Software Alternatives & Startups

TinyURL VS OneSignal

Compare TinyURL VS OneSignal and see what are their differences

TinyURL

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.

Rating
0 reviews
Pricing
Freemium $11 / Monthly (Pro - 125 links/mo)
OneSignal

Customer engagement platform used by over 1 million developers and marketers; the fastest and most reliable way to send mobile and web push notifications, in-app messages, emails, and SMS.

Rating
0 reviews
Pricing
Open source Freemium Free trial $9 / Monthly (Plus usage-based costs. (Growth Plan). )
Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

Which is more popular?

Based on our record, OneSignal should be more popular than TinyURL. It has been mentioned 28 times since March 2021.

social mentions
6 vs 28
URL Shortener popularity
100% vs 0%

Base details

Website, pricing, platforms and company facts side by side.

TinyURL
OneSignal
Website tinyurl.com onesignal.com
Pricing
Freemium $11 / Monthly (Pro - 125 links/mo) Official pricing
Open source Freemium Free trial $9 / Monthly (Plus usage-based costs. (Growth Plan). ) Official pricing
Company Startup from the United States · 20 - 49 employees · 2002 Startup from the United States
Listed in

About TinyURL and OneSignal

In their own words, as submitted to SaaSHub.

TinyURL
OneSignal

TinyURL is a URL shortening and link management platform, and was the first notable URL shortener when it launched in January 2002. It now serves over 4.4 million registered users and has created billions of links. Free accounts cover 30 links a month, with links that never expire. Paid plans...

Read more about TinyURL

No description of OneSignal yet.

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

TinyURL 8 features
OneSignal 6 features
  • Ease of Use
    TinyURL offers a very simple interface that allows users to create shortened URLs quickly without needing to register or log in.
  • Custom Aliases
    Users have the option to create custom aliases for their shortened links, making them more memorable and meaningful.
  • Link Analytics
    Every link reports clicks over time, referrer, geography, device type, operating system and browser, with human and bot clicks counted separately and two years of history retained.
  • Links That Never Expire
    Links created on the free plan do not expire, so shortened URLs stay valid in print, packaging and archived content.
  • Branded Domains
    Shorten links on your own custom domain or subdomain rather than a shared one. One branded domain on the free plan, three on paid plans.
  • Editable Destinations
    A link destination can be changed after the link has been shared, so a URL already printed or posted can be repointed without being reissued.
  • QR Code Generation
    Generate QR codes for shortened links, for packaging, print and other offline placements.
  • REST API and Bulk Creation
    Documented REST API (OpenAPI 3.0, bearer-token auth) for link creation, updates and analytics retrieval, plus bulk batch endpoints for high-volume workflows.
  • Ease of Use
    OneSignal offers a user-friendly interface and straightforward setup process, making it accessible even for those with limited technical knowledge.
  • Multi-Platform Support
    The service supports a wide range of platforms including iOS, Android, and web browsers, allowing for comprehensive push notification campaigns.
  • Free Tier
    OneSignal provides a generous free tier that includes many features, which is highly beneficial for startups and small businesses with budget constraints.
  • Automation Capabilities
    Offers robust automation features like automated messaging, segmentation, and personalized notifications, enhancing user engagement.
  • Analytics
    Provides detailed analytics and reporting, allowing users to track the performance of their notifications and optimize campaigns.
  • Integrations
    Supports integration with various platforms and services such as WordPress, Shopify, and Google Analytics, making it versatile and adaptable to different needs.

Possible disadvantages

  • Data Privacy Concerns
    There have been concerns about data privacy and security, as OneSignal collects user data which may not be ideal for companies with strict data compliance needs.
  • Limited Customization
    While OneSignal offers many features, some users find the customization options for the appearance and behavior of notifications to be limited.
  • Learning Curve for Advanced Features
    Though it's easy to get started, employing some of the more advanced features and API capabilities may require a steeper learning curve.
  • Cost for Premium Features
    While the free tier is generous, access to advanced features and higher usage limits requires a paid subscription, which might be cost-prohibitive for very small businesses.
  • Dependence on Third-Party Service
    Relying on a third-party service for critical user engagement features can be risky, particularly if there are service outages or changes in terms of service.
  • Notification Fatigue
    Without careful management and user segmentation, there's a risk of overwhelming users with notifications, which could lead to reduced engagement or app uninstalls.

Analysis

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

TinyURL
OneSignal

Overall verdict

  • TinyURL is considered a good and reliable service for those who need to create short URLs for personal or professional purposes. It is especially valuable for its simplicity and no-cost offering, appealing to users who need straightforward URL shortening without additional features.

Why this product is good

  • TinyURL is a popular URL shortening service that allows users to convert long, cumbersome URLs into shorter, more manageable links. This is particularly useful for sharing links on social media, in emails, or in printed materials where space is limited. TinyURL is easy to use, doesn't require an account, and offers free shortening services. The ability to create custom aliases also adds a layer of personalization and memorability to the links.

Recommended for

    TinyURL is recommended for individuals, small businesses, and organizations that need a quick and simple way to shorten URLs for social media posts, email campaigns, print materials, or casual link sharing without requiring advanced tracking or analytics features.

Overall verdict

  • Overall, OneSignal is a highly regarded tool in the realm of push notification services and is generally recommended for both small businesses and large enterprises looking for an effective communication channel with their users.

Why this product is good

  • OneSignal is often considered a good platform because it provides robust and user-friendly solutions for web and mobile push notifications, in-app messaging, and email marketing. Its ease of integration, rich set of features, powerful analytics, and flexible pricing options (including a free tier) make it a popular choice for developers and marketers alike. OneSignal also offers support for multiple platforms and easy segmentation of audiences to tailor messages effectively.

Recommended for

  • Mobile app developers seeking reliable push notification services with multi-platform support.
  • Marketers wanting to engage users through targeted push notifications and in-app messaging.
  • Businesses of all sizes looking for affordable and scalable communication solutions.
  • Teams that want detailed analytics to track user engagement and campaign performance.

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

TinyURL 0 videos + Add
OneSignal 3 videos + Add

No TinyURL videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

OneSignal Product Demo

More videos

  • - Send Push Notifications Through Wordpress Using OneSignal
  • - OneSignal: Product Demo/Overview

Category popularity

How often each product is chosen within a category, 0–100% relative to the other.

Score bands 0–20 21–40 41–50 51–60 61–100
TinyURL
OneSignal
100% 100%
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%
100% 100%
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%

Questions & Answers

As answered by people managing TinyURL and OneSignal.

What makes your product unique?

TinyURL's answer

TinyURL has been running continuously since January 2002, which makes it the first notable URL shortening service and one of the oldest still operating. For a link shortener that longevity is the product, not trivia: a short link is only useful for as long as it still resolves, and links created here don't expire.

Three things set it apart day to day:

  • Human and bot clicks are reported separately. Most shorteners report raw click totals that quietly include crawlers and link-preview bots, so reported traffic reads higher than the real audience. Separating them means the numbers can be trusted for attribution.
  • Destinations stay editable after a link is published. A link already printed on packaging or posted to social can be repointed without reissuing it.
  • A permanent free tier, not a trial - 30 links a month, one branded domain, links that never expire.

Why should a person choose your product over its competitors?

TinyURL's answer

Three practical reasons, depending on what you need:

  • You want attribution you can trust. Analytics cover clicks over time, referrer, geography, device, OS, browser and language, retained for two years, with bot traffic separated out.
  • You want your own brand on the link. Bring your own domain or subdomain on any plan, with up to three branded domains on paid tiers.
  • You want links that outlive the campaign. Twenty-four years of continuous operation, and a free tier that doesn't expire, matter when a link is printed on something you can't reprint.

Pricing starts free and goes to $9/month billed annually ($11 month-to-month) for 125 links a month with unlimited tracked clicks. Bulk plans handle 50,000 links a month for agencies and high-volume senders, and there's a REST API for automating the whole lifecycle.

How would you describe the primary audience of your product?

TinyURL's answer

  • Marketing teams running campaigns across several channels who need per-link attribution rather than a single lumped traffic figure
  • Social media managers and creators working inside character limits, who want a branded link rather than a generic one
  • Agencies managing links for multiple clients, each on its own branded domain
  • Developers automating link creation and analytics through the REST API
  • Enterprises needing SLA-backed uptime and compliance support
  • Educational Institutions
  • The healthcare industry

It also has a long tail of individual users who simply need a link shortened, which the free tier covers without an account upgrade.

What's the story behind your product?

TinyURL's answer

Kevin Gilbertson, a web developer, launched TinyURL in January 2002 so he could link directly to newsgroup postings, which at the time had long and unwieldy addresses. It was the first notable URL shortening service, and it arrived years before shortening became a category.

Twitter used TinyURL as its default shortener until May 2009, which put it in front of a mass audience during the period when character limits made short links essential.

Since then it's grown from a single-purpose utility into a link management platform: branded domains, click analytics with two years of retained history, editable destinations, QR codes, bulk creation and a REST API. It now serves over 4.4 million registered users and has created billions of links.

Which are the primary technologies used for building your product?

TinyURL's answer

TinyURL is a cloud-hosted web application, accessible from any browser with no install. Its public interface is a REST API (v2.4.2) published as an OpenAPI 3.0 specification and authenticated with bearer tokens, covering link creation, editing, destination changes, analytics retrieval and bulk batch processing.

Who are some of the biggest customers of your product?

TinyURL's answer

Twitter used TinyURL as its default URL shortener until May 2009.

User comments

Share your experience with using TinyURL and OneSignal. For example, how are they different and which one is better?

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Reviews and articles

External articles and on-site reviews we used to compare the two products.

TinyURL no reviews yet
OneSignal no reviews yet

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Social recommendations and mentions

Recommendations tracked on public social media and blogs since March 2021.

TinyURL 6 mentions
OneSignal 28 mentions
  • 🔐 Design a TinyURL System (Like Bit.ly) — From Scratch
    Import string Class TinyURL: def __init__(self): self.url_to_code = {} self.code_to_url = {} self.counter = 1 self.alphabet = string.ascii_letters + string.digits def encode_base62(self, num): ... - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • URL shorteners and why would you need one?
    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
  • 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 / about 2 years ago

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Alternatives to TinyURL and OneSignal

When comparing TinyURL and OneSignal, you can also consider the following products.