A Short.io alternative that watches your links
100 active links, a custom domain and unlimited QR codes on the free plan, and a check on the page behind every link every 30 minutes.
Short.io facts checked
Short.io has one of the most generous free plans around: 1,000 branded links and 5 custom domains. If you need lots of links across lots of domains, it's a strong choice. ndle is for a different need: knowing that the page behind every link still works.
ndle and Short.io's free plans, side by side
| ndle free | Short.io free | |
|---|---|---|
| Short links | 100 active | 1,000 in total, for the life of the account |
| Custom domains | 1 | 5 |
| Click data | 30 days: day, country, device, referrer, UTM campaign | 50,000 tracked clicks a month |
| Checks that your pages still work | Every 30 minutes | Not on its pricing page |
| Link expiry dates | Up to 30 days ahead | From the Pro plan |
| Cheapest paid plan | No paid plan yet | Hobby, $5/month |
Short.io's figures come from its pricing page and help centre, as they read on 28 September 2026.
Why people look for a Short.io alternative
A link count that doesn't refill. Short.io's free links are "issued once and can be used over the account lifetime", so 1,000 is the total, not a monthly allowance. ndle counts active links: remove old ones and your room comes back.
Nothing watches the destination. Short.io tracks clicks. ndle also checks the page behind every link every 30 minutes, and flags it on your Monitoring page when it returns a 404, times out or fails its certificate check.
Where Short.io is ahead
- More links and more domains on the free plan: 1,000 links and 5 domains, against ndle's 100 active links and 1 domain.
- A cheap first paid plan, at $5 a month.
- Custom link endings. ndle's links end in six random characters.
Moving from Short.io
Short.io says that if you cancel a paid plan, your account moves to the free plan and your links keep working within its limits (Short.io). Deleting the account removes the links, so keep it while old links are still in use, and move the important ones to ndle as you update them.
Questions
- Is Short.io's free plan 1,000 links a month?
- No. Short.io says its free limits are issued once and used over the life of the account, so 1,000 links is the total.
- What happens to my Short.io links if I cancel a paid plan?
- Short.io says your account moves to the free plan and your links keep working within its limits. Deleting the account removes them.
- Is ndle free?
- Yes. The free plan has 100 active links, 1 custom domain and unlimited QR codes, and every link is checked every 30 minutes. No card needed.