T.LY vs TinyURL Comparison 2026
T.LY has no free tier, only a five-day trial, but its cheapest paid plan is $10 a month for a thousand links with the full API included. TinyURL shortens for free with no account needed, and its Pro tier is $9 a month, cheaper on the sticker, for only 125 links, a fraction of what T.LY gives at a higher price. T.LY wins decisively on links per dollar once you are paying. TinyURL wins on brand recognition and a real free plan.
Short links with an API on every plan
The short link everyone recognises, with analytics
At a glance
- TinyURL starts cheaper, at $9.
- Only TinyURL has a free tier.
Side by side
T.LY | TinyURL | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (they differ) | From $10 | From $9 |
| Pricing model (they differ) | Paid subscription | Free plan, paid tiers |
| Free tier (they differ) | No | Yes |
| Billing | Monthly or annual | Monthly or annual |
| Free trial | 5 days | Not stated |
| API | Yes |
T.LY
Short links with an API on every plan
T.LY shortens links behind your own domain and reports on the clicks, with the API available on the cheapest paid tier rather than held back for enterprise. Plans are metered by links created a month, so the traffic those links carry never changes the bill. A OneLink page collects several destinations behind one address, which is the link in bio case handled without a second product.
Our note
Pick this over Bitly when you want the API without an enterprise conversation, and over Short.io when you would rather pay per link created than per click. The five-day trial is short, so plan what you want to test before starting it.
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 T.LY
- TinyURL is the short link most people already recognise by name, with analytics from $9 and a free tier to start.
- T.LY instead of TinyURL
- T.LY puts the API on every paid plan rather than holding it back, from $10, built for calling it programmatically rather than clicking through a dashboard.
Which one should you pick
Choose T.LY if link volume and API access matter more than a free plan: $10 a month covers a thousand links, eight times TinyURL's Pro allowance, with the complete API on the same cheap plan rather than reserved for an enterprise tier. There is no free plan, only a five-day trial with no card, so budget for the $10 from day one.
Choose TinyURL if the link needs to survive in print or packaging and a recognisable domain helps clicks: free shortening needs no account at all, and Pro at $9 a month adds three branded domains and unlimited tracked clicks, even though the 125-link allowance disappears fast on a busy content calendar. Editable destinations, repointing a link after it is already printed, is the feature worth paying for on its own.
Common questions
- Which gives more links for the money, T.LY or TinyURL?
- T.LY, by a wide margin: $10 a month covers a thousand links against TinyURL's Pro tier at $9 a month for only 125. T.LY is both cheaper and far more generous on volume.
- Does T.LY have a free plan like TinyURL?
- No, T.LY has no free tier at all, only a five-day trial with no card required. TinyURL still shortens for free with no account, the feature it has always been known for.
- Is the API included on the cheapest plan for both?
- T.LY includes the full API on every plan, including its $10 entry tier. TinyURL also lists API access, though its own materials do not gate it by tier the same explicit way T.LY's do.
- Which one is better for a link printed on physical packaging?
- TinyURL, since editable destinations are a named core feature, letting a link already printed be repointed later. T.LY does not list a comparable editable-destination feature among its key features, focusing instead on link volume and the API.
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.