Kutt vs Simply Shorten
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted url shorteners options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Kutt | Simply Shorten |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Category | URL Shorteners | URL Shorteners |
| License | MIT | MPL-2.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 11,119 | ★ 100 |
| First released | 2017 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Bitly, TinyURL | TinyURL |
What are Kutt and Simply Shorten?
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
Simply Shorten
Simply Shorten is a minimal, no-frills self-hosted URL shortener designed to be easy to deploy and use. It provides a clean single-page interface and a small API.
- Minimalist interface
- Single-container deployment
- Small REST API
- No tracking
Kutt vs Simply Shorten: key differences
Kutt is written in JavaScript, while Simply Shorten is built with Java. Licensing differs — MIT for Kutt versus MPL-2.0 for Simply Shorten. Simply Shorten is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Kutt. Kutt is the more established project (first released 2017), while Simply Shorten arrived in 2020. Kutt has the considerably larger community, at 11,119 GitHub stars versus 100.
Why pick each one
Choose Simply Shorten if…
- Released under the MPL-2.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Java
Frequently asked questions
Is Kutt or Simply Shorten better?
Neither is universally better. Kutt has the larger community, while Simply Shorten is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Kutt and Simply Shorten free and open-source?
Yes. Kutt is licensed under MIT and Simply Shorten under MPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Kutt and Simply Shorten with Docker?
Kutt: yes. Simply Shorten: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Kutt or Simply Shorten?
Simply Shorten 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.