URL Shortify

URL Shortify is a self-hosted WordPress link manager for creating branded short URLs on your own domain. The free plugin already covers unlimited short links, common redirect types, custom slugs, parameter forwarding, nofollow controls, grouping and basic click analytics. The paid version expands it into a broader campaign-link system.

What URL Shortify does differently

The plugin starts from the same basic job as PrettyLinks: turn long destination URLs into cleaner links under your WordPress domain. Its current Pro feature set goes further into campaign operations, with QR codes, expiring links, password protection, traffic routing, link rotation, split testing, retargeting pixels, UTM presets, custom domains and a broken-link checker.

That makes it relevant for marketers who use one link in several channels. A link can be easier to share in email or print as a QR code, while the same WordPress dashboard keeps the redirect destination and click history under the site owner’s control.

Free vs Pro

The free edition is useful for basic branded redirects. It supports 301, 302 and 307 redirects, custom slugs, link groups, basic counting and an API for creating individual links. It also includes one-click migration from several competing link plugins, which matters if the goal is replacing an existing link manager rather than starting from zero.

Pro is where URL Shortify becomes a campaign tool. Advanced click reporting, QR codes, link cloaking, A/B and rotated redirects, dynamic routing, expiration rules, custom domains, retargeting, broken-link monitoring, UTM tools and bulk operations are paid capabilities.

Pricing checked September 24, 2026

The current yearly Starter license is $99 for one site. Growth is $149/year for three sites and Scale is $299/year for 25 sites. The same feature set is sold with lifetime licensing at higher one-time prices. The vendor states that paid tiers differ by site count rather than withholding features by tier.

Migration and data ownership

URL Shortify stores its link workflow in WordPress and includes import tooling aimed at link-manager migrations. Before moving a production affiliate site, preserve the old short slug, destination URL, redirect type, rel attributes, categories or groups, and any query-parameter behavior. Those details matter more than simply importing a destination list.

Click-history continuity is a separate issue. Historical analytics from another plugin may not map one-for-one into a new reporting database, so export any data you need for campaign comparisons before the cutover.

Trade-offs to understand

The breadth of Pro features can be more than a simple blog needs. If the requirement is only a clean /go/ link and a lifetime click count, the free edition or a smaller affiliate-link plugin may be enough. Advanced routing also increases the number of settings that need testing when caching, CDN rules or security plugins are involved.

For affiliate programs with policies against cloaking particular merchants, keep those links uncloaked and confirm redirect behavior before publishing. Link-management software does not override the rules of an affiliate network.

PluginSuggest verdict

URL Shortify fits sites that want to keep link management inside WordPress while adding campaign-oriented controls such as A/B redirects, QR codes, routing and broken-link monitoring. A site focused purely on affiliate-link insertion may prefer a narrower affiliate tool, while teams that want AI-assisted link administration may want to compare BetterLinks as well.

What to verify before replacing another link manager

Redirect plugins sit in the path of every branded URL, so migration needs more than a successful import message. Test a sample of high-traffic links, including links with forwarded query parameters, non-English slugs, custom domains, password or expiry rules, and destinations behind tracking parameters. Confirm the HTTP status code and final destination with caching enabled, not only while logged in as an administrator.

For affiliate sites, also check whether the old plugin inserted links automatically from keywords or generated links for posts and custom post types. Recreating the short-link database does not automatically reproduce every content-level automation rule. Keep the old plugin disabled but available during a controlled rollback window until the new redirects have been validated.

URL Shortify FAQs