Rebrandly vs. Bitly: Choose the link management platform that’s right for you

Choosing the right link management platform is critical for digital engagement. While both Rebrandly and Bitly offer link-shortening capabilities, Rebrandly provides unparalleled control, security, reliability, and performance—making it the preferred choice for developers, agencies, and businesses of any size.

Rebrandly vs. Bitly: Key features

Simple, fast, and reliable link creation is essential at any scale, meaning you need visibility and control for all aspects of the link experience. Rebrandly provides complete data ownership, enterprise-grade security compliance, and reliable performance that goes beyond basic link shortening.

See how our features compare with Bitly:

Rebrandly features 

Rebrandly converts standard URLs into secure, branded assets. These links not only increase trust and clicks, they allow you to customize your messaging and track click metrics. Purchase custom domains, generate branded QR codes, and optimize the customer experience with rich analytics and intelligent traffic routing based on location, device type, date/time, language, and more. 

Rebrandly Analytics delivers immediate engagement metrics for every short link and QR code scan, including geographic data, referral sources, and conversion patterns, enabling teams to make data-driven decisions that optimize campaign performance across all connection points.

With Link Gallery, our custom link in bio product, users can transform their social media presence by hosting a fully customizable page on their own domain, delivering a cohesive branded experience that drives higher conversion rates and deeper engagement.

The Rebrandly platform serves as essential infrastructure for your digital brand presence, optimizing every aspect of your branded short links across social media, email, SMS, AI, and physical touchpoints. It turns fragmented interactions into measurable customer journeys while keeping all analytics firmly in your control.

Bitly features

Bitly primarily offers link shortening to convert standard URLS into branded and generic short links and QR codes — with limited branding and analytics capabilities unless you upgrade to expensive plans. When using Bitly’s free account, interstitial ads are often injected into your shortened links, disrupting the journey between click and destination. Multiple custom domains are available – but only on Enterprise accounts.

Bitly’s analytics provide real-time click-tracking, including engagement metrics, geographical data, device type, and referral channel tracking. 

Rebrandly vs. Bitly: Integrations

Rebrandly integrations 

Extend your digital infrastructure through Rebrandly’s comprehensive integration ecosystem. Our enterprise API lets you connect directly with over 100 external tools, including social media management platforms, SMS tools, marketing automation software, and CRM systems. 

Compare our enterprise-grade API capabilities with Bitly’s integration options to determine which platform aligns with your technical requirements. Rebrandly native integrations include: 

View the entire list of Rebrandly integrations here.

Bitly integrations

Choose from 50 available integrations, including a WordPress plugin, browser extensions, and automation and communications tools such as Zapier, Buffer, and Twilio.

Rebrandly vs. Bitly: Link tracking and data analytics

Tracking link performance is essential for understanding audience behavior and optimizing marketing campaigns. Both Rebrandly and Bitly offer link analytics, but the depth of insights and customization set them apart.

Rebrandly 

Rebrandly Analytics provides essential measurement capabilities for every user. The core reporting system tracks total clicks, daily and hourly engagement patterns, and country-level geographic distribution. Advanced reporting expands these capabilities with detailed user data, including device types, languages, click attribution, and social platform sources.

Aggregated reporting lets advanced users (on the Pro plan or above) explore link performance metrics in depth, enabling analysis by domains, custom tags, and workspaces. The system captures specific metrics about visitor behavior, including browser types, operating systems, and peak activity periods. All reporting data is available through standardized dashboards that simplify link performance and measuring campaign optimization.

Bitly

Bitly’s analytics allow you to track click performance metrics across various channels, including data on users’ geographical location and device type. In their analytics dashboard, you can track referral channels and top-performing links via total clicks and aggregate click views. 

Rebrandly vs. Bitly:  Security and compliance

Link management infrastructure requires robust security protocols and compliance certifications, particularly for organizations handling sensitive data. Compare Rebrandly’s SOC 2 Type II and HIPAA compliance certifications with Bitly’s security features to evaluate which platform meets your organization’s security needs:

Rebrandly 

Rebrandly security infrastructure protects link management operations for organizations of any size and in any industry. We support highly regulated industries like healthcare, finance, government, and enterprise technology sectors, maintaining rigorous security standards that include:

• GDPR and HIPAA compliance
• Annual SOC 2 Type II compliance audits
• Regular third-party penetration testing
• Abuse management, malware detection, and AI-powered spam detection
• Domain security and intelligence monitoring
• SSO, link expiration, password protection, and user-based permissions

Our partnership with the Internet Watch Foundation enhances our ability to identify and prevent harmful content distribution. Our security documentation, including SOC 2 reports and penetration test results, is available through the Rebrandly Trust Center.

Bitly

Bitly is GDPR-compliant and Swiss-US Privacy Shield certified. Advanced and enterprise users can access link encryption, malware detection, SSO, and user-based permissions.

How to switch from Bitly to Rebrandly

Migrating from Bitly to Rebrandly is simple. Switching is quick and hassle-free whether you’re a creator, developer, agency, small business, or enterprise. Here’s how to get started:

1. Gather all the links you want to move to Rebrandly in a clean CSV file. Your file must contain two columns: the branded short link and its destination URL.
   
   Rebrandly will import multiple short links with the same destination URL; we cannot import duplicates of your branded links.
   
2. Add the domain name you have with your current provider into your Rebrandly account here.
   
   You can add the new domain name without affecting your current setup or update the settings later. Our team will set up DNS verification even if your DNS settings have not changed and aren’t fully propagated yet.
   
3. Use the CSV file to import your links, and let us know once complete.
   
4. Change your domain’s DNS settings to direct to Rebrandly’s servers.
   
   DNS propagation can take up to 24 hours to complete. During that time, your links will continue working correctly. Once DNS propagation is complete, the migration is finished.
   
5. Congratulations! You’ve successfully switched to Rebrandly for all of your link management needs.

Need help switching? Reach out to our support team today to learn more!

Make the right choice for your link management

When evaluating link management providers, Rebrandly is a comprehensive solution for businesses, agencies, and developers requiring advanced security, complete data ownership, and powerful analytics capabilities. 

Unlike basic URL shorteners, Rebrandly delivers:

• -99.99% uptime
• -Reliability and performance – dedicated Account Management + Customer Support!
• -Conversion 40% on average higher than competitors

Ready to start transforming your URLs into valuable branded assets? Sign up for a 2-week trial of Rebrandly today and get a free custom domain!