Bitly is the established name since 2008. Dub is the 2022 challenger built around attribution. They shorten links very differently under the hood.
Bitly is a broad, marketer-friendly platform: link shortening, QR codes and landing pages with drag-and-drop ease, trusted by teams of every size.
Dub is developer-first and attribution-focused: custom domains on the free plan, first-party conversion tracking, deep links, A/B testing and a built-in affiliate suite. If you want to know which link drove revenue — or run an affiliate program — Dub does things Bitly doesn't.
Bitly optimises for ease and breadth: a one-and-done shortener, QR customisation and landing pages that anyone can use without a dev team. Its catch is that branded custom domains and richer features sit on higher tiers, and the free plan uses the shared bit.ly domain.
Dub optimises for outcomes: even the free plan supports custom domains, and paid tiers add conversion tracking that ties clicks to Stripe revenue, deep links, device/geo targeting and Dub Partners for affiliates — capabilities Bitly doesn't offer in the same way.
The differences that tend to decide it.
| Factor | Dub | Bitly |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2022, open source | 2008, established |
| Custom domain on free | Yes (up to 3) | No (shared bit.ly) |
| Conversion tracking | Yes (Business+) | No |
| Affiliate program | Yes (Dub Partners) | No |
| Best for | Developers, product-led SaaS | Marketers, QR + landing pages |
Feature availability and pricing change on both platforms; verify current plans on each vendor's site.
Need QR codes, landing pages and easy team sharing? Bitly. Need attribution and affiliate tracking? Dub.
If you want custom domains without paying up, Dub includes them on the free plan.
If tying clicks to Stripe sales matters, Dub's conversion tracking is the deciding feature.
For broad marketing use — campaigns, QR, landing pages, non-technical teams — Bitly's polish and simplicity are hard to beat.
For product-led and developer teams that want branded links plus attribution and affiliate tools in one place, Dub is the more capable modern choice. Pick based on whether your bottleneck is ease-of-use or revenue visibility.
Custom domains on free, conversion tracking when you need it, affiliates built in.
Try Dub freeFor attribution and affiliate tracking, yes — Dub offers conversion tracking, custom domains on free and Dub Partners. For QR codes, landing pages and non-technical ease, Bitly is stronger. It depends on your job to be done.
Bitly focuses on link shortening, QR codes, landing pages and analytics. Click-to-revenue conversion tracking is a Dub capability that Bitly doesn't offer in the same first-party way.
Dub's free plan notably includes custom domains (up to 3) and API access. Bitly's free plan uses the shared bit.ly domain. Bitly bundles QR codes and landing pages on free. Compare against your needs.
Yes — many teams replace Bitly with Dub for branded links plus attribution. You'll recreate links under your own custom domain; check Dub's docs for import options and redirect handling.