Bitly is the name everyone knows. KooLink is what we built. This is a straight comparison so you can pick.
If you only want the short version: for free, no-signup, unlimited links with an AI-agent integration, KooLink. For enterprise teams that need a branded domain, custom analytics, and a contractual SLA, Bitly.
Price
Bitly. Free tier exists but it is capped — a set number of links a month, and the free links are not custom-branded. Past the cap you pay a subscription, per-seat, per-month. For a team it is real money.
KooLink. Free forever. Unlimited links. No signup. There is no tier to hit and no card to enter. You only sign in if you want to collect payout-linked analytics.
Signup
Bitly. Account required. That is how they meter your free allowance.
KooLink. No account to shorten. Paste a URL, get a link. This matters when you want a link in two seconds from anywhere — including inside an AI agent.
Link length
Both produce short slugs. Ours are 3–8 characters, so a kool.ink/xyz link is compact in a tweet, a printed page, or a commit message. Bitly links are comparable in length.
The thing Bitly does not have: AI-agent readiness
This is the part you will not find on Bitly's feature list. KooLink is a hosted MCP server. If you work in Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-native client, you can point it at the server and shorten a URL in a single tool call — no browser, no paste.
Connection string: https://mcp.kool.ink
As AI agents become where work actually happens, the shortener should be inside the agent, not a tab you switch to. Bitly does not offer this.
The thing KooLink does not have (yet): enterprise polish
If you need a custom domain for your brand, granular role-based access, contractual SLAs, or a dedicated support contract — that is Bitly's lane. KooLink is built for individuals and developers who want a fast, free, agent-friendly shortener. The enterprise features are not there.
Bottom line
- Free + unlimited + no signup + AI-agent ready → KooLink.
- Branded domain, enterprise controls, support contract → Bitly.
Most people do not need the enterprise controls. They need a short link, instantly. For that, KooLink.
Try it in your terminal or point your agent at https://mcp.kool.ink.