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YOURLS VS phpFox

Compare YOURLS VS phpFox 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.

phpFox logo phpFox

phpFox is a powerful social network platform for niche communities
  • YOURLS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-03-18
  • phpFox Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-24

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.

phpFox features and specs

  • Customizability
    phpFox offers extensive customization options, allowing developers to tailor the platform to specific needs with various themes and modules.
  • Scalability
    The platform is built to handle large user bases, which makes it a good choice for both small and large communities.
  • Built-in Features
    phpFox comes with a wide range of pre-built features like user management, groups, forums, and more, which can save development time.
  • Mobile Responsiveness
    The platform is designed with mobile users in mind, offering responsive design and mobile apps to enhance user experience on different devices.
  • Active Community and Support
    phpFox has an active community and offers support, which can help users resolve issues and improve their social network efficiently.

Possible disadvantages of phpFox

  • Complexity
    Beginners may find phpFox difficult to set up and manage without prior experience, as it can be complex and require technical knowledge.
  • Cost
    While offering robust features, phpFox is not a free platform, and the cost can be a significant consideration for small projects or startups.
  • Plugin Dependency
    To unlock the full potential of the platform, users may need to rely on additional plugins, which can increase costs and complicate maintenance.
  • Performance
    Depending on the hosting environment and configuration, the platform might face performance issues, especially as the user base grows.
  • Learning Curve
    Despite having good documentation, there may be a steep learning curve for users unfamiliar with similar platforms or programming.

Analysis of YOURLS

Overall verdict

  • YOURLS is a great choice for individuals or organizations looking for a customizable and secure URL shortening solution. It is particularly suitable for those who want to avoid relying on third-party services.

Why this product is good

  • YOURLS (Your URL Shortener) is a self-hosted URL shortening service that provides full control over your short URLs. It allows users to customize and manage their links, track their analytics, and ensure privacy and security since it's hosted on your own server. Its open-source nature ensures transparency and the ability to modify the functionality as needed.

Recommended for

  • Businesses that need branded and secure short URLs.
  • Developers looking for an open-source URL shortener they can customize.
  • Organizations prioritizing data privacy and control.
  • Bloggers or marketers who want to track detailed analytics of their links.

YOURLS videos

+ Add

How to make a URL Shorter with YOURLS

phpFox videos

+ Add

phpFox 4.6.0 Preview

More videos:

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to YOURLS and phpFox)

YOURLS

phpFox

Link Management
100 100%
Link Management
0% 0
Social Network
0 0%
Social Network
100% 100
URL Shortener
100 100%
URL Shortener
0% 0
Social Networks
0 0%
Social Networks
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

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

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

phpFox Reviews

We have no reviews of phpFox yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, YOURLS seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 21 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

phpFox mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of phpFox yet. Tracking of phpFox recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing YOURLS and phpFox, 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.

SocialEngine - Build Your Community with Powerful Social Networking Software | SocialEngine

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

mooSocial - mooSocial is the best social network script to create a niche community or social site.

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

Elgg - Opensource social network engine

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