Looking for a free or open-source alternative to Bitly? Trimly is the closest direct swap — MIT-licensed source on GitHub, or a $29 one-time packaged install. Since you're already auditing what you pay Bitly every month, here are four more pay-once tools from the same catalog worth a look while you're at it — different jobs, same idea: buy the software once instead of renting it forever.
1. Trimly — replaces Bitly
Branded short links, QR codes and click analytics — on your domain, in your SQLite file. $29 once vs Bitly's $29/mo. Free on GitHub, or the packaged installer on Whop.
See Trimly → · Source on GitHub
2. Billcraft — Clients, invoices, PDFs, share links & recurring billing — on hardware you control.
Replaces FreshBooks ($19/mo). $39 once. See Billcraft →
3. Bookslot — The Calendly you actually own — timezone-correct booking with email + ICS invites.
Replaces Calendly ($10/user/mo). $39 once. See Bookslot →
4. Formforge — Typeform-style forms with unlimited responses, file uploads and CSV export — self-hosted.
Replaces Typeform ($29/mo). $39 once. See Formforge →
5. SigCraft — Email-safe HTML signatures with 10 templates and team CSV batch export — 100% local.
Replaces WiseStamp ($6/mo/user). $15 once. See SigCraft →
Why this list is worth bookmarking
Every app above is a one-time purchase with MIT-licensed source, no accounts with us and no telemetry. None of them are trying to be the next Bitly — they're trying to be the last subscription you pay for that specific job.
Try Trimly — $29, once
Branded short links, QR codes and click analytics — on your domain, in your SQLite file.