Dub vs Kutt
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted url shorteners options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Dub | Kutt |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 96 · Excellent | 93 · Excellent |
| Category | URL Shorteners | URL Shorteners |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 24,803 | ★ 11,117 |
| First released | 2022 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Bitly, Rebrandly | Bitly, TinyURL |
What are Dub and Kutt?
Dub
Dub is a modern, open-source link management platform for creating branded short links with advanced analytics, QR codes, and team collaboration. It can be self-hosted with Docker.
- Branded short links
- Advanced click analytics
- QR code generation
- Team workspaces
Kutt
Kutt is a free and open-source URL shortener with a clean interface, custom domains, link expiration, and detailed statistics. It offers both a web UI and a REST API.
- Custom domains and slugs
- Link expiration
- Visit statistics
- Public REST API
Dub vs Kutt: key differences
Dub is written in TypeScript, while Kutt is built with JavaScript. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Dub versus MIT for Kutt. Kutt is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Dub. Kutt is the more established project (first released 2017), while Dub arrived in 2022. Dub has the considerably larger community, at 24,803 GitHub stars versus 11,117.
Why pick each one
Choose Dub if…
- Polished modern UI
- Powerful analytics
Watch out for
- Complex self-hosting setup
Frequently asked questions
Is Dub or Kutt better?
Neither is universally better. Dub has the larger community, while Kutt is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Dub and Kutt free and open-source?
Yes. Dub is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Kutt under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Dub and Kutt with Docker?
Dub: yes. Kutt: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Dub or Kutt?
Kutt has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Dub. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.