# Bitly review (2026): is the free plan enough? > Link shortener and QR code platform with click and scan analytics Checked Nov 12, 2026 ยท graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA. Bitly is a link and QR code management platform. It shortens and brands links, creates dynamic QR codes and link-in-bio pages, and reports clicks and scans. Plans are limited by how many links and QR codes you can create each month, and the free plan shows ads on its landing pages. - **Category:** QR Code Generators - **Made by:** Bitly - **Website:** https://bitly.com - **Runs on:** Web - **Who should skip it:** Tight if you are staying free: 2 QR codes and 5 links a month, with ads. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 12, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 12, 2026, Bitly has a free plan, and paid plans start at $10 per month, billed annually ($120 a year; Core is annual only). - **Pricing model:** Free plan - **Free plan:** 2 QR codes and 5 links a month, 2 custom landing pages, unlimited clicks and scans, with ads. - **Free trial:** None listed. | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | Free | $0 | 2 QR codes and 5 links per month, 2 landing pages, 3 custom back-halves per month and QR code customization. Shown with ads. | | Core | $10 per month, billed annually ($120 a year) | 5 QR codes and 100 links per month, 5 landing pages, 30 days of click and scan data, UTM builder and Bitly Assist. Annual billing only. | | Growth | $29 per month, billed annually ($35 billed monthly) | 10 QR codes and 500 links per month, 10 landing pages, branded links, a complimentary custom domain, bulk creation and 4 months of data. | | Premium | $199 per month, billed annually ($300 billed monthly) | 200 QR codes and 3,000 links per month, 20 landing pages, 1 year of data, city and device-level data, mobile deep linking and campaign tracking. | | Enterprise | Custom | Custom volumes, multiple users and group permissions, SSO, webhooks, a dedicated customer success manager and priority support. | Read from https://bitly.com/pages/pricing on Nov 12, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Bitly before buying. ## Ways to pay less - **Save up to 34% with annual plans** (Annual discount): The pricing page states annual billing saves up to 34%; Growth is $29 a month annually against $35 monthly, and Premium $199 against $300. Source: https://bitly.com/pages/pricing ## Key features - **Dynamic QR codes:** QR codes can be redirected after printing and are customizable, with advanced customization from the Core plan. - **Short and branded links:** Links can be shortened, given custom back-halves, and branded with your own domain from the Growth plan. - **Click and scan analytics:** Clicks and scans are tracked with data history that grows from 30 days on Core to a year on Premium, with city and device detail on Premium. - **Landing pages and cards:** Link-in-bio style custom landing pages and digital business cards sit alongside the links and QR codes. - **Bitly Assist and AI connectors:** Bitly Assist creates links and analyzes performance with AI on Core and above; the site also lists an MCP server for AI agents. - **2D barcodes:** A GTIN can be added to QR codes made for product packaging. ## Good for - Marketers who track both short links and QR codes in one dashboard - Small teams that need only a few QR codes a month - Larger brands needing SSO, groups and high-volume API access ## Worth knowing - Monthly caps bind quickly: Free allows 2 QR codes a month, Core 5 and Growth 10. - Core is sold with annual billing only, and Premium costs $300 a month if billed monthly. - Branded links and the complimentary custom domain start at Growth; long data history needs Premium. - The free plan shows ads. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 2.2 out of 4**, graded Nov 12, 2026. Bitly makes short links and dynamic QR codes and counts the clicks and scans. The free plan has ads and allows 2 QR codes and 5 links a month, Core at $10 is annual only, and branded links wait on Growth at $29. Monthly caps are what you will hit first. - **Value for money: D.** Core is $10 a month billed annually for 5 QR codes, Growth $29 for 10, Premium $199. Branded links and the included custom domain start on Growth, well above the $10 category middle. - **Free plan and trial: C.** Free for 2 QR codes and 5 links a month, 2 landing pages and unlimited clicks and scans, with ads. - **Features: B.** Dynamic QR codes, short and branded links, click and scan analytics, landing pages and 2D barcodes. The limits are monthly caps rather than missing parts. - **Ease of use: C.** No store rating on record. A web app with links, codes, pages and domains to set up. - **Platforms and integrations: B.** Web only, with Shopify, Canva and HubSpot integrations and an API. These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Bitly's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. ## Where it stands among QR code generators - Bitly's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 5 of the 22 other QR code generators we grade, and level with 4. - It stands best on features (B, above 13 of 22) and worst on value for money (D, above 0). - Its paid plans start at $10 a month, against a middle price of $10 for the category: 10 of the 19 others that charge start lower. - On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. 1 tool scores higher and costs less. The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/qr-codes ## Keep it, or make your own? **Keep it.** The plain part of Bitly you could make: qR codes, reports and digital business card. What surrounds it you could not. The 3 things listed below take a company, not a weekend. That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 13 of the 22 other QR code generators grade higher. It costs $120 a year. - You could make: QR codes, reports and digital business card: an app builder makes these well. - You could not: It plugs into other products, Shopify, Canva and HubSpot among them, and has an API. - You could not: AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself. - You could not: The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. ## Works with Shopify, Canva, HubSpot **Tags:** QR codes, Reports, Public API, Digital business card, AI features ## Alternatives - [Rebrandly](https://toolgpa.com/tools/rebrandly): Branded short links and QR codes on your own domain. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/bitly-vs-rebrandly) - [Uniqode](https://toolgpa.com/tools/uniqode): Dynamic QR codes and digital business cards for marketing teams. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/bitly-vs-uniqode) - [QR Code Generator PRO](https://toolgpa.com/tools/qr-code-generator): Editable, trackable QR codes with hosted landing pages, from Bitly. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/bitly-vs-qr-code-generator) - [QR TIGER](https://toolgpa.com/tools/qr-tiger): Dynamic QR codes with a free plan, bulk creation and an API. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/bitly-vs-qr-tiger) - [Flowcode](https://toolgpa.com/tools/flowcode): Branded QR codes and landing pages, with an enterprise data platform. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/bitly-vs-flowcode) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 12, 2026: - https://bitly.com/pages/pricing - https://mkt-bitly-media.qrcg.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/29183843/pricingpage-usd.json Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/bitly Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).