Kutt vs Shlink
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted url shorteners options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Shlink
The definitive self-hosted URL shortener
| Feature | Kutt | Shlink |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 93 · Excellent | 90 · Excellent |
| Category | URL Shorteners | URL Shorteners |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | JavaScript | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, kubernetes, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 11,119 | ★ 5,303 |
| First released | 2017 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Bitly, TinyURL | Bitly, Rebrandly |
What are Kutt and Shlink?
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
Shlink
Shlink is a self-hosted URL shortener with a powerful REST API, detailed visit analytics, QR codes, and a separate web client. It supports custom domains and tags for organizing links.
- Powerful REST API
- Detailed visit analytics
- QR code generation
- Multi-domain support
Kutt vs Shlink: key differences
Kutt is written in JavaScript, while Shlink is built with PHP. Shlink is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Kutt. Kutt has the considerably larger community, at 11,119 GitHub stars versus 5,303.
Why pick each one
Choose Shlink if…
- Excellent API
- Geolocation analytics
Watch out for
- Web UI is a separate component
Frequently asked questions
Is Kutt or Shlink 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 Shlink free and open-source?
Yes. Kutt is licensed under MIT and Shlink under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Kutt and Shlink with Docker?
Kutt: yes. Shlink: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Kutt or Shlink?
Shlink has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Kutt. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.