Free Url Shortener vs Kutt

Ulvis' Free URL Shortener shortens links through a plain GET or POST API with no signup or key required. It supports custom short names, click limits, passwords, and expiry dates, returning results as JSON or XML. It sends no CORS header, so the API must be called from a server rather than directly from browser JavaScript.

Kutt is a free, open-source, self-hostable URL shortener supporting custom domains, link expiration, password protection, and per-link statistics. The public instance and REST API live at kutt.to (authenticated with an X-API-Key header), and the AGPL-licensed codebase can be self-hosted for full control. Note that the old kutt.it domain is no longer operated by the project — its maintainers warn it may now be a phishing site — so integrations should target kutt.to.