Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Bitly VS Zero Width Shortener

Compare Bitly VS Zero Width Shortener and see what are their differences

Bitly logo Bitly

Get the most out of your social and online marketing efforts. Own, understand and activate your best audience through the power of the link with Bitly Enterprise.

Zero Width Shortener logo Zero Width Shortener

Shorten URLs with zero-width characters
  • Bitly Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-18
  • Zero Width Shortener Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-29

Bitly features and specs

  • Link Shortening
    Bitly provides simple and efficient URL shortening, making long URLs more manageable and aesthetically pleasing.
  • Analytics
    Bitly offers detailed analytics, allowing users to track link performance, click rates, and geographic data.
  • Branding
    With Bitly, users can create branded short links, which help in maintaining brand consistency and trust.
  • Integrations
    Bitly integrates with various platforms and tools like social media, CMS, and marketing tools, enhancing workflow.
  • Mobile App
    Bitly offers a mobile app, giving users the flexibility to create and manage links on the go.

Possible disadvantages of Bitly

  • Cost
    Bitly's free tier is limited, with more advanced features available only in the paid plans.
  • Privacy
    Bitly's collection of user data and link analytics can raise privacy concerns.
  • Expiration
    Shortened links can sometimes expire or be deactivated, potentially causing broken links.
  • Dependence on Third Party
    Relying on Bitly means depending on a third-party service, which comes with risks like downtime or service changes.
  • Phishing and Spam
    Shortened URLs can be used for malicious purposes like phishing and spam, which can reduce trust.

Zero Width Shortener features and specs

  • Privacy
    The use of zero-width characters makes URLs harder to detect and trace, enhancing privacy.
  • Customization
    Users can embed zero-width characters into URLs, providing a way to customize links without affecting their appearance.
  • Data Concealment
    Zero-width characters can hide information within URLs, making it useful for specific security or data obfuscation applications.
  • No Visual Impact
    The zero-width characters do not alter the visual appearance of the URL, maintaining visual consistency.

Possible disadvantages of Zero Width Shortener

  • Compatibility Issues
    Some platforms and applications might not recognize zero-width characters properly, potentially leading to broken links.
  • Security Risk
    The hidden nature of zero-width characters can be exploited for malicious purposes, such as hiding phishing links or malware.
  • Debugging Difficulty
    Identifying problems with URLs containing zero-width characters can be challenging, complicating debugging efforts.
  • Misuse Potential
    Because zero-width characters can be invisible, there’s a risk they could be misused for sneaky or unethical purposes.

Bitly videos

Bitly Review

More videos:

  • Review - Why I Moved From Bitly To Rebrandly For URL Shortner
  • Review - What is Bitly.com?

Zero Width Shortener videos

No Zero Width Shortener videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Bitly and Zero Width Shortener)
Link Management
91 91%
9% 9
URL Shortener
90 90%
10% 10
Branded URLs
92 92%
8% 8
Social Media Tools
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Bitly and Zero Width Shortener

Bitly Reviews

  1. Deepak Kumar
    · Editor at einsstark.tech ·
    Bitly Review - Amazing Experience.

    Bitly is a URL shortening service and a link management platform. The company Bitly, Inc., was established in 2008. It is privately held and based in New York City. Bitly shortens 600 million links per month, for social networking, SMS, and email. Bitly makes money by charging for access to aggregate data created because of many people using the shortened URLs.

    The Bitly URL shortening service became popular on Twitter after it became the default URL shortening service on the website on May 6, 2009. It was subsequently replaced by Twitter's own t.co service.

    The company uses HTTP 301 redirects for its links. The shortcuts are intended to be permanent and cannot be changed once they are created. URLs that are shortened with the bitly service use the bit.ly domain or any other generic domain that the service offers.

    🏁 Competitors: Rebrandly, TinyURL, Polr

07 Best Bitly Alternative You Will Only Need (FREE)
We have reached the end of the alternatives to Bitly. There are a few reasons you might be looking for an alternative to Bitly, as I mentioned at the post’s start. Maybe you’re looking for more features or fewer restrictions. Or maybe you’re just looking for something different. Whatever the reason, there are plenty of alternatives to Bitly out there.
11 Best Bitly Alternatives & Similar URL Shorteners
Among the alternatives to Bitly on the market, Shorby is one of the best you could have. Other than shortening your website address, you can use the website on your Instagram bio. It means that this platform allows you to gather the important links in one place.
112 Best Chrome Extensions You Should Try (2021 List)
Bitly is one of the best URL shorteners to customize and shrink long links into shorter attractive looking links. If you do social media marketing, links are an internal part of your campaigns. You should make sure that you are using URL shorteners to increase click-through rates. How to use Bitly Chrome extension? Once you install it, connect the extension to the Bitly...
Top 8 Alternatives of Bit.Ly in 2023
Hence this was all about the top 8 alternatives of Bit.ly in the year 2023. Due to a few issues such as affordability, link counting restrictions, and technical glitches, Bit.ly often annoys its users while hanging. You can go for any of the above-mentioned alternatives of Bit.ly to ensure smooth functioning.
The 8 Best Alternatives to Google URL Shortener
Bitly is a full-service, business-grade URL shortener. If your needs are modest, you can use it anonymously to shorten long URLs and be on your way. But Bitly really stands out for its business offering. Part of the appeal is that Bitly is so simple and easy to use. It has a comprehensive dashboard where you can track over 20 real-time data points, including the location of...
Source: zapier.com

Zero Width Shortener Reviews

We have no reviews of Zero Width Shortener yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Bitly seems to be a lot more popular than Zero Width Shortener. While we know about 19 links to Bitly, we've tracked only 1 mention of Zero Width Shortener. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Bitly mentions (19)

  • Building a Scalable URL Shortener with Node.js (Part 1/2)
    I'm sure you're familiar with URL shortener tools like TinyURL and Bitly, as they are widely used online. It simply takes a long URL and creates a shorter, unique alias that redirects to the original link. - Source: dev.to / 4 months ago
  • Testing Svelte on the job
    The app I built was to function as the admin side of a URL shortener (something like bit.ly) so that one of our teams can convert long bookmarks into more shareable links so we can generate QR codes that another department on our team would use in their day-to-day tasks. - Source: dev.to / 10 months ago
  • Bit.ly no longer offers URL shortening without account
    I have been using https://bitly.com and I was always able to shorten a link without account but now I am forced to create an account. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • How to Add a Link to Instagram Bio
    Bitly is one of the most popular URL shorteners on the market that allows you to create short links for free with minimum steps required from you. To shorten your URL, you only need to register, and then you're free to create a limitless amount of links. Whenever you use Bitly, you automatically create a tracking and analysis page for this link. Source: about 2 years ago
  • System Design: The complete course
    Let's design a URL shortener, similar to services like Bitly, TinyURL. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
View more

Zero Width Shortener mentions (1)

  • Oda gets sent an IP grabber 1 hour before Runescape DMM tourney
    It works for link shorteners like https://zws.im/ so it will work for ip grabbers too. I don't think I've seen one like that though. Source: over 2 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Bitly and Zero Width Shortener, you can also consider the following products

TinyURL - Are you sick of posting URLs in emails only to have it break when sent causing the recipient to...

Polr - An open source URL shortener. A great non-profit and free alternative to bit.ly, TinyURL, or goo.gl.

YOURLS - YOURLS is a website that contains all the tools you need to create and launch your very own URL shortener. URL shorteners like bitly or TinyURL are fine for public use, but they offer limited options in terms of URL customization.

Rebrandly - Rebrandly is the easiest way to create, share and manage branded links.

Lstu - A nice and open source url shortener. You can use it as service or install it on your own server.

Linktree - Connect your audience to all of your content with just one link.