SiteDetour vs Bitly
Bitly is the best-known link shortener, with QR codes and simple link pages, priced by links, codes and clicks. SiteDetour puts short links and dynamic QR codes on your own domain with unlimited scans and clicks from $12 a month, routes each visitor by country, device or time, and does the one thing Bitly cannot: redirect entire domains and paths with HTTPS.
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Feature by feature
From each vendor's public pricing and feature pages, checked 14 October 2026. Tell us if something is out of date.
Why teams choose SiteDetour over Bitly
Bitly made short links famous. SiteDetour makes them yours.
Why SiteDetour wins
Your own domain on every link and code from the first paid plan, so scanners see your brand and you can switch providers later without reprinting. Unlimited scans and clicks on every plan, so a code on a product or a billboard can never be throttled. One printed code routes by country, device, language or time. Real-time analytics kept for life. And whole-domain redirects with HTTPS, which Bitly does not offer at all.
When Bitly still makes sense
You share a few links on social media, a bit.ly URL is acceptable, and you lean on its integration ecosystem. Bitly also publishes a SOC 2 report, which matters to some procurement teams. For anything printed, branded or business-critical, the caps and the generic domain cost more than the plan saves.
Moving QR codes from Bitly
Printed Bitly codes point at bit.ly and cannot be re-pointed to another provider, so plan the switch for the next print run. From then on your codes live on your own domain, which means you own them: change providers, destinations or campaigns later without reprinting a thing.
What you do not give up
Short links with editable destinations, click and scan analytics, QR code generation, team access and an API. Every core Bitly feature has a SiteDetour equivalent, minus the per-tier caps and plus your own domain.
What you would pay
Monthly list prices in US dollars. Bitly tiers are set by link, QR and click volume, so growth costs more; SiteDetour is priced by hosted domains with links, scans and clicks unmetered.
Bitly
Free tier with monthly link and QR limits; paid tiers from about $10 to $29 a month, Premium and Enterprise above.
per Bitly pricing page, October 2026
SiteDetour Professional
30 hosted domains with www included, 250 short links or QR codes, 10 audiences.
or $513 a year
SiteDetour Personal
5 hosted domains with www included, 20 short links or QR codes, 1 audience.
or $136 a year
Questions people ask when comparing
Can Bitly redirect a whole domain to a new one?
No. Bitly shortens individual links. Forwarding every path of old-site.com to new-site.com with HTTPS needs a hosted redirect service such as SiteDetour, which does it with one rule and keeps paths and query strings.
Is SiteDetour a Bitly alternative?
Yes, and for business use a stronger one. SiteDetour puts branded short links and dynamic QR codes on your own domain with unlimited scans and clicks and real-time analytics from $12 a month, then adds whole-domain redirects and audience routing that Bitly does not have. Bitly's advantages are its free tier and integration ecosystem.
Do SiteDetour QR codes expire or have scan limits?
No. Codes stay live while your subscription is active and scans are unlimited on every plan, so a code printed on packaging or signage can never be throttled. Bitly limits the number of codes per tier and bills by volume.
Can I use my own domain on short links and QR codes?
On SiteDetour, yes on every paid plan, with automatic SSL, and the domain is yours, so you can move providers later without reprinting. On Bitly, custom domains are available only on paid tiers and printed bit.ly codes stay tied to Bitly.
Can one QR code send people to different pages?
On SiteDetour, yes: audiences route scanners by country, device, language, referrer or time of day, so one printed code can serve several markets. Bitly offers mobile deep linking on higher tiers but not rule-based routing.
Which has better analytics?
SiteDetour. It records every click and scan in real time with countries, devices and referrers, keeps them for the life of the account and exposes them through the API. Bitly retains analytics from 30 days to a year depending on tier.
Prices and features checked on 14 October 2026 from public vendor pages. Bitly is a trademark of its owner; SiteDetour is not affiliated with it.
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