A Bitly alternative for app download links

Bitly is a great general-purpose link shortener. A short link to an app store is a different job: one link, one QR code, and every phone landing in its own store.

A standard Bitly link has one destination. Point it at the App Store and every Android user lands on a page they cannot use; point it at Google Play and iPhone users do. Bitly lists mobile deep links — links that point to your app — on its $199-a-month plan.

SetLinks is built for that one case. Every link routes by device to the App Store, Google Play, AppGallery, RuStore or your website, comes with a QR code, and can be edited as often as you like. If you also shorten links to articles, pages and campaigns, keep Bitly for that.

There is a second difference that shows up in print: a QR code is only as flexible as the link inside it. With SetLinks you can change the stores behind a printed code as often as you need, with no monthly quota of edits.

Side by side

Feature	Bitly	SetLinks
Free plan	With ads: 5 links and 2 QR codes a month	3 links, unlimited traffic, no card
Paid plans	$10, $29 and $199 a month billed yearly; Enterprise by quote	From $9 a month, monthly or yearly
iPhone and Android each to their own store	Not on a standard link; mobile deep links on the $199 plan	Every link
Changing a destination after sharing	5, 20 or 110 redirects a month, by plan	Unlimited
Custom domain	From the $29 plan	From $9 a month
QR codes	2 to 200 a month, by plan	One with every link
Clicks and scans	Unlimited	Unlimited

Facts about other services as of October 2026, from their public pages: Bitly pricing

What it costs

As of October 2026 Bitly’s plans are Free (with ads), Core at $10 a month (annual only), Growth at $29 and Premium at $199 a month billed yearly, and Enterprise by quote. They differ in links and QR codes per month, how often you can change a destination, how long click data is kept and features such as a custom domain (from Growth) and mobile deep links (Premium).

SetLinks is free for 3 links with unlimited traffic and no ads, and paid plans start at $9 a month. There is no monthly quota of new links or edits: a link is an app, and you change its stores as often as you need.

Pick SetLinks if

Your link is for an app and must work on both iPhone and Android.
You print QR codes and want to change where they lead without counting edits.
You want statistics by platform, including AppGallery and RuStore traffic.

Pick Bitly if

You shorten many links to web pages, articles and campaigns — that is Bitly’s home ground.
You need link-in-bio pages, digital business cards or GS1 barcodes.
Your company already runs on Bitly with SSO and many users.

What SetLinks does

One short link and QR code per app: iPhone to the App Store, Android to Google Play, Huawei to AppGallery, RuStore for apps not on Google Play or AppGallery, computers to your website and everyone else to your fallback URL.
In-app browsers such as Instagram and TikTok, which often cannot open a store, get a page with an “Open in store” button instead of a dead end.
Click analytics by day, platform, country and source, with CSV export. QR scans count as clicks and are also shown on their own; link-preview bots are not counted at all.
Change destinations at any time — the address and printed QR codes stay the same.
On plans that include them: your own domain (go.yourbrand.com), opening your app when it is installed (iPhone on setlinks.io, iPhone and Android on your domain), campaign tags passed to the stores, teams with roles and a REST API with read and write keys.

What it does not do

There is no SDK, so no deferred deep linking: a link is not carried through the install into a screen inside your app.
It does not attribute installs to ad networks. It passes the campaign to the store, so App Store Connect and Google Play Console show installs per link.

Moving from Bitly, step by step

Only the links that point to app stores need to move; the rest stay on Bitly.

Find your app links In Bitly, filter links whose destination is apps.apple.com or play.google.com. Often there are two per app — one for each store.
Merge them into one SetLinks link Create one link per app with both store addresses and a fallback page. The two old links become one address and one QR code.
Repoint what you can Bitly lets you change a destination a set number of times a month, depending on plan: you can point an old Bitly link at the new SetLinks link, so shared links keep working.
Replace and reprint Update your website, emails and bios with the SetLinks address, and use its QR code on the next print run.

Questions people ask

Can a Bitly link send iPhone and Android to different stores?

A standard Bitly link has one destination. Bitly lists mobile deep links on its Premium plan. A SetLinks link routes by device on every plan.

Can I keep my existing Bitly links?

Yes. If your plan allows changing destinations, point the old Bitly link at your new SetLinks link: people who click it are then routed to the right store.

Is SetLinks a general URL shortener?

No. SetLinks is built for app links: store routing, QR codes and statistics by platform. For short links to ordinary web pages, a general shortener is the better tool.

Are there limits on clicks or edits?

Traffic is unlimited (fair use) on every plan, and you can change a link’s destinations as often as you like. The number of links depends on the plan.

What does SetLinks cost?

Free for 3 links, with no ads and no card. Paid plans start at $9 a month.

How many QR codes can I create?

Every SetLinks link comes with its own QR code, so you have as many codes as links, and each can be downloaded as PNG or SVG as often as you need.

Does it work when people tap the link inside Instagram or TikTok?

Yes. Those in-app browsers often cannot open a store, so SetLinks shows them a page with an “Open in store” button and counts the click under the right source.

Other comparisons

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