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YOURLS VS URL.rw

Compare YOURLS VS URL.rw 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.

URL.rw logo URL.rw

Go beyond basic link shortening with URL.RW: create stunning biolink pages with rich embeds, generate custom-branded QR codes for anything (even menus!), and track everything.
  • YOURLS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-03-18
  • URL.rw
    Image date //
    2025-04-27

URL.RW offers a smarter way to manage your online presence, going far beyond just shortening links. Built on the memorable url.rw domain, it's designed for creators, businesses, and restaurants needing one central place to connect audiences with their important content. We provide powerful tools to create highly effective "link-in-bio" pages that truly represent your brand, alongside versatile QR code solutions, including a dedicated system for digital restaurant menus.

With URL.RW, your biolink page can become a dynamic mini-hub – embed your latest YouTube videos, Spotify tracks, collect emails via forms, and much more, all customized with your colors, fonts, and backgrounds. Restaurants can easily build and instantly update beautiful digital menus using our specialized creator, generating branded QR codes for a modern, touchless experience. Track engagement across your links and pages with clear analytics, connect your own custom domain for a professional touch, and manage everything seamlessly from a single dashboard. It’s about giving you robust tools that are easy to use and help you look great online.

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.

URL.rw features and specs

No features have been listed yet.

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

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How to make a URL Shorter with YOURLS

URL.rw videos

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to YOURLS and URL.rw)

YOURLS

URL.rw

Link Management
100 100%
Link Management
0% 0
URL Shortener
95 95%
URL Shortener
5% 5
Social Media Tools
0 0%
Social Media Tools
100% 100
Branded URLs
93 93%
Branded URLs
7% 7

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 URL.rw

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

URL.rw Reviews

We have no reviews of URL.rw 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

URL.rw mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of URL.rw yet. Tracking of URL.rw recommendations started around Apr 2025.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing YOURLS and URL.rw, 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.

Dub.co - Dub.co is the open-source link management infrastructure for modern marketing teams to create, share, and track short links.

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

Linkin.bio by Later - Add one link in your Instagram bio—drive traffic anywhere.

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

Linktree - Connect your audience to all of your content with just one link.

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