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YOURLS VS Buffer

Compare YOURLS VS Buffer and see what are their differences

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YOURLS logo YOURLS

YOURLS is a website that contains all the tools you need to create and launch your very own URL shortener. URL shorteners like bitly or TinyURL are fine for public use, but they offer limited options in terms of URL customization.

Buffer logo Buffer

Buffer makes it super easy to share any page you're reading. Keep your Buffer topped up and we automagically share them for you through the day.
  • YOURLS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-03-18
  • Buffer Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-19

YOURLS features and specs

  • Self-Hosted
    YOURLS allows you to host the URL shortening service on your own server, giving you full control over your data and avoiding reliance on third-party services.
  • Customization
    Since YOURLS is an open-source platform, you can customize it according to your needs, adding personalized branding and functionalities.
  • Analytics
    It offers detailed analytics for each shortened URL, including click counts, referrers, and geographical data, helping you understand your audience better.
  • Plugin Support
    YOURLS supports plugins, allowing you to extend its functionality with additional features like spam filtering, link previews, and more.
  • Free and Open-Source
    The platform is free to use and open-source, meaning there are no licensing costs and you benefit from a community of developers constantly improving the software.

Possible disadvantages of YOURLS

  • Technical Expertise Required
    Setting up and maintaining a YOURLS instance requires technical expertise, including knowledge of web servers and databases, which may not be suitable for non-technical users.
  • Hosting Costs
    Since YOURLS is self-hosted, you will incur costs for web hosting, domain registration, and potentially higher server resources if your service becomes popular.
  • Maintenance
    You are responsible for all maintenance tasks, such as updating software and ensuring security, which can be time-consuming.
  • Scalability Issues
    Depending on your hosting solution, you may face challenges in scaling the service to handle high volumes of traffic efficiently.
  • Limited Built-In Features
    While YOURLS is highly customizable through plugins, the out-of-the-box features are relatively basic when compared to some commercial URL shortening services.

Buffer features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    Buffer offers a clean, user-friendly interface that makes it easy for users to navigate and schedule social media posts.
  • Multi-Platform Support
    Buffer supports a wide range of social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Pinterest, allowing users to manage multiple accounts from one place.
  • Post Scheduling
    Users can schedule posts in advance, helping them maintain a consistent posting schedule without having to be online all the time.
  • Analytics and Reporting
    Buffer provides detailed analytics and reporting tools that help users track the performance of their posts and make data-driven decisions.
  • Collaborative Features
    Buffer offers collaboration tools for teams, allowing multiple members to contribute to social media management efforts.
  • Custom Scheduling
    Users can create custom posting schedules specific to each platform, optimizing their content for the best times to post.
  • Content Suggestions
    Buffer provides content suggestions, helping users find and share relevant content to keep their audience engaged.
  • Customer Support
    Buffer has a reliable customer support system, including live chat, email support, and extensive online resources.

Possible disadvantages of Buffer

  • Limited Free Plan
    The free plan offers limited features and only allows for basic functionality, which may not meet the needs of businesses seeking more advanced tools.
  • Cost
    While Buffer offers several pricing tiers, some users may find the cost of the more advanced plans to be relatively high.
  • Instagram Direct Posting Limitations
    Buffer's direct posting for Instagram has certain limitations due to API restrictions, requiring users to use push notifications for some posts.
  • No Native Support for Some Platforms
    Certain social media platforms, like TikTok, are not natively supported by Buffer, limiting its versatility for those looking to manage all their social media in one place.
  • Limited Advanced Features
    Compared to competitors, Buffer may lack some advanced features and integrations such as detailed sentiment analysis or advanced automation.
  • Reporting Complexity
    The analytics and reporting features, while useful, can sometimes be complex and hard to interpret for novice users.
  • No Comprehensive CRM Integration
    Buffer lacks robust integrations with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platforms, which can be a drawback for businesses looking to merge their social media strategy with customer relationship data.

YOURLS videos

+ Add

How to make a URL Shorter with YOURLS

Buffer videos

+ Add

Hootsuite VS Buffer VS Later 2019 | 3 Best Social Media Schedulers

More videos:

  • Review - Hootsuite vs Buffer (Social Media Management)
  • Review - Buffer Review (Social Media Management Tool)

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to YOURLS and Buffer)

YOURLS

Buffer

Link Management
100 100%
Link Management
0% 0
Social Media Tools
0 0%
Social Media Tools
100% 100
URL Shortener
100 100%
URL Shortener
0% 0
Social Media Marketing
0 0%
Social Media Marketing
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using YOURLS and Buffer. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare YOURLS and Buffer

YOURLS Reviews

11 Best URL Shorteners For 2025 (Comparison)
YOURLS is a free and lightweight URL shortener you can install on your site via PHP scripts and/or plugins. You can use it to create simple, custom-branded short links. You can even set things up in such a way that allows outside parties to use your link shortener.
Source: startupbonsai.com
11 Best Bitly Alternatives & Similar URL Shorteners
Yourls is a lightweight software to install regardless of the many features you have to enhance your campaign. It will be worth your efforts to try this platform in the first place.
Source: www.regendus.com
Top 8 Alternatives of Bit.Ly in 2023
YOURLS URL shortenerEmail Verification Tools, Features and Comparison of top five ServicesEmail Verification Tools can be game-changing for your business operation. But not knowing how to purchase them will be a blunder. Learn how to select one for your business.StartupTalkyAnsh MehreyConclusionFAQsIs there a free alternative to Bit.ly?Does Google have a URL shortener?How do...
Source: startuptalky.com
The 8 Best Alternatives to Google URL Shortener
Yourls, which is an acronym for "your own URL shortener," is exactly that—a service your run on your own server. Similar to Polr, Yourls is free and open-source. With Yourls, you can choose whether your links will be public or private. It includes bookmarklets, which let you turn a long URL into a short one from your web browser in just one click. By default, the tool...
Source: zapier.com

Buffer Reviews

  1. FaizaAdeel
    · Owner at Peacock.collection111 ·
    My SMM partner

    I love working with buffer its feature of scheduling makes me free for whole month. Best and easy tool to use.

    👍 Pros:    Unlimited scheduling and good speed
    👎 Cons:    Some accounts does not connect easily like pintrest
15 best Agorapulse alternatives for agencies and marketers
Buffer’s powerful analytics tools also provide valuable insights into post performance, engagement metrics, and audience demographics, allowing users to optimize their social media strategy.
Source: contentstudio.io
Top 7 Agorapulse Alternatives You Should Consider in 2024
Overall, Buffer is an excellent Agorapulse alternative for small businesses and solopreneurs seeking an affordable social media marketing platform with solid content planning and publishing tools. If you’ve already tried it and it didn’t fit your needs, check out these 9 Buffer alternatives we found useful.
Source: planable.io
5 Best Taplio Alternatives to Consider Using in 2024
Known for its remarkable commitment to transparency and operating with a fully remote team, Buffer embodies values like gratitude, continuous improvement, no-ego collaboration, optimism, and reflection.
Source: authoredup.com
10 Alternative Tools That Surpass AgoraPulse
Buffer helps users expand their reach and their audience organically. Driven by high values, Buffer provides intuitive marketing tools for companies looking to broaden their horizons.
Source: coschedule.com
ContentCal Alternatives: 10 Social Media Solutions That Outshine It
Buffer is one of the oldest social media tools on the market. This ContentCal alternative offers users a suite of tools to help them with tasks such as scheduling posts, analyzing performance, and managing engagement.
Source: planable.io

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Buffer should be more popular than YOURLS. It has been mentiond 58 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

YOURLS mentions (21)

  • Raindrop.io: cross-platform, collaborative bookmark manager
    This is what I use and like: https://yourls.org. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Ask HN: Building a url shortner, similar to bitly, can I make it profitable?
    Similar to...? https://yoslash.com/ Personally I just use https://yourls.org/. - Source: Hacker News / about 2 years ago
  • self-hosted url shorter with device targeting
    YOURLS has a "detect-mobile-device" plugin. Is that what you were looking for? Source: about 2 years ago
  • Tool/solution to "masquerade" or encode/decode part of the url to avoid showing subpaths details (f.e: myDomain.tld/myFolder/MyFile should became myDomain.tld/casualStringGeneratedAndMappedByTheTool) ?
    You will need to implement the YOURLS URL Shortener (https://yourls.org) and then implement the following YOURLS Plug-in - https://github.com/peterberbec/yourls-keyword_charset_length (Keywords, Charset & Length). Source: over 2 years ago
  • How create Short Links from my main domain name?
    Personally I would use something like this, although it does require a database. https://yourls.org/. Source: over 2 years ago
View more

Buffer mentions (58)

  • Mastering Crowdfunding for Open Source Projects
    Promotion is key—don't wait for people to find your campaign. Actively share updates on social media, write blog posts, and engage with industry influencers. Transparency with your backers through regular progress reports builds trust and encourages long-term support. Platforms like GitHub Sponsors offer built-in transparency tools to connect with your backers directly. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • Thriving in the Startup Ecosystem: Overcoming Common Challenges
    👉 Work-life balance: While the startup grind is often intense, maintaining a healthy work-life balance is crucial for long-term success and employee well-being. Effective time management, clear communication, and self-care are essential to thriving in this fast-paced environment. Companies like Buffer have been vocal about their commitment to employee well-being, offering unlimited vacation time and remote work... - Source: dev.to / 9 months ago
  • I'm looking for practical Rust exercises
    For example look at buffer.com. Create simple web app where user will write a post, select target social networks to publish and time of publishing (like 8 hours from now). Source: over 1 year ago
  • No surf musician?
    I use buffer to post to IG / Tiktok without visiting them. It works fairly well, although not perfect, but they seem to be working on it pretty consistently. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Buffer vs Later 2023: Choosing the Right Social Media Management Tool
    Socialjobnow.com has published a comparison between Buffer and Later, two popular social media management tools used by businesses to schedule and automate their social media posts. The article provides an in-depth analysis of each tool's features, pricing, and benefits, offering valuable insights for businesses looking to optimize their social media strategy. Source: almost 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing YOURLS and Buffer, you can also consider the following products

Bitly - 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.

Hootsuite - Enhance your social media management with Hootsuite, the leading social media dashboard. Manage multiple networks and profiles and measure your campaign results.

Polr - An open source URL shortener. A great non-profit and free alternative to bit.ly, TinyURL, or goo.gl.

SproutSocial - Sprout Social is a social media management tool created to help businesses find new customers & grow their social media presence. Try it for free.

TinyURL - Are you sick of posting URLs in emails only to have it break when sent causing the recipient to...

AgoraPulse - An easy social media management tool that works with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Google+, and YouTube. Start your free trial today!

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