Dub

Dub is an open-source link attribution and management platform that handles short links, real-time analytics, and affiliate program infrastructure in one place. We rate it 82/100 — an excellent tool for marketers, SaaS teams, and developers who need reliable conversion tracking and affiliate management without stitching together multiple services.

What is Dub?

Founded in September 2022 by Steven Tey, Dub started as an open-source alternative to Bitly with a focus on developer-friendly APIs and real analytics. Today it has evolved into a full link attribution engine, handling hundreds of millions of clicks monthly for companies like Twilio, Perplexity, Framer, Buffer, and Vercel. The GitHub repository (dubinc/dub) has accumulated over 23,300 stars, making it one of the most popular open-source link management tools available.

Where Bitly gives you basic click counts, Dub gives you the full customer journey — tracking from the first short-link click through to conversion and revenue attribution. This makes it particularly powerful for SaaS companies running affiliate programs or growth teams trying to prove marketing ROI.

Key Features of Dub

• Branded Short Links: Create short links on your own custom domain (e.g., go.yourcompany.com) with UTM templates, geo-targeting, device targeting, link expiration, password protection, and A/B testing — all included from the Pro plan.
• Real-Time Conversion Analytics: Dub goes beyond click counts. The analytics engine tracks the full funnel — first click, lead capture, and sale — with breakdowns by country, city, device, OS, browser, and referral source. Business plan users get customer-level insights including LTV and retention data.
• Dub Partners (Affiliate Program Engine): Built-in affiliate program management with customizable commission structures, global payouts, tax form automation (1099s, W-8s, W-9s), and partner dashboards. Dub has distributed $22M+ in commissions across its partner network and driven $712M+ in tracked revenue.
• QR Code Generator: Programmatic QR code generation with custom branding, colors, and logo embedding. Each short link automatically gets a QR code — useful for physical-to-digital marketing campaigns.
• Developer-First API & SDKs: Official SDKs for TypeScript, Python, Go, PHP, and Ruby. Real-time webhooks for link events. The platform is built on Next.js and self-hostable for teams that need data residency.
• Stablecoin Payouts: Since March 2026, partners can receive affiliate payouts in USDC, enabling near-instant international transfers — particularly useful for programs with non-US affiliates.

What Users Say About Dub

Across Product Hunt and Trustpilot, Dub consistently earns praise for its speed, modern interface, and the depth of its analytics. Multiple reviewers note it saves them hours of manual tracking weekly — one Product Hunt reviewer stated Dub saves them "at least 4 hours of work weekly." The founder, Steven Tey, is noted for personally responding to support requests, with multiple reviews mentioning fixes within hours of filing. The most common criticism is the free tier's limits: only 25 new links per month and 1,000 tracked events makes it more of a trial than a viable free plan for high-volume users. On Hacker News, the response to Dub's launch was enthusiastic, with commenters noting it fills a genuine gap between "link shorteners" and full attribution platforms, though some noted the pricing gap between the Free and Pro tiers is steep for individual developers.

Dub Pricing

Dub offers a free tier and four paid plans (prices shown at annual billing, saving 17% vs monthly):

Plan	Price/month	Key Limits
Free	$0	25 links/mo, 1K events/mo, 1 user, 30-day retention
Pro	$25	1K links/mo, 50K events/mo, 3 users, 1-year retention, A/B testing
Business	$75	10K links/mo, 250K events/mo, 10 users, conversion tracking, Dub Partners
Advanced	$250	50K links/mo, 1M events/mo, 20 users, 5-year retention
Enterprise	Custom	Unlimited everything, SSO/SAML, audit logs, dedicated success manager

Who Should Use Dub?

Best for: SaaS companies running affiliate programs, growth marketers tracking multi-channel campaigns, developer teams that want a self-hostable Bitly alternative with a real API, and content creators who need branded short links with proper conversion attribution.

Not ideal for: Individuals or small teams who need more than 25 links per month but can't justify $25/month — the jump from Free to Pro is steep. Also, purely volume-focused use cases (millions of redirects with no analytics needed) may find cheaper commodity shorteners more cost-effective.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Open source (23k+ GitHub stars) and self-hostable — full data ownership possible
• Full-funnel conversion tracking from click to revenue, not just click counts
• Built-in affiliate program management (Dub Partners) included from Business plan
• Excellent developer experience: TypeScript-first API, SDKs in 5 languages, real-time webhooks
• Used in production by Vercel, Perplexity, Framer, Supabase — battle-tested at scale
• Founder and team known for fast, personal support response

Cons:

• Free tier is effectively a trial: 25 links/month and 1K events limit is very restrictive for real usage
• Dub Partners affiliate management only included from the $75/month Business plan
• No native mobile app — web-only interface (though the API enables mobile integrations)
• PlanetScale (MySQL) dependency in the default stack may not suit teams with strict DB preferences

Alternatives to Dub

Bitly is the legacy link shortener — broader brand recognition, but limited analytics on lower tiers and no built-in affiliate management. Short.io is a direct competitor with competitive pricing and similar feature set, but less developer-friendly and no equivalent to Dub Partners. Rebrandly focuses on branded links and has a strong enterprise offering, but lacks Dub's open-source pedigree and conversion tracking depth.

Verdict: Is Dub Worth It?

Dub is one of the best-designed tools in its category. The combination of open-source transparency, full-funnel attribution, and built-in affiliate management is genuinely unique in this space. For SaaS teams and growth marketers who need more than click counts, the Business plan at $75/month pays for itself quickly. The free tier is genuinely limited — treat it as a trial, not a permanent plan. We rate Dub 82/100: highly recommended for teams that need link attribution and affiliate infrastructure; less compelling for pure link-shortening use cases where cheaper alternatives exist.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Dub free?

Yes, Dub has a permanent free plan that includes 25 new links per month, 1,000 tracked events, and 3 custom domains. Paid plans start at $25/month (Pro) billed annually. For most production use cases, a paid plan is necessary.

Is Dub open source?

Yes. Dub is fully open source under the AGPL license and available at github.com/dubinc/dub with 23k+ stars. It is self-hostable for teams that require data residency or custom infrastructure.

How does Dub compare to Bitly?

Dub offers deeper analytics (full conversion funnel tracking vs. basic click counts), is open source, and includes built-in affiliate management — all features Bitly lacks or locks behind high-priced enterprise plans. Bitly has greater brand recognition and a larger existing user base, but Dub is the better technical product for most modern teams.

What platforms does Dub support?

Dub is web-based and accessible from any browser. There is no dedicated desktop or mobile app, though official SDKs for TypeScript, Python, Go, PHP, and Ruby enable integration into any platform. Dub also integrates natively with Segment, Tinybird, and Zapier.

Does Dub have an affiliate program?

Yes. Dub runs its own affiliate program via its own Dub Partners product. Affiliates earn 30% commission per sale for 1 year. New customers referred also receive 20% off for their first 3 months. Sign up at partners.dub.co/dub/apply.