Short.io alternative without DNS

What each one covers and misses

14 rows: Za.gl wins 8, Short.io wins 4, and 2 are a draw. A table that never loses is an advert.

Za.gl compared with Short.io, feature by feature, verified 2026-09-07

Feature		Short.io	Notes
Works without connecting a domain	Yes, links live on za.gl	Demo domain only	Whether links resolve before you own and point a domain
Shortens without an account	Yes	No	Whether the first link works before you sign up
Short links on the free plan	Unlimited	1,000 total, lifetime	How many links you can create before the plan asks for money
Password-protected links	Free, any link	Pro plan, $18 a month	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
Cheapest plan without ceilings	$0	$18	The lowest price at which nothing is metered any more
Pastebin	Unlimited	Not offered	A hosted snippet of text or code with syntax highlighting
Landing pages	Unlimited	Not offered	A hosted page you build in the editor, no site needed
Tracked clicks on the free plan	Unlimited clicks, 7 days of history	50,000 a month, longer history	How many clicks a free account may record in a month
Custom domains	Not offered	5 on the free plan	Links on a domain you own instead of the provider domainShort.io wins. Short.io is built around your domains; za.gl around a shared one.
Team seats	Not offered	Team plan, unlimited users	Other people working on the same links from their own loginShort.io wins.
Deep links and mobile routing	Country and device rules	Full deep linking	Opening the destination inside a phone app instead of the browserShort.io wins. Za.gl can route by device, but cannot open a specific screen in an app.
Integrations	API only	Zapier, Make, webhooks	Ready-made connections to tools like Slack or HubSpotShort.io wins.
Public API	Free, 10 requests a minute	Included on all plans	Creating and reading links from your own code

• Works without connecting a domain

  Whether links resolve before you own and point a domain

  Short.io

  Demo domain only

  Za.gl

  Yes, links live on za.gl

• Shortens without an account

  Whether the first link works before you sign up

  Short.io

  No

  Za.gl

  Yes

• Short links on the free plan

  How many links you can create before the plan asks for money

  Short.io

  1,000 total, lifetime

  Za.gl

  Unlimited

• Password-protected links

  A link that asks for a password before it resolves

  Short.io

  Pro plan, $18 a month

  Za.gl

  Free, any link

• Link expiry date

  A date after which the link stops resolving on its own

  Short.io

  Paid plans

  Za.gl

  30 days free, 1 year on Pro

• Cheapest plan without ceilings

  The lowest price at which nothing is metered any more

  Short.io

  $18

  Za.gl

  $0

• Pastebin

  A hosted snippet of text or code with syntax highlighting

  Short.io

  Not offered

  Za.gl

  Unlimited

• Landing pages

  A hosted page you build in the editor, no site needed

  Short.io

  Not offered

  Za.gl

  Unlimited

• Tracked clicks on the free plan

  How many clicks a free account may record in a month

  Short.io

  50,000 a month, longer history

  Za.gl

  Unlimited clicks, 7 days of history

• Custom domains

  Links on a domain you own instead of the provider domain

  Short.io

  5 on the free plan

  Za.gl

  Not offered

  Short.io wins. Short.io is built around your domains; za.gl around a shared one.

• Team seats

  Other people working on the same links from their own login

  Short.io

  Team plan, unlimited users

  Za.gl

  Not offered

  Short.io wins.

• Deep links and mobile routing

  Opening the destination inside a phone app instead of the browser

  Short.io

  Full deep linking

  Za.gl

  Country and device rules

  Short.io wins. Za.gl can route by device, but cannot open a specific screen in an app.

• Integrations

  Ready-made connections to tools like Slack or HubSpot

  Short.io

  Zapier, Make, webhooks

  Za.gl

  API only

  Short.io wins.

• Public API

  Creating and reading links from your own code

  Short.io

  Included on all plans

  Za.gl

  Free, 10 requests a minute

Short.io figures verified 2026-09-07 on Short.io pricing. Ours come from the same place the payment page reads.

Pick a difference, read it

Six places where Za.gl and Short.io behave differently, with the number from the table beside each one.

Plans and price, side by side

Pick one of Short.io’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

Short.io

$0

What this tier allows

• 1,000 branded links, lifetime
• 50,000 tracked clicks a month
• 5 custom domains
• 10 MB storage

Not on any tier

• Shortens without an account
• Pastebin
• Landing pages

No DNS record to add

Setting up za.gl is pasting a URL. There is no domain to verify, no DNS record to add and no account to create before the first link. If you keep Short.io for client domains, this becomes where the links that need no branding are made.

1. 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 seconds

2. Step 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 seconds

3. Step 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.