Side by side
Shorty Link vs v5.ink
Both stand on url shorteners. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan APISelf-hostedWeb
Shorty Link gives technically capable operators control over hosting, redirects and administration. Its infrastructure requirements, pre-1.0 status and single-organization model should be considered before deployment.
Visit Shorty Link Free plan APIWeb
v5.ink combines link management with detailed traffic classification and conditional routing. Its free and paid tiers differ in links, clicks, retention, domains, and API capacity, so usage volume determines the suitable plan.
Visit v5.inkThe facts
| Shorty Link | v5.ink | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | API, Self-hosted, Web | API, Web |
| Lowest paid plan | Not published | Pro: $19 a month |
| Plans published | None | 3 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | shorty-link.estepanov.com | v5.ink |
| On url shorteners | #101 of 156 | #97 of 156 |
Shorty Link: what it does well
- Open source under the MIT license
- Custom slugs and redirect codes
- Self-hosted in the operator’s Cloudflare account
- REST admin API and API keys
- Click counts and timestamps retained
What to know first
- No hosted SaaS signup
- Requires Cloudflare and development tools
- Pre-1.0 releases may break
- One organization per deployment
v5.ink: what it does well
- AI-agent traffic detection and scoring
- Human, agent, and bot analytics
- Geo, device, OS, and browser routing
- Custom Open Graph previews
- Free plan available
What to know first
- Free plan allows 25 links
- Free plan has 30-day retention
- AI detection may not be fully accurate
- Custom domains unavailable on Free
Alternatives to Shorty Link Alternatives to v5.ink The whole list