Bit.ly vs cutty.dev — an honest comparison
Bit.ly is the most well-known link shortener. We compare it fairly with cutty.dev — price, privacy, limits, link longevity — and we also say when bit.ly will be better.
What to choose, bit.ly or cutty.dev? It depends. And that's not an excuse, but an honest answer that I will break down below.
Everyone knows Bit.ly. It is its greatest advantage and at the same time a cognitive trap, because "everyone uses it" does not mean "it is profitable for you specifically." Let's take a closer look. Price, privacy, limits, durability of suffixes. And I will say plainly when bit.ly will turn out to be better, because such situations do exist.
Two sentences to start with, if you are in a hurry
Bit.ly is a well-known brand, with plenty of integrations and extensive plans for companies. The free plan? A bit thin. A dozen or so links per month, and for full functionality, you pay from several dozen dollars. Servers are located in the USA.
Cutty.dev works the opposite way. Everything for free, no limit on links, server in the European Union, zero added ads and trackers. Ends that never return to the pool. This is a one-person project, so there is no sales department. There is also no one who pushes you toward an "upgraded plan" every week.
How much does it cost
Bit.ly on a free account gives you links that you can count on one hand, plus basic statistics. You will run out of links or want your own domain and deeper analytics. Then, a subscription.
Everything is free for me. Unlimited number of links, QR codes, custom domains, statistics, passwords for links, expiration dates. There might be some paid add-ons in the future, I won't hide that. But the standard remains free and no one will slap an ad on your link just because you are using the "free version".
What the cutter knows about you
This is where it gets interesting, because few people think about this. Free tools have to make money somewhere. Sometimes you pay with data, you just don't see the invoice.
| bit.ly | cutty.dev | |
|---|---|---|
| Server location | USA | European Union |
| Visitors' IP addresses | collected | only encrypted hash |
| Selling / sharing statistics | part of the model | we do not do this |
| Third-party trackers on the site | yes | only our own, first-party |
Do you run a company in the EU and GDPR is a real topic for you, rather than just a slogan from a presentation? Hosting in Europe and not sending data outside the Union simplifies a lot. I wrote about this separately.
The finish that stays with you
This difference is not visible at first glance. And it can hurt deeply.
In many URL shorteners, you delete a link or an account and the suffix returns to the pool. Someone else can take it. Imagine: you distributed a thousand flyers with the address bit.ly/promocja, the campaign ended, the link expired, and after six months, that same address leads to someone else's website. Or even worse.
For me, the slug does not return to circulation. Never. Once created, it remains permanently reserved, even if you delete the link itself. This matters everywhere a URL lives for a long time. A QR code on product packaging. A poster. An SMS in a customer archive. A backlink that builds your SEO for years.
How it looks and how long
Both provide a short address, a tie here. But on cutty.dev you can set your own, readable suffix, for example cutty.dev/cennik, and it's for free. In bit.ly, part of the customization is behind a paid plan. A QR code? Mine is generated automatically, along with the link. Without clicking through extra windows.
When NOT to choose cutty, but only bit.ly
Because such moments exist. Bit.ly will win if:
- you are a large company with dozens of people and need roles, teams, and access control in one panel,
- you already have your processes set up on bit.ly integrations (Slack, Salesforce, marketing tools) and don't want to rewire them,
- an audit requires you to have specific certificates or hosting in the USA,
- you must have 24/7 support. A one-man project does not have a round-the-clock department, period.
And when is cutty.dev
- you are a freelancer, a creator, running a small or medium-sized brand,
- you care about privacy and hosting in the EU,
- you don't want the free plan to attach ads to your links or disable your account after reaching a limit,
- you want the endings to be permanent and belong to you. Forever.
The cheapest way to check is by yourself, because you risk nothing. No account is required, just paste the link into cutty.dev and compare it with what you remember from bit.ly. Have questions? Write to [email protected], I usually reply on the same day.