Dub vs Short.io for link management

Last updated October 2026

Link management has grown well past the simple act of shortening a URL. Modern platforms bundle analytics, custom domains, API access, team collaboration, and conversion tracking into a single dashboard. Dub and Short.io both operate in this space, but they serve different kinds of users and scale differently as needs grow.

Choosing between them is not just a question of price. It comes down to what you need your links to do after they are created. A marketing team running referral programs, tracking conversions across channels, and A/B testing landing pages has fundamentally different requirements than a developer who needs a clean API for generating branded short links at volume. Both Dub and Short.io can shorten a URL and attach a custom domain, but the similarities become less interesting than the differences once you look at the full feature set.

This comparison breaks down what each platform offers, where each one stands out, and how to decide which fits your workflow.

Dub

Dub is an open-source link management platform that has positioned itself as the modern successor to older shortening services. Built with a developer-first mindset, Dub combines link shortening with analytics, conversion tracking, and a full-featured partner and referral program infrastructure.

The platform's free tier allows 25 new links per month with 1,000 tracked events and 30 days of analytics retention, which is enough for personal projects or light experimentation. The Pro plan at $30 per month increases that to 1,000 links, 50,000 tracked events, one year of data retention, and support for up to three users with ten custom domains. At the Business tier ($90 per month), Dub opens up conversion tracking, A/B testing, customer insights, event webhooks, and support for ten users and 100 custom domains. The Advanced plan at $300 per month adds elevated API rate limits, longer data retention, and priority support.

What sets Dub apart is the depth of its analytics and marketing toolkit. Real-time click tracking with geographic, device, and referrer breakdowns come standard. Conversion tracking lets you attribute signups, purchases, or other downstream events back to individual links. The A/B testing feature allows you to split traffic between destinations and measure which performs better. QR code generation, UTM template management, and deep linking are all built in.

Dub also offers a robust partner program infrastructure. Business-tier users and above can manage referral and affiliate programs directly within the platform, including partner payouts, reward structures, and performance dashboards. This is a feature category that most link management tools simply do not touch.

On the developer side, Dub provides a REST API, SDKs, an MCP server for AI agent integrations, and real-time event webhooks. The platform is open source, which means you can self-host if you prefer, inspect the codebase, or contribute. Enterprise customers get SAML/SSO, audit logs, and dedicated support via Slack.

The tradeoff with Dub is that its free tier is quite limited (25 links per month), and the jump to Pro at $30 per month is steeper than some competitors. If all you need is simple link shortening at moderate volume, you may be paying for capabilities you do not use.

Short.io

Short.io is a link shortening platform focused on branded URLs with a straightforward feature set. It has been around for several years and maintains a steady presence in the link management space, particularly among users who want something functional without a steep learning curve.

Short.io's free plan is more generous on link volume than many competitors, allowing 1,000 branded links per month with 50,000 tracked clicks and up to five custom domains. The Hobby plan at $5 per month bumps that to 2,500 links and 100,000 clicks. The Pro tier at $18 per month removes limits on links and clicks entirely, and adds password protection, link expiration, and link cloaking. The Team plan at $48 per month introduces unlimited users, 50 custom domains, city and region targeting, mobile deep links, end-to-end encryption, and a 99.9% SLA. Enterprise pricing starts at $148 per month and includes SSO, S3 data export, and dedicated IP addresses. All paid plans offer a 17% discount with annual billing and include a seven-day free trial.

Short.io's strength is simplicity at a reasonable price. If your primary need is creating branded short links with decent analytics and you do not need conversion tracking, A/B testing, or partner program management, Short.io covers the fundamentals well. The platform supports custom domains, click analytics with geographic data, link expiration, and password-protected links.

The API is functional and supports the core operations you would expect: creating, updating, and deleting links, plus retrieving click statistics. Documentation is adequate, though the developer ecosystem is not as extensive as what you find with open-source alternatives.

Where Short.io falls short relative to more modern platforms is in the depth of its analytics and the breadth of its marketing features. There is no built-in conversion tracking, no A/B testing, and no referral program infrastructure. Data retention policies and analytics granularity are less transparent than what you get with Dub. The platform is closed source, so self-hosting is not an option.

For teams that need straightforward link shortening with custom domains and basic analytics at a low price point, Short.io delivers on that promise without unnecessary complexity.

Feature comparison

How to choose

The decision between Dub and Short.io usually comes down to two questions: how much do you need your links to do beyond redirecting, and what does your budget look like at your expected volume.

If you are a solo creator or small project that needs a high volume of branded short links with basic analytics, Short.io's free tier and low-cost paid plans make it the more economical starting point. You get 1,000 links per month for free, compared to 25 on Dub's free plan, and the $5 Hobby tier is hard to beat on pure cost-per-link math.

If you are a marketing team, growth operator, or business that needs to understand what happens after someone clicks a link, Dub is the stronger choice. Conversion tracking, A/B testing, event webhooks, and partner program management are capabilities that Short.io does not offer at any price. The ability to attribute revenue back to individual links, test different destinations, and manage affiliate payouts within the same platform where you create your links eliminates the need to stitch together multiple tools.

For developers building link management into their own products, Dub's open-source codebase, well-documented API, SDK support, and self-hosting option give you flexibility that a closed platform cannot match. The MCP server integration also makes Dub a natural fit for teams building AI-powered workflows.

If your link management needs are straightforward and budget is the primary concern, Short.io is a solid, no-frills option. If you need links to be an active part of your growth and attribution infrastructure, Dub is purpose-built for that.

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Frequently asked questions

Is Dub free to use?

Yes. Dub offers a free tier that includes 25 new links per month, 1,000 tracked events, 30 days of analytics retention, three custom domains, and API access. It is suitable for personal use or evaluating the platform before upgrading.

Is Short.io free to use?

Yes. Short.io's free plan includes 1,000 branded links per month, 50,000 tracked clicks, and five custom domains. It is one of the more generous free tiers in the link management category.

Can I use my own domain with Dub?

Yes. All Dub plans support custom domains. The free plan allows three, Pro allows ten, Business supports 100, and Advanced handles 250. Enterprise plans have no domain limit.

Does Short.io support conversion tracking?

No. Short.io provides click analytics, including geographic and device data, but does not offer conversion tracking or downstream event attribution. If you need to track what happens after a click, Dub supports this from the Business plan onward.

Can I self-host Dub?

Yes. Dub is open source and can be self-hosted. This gives teams full control over their data, infrastructure, and customization. Short.io is closed source and does not offer a self-hosting option.

Which platform has better analytics?

Dub offers more depth in its analytics, including real-time event tracking, conversion attribution, customer insights, and A/B test reporting. Short.io covers the basics well with click counts, geographic breakdowns, and device data, but lacks the conversion and experimentation layers.

Does Dub support A/B testing?

Yes. Dub supports A/B testing on Business plans and above, allowing you to split traffic between different destinations and measure performance differences. Short.io does not offer this feature.

Which platform is cheaper for high-volume link creation?

For raw link volume at the lowest price, Short.io is less expensive. Its $18 per month Pro plan includes unlimited links and clicks. Dub's Pro plan at $30 per month caps at 1,000 new links, and you need the $90 Business plan for 10,000 links per month. The price gap narrows when you factor in the additional capabilities Dub includes at those tiers.

Do both platforms offer APIs?

Yes. Both Dub and Short.io provide REST APIs for programmatic link creation and management. Dub also offers SDKs, an MCP server, and real-time webhooks that extend its API capabilities further.

Can I manage affiliate or referral programs with either platform?

Only Dub offers built-in partner and referral program management. This includes partner onboarding, reward structures, payout processing, and performance dashboards. Short.io does not have referral or affiliate features.

Does Short.io offer team collaboration features?

Yes, but only from the Team plan at $48 per month. Lower tiers are limited to a single user. Dub supports up to three users on its $30 Pro plan and ten users on the $90 Business plan.

Which platform is better for developers?

Dub is the more developer-friendly platform. Its open-source codebase, comprehensive API documentation, SDK support, self-hosting option, and MCP server for AI integrations give developers significantly more flexibility than Short.io's closed-source API.