Here is a number worth remembering: $0.00. That is what you earn for every click you send through Bitly — whether you send a hundred clicks or a hundred million. Bitly is a good link shortener. It is just not a business partner. This comparison breaks down Bitly vs Shortun honestly: what each one does, where Bitly genuinely wins, and why creators who share links for a living are switching to a shortener that pays.
The one difference that matters
Both tools turn a long URL into a short one and track clicks. The difference is what happens to the money your traffic generates. On Shortun, a visitor sees a short advertising page before the destination, advertisers pay for that view, and you keep a share of it — up to $2.00 per 1,000 views. On Bitly, there is no advertising page and no revenue to share: the click is free for everyone except you, because your time built the audience that produced it.
Bitly vs Shortun: side by side
| Feature | Bitly | Shortun |
|---|---|---|
| Pays you per view | No — $0, always | Yes — up to $2.00 per 1,000 views |
| Published payout rates | Not applicable | Yes — full table, by country |
| Minimum payout | — | $5 |
| Payout methods | — | PayPal, bank transfer, Skrill, Payeer, Bitcoin, Perfect Money |
| Referral program | No earnings share | 20% of referrals' earnings, for life |
| Link-in-bio page | Separate paid product | Included free with your account |
| Custom domains | Paid plans | Available to members (request in dashboard) |
| Click analytics | Yes | Yes — plus counted vs. filtered views, with reasons |
| Smart routing & A/B testing | Limited / paid tiers | Geo & device routing, A/B link testing included |
| Price to start | Free plan, paid tiers | Free — we earn when you earn |
Where Bitly honestly wins
Credit where it is due. Bitly has been around since 2008, its links are recognised everywhere, and big companies use it for branded campaigns with deep integrations and team features. If you are a marketing department that needs enterprise link management and will never monetise clicks, Bitly is a safe, polished choice. None of that, however, puts a single dollar in a creator's pocket.
Where Shortun wins
Your traffic becomes income
The same links you already share start earning from the first counted view. Rates are published in full — US and UK traffic pays $2.00 per 1,000 views, Canada $1.60, worldwide $0.40 — and the earnings calculator shows exactly what your audience size means in dollars.
Nothing is hidden
Most paid shorteners show you a balance and expect trust. Shortun shows the working: every link's statistics separate counted views from filtered views and tell you why each one was filtered (adblock, proxy, repeat visit and so on), completed payouts are published on the payment proofs page, and the rates table is public before you even sign up.
The toolbox is bigger
A free Shortun account includes a link-in-bio page, QR codes per link, geo and device smart routing, A/B testing, custom domains, a full-page script for your website, a developer API and a browser extension — the full set is on the publisher tools page.
Who should use which?
Stay with Bitly if you only shorten links occasionally, need enterprise team features, and do not care about earning from clicks. Switch to Shortun if you share links regularly — on YouTube, Telegram, social media or a blog — and would rather those clicks paid you. You can even run both: Bitly for corporate links, Shortun for everything your audience touches.
Frequently asked questions
Is Shortun really free?
Yes. There is no subscription and no card required. Shortun earns a share of the advertising revenue your views generate, so the platform only makes money when you do.
Will my audience hate the extra step?
The advertising page is a short countdown (about 5 seconds) before the destination — the standard format millions of visitors use daily on paid shorteners. In exchange, the links you share fund your content.
How do I move my links from Bitly to Shortun?
Create a free account, paste your destination URLs into Shortun (the mass shrinker handles lists), and share the new short links going forward. Most creators are fully switched in under ten minutes.
Create your free Shortun account
Your clicks are already valuable. The only question is who gets paid for them — read the beginner's guide to earning with a URL shortener to see the full picture.