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Ow.ly alternative

Viso.li

The Ow.ly alternative that does not require Hootsuite

Ow.ly shortens links inside Hootsuite — it is not a standalone shortener. Viso.li gives you tracked short links, QR codes, and clear analytics at Pro pricing without buying a full social suite.

  • Compare Viso.li Pro with Ow.ly, Bitly Core, and TinyURL Pro
  • Standalone short links for email, social, affiliates, and QR — not only Composer posts
  • Transparent Pro pricing instead of a ~$99/month social suite seat

Plan scoreboard

Comparable paid tiers side by side

  • Viso.li

    Viso.li

    Best value

    Pro

    9.99$

  • Ow.ly

    Ow.ly

    Hootsuite Professional

    99.00$

  • Bitly

    Bitly

    Core

    10.00$

  • TinyUrl

    TinyUrl

    Pro

    9.99$

Why teams switch

Looking for alternatives to Ow.ly for a reason

Locked inside Hootsuite

Ow.ly is not sold on its own. Public standalone access was removed; you create links inside Hootsuite. Leave that workflow and you lose the shortener convenience.

Suite pricing for a shortener

Access starts with a paid Hootsuite plan around $99/month. Teams that only need tracked short links and QR codes usually overpay for a full social management seat.

Social-centric, not cross-channel

Ow.ly reporting fits post-level social analytics. Email, bios, affiliates, LMS links, and print QR campaigns need a dedicated link tool instead.

Built for your workflow

An Ow.ly alternative for marketers and affiliates

For marketers

Shorten and track links across social, email, and offline — without requiring Hootsuite Composer for every placement.

  • Separate links per channel for cleaner attribution
  • QR codes for print, packaging, and events
  • Export click history for weekly reporting

For affiliates

Wrap long partner URLs in clean short links and measure which placements drive clicks — even when you are not scheduling posts in Hootsuite.

  • Track bio, story, newsletter, and community placements separately
  • See referrers and devices without living only in social reports
  • Keep a simple Pro plan as volume grows

Feature matrix

Viso.li Pro vs Ow.ly, Bitly, and TinyURL

Side-by-side features at comparable paid tiers. Viso.li Pro is listed first so you can scan value quickly against Ow.ly (via Hootsuite Professional), Bitly Core, and TinyURL Pro.

Features
Viso.liPro
Ow.lyHootsuite Professional
BitlyCore
TinyUrlPro
Price (monthly)9.99$99.00$10.00$9.99$
Core Features
Links
500/Month
Via Hootsuite posts
100/Month
500/Month
Link History
5 Year
Hootsuite retention
30 Days
2 Year
Branding & Customization
Branding (Custom redirect page)
-
-
-
Custom Domain (Bring your own)
3
Vanity URL (higher tiers)
5
3
QR-Code
-
5/Month
-
Custom SLUG
Limited vanity
-
SLA (99.9%)
-
-
-
Set link expiration
-
-
Analytics & Insights
Dashboard
Inside Hootsuite
Time history (link data over time)
-
Total Visits
Unique Visitors
-
-
-
Unique Referrers
-
-
-
Country-level data
-
-
Region-level data
-
-
City-level data
-
-
-
Data by device type
-
-
Data by device model
-
-
Data by referrer
Social post context
Company data
-
-
-
-
Data export
Hootsuite reports
-
-
Support
API
-
-
Contact
Email
Hootsuite support
Email
Ticket

Head-to-head

Ow.ly vs Bitly and Ow.ly vs TinyURL

Searching for Ow.ly vs Bitly or Ow.ly vs TinyURL? Here is how those tools compare — and where Viso.li fits as the practical Ow.ly alternative.

Ow.ly vs Bitly

Ow.ly vs Bitly: social suite vs link platform

Bitly is a dedicated link product. Ow.ly shortens links inside Hootsuite and is not a separate low-cost shortener — access starts with a paid Hootsuite plan around $99/month.

  • Choose Bitly when you want a recognizable standalone shortener brand.
  • Choose Ow.ly when you already pay for Hootsuite and only need link trimming in that workflow.
  • Choose Viso.li when you want Bitly-style tracking and QR codes without enterprise climb or a social suite.

For most marketers searching “Ow.ly vs Bitly,” Viso.li Pro is the clearer Ow.ly alternative: standalone short links and analytics near $10/month instead of a $99 social platform.

Ow.ly vs TinyURL

Ow.ly vs TinyURL: suite convenience vs simple utility

TinyURL is a standalone utility for quick shortening. Ow.ly is convenient only if Hootsuite is already your system of record for social publishing.

  • Choose TinyURL for fast, no-frills shortening outside a scheduler.
  • Choose Ow.ly when UTMs and clicks belong next to Hootsuite post analytics.
  • Choose Viso.li when you need more measurement than TinyURL and less suite lock-in than Ow.ly.

If Ow.ly feels too expensive and TinyURL feels too thin, Viso.li sits in the middle: practical analytics without buying Hootsuite.

Pricing snapshot

Pro-range plans compared

Viso.li Pro first, then Ow.ly via Hootsuite Professional, Bitly Core, and TinyURL Pro.

Recommended
Viso.li

Pro

9.99$

per month

Ow.ly

Hootsuite Professional

99.00$

per month

Bitly

Core

10.00$

per month

TinyUrl

Pro

9.99$

per month

FAQ

Ow.ly alternative questions, answered

Named-competitor answers for people comparing Ow.ly, Bitly, TinyURL, and Viso.li.

Is Viso.li a good Ow.ly alternative?

Yes — if you want standalone short links, QR codes, and click analytics without a Hootsuite subscription. Viso.li Pro focuses on practical link reporting near $10/month instead of a ~$99 social suite seat.

Is Ow.ly still available?

Yes, but not as a free public shortener. Ow.ly lives inside Hootsuite: you create and analyze links from that dashboard (paid plan or trial). Existing ow.ly redirects generally still work.

Ow.ly vs Bitly — which should I pick?

Pick Bitly for a standalone link product. Pick Ow.ly only if you already use Hootsuite. If you want Bitly-like tracking without a social suite, Viso.li Pro is usually the better fit.

Can I use Ow.ly without Hootsuite?

No. Hootsuite removed public standalone Ow.ly creation for security reasons. For shortening and tracking outside Hootsuite — email, bios, affiliates, QR — use a dedicated tool like Viso.li.

Is Viso.li an Ow.ly alternative for marketers?

Yes. Marketers can create unique short links per campaign or channel, share them beyond Composer posts, generate QR codes for offline work, and review visits, referrers, devices, and geography in one place.

Does Viso.li include QR codes?

Yes. QR codes are available on Viso.li plans, including free, so you can track offline and print placements without a separate QR tool or a Hootsuite seat.

Keep reading

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Link shortener with analytics

See how Viso.li analytics works for campaigns.

Affiliate-style creator tracking

Short links and click insights for creator workflows.

View all plans

Compare Free, Starter, Pro, and Enterprise.

Switch to a clearer Ow.ly alternative

Create your first tracked short link free — no Hootsuite required. Upgrade to Pro when you need more volume, API access, and advanced analytics.