Trimly and Bitly solve the same problem from opposite directions: one is source-available software you can own outright for $29, the other is a subscription at $29/mo run entirely on someone else's servers.
Head to head
| Trimly | Bitly | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $29 once | $29/mo ($348/yr) for a custom domain |
| Your own domain | Included | Paid plans only |
| Links | Unlimited | Capped per plan |
| Click data ownership | Your SQLite file | Their servers |
| QR codes (PNG + SVG) | Included | Limited / paid tiers |
| Bulk CSV import/export | Yes | Paid tiers |
| Tracking pixels / telemetry | None | Their business model |
What Trimly does well
- Branded short links — Auto-generated or custom slugs on your own domain.
- Click analytics — Total + unique clicks, clicks-over-time chart, top referrers, devices, browsers, countries.
- QR code for every link — Downloadable PNG and SVG.
- 301 / 302 per link — SEO-permanent or trackable-temporary — your call, editable any time.
What Bitly still does better
There's a real reason Bitly costs what it does: a bigger team, broader integrations and dedicated support behind it. If that ecosystem is genuinely what you need, it's worth paying for.
Which one should you pick
If your workflow depends on Bitly's specific integrations or you'd rather not run anything yourself, stay put — that's a legitimate call. If you're comfortable owning the tool and want to stop paying $29/mo for a job your own hardware can do, Trimly pays for itself and then some: one month of Bitly's custom-domain plan costs the same as Trimly does once.
Try Trimly — $29, once
Branded short links, QR codes and click analytics — on your domain, in your SQLite file.