Dub started as a link shortener and grew into a full attribution and affiliate platform. Here's what stands up and what to watch for.
Dub is an open-source link platform built by Steven Tey (ex-Vercel) in 2022. Its real edge isn't shortening links — it's tying every click to revenue with first-party conversion tracking and a built-in affiliate suite (Dub Partners).
It's a strong pick for developer-minded and product-led teams on Stripe. It's a weaker pick if you want a plug-and-play marketing dashboard with landing pages and QR-first workflows. The free plan is generous; conversion tracking and affiliate tools start on paid tiers (around $75/mo, verify).
The core idea is that a link is the start of a conversion journey, not the end. Once a lead is captured, later actions from that visitor attribute back to the original link, so you can see how a campaign or partner turned into signups and paid customers — not just clicks.
Reviewers consistently praise the real-time analytics, clean UI, custom domains on the free plan, link cloaking and the open-source codebase. The common trade-offs: conversion tracking and Dub Partners are gated to higher tiers, event-based pricing can be hard to predict, and it's more developer-first than marketer-first compared with Bitly.
A quick read on the areas people evaluate before switching.
| Area | Verdict | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Attribution | Excellent | First-party click → lead → sale, survives cookie blocking. |
| Free plan | Generous | 25 links/mo, 1,000 events, 3 custom domains, no card. |
| Affiliate tools | Strong | Dub Partners: payouts, tax forms, white-label (Business+). |
| Ease for marketers | Fair | Developer-first; fewer plug-and-play marketing widgets. |
| Pricing clarity | Fair | Event-based tiers can be tricky to forecast. |
Verdicts summarise recurring themes across public reviews; verify specifics and current pricing on Dub.
Create an account, add a custom domain, and shorten a few real campaign links — no credit card needed.
Connect Stripe and fire a test lead/sale to see click-to-revenue attribution end to end (paid tier for full tracking).
If affiliates matter, spin up a partner reward and confirm the payout and analytics flow fit your program.
If you measure success by paying customers and you already live in Stripe, Dub earns its price quickly — the attribution and affiliate automation replace a stack of spreadsheets and a separate partner tool.
If you just need pretty short links and QR codes for social, a simpler shortener may be cheaper. The deciding question is whether you want a link tool or a revenue-attribution tool that happens to start with a link.
Start free, connect Stripe, and watch clicks turn into tracked revenue.
Try Dub freeDub is an open-source link attribution platform combining short links, real-time analytics, first-party conversion tracking and affiliate program tools (Dub Partners). It launched in 2022 and is used by teams like Framer, Superhuman and Vercel.
For Stripe-based SaaS and product-led teams that want attribution and affiliate revenue, yes — it consolidates tracking, analytics and payouts. For basic short links and QR codes, a cheaper shortener may be enough.
Yes. The free plan includes around 25 links/month, 1,000 tracked events, 3 custom domains and API access, with no credit card. Conversion tracking and affiliate tools unlock on paid plans. Verify current limits on Dub.
Conversion tracking and Dub Partners start on the Business tier (~$75/mo), event-based pricing can be hard to forecast, and it's more developer-first than plug-and-play marketing tools like Bitly.