OneTimeYour own branded link shortener with full click analytics.
Bitly charges $348/year just to use your own domain with your links — and your click data lives on their servers. Trimly runs on your $5 VPS (or right on your desktop), keeps every click in a local SQLite file you own, and never phones home.
Trimly in 60 seconds
Everything in the box
Branded short links, QR codes and click analytics — on your domain, in your SQLite file.
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.
UTM builder
Built into the create form — tag campaigns without a spreadsheet.
Bulk CSV import & export
Migrate off Bitly in one paste.
Country detection, zero paid APIs
Reads CF-IPCountry behind free Cloudflare; degrades gracefully otherwise.
100% local & private
SQLite storage, no telemetry, no tracking pixels, no external calls.
Trimly vs Bitly
Bitly charges $29/mo. Here's what actually differs.
| Trimly | Bitly | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $79 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 |
Three months of Bitly's custom-domain plan costs more than Trimly does once.
Pick how you pay
Subscriptions if you want them — but the whole point is the lifetime tier.
Up and running in three steps
Buy once on Whop
One-time $79 — installer, updates and setup support included.
Point your domain
Deploy to a $5 VPS with Docker, point go.yourbrand.com at it, put free Cloudflare in front for country analytics.
Create links, watch clicks
Custom slugs, UTM builder, QR codes, and a full analytics dashboard you own.
Fair questions
Is it really free on GitHub?
Yes — MIT source at github.com/bensblueprints/link-shortener-mvp. The $79 buys the packaged 1-click installer, updates and setup support.
Do I need a server for public links?
Yes — public short links need a public host, so budget a $5/mo VPS. Desktop mode works fully offline for QR generation and campaign planning. Even VPS + Trimly year one costs less than 3 months of Bitly.
Can I migrate from Bitly?
Yes — bulk CSV import is built in. Export from Bitly, paste, done. Printed QR codes keep working because destinations stay editable.
How accurate is the geo data?
Country detection reads Cloudflare's free CF-IPCountry header — no paid geo API. Without Cloudflare in front, country data degrades gracefully to unknown.
Is there click fraud / bot filtering?
Uniques use a privacy-friendly daily IP+UA hash, which de-dupes repeat visitors. There's no enterprise-grade bot scoring — Bitly's bigger plans do more there.
Related tools
More pay-once apps from the OneTimeSuite catalog.
More about Trimly
Every page we publish about this app — comparisons, personas, platforms and the problems it solves.
For you
Platforms
Stop renting. Own Trimly.
Branded short links, QR codes and click analytics — on your domain, in your SQLite file.
Get Trimly — $79 forever