DubDub alternative without the $30 step
Dub is a strong platform for programmatic and partner links, priced like one: 25 links a month free, then $30. Za.gl covers the ordinary short link, free and unmetered.
What each one covers and misses
15 rows: Za.gl wins 8, Dub wins 5, and 2 are a draw. A table that never loses is an advert.
| Feature | | Dub | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Short links on the free plan | Unlimited | 25 per month | How many links you can create before the plan asks for money |
| Tracked clicks on the free plan | Unlimited, 7 days of history | 1,000 events, 30 days | How many clicks a free account may record in a month |
| Cheapest paid plan | $5, unmetered | $30, 1,000 links a month | The lowest monthly price that lifts the free limits |
| Shortens without an account | Yes | No | Whether the first link works before you sign up |
| Password-protected links | Free, any link | Paid plans | A link that asks for a password before it resolves |
| Link expiry date | 30 days free, 1 year on Pro | Paid plans | A date after which the link stops resolving on its own |
| Click limit per link | 1 to 1,000,000 | Not offered | A count after which the link stops resolving on its own |
| Pastebin | Unlimited | Not offered | A hosted snippet of text or code with syntax highlighting |
| Landing pages | Unlimited | Link-in-bio on paid plans | A hosted page you build in the editor, no site needed |
| Custom domains | Not offered | 3 on the free plan | Links on a domain you own instead of the provider domainDub wins. |
| Conversion and partner tracking | Not offered | Core of the product | Following a click all the way to a sale or a signupDub wins. If you pay partners per sale, this alone is worth Dub. |
| Team seats | Not offered | 3 on Pro, 10 on Business | Other people working on the same links from their own loginDub wins. |
| SDKs and framework integrations | REST API only | TypeScript, Python, Go, Zapier | Official libraries so you write less HTTP by handDub wins. |
| Analytics retention on the cheapest paid plan | 90 days at $5 | 1 year at $30 | How long the click rows stay readable on the cheapest paid plan |
| Open source | No | Yes | Whether the code can be read and self-hostedDub wins. Dub can be self-hosted; za.gl cannot. |
Short links on the free plan
How many links you can create before the plan asks for money
Dub
25 per month
Za.gl
Unlimited
Tracked clicks on the free plan
How many clicks a free account may record in a month
Dub
1,000 events, 30 days
Za.gl
Unlimited, 7 days of history
Cheapest paid plan
The lowest monthly price that lifts the free limits
Dub
$30, 1,000 links a month
Za.gl
$5, unmetered
Shortens without an account
Whether the first link works before you sign up
Dub
No
Za.gl
Yes
Password-protected links
A link that asks for a password before it resolves
Dub
Paid plans
Za.gl
Free, any link
Link expiry date
A date after which the link stops resolving on its own
Dub
Paid plans
Za.gl
30 days free, 1 year on Pro
Click limit per link
A count after which the link stops resolving on its own
Dub
Not offered
Za.gl
1 to 1,000,000
Pastebin
A hosted snippet of text or code with syntax highlighting
Dub
Not offered
Za.gl
Unlimited
Landing pages
A hosted page you build in the editor, no site needed
Dub
Link-in-bio on paid plans
Za.gl
Unlimited
Custom domains
Links on a domain you own instead of the provider domain
Dub
3 on the free plan
Za.gl
Not offered
Dub wins.
Conversion and partner tracking
Following a click all the way to a sale or a signup
Dub
Core of the product
Za.gl
Not offered
Dub wins. If you pay partners per sale, this alone is worth Dub.
Team seats
Other people working on the same links from their own login
Dub
3 on Pro, 10 on Business
Za.gl
Not offered
Dub wins.
SDKs and framework integrations
Official libraries so you write less HTTP by hand
Dub
TypeScript, Python, Go, Zapier
Za.gl
REST API only
Dub wins.
Analytics retention on the cheapest paid plan
How long the click rows stay readable on the cheapest paid plan
Dub
1 year at $30
Za.gl
90 days at $5
Open source
Whether the code can be read and self-hosted
Dub
Yes
Za.gl
No
Dub wins. Dub can be self-hosted; za.gl cannot.
Dub figures verified on Dub pricing. Ours come from the same place the payment page reads.
Pick a difference, read it
Six places where Za.gl and Dub behave differently, with the number from the table beside each one.
The $30 gap
Dub free is 25 new links and 1,000 tracked events a month. The next step is Pro at $30. There is nothing in between, so a person who creates forty links a month and has no conversion tracking to justify the spend is stuck between a tier that is too small and one that is priced for a growth team. Za.gl Pro at $5 exists in exactly that gap.
See both plans- Dub
- $30, 1,000 links a month
- Za.gl
- $5, unmetered
Plans and price, side by side
Pick one of Dub’s tiers and the column on the left answers it.
$0forever
What you get
- Unlimited short links
- Unlimited pastes and landing pages
- Works without an account
- 7 days of click history
- Password and expiry on any link
- Custom alias, the bit after the slash, from 5 characters
- PNG QR code on every link
- CSV export of every click
- Google Tag Manager container
- No ads on the redirect
$0
What this tier allows
- 25 new links per month
- 1,000 tracked events per month
- 3 custom domains
- 30 days of analytics
Not on any tier
- Shortens without an account
- Click limit per link
- Pastebin
Keep Dub where it earns its price
Programmatic links, partner payouts and sale tracking stay on Dub. The links you make by hand can be made here instead. Nothing is imported, and what you already created on Dub keeps resolving.
- Live instantly, no account
- Password and expiry, free
- 7 days of click history
Step 1
Paste the link
Any address, any length, on the homepage or in the box at the top of this page. No account, no email.
5 secondsStep 2
Add what the link needs
A chosen ending, a password, an expiry date or a click cap. Every one of them is on the free plan.
20 secondsStep 3
Copy it, keep the token
The response carries an access token. Paste it into the login box later and the links become an account with a dashboard.
5 seconds
What people who used it rated it
Left by visitors on the tool pages, one rating per person. No testimonials, and no review badges we do not have.
Dub questions
Price shape. Dub free allows 25 new links a month and the next plan is $30. For personal use or a small team that just needs short links, that is a large step for a feature set built around conversion tracking you may not use.
No. Dub publishes its source and self-hosting instructions; za.gl does not. If running the shortener yourself matters, that is a real argument for Dub.
No. It records clicks with country, referrer, device and timestamp, and stops there. Attribution to a sale and partner payouts are Dub features with no equivalent here.
No. There is one web address you post a link to, /api/shorten, with an optional access key in the header, limited to 10 calls a minute. Dub ships ready-made TypeScript, Python and Go clients.
90 days of click history instead of 7, editing every field of a live link, three-character aliases, expiry up to a year, SVG and PDF QR codes and email support.
Every Dub figure was read off dub.co/pricing on 2026-09-07, with the source linked at the bottom of the page.