Short.io is built for teams that embed link infrastructure into a product. Custom domains everywhere, mobile deep links, and an API-first workflow for large catalogs. If you are shipping links inside someone else's app, Short.io is the more serious engineering choice.
If you are a marketing team, creator, or small agency who wants a branded link, a QR code, and a bio page live today without an implementation project, that is the opposite problem — and it is where Slugy is built for.
What Short.io does better
- Deep-link routing — mobile deep links and app-conditional routing are mature here. If you depend on scheme-based routing, verify Slugy covers your schemes before moving anything.
- White-label at scale — built for embedding branded link infrastructure into a product you ship, including per-customer domains.
- API maturity — a battle-tested API with bulk operations, webhooks, and rate limits designed for high-volume programmatic use.
- High-volume economics — pricing that makes sense when you are creating hundreds of thousands of links per month.
None of this is a criticism. Short.io is solving a harder, more infrastructure-shaped problem. It is just not the same problem as “our campaign needs a link today.”
Pricing, side by side
| Plan | Slugy | Short.io |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | $0 — 10 new links/mo, 1k tracked clicks/mo, 1 custom domain | Free tier with limited monthly clicks |
| Custom domains | 1 on Free, up to 10 on Growth | Strong on paid tiers — built around volume |
| API access | API keys on paid plans; bulk creation on Growth | API-first across the product |
| Deep links | Verify coverage for your schemes | Mature deep-link routing |
| Lead / revenue attribution | Pro ($8/mo) for leads, Growth ($29/mo) for revenue | Click analytics; not the core focus |
| Bio pages | Included — 5 links on Free, up to 30 on Growth | Not the focus |
Slugy pricing from our own pricing page; Short.io figures from its public pricing pages on 2026-09-30. Both move these numbers — verify before deciding.
Figures checked against public pricing pages on 30 September 2026. Plans change often — verify before you make a decision.
At a glance
| Primary buyer | Short.io: product and platform teams · Slugy: marketing, creators, small teams |
| Time to first branded link | Slugy: minutes · Short.io: an implementation project |
| Best at | Short.io: embedded and white-label scale · Slugy: one workspace for links, QR, bio, conversions |
| Open source | Slugy only |
The honest tradeoffs
- Slugy is not an infrastructure product. If you need SLA-backed uptime for links embedded in someone else's app, Short.io is the better fit and this page will not change that.
- Programmatic scale has a ceiling. Growth gives 1,500 links per workspace and 50k tracked clicks a month. Beyond that you are in the wrong product.
- Deep links are unverified. If mobile routing is core to your use case, test it before you migrate production traffic.
Migrating from Short.io to Slugy
- 1Export your link catalog. Take the CSV and confirm it includes the slugs and destinations you actually need.
- 2Reconnect your custom domains. Use the guided DNS setup. If you run per-customer domains, check how many you need — Growth supports 10.
- 3Import and review. Duplicated slugs get regenerated; read the report and note what moved.
- 4Verify deep links explicitly. Test your iOS and Android schemes against a handful of real links before you flip production traffic.
Verdict
Choose Short.io if links are part of your product infrastructure and you need API scale, deep-link routing, or white-label depth. Choose Slugy if you are a team that needs branded links, QR, bio pages, and conversion tracking in one workspace and does not want to staff an implementation.
Other comparisons
- Slugy vs Bitly — the enterprise comparison, including what Slugy lacks
- Slugy vs Rebrandly — branding-first versus analytics-first
- Slugy vs Dub.co — the other open-source option