Rebrandly vs Short.io Comparison 2026
Rebrandly shortens a link onto a domain you own and adds link galleries and QR codes around it, with a free plan capped at ten links a month. Short.io covers the same core job, plus custom domains on its own free tier, 50,000 tracked clicks a month before paying anything, and raw click data exported to S3. Paid, Rebrandly's entry tier is $11 a month against Short.io's Hobby at $5. The free plan is where Short.io pulls ahead hardest, not just the price.
Branded short links on your own domain
Link shortening with the analytics attached
At a glance
- Short.io starts cheaper, at $5.
- Both have a genuinely free tier.
Side by side
Rebrandly | Short.io | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (they differ) | From $11 | From $5 |
| Pricing model | Free plan, paid tiers | Free plan, paid tiers |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Billing | Monthly or annual | Monthly or annual |
| Free trial | Not stated | None |
| API | Yes |
Rebrandly
Branded short links on your own domain
Rebrandly shortens a link onto a domain you own, so what gets shared carries your name rather than a shortener's. Around that sit click analytics, QR codes, link galleries and the ability to change where an old link points. The free plan is ten links a month, which is a taste rather than a tool.
Our note
Rebrandly is the pick when the branded domain matters more than the analytics. Short.io gives more away at the bottom of its range, so compare the two on how many links you really create each month.
Short.io
Link shortening with the analytics attached
Short.io is a link shortener for people who care what happened after the click: country targeting, deep links into apps, and click data you can pull out rather than only look at. Custom domains are on every plan including the free one. The pricing page also converts into about twenty currencies, which is rarer than it should be.
Our note
The free plan here does more than several paid plans elsewhere, which makes Short.io the sensible place to start. Move to Rebrandly if link galleries and brand polish matter more to you than the export.
Why people weigh these two
- Short.io instead of Rebrandly
- Short.io keeps analytics attached to every link on its own free tier, a separate free entry point next to Rebrandly's ten-links-a-month cap.
- Rebrandly instead of Short.io
- Rebrandly also puts custom domains on its free tier, with a free tier and an $11 plan, and centers the whole pitch on branded links rather than the click analytics Short.io leads with.
Which one should you pick
Choose Rebrandly if link galleries and overall polish matter more than squeezing the most out of a free plan: its bio-page-style galleries and QR codes are built in, and Growth reaches 3,500 links and ten domains at $99 a month. The free plan tops out at ten links a month, which only suits somebody testing the idea.
Choose Short.io if the free plan needs to actually carry a small operation: 50,000 tracked clicks and custom domains cost nothing, and Hobby at $5 a month, less than half Rebrandly's $11 entry tier, adds country targeting. Anybody who wants to export raw click data rather than read it off a dashboard gets that on Short.io and not on Rebrandly. Pick Rebrandly instead if a link-in-bio gallery page is the feature actually wanted.
Common questions
- Which has the more generous free plan, Rebrandly or Short.io?
- Short.io, clearly. Its free plan includes 50,000 tracked clicks a month, 1,000 link automations and custom domains, all before paying anything. Rebrandly's free plan is ten links a month on a domain it provides, not one you control.
- Which is cheaper to start paying for, Rebrandly or Short.io?
- Short.io. Hobby is $5 a month against Rebrandly's entry tier at $11 a month, both billed monthly, so Short.io costs under half as much at the entry point.
- Can I export my click data with either tool?
- Short.io supports a full export of links and click data to S3, so the analytics stay usable outside the dashboard. Rebrandly does not list a comparable export; its analytics stay inside the platform.
- Does Rebrandly do anything Short.io does not?
- Its link galleries are the clearest difference, a page of links functioning like a link-in-bio page, built into the same subscription. Short.io is built around the shortening and the click data rather than a page of links to share.
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.