Dub vs Reduced.to
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted url shorteners options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Dub
Open-source link management platform
VS
Reduced.to
Archived
Open-source modern URL shortener and link management
| Feature | Dub | Reduced.to |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 96 · Excellent | 15 · At risk |
| Status | Actively maintained | Archived |
| Category | URL Shorteners | URL Shorteners |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 24,809 | ★ 705 |
| First released | 2022 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Bitly, Rebrandly | Bitly, Rebrandly |
What are Dub and Reduced.to?
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
Reduced.to
Reduced.to is an open-source URL shortener and link management platform with real-time analytics, QR codes, and password-protected links. It can be fully self-hosted.
- Real-time link analytics
- QR code generation
- Password-protected links
- Modern web UI
Dub vs Reduced.to: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Reduced.to's repository is archived and no longer developed, while Dub is actively maintained. Both projects are written in TypeScript. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Dub versus MIT for Reduced.to. Dub has the considerably larger community, at 24,809 GitHub stars versus 705.
Why pick each one
Choose Dub if…
- Polished modern UI
- Powerful analytics
Watch out for
- Complex self-hosting setup
Choose Reduced.to if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in TypeScript
Frequently asked questions
Is Dub or Reduced.to better?
Neither is universally better. Dub has the larger community, while Reduced.to is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Dub and Reduced.to free and open-source?
Yes. Dub is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Reduced.to under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Dub and Reduced.to with Docker?
Dub: yes. Reduced.to: yes.