Compare / Shlink vs YOURLS
Shlink vs YOURLS
Pick Shlink if you want the published Bitly / TinyURL stack (API + QR). Pick YOURLS if you want that classic PHP shortener.
Facts checked 24 Oct 2026. License, language, and GitHub activity come from the catalog or the project's own repo. "Not in the catalog row" means the public catalog dump does not store that number.
Shlink in the catalog YOURLS in the catalog Start on Railway
How they compare
| Shlink | YOURLS | |
|---|---|---|
| License | MIT (catalog) source | MIT (catalog) source |
| Language | PHP (catalog) | PHP (catalog) |
| GitHub activity | 5,365 stars in the catalog source | 12,272 stars in the catalog source |
| Self-host | Published as /stacks/shlink-urls. API plus a database. | Same stack. Classic PHP shortener. |
| Best for | The published Bitly replacement. | A PHP shortener if Shlink is not the shape. |
Self-hosting and resource needs
Both sit on /stacks/shlink-urls. Shlink is shlinkio/shlink. YOURLS is YOURLS/YOURLS. Kutt is the Node sibling — /compare/kutt-vs-shlink. Dub ships AGPL plus ee/ — skip ee; it is not this pair. Neither has a one-click c17 Railway template.
FAQ
- Bitly or TinyURL?
- Same published shortener — /replace/bitly and /replace/tinyurl.
- Where is Kutt?
- /compare/kutt-vs-shlink.
- Are these free?
- Both catalog rows are MIT. You pay hosting.
- How do I deploy Shlink?
- Open /stacks/shlink-urls. Persist the database. Create one short link.
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