A free Bitly alternative with no sign-up
Bitly is the best-known link management platform, with branded links, QR codes and landing pages. Its free plan is now small: an account is required, you get 5 links a month, and visitors see a page with an ad before they reach your destination. Lyzo is a much simpler tool — but if you just need short links with click statistics, it is free, needs no account, and never shows redirect ads.
Last checked: , from each provider's own pricing and help pages.
| Feature | Lyzo | Bitly Free |
|---|---|---|
| Links on the free plan | No monthly cap (up to 10 new links a minute per visitor, to stop abuse) | 5 links a month |
| Sign-up required | No — nothing to sign up for | Yes — Bitly says it now requires all users to create an account |
| Click analytics on the free plan | Yes — clicks per day, referrers, countries and devices for the last 30 days | Clicks are counted, but click history, referrer and country data are not included (30 days of data starts on the paid Core plan, $10 a month billed annually) |
| Link expiration | Yes — 1, 7, 30 or 365 days, or never | Not on the free plan |
| Ads or interstitial page on redirects | None — visitors go straight to the destination | Yes — links from free accounts open an interstitial page with a destination preview and an ad |
| Custom alias (back-half) | No — codes are random | Yes — 3 custom back-halves a month |
| QR codes | Not yet | Yes — 2 QR codes a month |
| API | No public API keys | Yes — 1,000 API requests a month |
When to choose Bitly instead
- You need branded links. Bitly's Growth plan and above include a complimentary custom domain, so links can carry your own brand instead of a shared short domain.
- You print QR codes or build landing pages. Bitly has QR codes and landing pages on every plan, and editable redirects on paid plans. Lyzo has no QR codes yet.
- You want to edit a link after sharing it. Bitly's paid plans let you change where a link goes. On Lyzo you delete the link and create a new one.
- Your team needs integrations or long reports. Bitly offers an API, integrations, up to 2 years of click data and multi-user management on higher plans.
Questions about Lyzo and Bitly
Is Lyzo a good free alternative to Bitly?
If you want short links with click statistics and no account, yes. Lyzo has no monthly link cap, shows clicks per day, referrers, countries and devices for 30 days, and redirects without an ad page. It does not offer branded domains, custom aliases or QR codes.
Does the Bitly free plan show ads?
Yes. Bitly's help center says links from free accounts open an interstitial page with a preview of the destination and an ad, and that paid plans remove it. Lyzo never shows ads on redirects — ads only appear on our own website pages.
Can I see click statistics on Lyzo without an account?
Yes. When you shorten a link you get a private management link that shows its statistics. It is shown only once, so save it.
Can I move my Bitly links to Lyzo?
There is no import. Shorten each destination again on Lyzo and replace the old links where you shared them. Existing Bitly links keep working the way Bitly runs them.
Try Lyzo now
Paste a long link on the home page and get a short link with click statistics in one click. No account needed.
Sources
- Bitly pricing and feature comparison
- Bitly Support: Why are there ads on my links?
- Bitly Support: Free Short Link Generator (Anonymous Link) FAQ