Dub vs Polr
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted url shorteners options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Dub | Polr |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 96 · Excellent | 21 · At risk |
| Category | URL Shorteners | URL Shorteners |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 24,809 | ★ 5,096 |
| First released | 2022 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Bitly, Rebrandly | Bitly |
What are Dub and Polr?
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
Polr
Polr is a self-hosted link shortener built with Laravel that offers a minimalist interface, an API, and basic analytics. It is designed to be quick to deploy and easy to use.
- Minimalist link shortener
- Developer API
- Basic click analytics
- Laravel-based
Dub vs Polr: key differences
Dub is written in TypeScript, while Polr is built with PHP. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Dub versus GPL-2.0 for Polr. Polr is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Dub. Polr is the more established project (first released 2014), while Dub arrived in 2022. Dub has the considerably larger community, at 24,809 GitHub stars versus 5,096.
Why pick each one
Choose Dub if…
- Polished modern UI
- Powerful analytics
Watch out for
- Complex self-hosting setup
Choose Polr if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 5.1k GitHub stars
- Written in PHP
Frequently asked questions
Is Dub or Polr better?
Neither is universally better. Dub has the larger community, while Polr is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Dub and Polr free and open-source?
Yes. Dub is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Polr under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Dub and Polr with Docker?
Dub: yes. Polr: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Dub or Polr?
Polr has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Dub. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.