URL Shortener Shorten, Brand and Track Every Link — Starting Free
Every long URL you share is a missed opportunity.
An opportunity to brand the link. To track who clicked it. To control where it goes — and change that destination later if needed.
Cuttly's URL shortener turns any long URL into a short, branded, trackable link in seconds. No setup beyond creating a free account. No configuration required for analytics — they are on from the first click.
How to Shorten a URL with Cuttly
Shortening a URL in Cuttly is a two-step process: first shorten, then customise.
Step 1 — Shorten
Log in to your Cuttly account at cutt.ly/login. Paste your long URL into the shortening field at the top of the dashboard. Click Shorten. Your link is created immediately with a randomly generated slug — for example cutt.ly/aBcDeF — and click analytics are active from that moment.
Step 2 — Customise
After the link appears in your dashboard, open its options to configure everything you need:
- Edit the alias / slug — change aBcDeF to something descriptive, e.g. summer-sale
- Switch the domain — use cutt.ly or your connected branded domain
- Add UTM parameters using the built-in generator
- Set a password, expiration, mobile redirect, A/B rotation or retargeting pixel
- Generate a QR Code directly from the link
The flow is always: Shorten first → customise after. All options are available in the link management view after the link is created — not during shortening.
Two Domain Options: cutt.ly or Your Own Branded Domain
Every link you create in Cuttly can use one of two domain options — switchable in the link options after creation.
| Option | Example | Available On | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| cutt.ly domain | cutt.ly/summer-sale | All plans including free | Quick sharing, testing, personal use |
| Your branded domain | yourbrnd.link/summer-sale | All plans including free (1 domain) | Professional use, marketing, email, SMS, print |
A branded domain replaces the cutt.ly portion with your own domain — every short link carries your brand name before the click. This increases trust, improves click-through rate and keeps your domain reputation entirely under your control.
To connect a branded domain: go to Link Management → Branded Domains in your dashboard, click Add New Domain, and configure a DNS A record and a DNS TXT record at your registrar. DNS propagation typically takes 10–30 minutes. One domain is included free on all plans.
Custom Slugs — Make Every Link Memorable
The slug is the part of the URL after the domain. Cuttly generates a random one automatically on shortening — but you can change it to anything available via the link options.
| Type | Example | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Auto-generated | cutt.ly/aBcDeF | Functional — no brand signal, hard to type from memory |
| Custom slug | cutt.ly/summer-sale | Descriptive — easier to type, share and remember |
| Branded domain + slug | yourbrnd.link/summer-sale | Maximum — full brand identity + descriptive destination |
Custom slugs matter most when the link is visible as text — in social captions, printed materials, video overlays or spoken references. A descriptive slug is far more likely to be typed correctly from memory than a random string.
Free plan: 3 custom slugs/month. Starter: 30/month. Single and above: unlimited.
All Short Link Options — Full Reference
| Option | What It Does | Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Edit alias / slug | Change the part after the domain to a custom descriptive slug | Free (3/month) |
| Switch domain | Change between cutt.ly and your branded domain | Free |
| UTM parameters | Add campaign tracking tags using the built-in UTM generator | Free |
| Change destination URL | Update where the link redirects — same domain (Starter) or any URL (Single+) | Starter+ |
| Password protection | Require a password before redirecting — for gated or internal content | Single+ |
| Link expiration | Set an end date or maximum click count — stops redirecting when reached | Single+ |
| Mobile redirect | Send mobile users to a different destination than desktop users | Single+ |
| A/B/C rotation | Split traffic between 2–3 destinations by percentage | Single+ |
| Retargeting pixel | Fire a Meta, Google, LinkedIn or other ad pixel on every click | Single+ |
| QR Code | Generate a tracked QR Code — every scan counted as a click with full analytics | Free |
| Link analytics | View total clicks, unique clicks, device, country, referrer and more | Free |
| Campaign tag | Group multiple links under one campaign for aggregated analytics view | Team+ |
| Public stats | Make click statistics publicly visible for this link | Single+ |
| Delete link | Permanently remove the link and stop all redirects | Free |
UTM Parameters — Connect Short Links to Google Analytics
UTM parameters are tags added to your destination URL that pass campaign data to Google Analytics (GA4). Cuttly's built-in UTM generator builds the full tagged URL automatically — no manual string construction required.
After shortening, open the link options and select the UTM builder. Fill in source, medium and campaign name. Cuttly appends the parameters to the destination URL. The short link stays clean — the UTM data travels invisibly through the redirect.
What the destination URL with UTMs looks like (hidden behind the short link):
https://yoursite.com/product?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=spring2026
What the user and social platforms see:
yourbrnd.link/spring2026
This gives you two data layers: Cuttly tracks the click (device, country, referrer, timing) and GA4 tracks the session (pages visited, time on site, conversions, purchases).
Link Limits and Plans
| Plan | Links / Month | Custom Slugs | Branded Domains | Analytics History |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | 30 | 3 / month | 1 | 30 days |
| Starter ($12/mo) | 300 | 30 / month | 1 | 30 days |
| Single ($25/mo) | 5,000 | Unlimited | 5 | 365 days |
| Team ($99/mo) | 20,000 | Unlimited | 10 | 730 days |
| Team Enterprise ($149/mo) | 50,000 | Unlimited | 99 | 730 days |
Full feature comparison at cutt.ly/pro-pricing.
API — Shorten Links Programmatically
The full URL shortener is accessible via Cuttly's API. Make a GET request to https://cutt.ly/api/api.php with your API key and the URL-encoded destination. Optional parameters: name for a specific slug, userDomain=1 to use your branded domain.
Rate limits: 3 req/60s (free), 6 (Starter), 60 (Single), 180 (Team), 360 (Team Enterprise). No-code integrations via Zapier, Make, Zoho Flow, OttoKit, Pabbly Connect, ViaSocket and Pipedream — create short links automatically as part of any workflow.
FAQ: URL Shortener
How do I shorten a URL with Cuttly?
Log in, paste your long URL into the shortening field in the dashboard and click Shorten. Your link is created immediately. After shortening, open the link options to edit the slug, switch to a branded domain, add UTM parameters or configure advanced options like password protection or expiration.
Can I use my own domain for short links?
Yes — one branded custom domain is included on the free plan at no cost. Go to Link Management → Branded Domains, click Add New Domain, and configure a DNS A record and DNS TXT record at your registrar. Once approved (typically 10–30 minutes), your domain is available when creating any short link.
Can I change the slug after creating a link?
Yes. Open the link options and edit the alias. The link updates immediately. Free plan: 3 custom slugs/month. Single plan and above: unlimited.
Can I change the destination URL of a short link?
Yes — on Starter plan and above. Starter allows destination changes within the same domain. Single and above allow changing to any URL. All existing shares automatically redirect to the new destination. The free plan does not include destination editing.
What advanced options are available?
After creating a link: custom slug, branded domain, UTM parameters, password protection, link expiration, mobile-specific redirects, A/B/C traffic rotation, retargeting pixel attachment and QR Code generation. Password, expiration, mobile redirect, A/B rotation and pixels require the Single plan or above.
How many links can I shorten for free?
30 new short links per month — no limit on clicks. Paid plans: 300 (Starter), 5,000 (Single), 20,000 (Team), 50,000 (Team Enterprise).
Cuttly - Consistently Rated
Among Top URL Shorteners
Cuttly isn’t just another URL shortener. Our platform is trusted and recognized by top industry players like G2 and SaaSworthy. We're proud to be consistently rated as a High Performer in URL Shortening and Link Management, ensuring that our users get reliable, innovative, and high-performing tools.
