Polr vs spoo.me
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?
Polr
Quick, modern and open-source link shortener
VS
spoo.me
Open-source URL shortener with click stats
| Feature | Polr | spoo.me |
|---|---|---|
| Category | URL Shorteners | URL Shorteners |
| License | GPL-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | PHP | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 5,097 | ★ 240 |
| First released | 2014 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Bitly | Bitly, Cuttly |
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
Choose spoo.me if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Python
Frequently asked questions
Is Polr or spoo.me better?
Neither is universally better. Polr has the larger community, while spoo.me is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Polr and spoo.me free and open-source?
Yes. Polr is licensed under GPL-2.0 and spoo.me under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Polr and spoo.me with Docker?
Polr: yes. spoo.me: yes.