Kutt vs Polr
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted url shorteners options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Kutt
Modern open-source URL shortener with analytics
VS
Polr
Quick, modern and open-source link shortener
| Feature | Kutt | Polr |
|---|---|---|
| Category | URL Shorteners | URL Shorteners |
| License | MIT | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 11,015 | ★ 5,097 |
| First released | 2017 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Bitly, TinyURL | Bitly |
Why pick each one
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 Kutt or Polr better?
Neither is universally better. Kutt has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Kutt and Polr free and open-source?
Yes. Kutt is licensed under MIT and Polr under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Kutt and Polr with Docker?
Kutt: yes. Polr: yes.