Bitly requires an account and tracks every click.
Every Bitly plan -- even free -- requires signing up, and every link reports click analytics back to Bitly by default. Harbor Snip's default Private mode encrypts the destination URL in your browser before it's sent -- we cannot read where that link points -- and if you'd rather have a shorter, Bitly-length link instead, Fast mode gives you that too. No account needed either way, and a short branded domain (hrbor.us) is free from the start.
Same job as Bitly. Minus the ability to read your links.
Shortening, custom slugs, expiration, and abuse protection -- without an account, and without a server that can see your destination URL.
We can't read your links
In Private mode, the destination URL is encrypted with AES-GCM in your browser before it's ever sent. The decryption key lives only in the short link itself, never on our servers. Prefer a shorter, Bitly-length link instead? Fast mode is available too -- you choose per link, and we're upfront that Fast mode means we can read that one.
No account, ever
Bitly requires an account on every plan, including free. Harbor Snip needs nothing -- open the page, paste a URL, get a link.
hrbor.us included
Bitly's Growth plan charges $29+/month for a custom domain. Harbor Snip's short domain, hrbor.us, is free by default -- no upsell tier.
No per-click tracking
Bitly's plans are built around click and scan analytics. Harbor Snip keeps only an aggregate hit counter -- no IP, no timestamp, no per-visitor record.
Self-expiring links
Set a link to expire after a fixed number of hours, or leave it open indefinitely. Either way, we still can't see what it points to.
Report, don't surveil
We can't scan destinations for phishing since we can't decrypt them. Instead, anyone can report a suspicious link, which deletes it immediately and blocks repeat offenders by IP hash.
"What does this link actually track?" shouldn't require reading a EULA.
Bitly's business model runs on click analytics -- who clicked, when, from where. That data exists because Bitly's servers see the destination URL in plaintext to redirect you, and log the request that got there.
Harbor Snip's server never has the plaintext destination at all. Encryption happens in your browser before creation; decryption happens in the recipient's browser after a fetch. There's no click log to build a profile from, because there's no way to build one.
- AES-256-GCM encryption, client-side only
- Decryption key never touches our servers
- nginx access logs disabled -- no request logs at all
- IP hash used for rate-limiting only, deleted after 1 hour
What Bitly's pricing page doesn't say out loud.
A plain comparison, sourced from Bitly's own published pricing.
| Feature | Harbor Snip | Bitly |
|---|---|---|
| Account required | No | Yes, even on Free |
| Destination URL visible to us | Never (encrypted client-side) | Plaintext, on every plan |
| Per-click logging | None, aggregate count only | Click & scan analytics by default |
| Custom short domain | Free (hrbor.us) | $29+/month (Growth plan) |
| Price | Free | $0-$300/month depending on tier |
| Link expiration | Optional, any duration | Not available |
No account. No click logs.
Just a shorter link.
Paste a URL, get a link at snip.harborprivacy.com or the shorter hrbor.us. Free, no signup -- choose Private mode if we shouldn't be able to read where it points, or Fast mode for a shorter link.