TrackRev
BitlyTrackRev vs Bitly: which should you use?
TrackRev shows you which acquisition channel actually pays your MRR. Bitly is the most-recognised link shortener — branded URLs, click counts, QR codes — but it stops at the click. TrackRev tracks the same branded links and matches each click to the paying customer behind it, so you rank channels by revenue and retained MRR — then run an affiliate program to scale the one that works.
By TrackRev Team · Verified against public documentation
TrackRevBitly- Cross-domain conversion tracking
- Revenue attribution per channel
- First / last / linear attribution models
- +3 more exclusive features
Why choose TrackRev over Bitly?
Conversion tracking built in
Bitly counts clicks but can't tell you what happened next. TrackRev follows each visitor from click to purchase with a first-party pixel — no third-party cookies required.
Know what each channel actually earned
Bitly gives you click data. TrackRev gives you revenue data — attributed back to the link, channel, or affiliate that earned it.
Multiple attribution models
Bitly doesn't offer attribution model selection. TrackRev gives you first-touch, last-touch, and linear — so you can see which view of the data fits your analysis.
See these features in action — free, no credit card required.
Free tier: 1,000 tracked events/mo · Cancel anytime
Pricing: TrackRev vs Bitly
TrackRevFree (1,000 events/mo) · Starter $39/mo · Growth $99/mo · Scale $199/mo
BitlyFree (limited) · Core $8/mo · Growth $35/mo · Premium $200/mo
Bitly's Growth plan ($35/mo) covers links only — no conversion tracking. For a few dollars more, TrackRev Starter ($39/mo) adds full cross-domain conversion tracking, revenue attribution, and a complete affiliate program on top of the same branded links.
Every paid plan unlocks the whole product. Compare TrackRev plans →
Compare TrackRev vs Bitly
Every claim below verified against Bitly's public documentation.
| Feature | TrackRev | Bitly |
|---|---|---|
| Branded short links | ||
| Custom domains | ||
| Click analytics (geo, device, referrer) | ||
| QR codes | ||
| Link-in-bio page | ||
| Cross-domain conversion trackingexclusive | ||
| Revenue attribution per channelexclusive | ||
| First / last / linear attribution modelsexclusive | ||
| Affiliate & partner programexclusive | ||
| Stripe / billing revenue syncexclusive | ||
| Free tier with conversion trackingexclusive | 1,000 events/mo |
Free tier · No credit card · Migration help available via email
Run Bitly and TrackRev side by side.
Keep Bitly running. Add TrackRev's snippet in 5 minutes and compare dashboards side by side — cut over only when the numbers convince you.
Export from Bitly
Pull your existing links, slugs, and (if applicable) partner list as CSV from Bitly. Most exports are one click in the dashboard.
Import into TrackRev
Paste the CSV into the bulk-create flow. Slugs are preserved so your existing printed and embedded links keep working.
Point your domain
Move your custom short domain's CNAME to TrackRev. Auto TLS via Vercel. Old links keep redirecting; new clicks now resolve to revenue.
No big-bang switch needed. Most teams run TrackRev next to Bitly for a week to confirm click totals match, then cut over the domain. We'll help walk the reconciliation — email maruf@trackrev.io.
Free tier · No credit card · Migration help available via email
When Bitly is the better pick
If those are your dealbreakers, Bitly is a genuinely good choice. If knowing which links make money is the goal, keep reading.
What to actually measure while both are running
A feature table — including ours — tells you what a vendor says it does. Two weeks of parallel data tells you what it does on your traffic. Four things are worth checking, and they are where Bitly and TrackRev will disagree if they disagree at all.
Reconcile against the processor, not against each other
Two tools disagreeing tells you nothing about which is right. Pull the same date range from Stripe, Paddle, Polar or Lemon Squeezy and compare each dashboard to that instead. The processor is the only system in the chain that knows what actually settled, so it is the only fair referee — and a tool that can’t be reconciled to it at all is the answer to the question.
Match the attribution window and model first
Most side-by-side gaps are not a tracking difference, they are a settings difference. A 30-day last-touch window and a 60-day first-touch window will disagree on the same traffic and both be working correctly. Set both tools to the same window and the same model before you read a single number, or you will spend a week investigating a discrepancy you configured.
Segment the comparison by Safari and iOS
This is where client-side and server-side tracking separate, and it is invisible in an aggregate number. Safari’s tracking prevention and iOS link-tracking protection cut third-party attribution well before they touch first-party server-side tracking. If one tool is materially lower than the other only on those segments, you have found the mechanism rather than a rounding difference.
Refund a test charge and watch what happens
Attribution is easy while money only moves one way. Refund a real charge and check whether the revenue reverses, whether the commission it generated reverses with it, and how long either takes. A tool that counts the sale but not the refund will overstate every channel you have, and you will only find out when finance asks why the numbers don’t tie.
Two weeks is usually enough for the first three; the refund test takes an afternoon. If the result is that Bitly fits your setup better, that is a good outcome — the comparison above has a section on exactly when that is the case, and it is there because a table where one side wins every row is an advert, not a comparison.
Bitly alternative — frequently asked
See every TrackRev vs. comparison
All 17 comparisons in one place.
If you mostly need recognisable short links and a link-in-bio page, Bitly is a fine default. If you need to know which channel actually pays your MRR, that's what TrackRev is built for — the same branded links, every click credited to the sale it earned, then an affiliate program to scale your best channel.
Outgrowing Bitly?
Set up TrackRev in 5 minutes and start attributing revenue, not just clicks.
Free up to 1,000 events / month · No credit card · Migration help via email