---
title: "Bitly alternative with a free custom domain · Flared"
description: "Flared vs Bitly: 5 custom domains and 1,000 links free, 10 domains for $100 a year, and a CLI, API, and MCP on every plan. See the full scorecard."
---

Flared vs Bitly

# Flared vs Bitly: your own domain, free.

Flared leads Bitly on 12 of 14 points. Free includes 5 custom domains and 1,000 active links, where Bitly Free has 5 links a month and no domain. Plus costs $100 a year for 10 domains, where Bitly charges $348 a year for one.

## The scorecard

Flared leads on 12 of 14 points.

|  | Flared | Bitly | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Free plan | 1,000 active links, 5 custom domains, no ads | 5 links a month, no custom domain, with ads | Flared |
| First custom domain | $0, on Free | $29 a month, billed $348 a year (Growth) | Flared |
| Paid plan, per year | $100 for 10 domains and 10,000 active links | $348 for 1 domain and 500 links a month (Growth) | Flared |
| Change a destination | Any time, on every plan | Not on Free; 5 a month on Core, 20 on Growth | Flared |
| QR codes | One for every link | 2 a month on Free, 10 on Growth | Flared |
| Click history | 365 days on Plus at $100 a year | 4 months on Growth; 1 year on Premium at $2,388 a year | Flared |
| API | Every plan, 60 requests a minute per token, no monthly quota | 1,000 to 25,000 requests a month (Free to Growth) | Flared |
| UTM builder | Every plan, in the dashboard, CLI, and MCP | From Core, $120 a year | Flared |
| App links for iPhone and Android | Every plan, a destination for each | Mobile deep links on Premium, $2,388 a year | Flared |
| Terminal and CI | The flared CLI, with JSON output | No CLI listed | Flared |
| Open source and self-hosting | AGPLv3 core, runs in your Cloudflare account | Not available | Flared |
| Pay once | Plus Lifetime, $200 | No lifetime plan listed | Flared |
| AI assistants (MCP) | Every plan, OAuth sign-in with no API token | Bitly MCP listed | Both |
| Recorded clicks | 100,000 a month on Plus; links keep redirecting past it | Unlimited | Bitly |

Bitly facts from [Bitly’s pricing page](https://bitly.com/pages/pricing) with annual billing selected, as of October 14, 2026. Flared facts from [Flared pricing](https://flared.page/pricing). Flared Plus is also $15 month to month.

## Built for how you work

- Create links from the dashboard, the [CLI](https://flared.page/docs#cli), the [REST API](https://flared.page/docs#api), or an AI assistant. Every plan includes all four.
- Claude, ChatGPT, and Cursor connect to the [MCP server](https://flared.page/docs/assistants) with an OAuth sign-in, so you never paste an API token into a chat.
- Tag campaigns with [UTM parameters](https://flared.page/docs#utm) and send iPhone and Android visitors to [your app](https://flared.page/docs#app-links), on every plan.
- Fix a typo or move a campaign after you print it: the short link and its QR code stay the same.
- Analytics keep no raw IP addresses and use no visitor cookies, unless the workspace forwards clicks to an analytics tool. Export your links and analytics at any time.
- No lock-in: the core is open source, and you can [run it in your own Cloudflare account](https://flared.page/site/self-host) on Workers Free.

## Bitly’s extras cost more

Bitly sells a marketing suite, and most of its extras sit on higher plans. Bulk link and QR code creation starts on Growth at $348 a year. City-level data needs Premium at $2,388 a year, and SSO needs Enterprise. Bitly also makes link-in-bio pages. Flared includes a UTM builder and app links on every plan, so branded links, analytics, campaigns, and app traffic cost $100 a year.

## Move your links from Bitly

Links on your own subdomain keep their addresses when you move them to Flared. Links on `bit.ly` stay with Bitly; Import can copy them to `flared.link` with a new address.

1. Export your links from Bitly as a CSV file.
2. Add the subdomain in Flared, such as `go.example.com`, and point its CNAME record to `customers.flared.link`. Flared issues the HTTPS certificate, usually within minutes and at most in about an hour.
3. When the domain shows as active, choose Import on the Links page and upload the file. Links on your domain keep their back-halves.

Scripts can send the same links to `POST /v1/links/import` in the [REST API](https://flared.page/docs#api). See [custom domains](https://flared.page/docs#domains) for the DNS details. The Free plan holds 1,000 active links; Plus holds 10,000.

[Start free](https://flared.page/app/login?mode=signup) [Compare plans](https://flared.page/pricing)