TinyURL alternative
Like TinyURL, but you can see what happened.
Shorten a link in one step with no account — then get the part a basic shortener leaves out: real-time click analytics, a QR code, and a destination you can change after sharing.
No signup needed to shorten. Create a free account when you want the history kept.
- Real-time clicks with location and device data
- QR code generated for every link
- Editable destination after the link is shared
- Custom aliases for readable links
- A dashboard that keeps your link history
- Still free, still no card required
Analytics, not guesswork
A basic shortener gives you a shorter string and nothing else. Shortly records every click with time, approximate location, device, browser, and referrer, so a shared link stops being a dead end.
Editable after sharing
Change where a link points without changing the link. When a page moves or a campaign ends, you fix it once instead of chasing every place you posted it.
QR codes included
Every link comes with a scannable QR code for print, packaging, and slides — no second tool and no extra cost.
How it works
Paste a long URL
Drop any link into the box above. Add a custom alias if you want the short URL to read clearly.
Share the short link
Copy it, or use the QR code for anything printed. Clicks start recording straight away.
Check the numbers
Create a free account to keep the link in a dashboard, review its analytics, and edit the destination later.
Basic shortener vs Shortly
A plain shortener solves length. That is genuinely all most people need — until they want to know whether anyone clicked.
| Basic shortener | Shortly | |
|---|---|---|
| Shortens a URL | Yes | Yes |
| Works without an account | Yes | Yes |
| Custom alias | Sometimes | Yes |
| Click analytics | No | Yes |
| Location and device data | No | Yes |
| QR code | Sometimes | Yes |
| Edit destination after sharing | No | Yes |
| Link dashboard | No | Yes |
| Password protection | No | Paid plan |
When a basic shortener is fine
If you just need to paste a shorter string into a chat message and will never think about it again, a basic shortener is perfectly adequate and there is no reason to change.
The moment the link represents work — a campaign, a launch, a printed asset, a client deliverable — the calculation changes. You want to know whether it was opened, from where, and on what. You want to be able to repoint it when the destination moves. A plain shortener gives you none of that, and the link is already out in the world by the time you notice.
The cost of the upgrade is nothing: shortening here is free and needs no account. The difference only shows up when you want the data, and by then it is already being collected.
TinyURL alternative FAQ
Is Shortly free like TinyURL?
Yes. Shortening is free with no account needed, and click analytics and QR codes are included on the free plan too.
Do I need to sign up?
Not to shorten a link. A free account keeps your links in a dashboard so you can review analytics and edit destinations later.
Can I pick my own short URL?
Yes. Set a custom alias when you create the link, so the short URL reads the way you want.
Can I change the destination after sharing?
Yes, from your dashboard. The short URL stays the same while the destination updates — useful when a page moves or a campaign changes.
Do the links expire?
No. Links keep resolving as long as you keep them active. You choose whether to pause or delete them.
Can I get a QR code?
Yes, automatically with every link. Download it as a PNG for screens or an SVG for print.
Try it now
Shorten a link and actually see the clicks.
Same one-step shortening you are used to, with the analytics and QR code that a basic shortener leaves out.