Open-source URL shorteners
Six open-source URL shorteners, compared.
Flared and Sink run on Cloudflare Workers, so you run no server and pay nothing on Workers Free. Flared also gives you members, a CLI, an MCP server with OAuth sign-in, and a hosted plan if you stop wanting to run it. YOURLS, Shlink, and Kutt need a server and a database; Dub needs accounts with several hosted services.
Side by side
| License | Runs on | Also needs | Members | QR codes | CLI | MCP | Latest release | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flared | AGPLv3 | Cloudflare Workers, Free plan | D1 and a Queue, created by Deploy on Cloudflare | Yes, invite links | Built in, SVG or PNG | flared, from any computer | Built in, OAuth sign-in | 0.2.0, October 23, 2026 |
| Sink | AGPLv3 | Cloudflare Workers | D1, KV, and Analytics Engine | No, one site token | Built in | None | Built in, site token | 0.3.1, September 27, 2026 |
| YOURLS | MIT | PHP 8.1 and Apache | MySQL or MariaDB | Logins in a config file; roles with plugins | With a plugin | None official | None found | 1.10.6, August 30, 2026 |
| Shlink | MIT | PHP 8.4 or Docker | A SQL database; a separate web client | API keys with roles | In the web client (removed from the server in 5.0) | On the server only | None found | 5.1.7, September 21, 2026 |
| Kutt | MIT | Node.js 20 or Docker | SQLite, Postgres, or MySQL; optional Redis | Yes, with an admin page | Built in | Third-party only | None found | 3.2.6, July 5, 2026 |
| Dub | AGPLv3, some directories commercial | Vercel; Docker not supported | MySQL, Upstash Redis and QStash, Tinybird, S3 storage, a GitHub app | Workspaces | In the app | dub-cli, last published October 2024 | Hosted by Dub | No tagged releases |
Checked October 15, 2026 from each project’s README and documentation, and from the GitHub API for releases. Dub’s needs come from its self-hosting guide; Shlink’s QR change from its changelog.
Flared: no server, and a way out of running it
Deploy on Cloudflare copies the latest release into your GitHub or GitLab account, creates the databases and the Queue, and deploys the Worker. You enter one setup secret, and no email provider is needed. Workers Free handles about 3,300 recorded clicks a day; Workers Paid at $5 a month gives more.
- Members get their own logins through invite links, and the owner manages domains and members.
- The flared CLI runs on your own computer or in CI, against your
instance with
FLARED_API_URL. - AI assistants such as Claude and ChatGPT connect to its MCP server with an OAuth sign-in, with no token to paste.
- Releases are tagged. An upgrade workflow in your repository opens a pull request for each release, so you choose when to update.
- If you stop wanting to run it, Flared Cloud runs the same product, free to start.
When another project fits
- Sink runs on the same Cloudflare products and is a good single-person tool. It has one site token, so it has no members and no per-person access.
- YOURLS has the largest plugin list and runs on shared PHP hosting. QR codes, device detection, and user roles come from plugins.
- Shlink has rule-based redirects by device, language, and location, and imports from Bitly, YOURLS, and Kutt. Its web client is a separate app, at app.shlink.io or on your own host.
- Kutt is a simple Node.js app with an admin page. You create the HTTPS certificates for custom domains yourself.
- Dub is the hosted product’s own code. Its guide needs accounts with Vercel, a MySQL host, Upstash, Tinybird, and S3 or R2, and some directories need a commercial license. See Flared vs Dub.