SHSelfHostIndex

Shlink Web Client 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.

Not the right match-up?
SH Shlink Web Client Web dashboard for managing Shlink instances VS SI Simply Shorten Slimline self-hosted URL shortener with no bloat
FeatureShlink Web ClientSimply Shorten
CategoryURL ShortenersURL Shorteners
LicenseMITMPL-2.0
LanguageTypeScriptJava
Setup difficultyEasyEasy
Min. RAM128 MB256 MB
Deploymentdockerdocker
GitHub stars★ 391★ 100
First released20182020
ReplacesBitlyTinyURL

Why pick each one

Choose Shlink Web Client if…

  • Released under the MIT license
  • Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Written in TypeScript
Shlink Web Client details

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
Simply Shorten details

Frequently asked questions

Is Shlink Web Client or Simply Shorten better?

Neither is universally better. Shlink Web Client has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are Shlink Web Client and Simply Shorten free and open-source?

Yes. Shlink Web Client is licensed under MIT and Simply Shorten under MPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Shlink Web Client and Simply Shorten with Docker?

Shlink Web Client: yes. Simply Shorten: yes.

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