Replace / TinyURL
Best free TinyURL alternatives (open source, self-hosted) 2026
The best open-source alternative to TinyURL is Shlink (or YOURLS) with Kutt, self-hosted on Railway. Short links you host. Shlink is the MIT shortener; YOURLS and Kutt are MIT siblings — Bitly, TinyURL, and Rebrandly without the hosted link seat.
Estimated save $1,200 a year.
Open the stackStart on Railway
How TinyURL compares
| TinyURL | Shlink / Dub | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Hosted subscription | Open-source or fair-code license; you pay the host |
| Hosting | Vendor cloud | Self-hosted on Railway or any VPS |
| Rough monthly cost | Public list price not verified this run | Hosting only — no SaaS seat meter in this repo |
- Shlink
MIT URL shortener (API, QR, custom domains) — the published Bitly path
- YOURLS
MIT PHP shortener if that classic is the job
- Kutt
MIT Node shortener if that UI is the job
- Dub
AGPL link attribution (skip ee/)
FAQ
- What is the best free open-source TinyURL alternative?
- The best open-source alternative to TinyURL is Shlink (or YOURLS) with Kutt, self-hosted on Railway. Short links you host. Shlink is the MIT shortener; YOURLS and Kutt are MIT siblings — Bitly, TinyURL, and Rebrandly without the hosted link seat.
- Is it free?
- The Shlink / Dub licenses are open source or fair-code. You still pay hosting (Railway or any VPS) and any APIs the stack calls. There is no TinyURL seat or task bill on this path.
- Can I migrate from TinyURL?
- Yes. Start with the workflows or data you actually use, then cut over. The Shlink / Dub stack page has the agent prompt and the cost table; most teams rebuild the slice that matters and leave old TinyURL links until they expire.
- How do I deploy it?
- Open the Shlink / Dub stack, copy the agent prompt, and deploy on Railway (one service, PORT, and a volume when the app needs disk). Placeholder: Shlink + a database (easiest), YOURLS if you want that PHP classic, or Kutt if you want that Node UI. Dub if you need attribution dashboards and will skip ee/. Custom domain on Railway.
- What does this replace?
- Bitly / TinyURL / Rebrandly. The published small-team estimate on this stack is $1,200 a year.
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