The Best Dub Alternative in 2026
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zus.co vs. Dub: Feature Comparison
| Feature | zus.co | Dub |
|---|---|---|
| Branded short links | All plans | All plans |
| Click analytics | All plans | All plans[source] |
| Custom domains | Pro plan (5 domains) | All plans (1 on free)[source] |
| QR code generation | Auto per link | Available |
| Team workspaces | Team plan | Business plan[source] |
| Tags & folders | All plans | Tags on all, no folders |
| UTM builder | Built into creation flow | Available |
| Password-protected links | Pro plan | Not available |
| Link expiration | Pro plan | Available |
| REST API | All plans | All plans[source] |
| Events feed (raw clicks) | All plans | Not available |
| Free tier link limit | 1,000 links/mo | 25 links/mo[source] |
| Open source | No (SaaS) | Yes (AGPL)[source] |
Comparison reflects publicly available information as of July 2026. Features and pricing may have changed.
What Dub does well
Dub is a well-designed, developer-friendly link management platform. Their open-source codebase (AGPL) is transparent and well-documented, which is a genuine strength if you want to self-host or inspect the code. Their API is clean and their developer experience is strong, with a polished docs site.
Where zus.co wins
Simpler setup, faster start
zus.co is designed to get you from signup to first link in under 30 seconds. No complex workspace configuration needed upfront. Paste a URL, customize the slug, and your branded link with a QR code is live immediately.
Password-protected links included
Need to gate a link behind a password? zus.co Pro includes password protection — a feature Dub doesn't offer. Useful for internal resources, pre-launch content, or gated reports you share with specific clients.
Folders for real organization
Tags are great for cross-cutting labels. But when you have hundreds of links, you need folders too — actual hierarchical organization like you'd expect from any file system. zus.co gives you both tags and folders on all plans.
Full analytics on the free tier
zus.co includes geographic breakdowns, device/browser data, unique vs. total clicks, and a raw events feed on the free plan. You get the complete picture without upgrading.
1,000 free links vs. 25
Dub's free tier limits you to 25 links per month. zus.co gives you 1,000 links with 10,000 tracked clicks — 40x more links before you need to pay anything.
Pricing
zus.co starts at $0/mo with 1,000 links. Pro is $12/mo. Team is $29/mo for unlimited links, clicks, and domains.
Dub offers a free tier with 25 links/mo, then scales to paid plans for higher limits and team features. Their pricing is competitive among modern link tools — but zus.co's free tier is significantly more generous, and the Pro plan includes features like password protection that Dub doesn't offer at any tier.
See Dub's pricing page for their current rates.
Frequently Asked Questions
zus.co focuses on simplicity and generous free-tier limits (1,000 links vs. 25). It includes password-protected links, folder organization, and a raw events feed that Dub doesn't offer. Dub's strength is its open-source codebase and self-hosting option.
No. zus.co is a hosted SaaS product — you don't need to manage infrastructure, run databases, or handle deployments. If self-hosting is a hard requirement, Dub's AGPL-licensed codebase is a better fit.
Yes. zus.co has a full REST API with CRUD for links, folders, tags, and analytics. Interactive API documentation is available at zus.co/docs/api with code examples.
In terms of limits, yes. zus.co free gives you 1,000 links/mo and 10,000 tracked clicks. Dub free gives you 25 links/mo. Both include analytics and 1 custom domain on free.
Yes. 1 custom domain on Free, 5 on Pro ($12/mo), and unlimited on Team ($29/mo). Setup is a simple TXT record verification.
Yes. Password protection is available on Pro and Team plans. Visitors must enter the correct password before being redirected to the destination URL.
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