Kutt vs Sink
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted url shorteners options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Kutt | Sink |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | ≈5-minute setup |
| Health score | 93 · Excellent | 91 · Excellent |
| Category | URL Shorteners | URL Shorteners |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | JavaScript | Vue |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | source, one-click |
| GitHub stars | ★ 11,119 | ★ 7,155 |
| First released | 2017 | 2024 |
| Replaces | Bitly, TinyURL | Bitly |
What are Kutt and Sink?
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
Sink
Sink is a fast and minimal URL shortener built to run on Cloudflare Workers and KV but also self-hostable. It includes link analytics powered by an analytics engine.
- Built-in link analytics
- Minimal fast redirects
- Edge deployment
- Clean dashboard
Kutt vs Sink: key differences
Kutt is written in JavaScript, while Sink is built with Vue. Sink is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Kutt. Kutt is the more established project (first released 2017), while Sink arrived in 2024. Kutt lists first-class Docker deployment; Sink does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Sink if…
- Released under the MIT license
- One-click install on common self-host platforms
- Mature project with 7.2k GitHub stars
- Written in Vue
Frequently asked questions
Is Kutt or Sink 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 Sink free and open-source?
Yes. Kutt is licensed under MIT and Sink under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Kutt and Sink with Docker?
Kutt: yes. Sink: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Kutt or Sink?
Sink has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Kutt. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.