TrimLink vs BitlyThe Bitly alternative built for price + privacy
TrimLink is the privacy-first alternative to Bitly — same toolkit, fair pricing, and we don't profile the people clicking your links.
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Where TrimLink wins over Bitly
The numbers that change your buy decision. All values verified against Bitly's own pricing page.
$348
less per year for a branded domain (vs Bitly Growth $29/mo)
5×
more free links per month (25 vs 5)
0
tracking cookies on visitors
| Feature | TrimLink | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | ||
| Lowest paid tier price | $5/mo (Starter)Save $60/yr | $10/mo (Core) |
| First tier with branded domain | FreeSave $348/yr | $29/mo (Growth) |
| Free links/month | 255× more | 5 |
| Custom domain (free tier) | 1 included | Not available |
| Features | ||
| Analytics on free | Clicks + top-5 countries | Basic clicks |
| QR codes (free) | 5/mo, customizable | Not on free |
| API access | Pro+ plans | All paid |
| Privacy | ||
| Visitor tracking | No raw IPs, no cookies | Standard tracking |
| Growth | ||
| Referral rewards | +3 links/signup, +10 more/paid | Not offered |
Why TrimLink over Bitly
The specific differences that change the buy decision.
Custom domain on the free tier
Bitly requires the Growth plan ($29/mo annual, $35/mo monthly) for branded short links. TrimLink ships 1 custom domain on the free tier.
Privacy-first analytics
No raw IP storage, no fingerprinting, no analytics cookies on visitors. You still see clicks + country breakdowns — just without building visitor profiles.
Lower pricing across every comparable tier
Bitly Core is $10/mo (100 links). TrimLink Starter is $5/mo with 500 links and an API on Pro+. Bitly Growth $29/mo (500 links) lines up with TrimLink Pro $12/mo (1,500 links + API access).
No surprise upsells
Click analytics, QR codes, and custom domains are all on the free tier. Bitly puts each behind a paywall.
The fuller story
Bitly is the household-name URL shortener — solid, mature, and broadly integrated. It's also expensive, gates custom branded domains behind their $29/mo Growth plan, and tracks visitors at the level needed to feed an enterprise data pipeline. TrimLink targets the same job — shorten, track clicks, manage custom domains — without that surveillance posture and at a fraction of Bitly's headline price.
Coming soon
One-click migration from Bitly is on the way
We're building a bulk-import tool so you can move your existing Bitly links into TrimLink in one upload. Until it ships, your Bitly URLs keep redirecting from Bitly — nothing breaks. Reply to any TrimLink email if you'd like help moving a specific batch in the meantime.
The verdict
Bitly is fine if you're already locked into their enterprise stack. For everyone else — solo marketers, small teams, anyone who cares about not selling their audience's clicks — TrimLink is the cheaper, cleaner choice.
Every figure on this page is verified against Bitly's own published pricing. See it for yourself on the Bitly website.
Common questions
Real questions we get about the Bitly switch.
Is TrimLink really cheaper than Bitly?
Yes. Bitly's Growth plan ($29/mo annual or $35/mo monthly) is the first tier that includes a branded domain — TrimLink includes one on the free tier. Bitly's lowest paid Core tier is $10/mo for 100 links; TrimLink Starter is $5/mo for 500 links with API on Pro+.
Can I import my existing Bitly links to TrimLink?
Bulk import is on our roadmap and arriving soon — for now, links are created one at a time. Existing bit.ly short codes will keep redirecting from Bitly (they own that domain), so nothing breaks while you transition. Reply to any TrimLink email if you want help moving a specific batch.
Does TrimLink track clickers the way Bitly does?
No. TrimLink doesn't store raw IPs, doesn't set analytics cookies, and doesn't fingerprint visitors. You still get the click data you need — counts, countries, devices, referrers — but it comes from request metadata rather than profiling the person on the other end.
What's the catch on the free tier?
The catch is volume — 25 links per month. Most individuals never hit that. If you do, Starter is $5/mo for a meaningful bump. There's no feature paywall on essentials like custom domains, QR codes, or basic analytics.
Keep reading
More on shorteners, Bitly, and getting the most out of TrimLink.
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Ready to try TrimLink?
Free account, no credit card. Custom domain on the free tier.