TL;DR: Bitly is a branded link shortener for marketers. ShrtFly is a monetized link shortener for people who want to earn from clicks. Bitly’s free plan now caps you at 10 links a month and runs ads on your links — without paying you a cent. ShrtFly runs ads on your links too and shares the revenue. If your goal is earnings, ShrtFly wins. If your goal is enterprise-grade branded analytics, Bitly is still the bigger machine.
I’ve used both Bitly and ShrtFly across different projects for years — Bitly for client work that needed branded tracking, ShrtFly for traffic I owned and wanted to monetize. After Bitly’s free plan got gutted in 2024 (and the interstitial ad rollout started showing up in 2025), I started getting the same question every week from creators in my Telegram group: “Why am I sending all this traffic through Bitly and getting nothing back?”
This post is the answer. Honest comparison, real numbers, no marketing fluff.
Quick Verdict — Which One Should You Use?
| If you… | Pick |
|---|---|
| Want to earn money from every click | ShrtFly |
Run a brand and need a custom domain like yourname.co/promo | Bitly (paid plan) |
| Share links in Telegram, WhatsApp, YouTube descriptions, blog posts | ShrtFly |
| Need enterprise-grade analytics with city + device breakdown | Bitly Premium |
| Have AdSense issues and need an alternative income stream | ShrtFly |
| Are a small business that just wants neat-looking branded links | Bitly Starter ($8/month) |
| Want a free shortener that doesn’t punish you for using it | ShrtFly |
If you scroll no further, that table is the article. Below is the why.
What Actually Changed With Bitly’s Free Plan
Bitly used to be the default for anyone who wanted a free shortener. That stopped being true in 2024.
As of May 2026, here’s what the free tier looks like (Bitly’s own pricing page):
- 10 short links per month — you read that right, ten
- 2 QR codes per month
- No click analytics beyond a total click count
- No custom domains — you’re stuck with
bit.ly/... - Interstitial ad page on every shortened link
- 1,000 API requests per month
That last one matters. When someone clicks your bit.ly short link on the free plan, they don’t go straight to your destination. They hit a Bitly-branded ad page first — and Bitly keeps 100% of that ad revenue. You’re sending traffic, they’re earning from it.
Compare that to the old days when Bitly free was actually generous. The plan didn’t get more expensive — it got smaller and started monetizing your links without you.
How ShrtFly’s Free Plan Actually Pays You
ShrtFly is the inverse model. Same interstitial ad mechanic, but the revenue split flips toward the publisher (you).
Here’s how the flow works in practice:
- You sign up free at ShrtFly.com — no card, no minimums
- Paste any long URL, get a short link instantly
- Share it anywhere — blog, Telegram, YouTube description, Instagram bio, Discord
- Visitor clicks → sees a 5-second popunder ad → reaches your destination
- ShrtFly tracks the visit, calculates earnings based on the visitor’s country, credits your dashboard
The revenue itself comes from the popunder ad networks ShrtFly partners with. You get a share per 1,000 verified views (CPM rate), and the rate depends on visitor country tier.
Quick note on the model: This isn’t theoretical revenue or “potential” earnings. Money lands in your dashboard within hours, and you can withdraw at $5. I’ve seen people pull payments daily once they cross the threshold.
Real Earnings — Bitly vs ShrtFly Side by Side
This is where the comparison stops being subtle. Let’s run the same scenario through both platforms.
Scenario: You share a tutorial link in your Telegram channel. It gets 10,000 clicks over a week. 60% of clicks come from Tier-1 countries (US, UK, Canada, Germany), 40% from Tier-2 and Tier-3.
| Platform | Your earnings on 10,000 clicks |
|---|---|
| Bitly Free | $0 — you can’t even create that many links on the free plan |
| Bitly Starter ($8/month) | $0 — Bitly doesn’t share ad revenue at any tier |
| Bitly Premium ($300/month) | $0 — same |
| ShrtFly Free | ~$70 to $120 depending on country mix |
ShrtFly’s published payout rates are concrete numbers, not “up to” marketing copy. Greenland leads at $22 CPM, the United States is $12 CPM, Canada $11, the United Kingdom $10, Germany and France $8 each. A US-only traffic mix of 10,000 clicks earns roughly $120. A mixed Tier-1 + Tier-2 stream typically settles in the $7–$12 CPM range. Bitly pays you $0 at every tier, because that’s not their business model.
Bitly’s business is selling branded analytics to marketers. ShrtFly’s business is sharing ad revenue with publishers. Neither is wrong — they’re solving different problems. But if you’re picking one to make money, the math isn’t close.
Feature-by-Feature Breakdown
| Feature | Bitly (Free) | Bitly (Paid from $8) | ShrtFly (Free) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Link shortening | 10/month | 50–3,000/month by tier | Unlimited |
| Custom slugs | No | Yes | Yes |
| Click analytics | Total only | Geo + device + referrer | Geo + device + referrer |
| Custom domain | No | Yes (paid tiers) | No (planned) |
| QR codes | 2/month | Up to 5,000/month | Yes |
| API access | 1,000 calls/month | Higher caps | Yes (free) |
| Interstitial ad | Yes — Bitly earns | No on paid tiers | Yes — you earn |
| Revenue share | None | None | Up to $22 CPM |
| Minimum payout | N/A | N/A | $5 |
| Payment methods | N/A | N/A | PayPal, Payoneer, Paytm, USDT |
| Two-factor auth | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Bitly’s paid tiers do let you remove the ad page — but you’re paying $8 to $300 a month for that privilege. ShrtFly keeps the ad in place because that’s how the revenue gets generated.
When Bitly Is Genuinely the Better Choice
I’m not going to pretend ShrtFly wins on every dimension. There are real cases where Bitly is the right tool:
1. Brand-controlled links. If you run acme.com and want every share to look like acme.co/launch, Bitly’s branded domain feature on paid plans is mature and clean. ShrtFly doesn’t compete here yet.
2. Marketing teams that need attribution. Bitly’s UTM builder, campaign grouping, and integrations with HubSpot/Marketo/Salesforce are battle-tested. ShrtFly’s analytics are publisher-focused, not enterprise-marketer-focused.
3. QR-code-heavy campaigns. Bitly’s bulk QR generation with custom design templates beats anything in the monetization-first shortener space.
4. Compliance-sensitive industries. Healthcare, finance, and government teams that need audit trails and SOC 2 reports lean toward Bitly Enterprise. ShrtFly isn’t aimed at that buyer.
If any of those describe you, pay Bitly the $8 to $300 a month. It’s worth it for that use case.
When ShrtFly Wins by a Mile
For the audience this site is actually built for, ShrtFly is the obvious pick:
- Bloggers and YouTubers sharing tutorial links, download mirrors, recommended tools
- Telegram and WhatsApp channel admins who push 10,000+ clicks a day and currently earn nothing from them
- Affiliate marketers stacking shortener earnings on top of affiliate commissions
- Creators in regions where AdSense is restrictive (looking at you, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Nigeria, Indonesia)
- Anyone running a side hustle who’d rather have $50–$200/month flowing in than zero
The case is simple: if you’re shortening links anyway, get paid for it.
Common Questions I Get About Switching
Will my old Bitly links still work if I switch to ShrtFly? Yes. Your existing bit.ly/... links keep working — Bitly doesn’t expire links retroactively. You don’t have to migrate the old ones; just route new traffic through ShrtFly going forward and let the old links trickle out.
Is the popunder ad on ShrtFly going to scare my audience? It’s a 5-second ad page with a clear “skip” / countdown. The same model Bitly is now using on free links — except they’re keeping the money. If you’ve been clicking bit.ly links recently, you’ve already been seeing this experience. Your audience has too.
Can I use both? Yes, and a lot of pros do. Bitly for branded official links on the company site, ShrtFly for content distribution where earnings matter. They’re complementary tools once you’re past the free-tier comparison.
My Recommendation
If you’re a marketer at a 50-person company with a $500/month tooling budget and a brand to protect, Bitly is fine — pay for the Starter or Growth plan and get the branded domain.
If you’re an individual creator, blogger, channel admin, affiliate marketer, or anyone who pushes traffic and wants something back for it: switch to ShrtFly. The Bitly free plan in 2026 is a downgrade in disguise — you’re paying with your traffic and getting ads in return. ShrtFly is the same trade with the revenue flowing in your direction.
For a deeper look at where ShrtFly stands against the rest of the paid-shortener space, the highest paying URL shorteners breakdown covers all 10 major players and their CPM rates head to head. If you’re brand new to the model, the step-by-step guide to making money shortening URLs walks through signup, traffic sources, and your first payout. And if Bitly isn’t your only shortener concern, the Google URL Shortener alternatives guide covers what to do with old goo.gl links too.
FAQ
Is Bitly really free in 2026? Yes, but with hard limits — 10 links per month, no custom analytics, no custom domain, and an interstitial ad page on every link. Bitly retains 100% of that ad revenue. The free tier is more of a sample than a usable plan now.
Can you make money with Bitly? No. Bitly does not share ad revenue with users at any plan tier. The ads on free-tier links earn money for Bitly, not for the link creator. If monetization is your goal, you need a publisher-revenue shortener like ShrtFly.
How much does ShrtFly actually pay per 1,000 clicks? Rates vary by visitor country. The published payout rates page lists every country individually — Greenland leads at $22 CPM, the US is $12, Canada $11, UK $10, Germany and France $8. Mixed Tier-1 + Tier-2 traffic typically settles in the $7–$12 CPM range. Tier-3-only traffic earns less, often $1–$4 CPM. The minimum payout is $5.
Is ShrtFly safe and legitimate? Yes. ShrtFly has been operating since 2018, supports two-factor authentication, pays via PayPal, Payoneer, Paytm, and USDT, and publishes payment proofs. Users have been pulling daily withdrawals for years.
Can I use ShrtFly with AdSense on the same site? Yes. ShrtFly is AdSense-compatible — the ads only show on the interstitial page when someone clicks your short link, not on your blog itself. The two revenue streams stack cleanly.
Will switching from Bitly to ShrtFly hurt my SEO? No. Both services use 301 redirects, which pass link equity. The destination page is what gets indexed, not the shortener domain. SEO impact is neutral.
Summing Up!
Bitly was built for marketers who want branded short links and enterprise-grade tracking. ShrtFly is built for creators who want a slice of the ad revenue their traffic generates. Same mechanic on the surface — interstitial ad before redirect — completely different destination for the money.
If you’ve been shortening links through Bitly and treating the experience as “the cost of using a free tool,” 2026 is the year to do the math. Ten thousand US clicks a month at zero earnings, versus the same ten thousand clicks generating roughly $120 through ShrtFly at the published $12 CPM, compounds into a five-figure delta over a few years.
Sign up free at ShrtFly, shorten one link, share it once, and watch the dashboard. That’s the entire test. The first $5 hits faster than most people expect.
