Shortly review
A capable free shortener for marketers who need targeting, analytics, and link organization.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Shortly is a web-based URL-shortening platform for marketers, teams, product groups, and growth teams. It creates short links with custom aliases, custom domains, QR codes, password protection, expiration controls, and real-time click analytics. Its audience is especially well served when link presentation, campaign targeting, and organized link management matter more than a broad developer ecosystem.
The free Starter plan is the currently priced offering and includes a public shortener page, an admin dashboard, basic analytics, MongoDB-backed redirects, and QR codes on every link. The feature set extends beyond basic redirection: Shortly supports custom domains, traffic breakdowns by country, device, browser, and referrer, plus folders, tags, and UTM presets. Premium is listed as coming soon and adds advanced analytics, higher usage limits, custom domains, team collaboration, and priority support. That makes the free tier the clearest entry point, while the paid path is not yet defined by a published price.
Shortly’s strongest distinction is the breadth of campaign controls in a free URL shortener. Password protection, link expiry, weighted A/B destination variants, link-in-bio pages, and safe-link checks give marketers more ways to manage and direct traffic. The trade-off is a narrower platform fit: Shortly is web-only, with no verified API or integrations presented. Choose it for free branded links, QR codes, analytics, and organized campaign workflows. Consider an alternative if API access, connected marketing tools, or a wider platform ecosystem is central to your requirements.
Shortly pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Free Starter plan includes custom domains and QR codes
- Real-time analytics cover country, device, browser, and referrer
- Folders, tags, UTM presets, A/B variants, and bio pages organize campaigns
- Where it doesn't
- Premium is coming soon without a published price
- Web-only access limits platform flexibility
- No verified API or integrations are presented
Shortly fact sheet, pricing and score →
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