Replace Bitly / Dub.co Pro with Self-Hosted Shlink
Definitive self-hosted URL shortener with REST API, QR codes, and real-time geo/device click analytics Stop paying Growth ($35–$99/mo custom domains & QR codes) ($35/mo for a 10-person team) and run Shlink on a $4.50/mo Linux VPS with full data sovereignty.
1-to-100 Seat Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) Table
Comparing Bitly / Dub.co Pro (Growth ($35–$99/mo custom domains & QR codes)) vs Shlink on Hetzner CX22 (4GB RAM / 2 vCPU).
| Team Size | Bitly / Dub.co Pro Cost | Shlink VPS | Net Annual Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Seat (Solo) | $35.00/mo ($420/yr) | $4.50/mo (CX22) | +$366 / year |
| 5 Seats | $35.00/mo ($420/yr) | $4.50/mo (CX22) | +$366 / year |
| 10 Seats | $35.00/mo ($420/yr) | $4.50/mo (CX22) | +$366 / year |
| 25 Seats | $35.00/mo ($420/yr) | $4.50/mo (CX22) | +$366 / year |
| 50 Seats | $35.00/mo ($420/yr) | $4.50/mo (CX22) | +$366 / year |
| 100 Seats | $35.00/mo ($420/yr) | $4.50/mo (CX22) | +$366 / year |
Production Docker Compose + Caddy Auto-SSL
Copy and run docker compose up -d on any Ubuntu 24.04 server.
# Production Docker Compose: Shlink (Replaces Bitly / Dub.co Pro)
services:
caddy:
image: caddy:2-alpine
restart: unless-stopped
ports:
- "80:80"
- "443:443"
volumes:
- ./Caddyfile:/etc/caddy/Caddyfile:ro
- caddy_data:/data
networks:
- stack_net
shlink:
image: shlinkio/shlink:stable
container_name: stack-shlink
restart: unless-stopped
environment:
- "DEFAULT_DOMAIN=go.${DOMAIN:-yourdomain.com}"
- "IS_HTTPS_ENABLED=true"
- "DB_DRIVER=postgres"
- "DB_USER=postgres"
- "DB_PASSWORD=${POSTGRES_PASSWORD:-strongpassword}"
- "DB_HOST=postgres"
volumes:
- shlink_data:/data
networks:
- stack_net
postgres:
image: pgvector/pgvector:pg16
container_name: stack-postgres
restart: unless-stopped
environment:
- "POSTGRES_USER=postgres"
- "POSTGRES_PASSWORD=${POSTGRES_PASSWORD:-strongpassword}"
volumes:
- postgres_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
networks:
- stack_net
networks:
stack_net:
driver: bridge
volumes:
caddy_data:
shlink_data:
postgres_data:
# Automatic Let's Encrypt HTTPS for Shlink
shlink.{$DOMAIN:yourdomain.com} {
encode zstd gzip
reverse_proxy shlink:8080
}
Why Teams Switch to Shlink
- ✓Uses <80MB RAM
- ✓Dynamic device/OS routing & UTM builder
- ✓Automatic GeoLite2 country/city click tracking
shlinkio/shlink:stable
Deploy Shlink in 60 Seconds
Sized automatically for Shlink (128MB container RAM + OS overhead).
Get All 16 Pre-Built Production Stacks + Encrypted S3 Backups
Includes pre-tuned docker-compose.yml, Caddy Auto-SSL, AES-256 encrypted nightly S3/R2 Postgres backups, and Ubuntu 24.04 UFW/Fail2ban hardening scripts.