TL;DR: Linktree fits a link-in-bio page β Free with a commerce take-rate, then Starter/Pro/Premium on linktr.ee/pricing. Bitly fits tracked short links and QR codes β Free plus Core from about $10/mo annual. Rebrandly fits branded domains on a published free-plus-paid ladder. Short.io fits teams that want branded short links on short.io/pricing rather than a bio page.
Link management is either a bio page or a branded short-link + QR system. Those are different jobs. This page puts one bio tool next to three short-link tools so you do not buy the wrong meter.
Every entry uses the same fields: published pricing, job (bio vs short link), commerce/QR, free/trial and the main limitation. The order below is not a quality ranking. Free bio first, then free short-link rows.
Link management software compared at a glance
| Provider | Published pricing | Job | Best for | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linktree | Free $0. Starter / Pro / Premium on linktr.ee (2026 reads: ~$8 / $15 / $35 monthly before annual discount). Commerce fee on Free/Starter/Pro; Premium aims at 0% Linktree fee | Link-in-bio page | Creators who need one page of links | Visit β |
| Bitly | Free plus Core ~$10/mo annual, Growth ~$29 annual / $35 monthly, Premium ~$199 annual on bitly.com/pages/pricing | Short links + QR | Campaign links and QR codes | Visit β |
| Rebrandly | Free plus paid from ~$8/mo annual on rebrandly.com/pricing (Professional list has moved in 2026 β confirm live) | Branded short links | Custom domains on every link | Visit β |
| Short.io | Free plus paid on short.io/pricing | Branded short links | Teams that want Short.ioβs domain/API mix | Visit β |
Checked 16 September 2026. Linktree commerce fees and Bitly Free caps (links/QR per month) change β read the live grid. Rebrandlyβs Professional list price moved sharply in 2026 on some trackers.
A bio page is not a branded short domain. Buy one job first.
Bio page versus branded click
Linktree is what you put in Instagram. Bitly/Rebrandly/Short.io is what you put on an ad, a poster or a QR code. A company often needs both. That is two invoices, not a failure of one vendor.
The four providers in detail
1. Linktree
BIO PAGE + OPTIONAL COMMERCE
Best for: creators who need one scrollable page of destinations and may sell through that page.
| Published pricing | Free $0. Paid Starter/Pro/Premium. Confirm monthly vs annual. Commerce take-rate falls as you climb; Premium is the 0% Linktree-fee row in 2026 explainers |
| Job | Link-in-bio, not go.brand/xyz at scale |
| QR / commerce | QR exists. Commerce fees are the quiet line on Free |
| Free plan / trial | Permanent Free with branding and fee |
| Main limitation | 12%-class commerce fees on Free make it a storefront tax, not βfreeβ |
- Stay Free if you only list URLs and accept the Linktree mark.
- Buy Pro to drop branding and lengthen analytics. Buy Premium to kill the commerce fee if you sell there.
- Do not use Linktree as your only branded short-link system.
2. Bitly
SHORT LINKS AND QR
Best for: marketing teams that need tracked short URLs and QR codes with a public Free-to-Core ladder.
| Published pricing | Free (tight monthly link/QR caps). Core ~$10/mo billed annual. Growth ~$29 annual. Premium ~$199 annual. Monthly racks are higher |
| Job | Links, redirects, QR, landing pages as printed on Core/Growth |
| QR / commerce | QR is a first-class meter. Bio pages exist but are not Linktree |
| Free plan / trial | Permanent Free with low caps |
| Main limitation | Free is a tester. Campaign volume lives on Core/Growth |
- Count links and QR codes created per month, not clicks only.
- Branded domain behaviour is plan-gated β read Core vs Growth.
- API request caps matter if you generate links in software.
3. Rebrandly
BRANDED DOMAINS
Best for: teams whose requirement is yourbrand.link/campaign on a published plan.
| Published pricing | rebrandly.com/pricing β Free plus paid. Entry annual figures have printed around $8; Professional list moved in 2026. Use the live calculator |
| Job | Custom-domain short links and galleries |
| QR / commerce | QR and link edits are capped per plan |
| Free plan / trial | Free row exists |
| Main limitation | Do not reuse a 2025 $8 Professional screenshot |
- Bring the domain you already own. That is the product.
- Watch link-edit and gallery caps on the cheap row.
- SSO and volume belong on higher plans.
4. Short.io
DOMAIN + API
Best for: product and marketing teams that want branded links and an API without defaulting to Bitly.
| Published pricing | short.io/pricing β Free plus paid domain/link tiers |
| Job | Branded short links |
| QR / commerce | Plan-gated. Not a creator checkout page |
| Free plan / trial | Free row exists |
| Main limitation | Not a Linktree replacement |
- Compare domain count and API limits to Bitly Growth, not to Linktree Free.
- If the brief is Instagram bio, buy Linktree (or Beacons) instead.
- Redirect rules and UTM defaults are the implementation work.
Kurums Match: which one fits your situation
Instagram bio page
Linktree Free, then Pro if branding and analytics matter. Watch commerce fees if you sell.
Ads, email and posters need short tracked URLs
Bitly Core or Growth, or Rebrandly/Short.io if the branded domain is the point.
We need both a bio and campaign links
Linktree plus a short-link tool. One vendor rarely does both well.
Buying tip: write two numbers β bio clicks and short links created per month. They pick two products more often than one.
How this comparison was put together
Vendor pricing pages, 16 September 2026. Linktree fee rows and Bitly annual Core/Growth figures are from those pages and 2026 plan reads. No paid placement.
Order is $0 bio first. No badge reflects a commercial relationship.
Frequently asked questions
Is Linktree Free actually free if we sell?
The page is $0. Sales can carry a Linktree commerce fee until Premium.
Can Bitly replace Linktree?
Bitly landing pages exist. Creators still pick Linktree for the bio UX.
Do we need a custom domain?
For ads and trust, usually yes β that is Rebrandly/Short.io/Bitly paid, not Linktree Free.
Did we test redirect uptime?
No. Create 50 links on a trial and click them from a phone.
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