Short.io vs TinyURL Comparison 2026
Short.io gives away custom domains and 50,000 tracked clicks a month for free, then $5 for 100,000 clicks, metering by traffic rather than by how many links exist. TinyURL shortens for free too, with no account needed, but holds branded domains back for its $9-a-month Pro tier, which meters 125 links a month with unlimited clicks on each. Short.io rewards a small number of links that get clicked a lot. TinyURL rewards a link that goes viral once it is already paid for.
Link shortening with the analytics attached
The short link everyone recognises, with analytics
At a glance
- Short.io starts cheaper, at $5.
- Both have a genuinely free tier.
Side by side
Short.io | TinyURL | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (they differ) | From $5 | From $9 |
| 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 |
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.
Only on this side
- Covers analytics
TinyURL
The short link everyone recognises, with analytics
TinyURL has shortened links for free since before link-in-bio pages existed, and the paid tiers add branded domains, editable destinations and click analytics on top of that. Links are metered per month with a stated overage rate rather than being cut off. Three branded domains come on the entry plan. Anybody who wants a landing page with buttons on it is looking at the wrong product, because this shortens links and stops there.
Why people weigh these two
- TinyURL instead of Short.io
- TinyURL keeps the shortener format most people already recognize and added analytics on top, with a free tier and a $9 plan.
- Short.io instead of TinyURL
- Short.io keeps the analytics attached to the link itself, from $5, the cheaper entry point if a dashboard of click data is the only extra you need.
Which one should you pick
Choose Short.io if branded domains matter from day one and traffic is the number worth tracking: the free plan alone gives 50,000 tracked clicks a month with a custom domain included, well ahead of anything TinyURL's free tier offers. Hobby at $5 a month doubles the click ceiling and adds country targeting.
Choose TinyURL if the link needs to outlive its campaign, printed on packaging where repointing it later matters, or if recognition of a familiar domain helps. Free shortening needs no account, and Pro at $9 a month adds three branded domains and unlimited tracked clicks for 125 links, a link-count ceiling rather than a click ceiling, so the two plans are not really measuring the same thing even though both cost only a few dollars.
Common questions
- Which is cheaper, Short.io or TinyURL?
- Short.io's paid tier is cheaper on the sticker, $5 a month against TinyURL's $9, and its free plan is also more generous, including custom domains at no cost. TinyURL's free tier does not include branded domains at all; that requires the $9 Pro plan.
- Do these two meter usage the same way?
- No. Short.io counts clicks, 50,000 free and 100,000 on Hobby, so a viral link can use up the allowance fast. TinyURL counts links created, 125 a month on Pro, with unlimited tracked clicks on each one regardless of how popular it gets.
- Do I need an account to shorten a link on either one?
- TinyURL's free shortening needs no account at all, the feature it has always been known for. Short.io's free plan, with its 50,000 tracked clicks and custom domain, runs through an account.
- Can a link be repointed to a new destination after sharing it on either one?
- TinyURL calls out editable destinations as a core feature, useful for a link printed on packaging. Short.io does not list an equivalent editable-destination feature among its key features, focusing instead on click data and export.
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.