
WordPress
Medium
Drupal
Blogger
Tumblr
SquareSpace
Jekyll
Ghost is a fully open source, adaptable platform for building and running a modern online publication. We power blogs, magazines and journalists from Zappos to Sky News.

Bitly
Rebrandly
TinyURL
Cutt.ly
Dub.co
Linktree
Dub
Short.io makes short links (vanity urls) on your own domain. Free signup, analytics and API. Chrome, slack, zapier and segment integrations.

Which is more popular?
Based on our record, Ghost seems to be a lot more popular than Short.io. While we know about 196 links to Ghost, we've tracked only 8 mentions of Short.io.
Website, pricing, platforms and company facts side by side.
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| Website | ghost.org | short.io |
| Pricing | ||
| Company | Startup from the United Kingdom | — |
| Listed in |
What each product offers, as listed by its team.


Possible disadvantages
Possible disadvantages
An editorial look at what each product does well and who it suits.


Overall verdict
Why this product is good
Recommended for
Overall verdict
Why this product is good
Recommended for
Short.io is recommended for businesses, digital marketers, social media influencers, and any individuals who need to manage multiple links with custom domains while tracking detailed user engagement data.
Walkthroughs and reviews on video.
Why I Moved My Blog From WordPress to Ghost
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How often each product is chosen within a category, 0–100% relative to the other.


Share your experience with using Ghost and Short.io. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
External articles and on-site reviews we used to compare the two products.


Ghost specializes in creating a monetized blogging platform. Based on their subscription status, readers can create user profiles, sign up for newsletters, and browse your entire blogging calendar. The platform’s...
Ghost is known for its simplicity and focus on content creation. It's a great option for writers and creators who want a clean and distraction-free environment to publish their work.
If you don’t already have a website, Ghost may be an appealing option as a Patreon alternative. However, customizations are limited, and you’ll need to choose a pre-built design from the theme library. There are a few...
Short.io stands out as the strongest free branded link shortener for users who need a custom domain today. According to Zapier’s May 2026 roundup, Short.io is the best free URL shortener overall. Its free forever plan...
Initially launched as short.cm, to be rebranded from Short.cm to Short.io to reflect its broader vision and global reach better. The platform expanded its features to meet these needs, introducing capabilities like...
Short.io has a free plan with basic features. However, to access advanced analytics, you must upgrade to one of their paid plans—Personal ($19/month), Team ($49/month), or Enterprise ($149/month). You can also choose...
Recommendations tracked on public social media and blogs since March 2021.


Digital production has lowered the cost, and the Ghost platform in particular is a great value for small publishers, bundling together the blog, newsletter and subscriptions in one package, even now including ActivityPub federation. And... - Source: Hacker News / 9 months ago
Https://ghost.org — Open-source run by a non-profit headquartered in Singapore. - Source: Hacker News / 9 months ago
If you're hell-bent on headless, I can personally recommend 11ty (https://www.11ty.dev/) and hugo (https://gohugo.io/). That said, for non-technical admins, you probably want a user interface. For that, Ghost (https://ghost.org/) and... - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
Choose a shortener: Pick a link shortener that fits your needs---many offer options like custom branding, QR code creation, and analytics. Ziplink, Short.io, and Bitly are all capable of that. If you are looking for something really... - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
Same, but a little more elegant is short.io. It's a link shortener, but with a $19/month plan you can add a ton of customization to your links. One of those being limit on clicks. Same problem here that the file is still hosted elsewhere... Source: over 3 years ago
Can I ask you how you have integrated short.io into your app? Via Zapier or API? Source: about 4 years ago
When comparing Ghost and Short.io, you can also consider the following products.

WordPress is web software you can use to create a beautiful website or blog. We like to say that WordPress is both free and priceless at the same time.
Compare WordPress to Ghost or Short.io:

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.
Compare Bitly to Ghost or Short.io:

Welcome to Medium, a place to read, write, and interact with the stories that matter most to you.
Compare Medium to Ghost or Short.io:

Rebrandly is the easiest way to create, share and manage branded links.
Compare Rebrandly to Ghost or Short.io:

Drupal - the leading open-source CMS for ambitious digital experiences that reach your audience across multiple channels. Because we all have different needs, Drupal allows you to create a unique space in a world of cookie-cutter solutions.
Compare Drupal to Ghost or Short.io:

The first notable URL shortener, online since 2002. Branded short links on your own domain, with click analytics that count human and bot traffic separately, QR codes, editable destinations, bulk creation and a REST API.
Compare TinyURL to Ghost or Short.io: