Comparison
Bitly Alternative: Deep Links on Every Plan
Bitly and Codelloy both shorten and brand links, make QR codes and report clicks, and both can open your mobile app. They differ in which plan you need for that, and in how much setup lands on your app team.
Our Verdict
Pick on price and on how you want links to open your app. Bitly starts mobile deep links on its Premium plan. It can make every link on a custom domain a Universal Link and Android App Link, which needs the Bitly SDK in your app, or open your app from a single link through a custom scheme, which doesn't. Codelloy opens your app on every plan, including Free, through a deep link URL you set on each link, with no SDK, and falls back to the store, a custom URL or the web. Codelloy doesn't offer Universal Links on its short domain or deferred deep linking yet.
Choose Codelloy if you need:
App teams that want links to open their app on any plan, including Free, without adding an SDK, and want to choose per link whether people without the app go to the store, a custom URL or the web. Also teams that want to publish a single HTML page behind a branded short link with Codelloy Pages.
Stick with Bitly if you need:
Teams that want their own domain to open the app as Universal Links and App Links, that need a link to open the right screen after someone installs the app, as Bitly describes, or that want app-session analytics from the Bitly SDK. Also teams whose links are already out in the world on bit.ly.
What Bitly does well
- Turns every link on a custom domain into a Universal Link and Android App Link once the domain is associated with your apps Source
- Opens your app from a single link through its custom scheme, with no SDK Source
- Lets you send people without the app to your mobile site, the app store or an interstitial, per domain or per link Source
- Reports app sessions, mobile web sessions and app store visits for deep links, with app sessions coming from its SDK Source
- Routes one link by country, region, device or platform with dynamic routing rules Source
- Shows QR Code scans alongside link clicks Source
Codelloy vs Bitly: Feature Comparison
| Feature | Codelloy | Bitly |
|---|---|---|
| Branded short links and QR codes | Source | |
| Opens your mobile app from a link | Every plan, including Free | Premium plan and upSource |
| How the app opens | Custom URL scheme or Android intent | Universal Links and App Links on your custom domain, or a custom scheme per linkSource |
| SDK in your app | Not needed | Not for custom-scheme links; needed for Universal Links and App LinksSource |
| Site-association files | Not used | Created for your custom domain, for Universal Links and App LinksSource |
| When the app isn't installed | Store, custom URL or web, per link | Mobile web, app store or interstitialSource |
| Deferred deep links | Source | |
| QR scan analytics | Source | |
| Routing by device or platform | Growth plan and upSource | |
| REST API | Source |
Pricing and features verified September 2026. Bitly facts link to Bitly's own help center and pricing page. Bitly prices are its annual-billing rates.
| Plan | Price (monthly) | Links / month | Clicks / month | Retention | Notable |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Codelloy Free | €0 | 20 / month | 5,000 / month | 7 days | Deep linking · QR codes included · API access |
| Codelloy Pro | €49 | 10,000 / month | 50,000 / month | 3 months | Deep linking · Custom domain · Metadata preview · 3 seats |
| Codelloy Business | €199 | 100,000 / month | 250,000 / month | 1 year | 10 seats · 3 custom domains · Analytics export |
| Codelloy Enterprise | Contact sales | Custom | Custom | Custom | Custom volume · SSO · MCP server · Priority support |
| Bitly Free | $0 | 5 / month | Unlimited | None | 2 QR Codes / month · No custom domain |
| Bitly Growth | $29 (billed yearly) | 500 / month | Unlimited | 4 months | 1 custom domain · 10 QR Codes / month |
| Bitly Premium | $199 (billed yearly) | 3,000 / month | Unlimited | 1 year | Mobile deep links · City and device data |
Pricing verified 2026-09-19. See Bitly's pricing page for the source of truth.
How to migrate from Bitly
- 1
Export your links from Bitly: on the Links page, click Export and Bitly emails you a CSV file. Source
- 2
Sign up for Codelloy and register your iOS and Android apps with their store listings.
- 3
Re-create your links in the Codelloy dashboard, or send them to the External API's bulkSave endpoint, up to 30 per request.
- 4
On each link that should open your app, set the deep link URL to your app's custom URL scheme, such as myapp://product/123, and choose where people without the app go. There's no SDK to install.
- 5
If you used a Bitly custom domain, re-create its links with their old back-halves as custom short codes, then point the domain at Codelloy with a CNAME record. Bitly stops serving links on a domain that no longer points at it, and a short code that is already taken on Codelloy needs a new link. Source
- 6
Update the links in active campaigns, email signatures and social bios.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Bitly links open my app too?
Yes. Bitly can make every link on a custom domain a Universal Link and Android App Link, which needs the Bitly SDK in your app, or give a single link a custom-scheme deep link, which doesn't. Both take one of Bitly's paid plans.Source
How does Codelloy open my app?
On iOS and Android, a Codelloy link tries to open your app through the deep link URL you set on it: your app's custom URL scheme on iOS, or an Android intent URL built from it. If the app doesn't open, the link falls back to your App Store or Google Play listing, a custom fallback URL, or its web destination, depending on how you set it up. On desktop, it goes to the web destination. There's no SDK to add to your app.
What doesn't Codelloy do that Bitly does?
Codelloy links are not Universal Links or Android App Links, and Codelloy doesn't host the site-association files those need, so every tap opens Codelloy's redirect page before it hands off to your app. Apple recommends Universal Links over custom URL schemes for new work, and any app can register the same scheme, so pick the route that suits your app. Deferred deep linking, which opens the clicked screen after someone installs your app, is on our roadmap but not yet available.
My app is built with React Native or Flutter. Will Codelloy work with it?
Yes, as long as the app registers a custom URL scheme, which React Native, Flutter and native apps can all do. Codelloy hands your app that URL, and you route it the way you already handle your scheme.
Can I keep my Bitly links working after I switch?
Your bit.ly links stay on Bitly, which says its links don't expire unless you set an expiry or delete them. Links on your own custom domain only work while the domain points at Bitly, so re-create them in Codelloy with the same short codes before you move the domain. From then on the domain no longer serves Bitly's site-association files, so your app opens through Codelloy's redirect page rather than as a Universal Link or App Link.Source
How do the prices compare?
The table above lists Codelloy's plans next to Bitly's, each from the company's own pricing page. Bitly's prices there are its annual-billing rates, and monthly billing costs more.Source
Does Codelloy work for teams?
Yes. You can invite teammates as owners, editors or viewers. How many seats you get depends on your plan; see pricing.
Ready to switch to Codelloy?
Get started free. No credit card required. Migration support available.