Bitly vs Simple Analytics Comparison 2026
Both cover analytics. Here is what separates them on price, billing, what you can take with you, and coverage.
At a glance
- Bitly starts cheaper, at $10.
- Both have a genuinely free tier.
Side by side
Bitly | Simple Analytics | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (they differ) | From $10 | From $20 |
| Pricing model | Free plan, paid tiers | Free plan, paid tiers |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Billing | Monthly or annual | Monthly or annual |
| Free trial | None | Not stated |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Data export | Not stated | Not stated |
| Their cut | Not stated | Not stated |
| Runs on | Web | Web |
Shaded rows are where the two answers disagree and both listings have answered. A row where one side has not stated a fact is left plain, because silence is not a difference.
Bitly
Short links, QR codes and a bio page
Bitly shortens and brands links, makes QR codes that stay editable after they have been printed, and builds a link-in-bio page from the same account, with click data under all three. The free plan is five links a month and carries advertising. What the money buys is the branded domain and the reporting behind it.
Our note
For a bio link alone this is expensive next to Linktree or Zaap. It earns the money when the same links are going onto packaging and into a campaign report, which is the job the cheaper ones do not do.
Only on this side
- Covers link in bio
- Works with Instagram
- Works with TikTok
Simple Analytics
Website numbers on a single page
Simple Analytics is one dashboard with no setup behind it, aimed at somebody who wants to know what people read and has no intention of building funnels. No cookies, no consent banner and hosting inside the EU are the three things it leads with. Pageview volume sets the price and extra users cost the same again each. Hobby sites are free if the badge stays on the page.
Ratings are the average of reviews readers left. The facts are stated by each tool’s own listing and are not verified by CloutStack. How we make money.