Setup101 vs Short.io
Choose Short.io
Short.io if you want branded short links on your own domain for everything you share, with destinations you can change for free. Its free plan is unusually generous.
Choose Setup101
Setup101 if the links are product recommendations. One setup link covers the whole set of products, on a page that shows them with photos, notes and prices.
At a glance
Feature comparison
| Capability | Setup101 | Short.io |
|---|---|---|
| Update where a link goes after publishingOn Short.io, on every plan including free. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Products grouped as a working setup, with total cost | ✓ | — |
| One link that survives product swapsA Short.io link can be re-pointed at any time; it goes to one destination. | ✓ | ◐ |
| Link-in-bio micrositeShort.io has link bundles and link-in-bio posts on your domain. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Product click analyticsShort.io tracks clicks per link; the free plan shows detail for the first 50,000 a month. | ✓Pro | ✓ |
| Get discovered by new followers | ✓ | — |
| Branded short links on your own domain | — | ✓ |
| Native iOS and Android apps | ✓ | ✓ |
| Free tier | ✓ | ✓ |
◐ means partly, or only in some circumstances. "Pro" means it's on Setup101's Pro plan.
Also in Setup101
- Promo codes on products, tracked separatelyPro
- Broken-link alertsPro
- Patreon, Buy Me a Coffee and Shopify buttonsPro
- Apps and software alongside physical products
- Setup total price, worked out for you
- Private setups for drafts
- Follow, like, comment and save
Pricing, plainly
Pricing side by side
Setup101
- Free: a setup in each category, your products and a link-in-bio profile.
- Pro $15/month ($150/year): buy and affiliate links on every product, promo codes, product analytics and broken-link alerts.
- Pro Plus $30/month ($300/year): three setups per category, full link-in-bio customization and priority in discovery.
- Setup101 never takes a share of your affiliate commission.
Short.io
- Free: 5 custom domains, 1,000 branded links in total, and detailed stats for your first 50,000 clicks a month. You can change a link's destination on every plan, including free.
- Hobby $5/month or $50/year: 2,500 links, 7 custom domains, 100,000 tracked clicks a month and country targeting.
- Pro $18/month or $180/year: unlimited links and tracked clicks, 10 custom domains and link cloaking.
From Short.io's site, checked 5 October 2026. Prices change, so check before you decide.
Honest limits
Where Short.io is better
No tool wins on everything, and a comparison that pretends otherwise is not worth reading. Here is where Short.io genuinely has the advantage.
- Editable branded links on its free plan, with 5 custom domains.
- Works for any link, not just products, with UTM tags and A/B testing on every plan.
- Cheap upgrades: Hobby is $5/month and adds country targeting.
- An API and browser extensions as well as mobile apps.
Switching
Moving from Short.io to Setup101
- 01Keep Short.io for branded links to things that aren't products.
- 02Move product links into setups, so one link covers the whole set.
- 03Point a branded Short.io link at a setup if you want it on your own domain.
Links you've already put in old videos and posts will keep pointing at Short.io until you change them. Update your most-viewed content first, using our free link checker to find any that are already broken. Then use one permanent setup link per video, so this is the last time you edit them.
Comparing link shorteners? The best link shorteners for affiliate links →
Questions, answered