PHP): Simple-URL-Shortener has 60 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license and was last updated in August 2025; it replaces Bitly. ## Best for freelancers Ranked for freelancers on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits. - [Dub](https://appsgit.com/apps/dub) (24,864 stars, AGPL-3.0, TypeScript, Docker): Dub has 24,864 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 5,652 commits in the last year. For freelancers it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days. - [Shlink](https://appsgit.com/apps/shlink) (5,316 stars, MIT, PHP, Docker): Shlink has 5,316 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 246 commits in the last year; it replaces Bitly. For freelancers it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days. - [Kutt](https://appsgit.com/apps/kutt) (11,138 stars, MIT, JavaScript, Docker): Kutt has 11,138 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 21 commits in the last year; it replaces Bitly. For freelancers it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days. - [YOURLS](https://appsgit.com/apps/yourls) (12,253 stars, MIT, PHP): YOURLS has 12,253 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license and had 114 commits in the last year; it replaces Bitly. For freelancers it also scores on an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days. - [Chhoto URL](https://appsgit.com/apps/chhoto-url) (980 stars, MIT, Rust, Docker): Chhoto URL has 980 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 319 commits in the last year; it replaces Bitly. For freelancers it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days. ## How this list was made - Candidates: the 9 apps in the URL shorteners category. Archived projects and projects with no commit in the last two years are left out. - Base score: GitHub stars on a log scale plus commits in the last 12 months (log scale, capped at 1,000). - Bonus points for a published Docker image, an OSI-approved open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days. - Each "Best for" section re-ranks the same apps with that audience's profile (for example startups add points for permissive licenses, project websites and recent commits; small business for Docker images and deploy guides). - Source-available apps can rank, but they are labelled and never described as open source. ## FAQ ### Is Dub free? Yes. Dub is open-source software released under the AGPL-3.0 license, so you can self-host it at no cost. You only pay for the server it runs on, and some projects also offer an optional paid cloud plan. ### Which open source URL shortener is best for a freelancer? Dub ranks first for freelancers, with 24,864 GitHub stars, the AGPL-3.0 license and a Docker image; Shlink and Kutt follow. The freelancers ranking adds points for Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits on top of stars and activity. ### Can I self-host these URL shorteners with Docker? Yes, 7 of the 9 picks. Dub, Shlink and Kutt publish Docker images, so you can run them on a VPS or home server with Docker Compose. The others install from their own packages or source; follow each project's install guide. ### Are all of these URL shorteners open source? All 9 apps on this list are open source. You can self-host and modify each one under its license. ### Which of these URL shorteners is the most actively developed? Dub, with 5,652 commits in the last 12 months. Activity is a good sign that bugs and security issues get fixed. ## Related questions - [What is the best open source file sharing app?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-file-sharing) - [What is the best open source pastebin?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-pastebins) - [What is the best open source budgeting app?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-budgeting-software) - [What is the best open source CMS?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-cms) - [What is the best open source team chat app?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-team-chat) - [What is the best open source blogging platform?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-blogging-platforms) - [What is the best open source developer tool?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-developer-tools) - [What is the best open source reverse proxy?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-reverse-proxies) ## See also - [All URL shorteners apps](https://appsgit.com/categories/url-shorteners) - [All file sharing apps](https://appsgit.com/categories/file-sharing) - [All file managers apps](https://appsgit.com/categories/file-managers) - [Open-source alternatives to Bitly](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/bitly) --- Canonical page: https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-url-shorteners Source: appsgit (https://appsgit.com), the app store for github. 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