No one likes long URLs. In fact, you even can make money online by sharing short links. So, this is an article about Best Highest Paying URL Shortener Websites wright now.
Table of Contents
Affiliate Disclosure
This post may contain affiliate links and I may earn a small commission when you click on the links at no additional costs to you.
Earning money by sharing Links is another easy to do side hustle that does not require special skills. Most importantly, it does not require any investment.
No matter where you’re from or what you do for a living, as long as you have some spare time and know-how to copy-paste, you can make some money online by sharing short links.
What is URL shortening?
A URL shortening is a technique on the World Wide Web when long URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is made significantly shorter and still directed to the required page. This is accomplished by using a redirect which links to the web page that has a long URL. Usually, URL shortening is done by third party services which offer additional services, such as statistics, performance measure and sometimes link monetization threw adds.
Why people use URL Shorteners?
People dislike long URLs so much there are hundreds of URL Shortener Websites with a sole purpose to make any link more legible and easier for people to understand.
A lot of times, link shortening is a necessary measure. For example, have you ever tried to email someone a URL that stretches into hundreds of characters? It is not only annoying for you and that person, but it also shrinks the chances that person will actually open it.
To avoid these unpleasant situations, one must use URL shortener websites, that transforms the long, ugly link into human-friendly short links. Some of these URL Shortener Websites pay very reasonable commissions if you use their services.
How to make money with shortening links?
Actually, there are not one, but two ways how to make money with short links.
The first one is pretty much straight forward – take any link, make it shot using URL Shortener Websites that pay commission and share it to forums, social media or any other online channel in your reach.
For example, somebody asks “What is the best side hustle for single moms?” in Quora.
You search Google and find an excellent article about best side hustles for single moms. Then take the URL of this blog post and make it short using URL Shortener Websites.
After you just have to write a couple of sentences answer to that question in Quora and in the end write something like “to learn more, read this helpful article….”, and add your short link.
And anytime when someone clicks on that short link, you will get a commission.
The second way involves affiliate marketing. It is more sophisticated, but with that, you can earn more money with it!
Some URL Shortener Websites will shorten any link and add small popup banner to that link with a call to action (“Buy now”, “Subscribe now” etc.).
Affiliate marketing is the process when you earn commission by promoting other people’s products or services. There are many affiliate programs out there, so you can easily find something to promote.
So, let’s say you have found affiliate marketing program for Nike shoes. Next, you found for really helpful article about running.
With the help of specific URL Shortener Websites that enable “Click to action” button, you make a short link that will be pointed to this article and have an ad banner with your affiliate link. Here is one example of such a combination:
Finally, you have to promote this link in Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or any other platform.
Each time when somebody makes a purchase from your link, you will get the commission.
Why does URL Shortener Websites pay to shorten their links?
“What is the point of paying services for using features that you already need?” you might ask.
Obviously, there is a benefit. The way these sites work is pretty similar to Pay-per-download sites. I already wrote about how to Make Money Online With File Sharing.
When you shorten links with URL Shortener Websites, the user who follows the URL first goes to the landing page with some ad blocks. Only then, after some short time, he is redirected to the original destination.
The URL Shortener Websites get paid to show ads and share the earnings with those who paste the links.
Highest Paying URL Shortener Websites in 2021
I will start with the list of 10 highest paying URL shortener websites. So, to use these short link creation platforms, you don’t need to promote any affiliate program.
In this list websites are presented in descending order based on the commissions paid for US traffic.
In my humble opinion, if you deal with US traffic, only the first three are worth to consider. The rest you can use just as a backup option.
1. Adfoc.us
Commissions: up to $26.25 per CPM (CPM is calculated as earnings per 1000 clicks on your short URLs).
Restrictions: Spam, adult material, copyrighted material, illegal content. For detailed info, read terms and conditions.
Landing page example: Click here
Adfoc.us is one of the best URL shortening websites that pays its users to shorten and share their links on websites, forums, blogs etc. They have one of the industry’s highest payouts, especially if your traffic comes from the United States.
The platform Features:
- App for Android users
- Real-time reporting system
- Timely payments
- Referral system
- Dedicated support
To increase earnings, Adfoc.us offers various tools such as API, Google analytics, Full page script and custom domain that allows you to set your own domain for short URLs.
But there is one big bummer! Unlike other URL shortening services, Adfoc.us does not allow traffic from social media and YouTube. You cannot post Adfoc.us short links on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Reddit etc.
This is one of the main reasons for negative feedback about Adfoc.us. It looks like most side hustlers simply do not read the platform’s terms before they sign up, and because of that, they violate these terms without knowing it. That leads to account suspension.
AdFoc.us determines payout rates based on the rates advertisers are willing to pay for the interstitial advertisements displayed when visitors click on your shortened URLs.
The highest payouts are for US traffic – $26.25 CPM for the first visit (unique visitor), followed by Canada ($13.65 CPM), Australia ($13.30 CPM) and UK ($12.95 CPM). You can check the full commission structure here.
The users get paid on the Net 30 basis. The minimum amount for payout is $10. The payments are made via PayPal or Bitcoin.
2. Bc.vc
Commissions: up to $15.00 per CPM.
Restrictions: Do not place bc.vc – a modern URL shortener links anywhere that may contain adult material. For detailed info, read terms and services.
Bc.vc is another international link shortening service from Turkish developers. The first thing that catches your eye is the pleasant, laconic design.
Behind the wrapper lies a completely functional tool that will allow you to get income from shortening links. They accept traffic from different parts of the world and depending on its location, the price per 1000 impressions will differ. The upper threshold is $15 per 1000 views.
Affiliates can take advantage of global link shortening (up to 20 links at a time).
Bc.vc has an opensource code, you can integrate the API into your own projects. And if your site has many external links, and you need to shorten them as quickly as possible, use JS code.
The platform Features:
- Bulk link
- Full page script
- Google analytics
In fact, Bc.vc is one of the oldest active URL Shorteners that pays for its users.
The highest payouts are for traffic from US, New Zealand, Australia and Norway – $15.00 per CPM for the first visit (unique visitor), followed by UK and Switzerland ($10.50 per CPM). You can check the full commission structure here.
Withdraws are possible with Bitcoin wallet (withdraw minimum limit – $10.00) and Bitcoin (withdraw minimum limit – $50.00).
3. Shorte.st
Commissions: up to $ 14,04 per CPM
Restrictions: Transmit any material that is inappropriate, profane, vulgar, offensive, false, disparaging, defamatory, obscene, illegal, sexually explicit, racist, that promotes violence, racial hatred, or terrorism. For detailed info, read terms and conditions.
Shorte.st is probably one of the most well-known URL shortening services that pay for traffic. Because of the careful selection of advertisers, Shorte.st is famous for its high converting ads.
The platform claims that they pick up only validated, verified, and authenticated ads for impressions. Meaning it doesn’t display any scam or shady of advertisement that’s not legit.
Shorte.st has an advanced insight algorithm in place. It shows you exactly how many clicks each of your links are getting. This gives you the scope to improve your monetization tactics and promotional methods.
Therefore, you can analyze which platforms and placement position of the links are working for you, and which aren’t.
The platform Features:
- WordPress plugin
- developers API
- Real-time reporting system
- Timely payments
- Referral system
- Dedicated support
The rates for each region are different. With a correctly built strategy for promoting links, you can reach a very high income.
The highest payouts are for traffic generated from the US – $14,04 per CPM, followed by UK ($10,75), Australia ($8,61) and Canada ($5,81). For full commission structure visit this page.
The Minimum payout is $10. Payment methods are PayPal, Payoneer, and WebMoney.
4. Payskip.org
Commissions: up to $ 12,00 per CPM
Restrictions: Shortener an adult material URL or containing viruses / illegal / Copyright etc. For detailed info, read terms of use.
Payskip is another free link shortener website that enables an option to shorten links and get paid.
The platform features:
- Mass Shrinker
- Full page script
- Developers API
- Bookmarklet
Despite not being the highest paying URL shortening websites, Payskip.org has good reviews on forums.
As usual, the best rates are for US traffic – $12,00 per CPM, followed by the UK ($8,00) and Australia ($5,00). For full commission structure visit their Payout rates page. https://payskip.org/payout-rates
Withdraw options: Skrill (Minimum Withdrawal Amount – $10.00), Bitcoin (Minimum Withdrawal Amount – $3.00) or bank transfer (Minimum Withdrawal Amount – $50.00).
5. Adpaylink.com
Commissions: up to $ 9.77 per CPM
Restrictions: Pornographic or adult content. For detailed info, read terms and conditions.
AdPayLink is one more URL shortener, and you can GET more money from your every single link made with this platform.
With high CPM rates, they promise to increase your income up to 325%.
Thought, this platform pays only for unique views and repeated views from the same IP address will not be considered.
The problems start with their landing page. There are at least two redirects before the user gets to the original destination. It looks spammy, and this definitely may spook some visitors.
Here is a short video demonstration.
Otherwise, The platform features:
- $1 paid as a signup bonus
- Auto link
- Multilink
- API link
- Advanced tracking tools
It seems that this URL Shortener service is more focused on European traffic. The best commission rates are for DE traffic – $13.00 per CPM, followed by Switzerland ($10.50) and US ($9.77). For full commission structure visit their Payout rates page.
Withdraws are possible, the minimum withdraw amount is $ 5. You can withdraw it via PayPal, Perfect Money or Bank transfer.
6. Adf.ly
Commissions: up to $ $8.48 per CPM
Restrictions: Do not shrink any website URLs that contain adult material. For detailed info, read terms and conditions.
You have probably heard about the Adf.ly service, or, at least, have come across links shortened with this tool.
Adf.ly is one of the pioneers in the pay-per-click link shortening market. However, its reputation is far from the best because of their aggressive approach and the quality of the ads they display.
That is the main reason for almost all negative feedback on TrustPilot, and other users review sites.
The platform features:
- Android app.
- Basic statistics panel
- Website Scripts
- Easy-to-use API
As it is common with all URL Shortener Websites from this list, the commission structure varies depending on the region of traffic.
The best commission rates are for US traffic – $8.48 per CPM, followed by Canada ($4.72) and the UK ($4.09). For full commission structure visit their Payout rates page. https://adf.ly/rates
It is important to note that mobile views are counted, but the fees will be slightly lower.
Payouts are made once per month. Daily Payments are available for users with active accounts older than 1 month.
Withdraws are available to PayPal (minimum amount for payments is $ 5) and Payoneer (minimum amount for payments is $ 10).
7. Shrtfly.com
Commissions: up to $8.00 per CPM
Restrictions: Do not send traffic from other short URL websites. For detailed info, read terms of use.
ShrtFly is relatively new a URL Shortener Website, founded in 2017 and it is similar to all other sites of the kind found on the web. The platform is a completely free tool where you can create short links, which, apart from being free, you get paid!
Although the payout commissions are not the highest in the industry, ShrtFly still offers decent commissions for 1000 link clicks if your traffic comes from certain countries.
The website claims to have 1,008. 635 registered users and total 13,303,662 URLs shortened.
The platform features:
- Full page script
- Multi-domain support
- Dedicated support team 24/7
Where this URL Shortener falls behind compared to top tier websites from this segment, is landing page. When users click on a short link made with ShrtFly, they are redirected to the landing page with some add banners. They have to wait 30sec just to be redirected to the second, similar landing page with more ads. His is even worth than it is with Adf.ly.
So, the information hidden behind the ShrtFly short link must be truly unique or useful, otherwise many users simply will give up.
Commissions are paid for every 1000 clicks. The highest rates are for traffic from Greenland – $21.00 and Brunei Darussalam – $14.00. If your traffic comes from the US, you’ll get $8.00 per CPM.
Payouts are done once per month.
The withdraw minimum depends on the chosen withdraw method.
| Withdraw Method | Minimum Withdrawal Amount |
| PayPal | $10.0000 |
| Skrill | $50.0000 |
| Paytm | $10.0000 |
| NETELLER | $30.0000 |
| Payza | $20.0000 |
| Bank Transfer | $20.0000 |
| UPI | $10.0000 |
8. Adshrink.it
Commissions: up to $ 7.5per CPM
Restrictions: Do not shrink any website URLs that contain adult material. For detailed info, read terms of use.
Adshrink.it is one more link shortening service created in 2016 with headquarters in Denmark. It offers all the usual tools you would expect from URL Shortener Website.
Partners have access to a dashboard with some statistics and analytics blocks that help predict income and determine the effectiveness of posted links.
The platform features:
- Real-time analytics
- Multishrink option
- Ticket support system
Like it is with all lower-tier URL Shortener Websites, also Adshrink. It overdoes traffic exposure to adds.
When somebody clicks on a short link created with this website, they are rollercoastered through several landing pages with confusing banners and popups. This definitely does not rise a click-through rate.
Adshrink.it offers classic commission structure. The highest payout rates are for US traffic – $7.50. Interestingly, Adshrink.it considers 3 views per IP per 24 hours. Complete information about actual payout rates is available here.
Minimum Payout is $10. Payouts are done monthly. Withdraw options – PayPal and Bitcoin.
9. Wi.cr
Commissions: up to $7.00 per CPM
Restrictions: Shrinking URLs of websites that contain material that is adult in nature is not allowed. For detailed info, read terms of use.
Wi.cr is a relatively new link shortener website with headquarters in Algeria. It is built as a modern and very user-friendly website with many creative options to monetize your links.
Wi.cr Features:
- Analytics panel
- Easy To Use, User Interface
- 24/7 Full customer support
As it is with all lower-tier URL Shortener Websites, the main drawback of Wi.cr is too aggressively enforced publicity on their landing pages.
I counted at least 4 popup pages and misleading banners. This is not what you can call a friendly user’s interface.
The highest commissions are paid for to users with traffic from the US. Currently, it is $7.00 per CPM. The full commission structure is available online here.
Withdraw is available on request during business days no longer than 4 days after requesting. Minimum amount is $5.00. Payouts are made with PayPal.
10. Shrinkme.io
Commissions: up to $7.00 per CPM
Restrictions: Adult content. For detailed info, read terms of use.
Landing page example.
I’ll be short with this one. Everything that has been said previously is also applied here. Shrinkme.io is a basic link shortener website with all basic tools and options.
The landing page of Shrinkme.io is one more no go! Stuffed with misleading add banners and many popups.
The commissions are mediocre – $7 per CPM for US traffic. So, I can recommend this platform only if you somehow manage to drive traffic from Greenland, which will bring you glorious $22.00 per CPM.
Payouts are done once per month. There are a handful of payment options:
| Payout option | Withdraw min |
| Paypal | $5.00 |
| Payeer | $5.00 |
| Airtm | $5.00 |
| WebMoney | $5.00 |
| Perfect Money | $5.00 |
| Phone Pe | $5.00 |
| UPI | $5.00 |
| USDT | $20.00 |
| Litecoin | $20.00 |
| Banc transfer | $20.00 |
Best URL shortener websites with embedded CTA
As I explained previously, another way how to make money with short links involves affiliate marketing.
You just have to find the link to any website you want to share with your audience. It can be a blog post, a news article, or anything from any website. You don’t need to be associated with that website.
Several URL shortener websites enable the possibility to insert call-to-action (CTA) popup on any short link.
It is interesting because potential earning from affiliate marketing is much higher than commissions paid by regular link shortener websites.
Usually, this is paid service, but here I will list three URL shortener websites that offers the possibility to insert call-to-action for free.
Snip.ly
Sniply is URL shortening website with a twist: every link you share comes with a call-to-action attached to it.
This way, you can advertise your website or your affiliate product on every link you share. Here is an example.
This is probably the oldest and most known URL shortening website that enables CTA.
Sniply tracks the performance of both your links and CTAs, so you can track the social ROI on each of your campaigns.
Additionally, if you download Sniply’s browser extension for Chrome or Firefox, you can integrate it directly with Hootsuite, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and more! This lets you create Sniply links and CTAs from within your favourite social media platform.
Their free plan provide up to 1,000 clicks per month which is plenty for starters. Paid pricing begins at $29/mo for individual users up to $299/mo for business with 10+ marketers.
All plans come with basic CTAs and unlimited short links. However, higher-priced plans also enable A/B testing and custom branding to your links and CTAs. Complete information about Sniply prices is available here.
Linkiro.com
Linkiro is another URL shortening website that allows you to insert a Call-to-Action button into a third-party website. It’s a great “sneaky” way to send new users to your webpage, or your affiliate page.
The platform uses iFrames to load CTAs. Unfortunately, some websites block iframes, but the only way to find which site block and which allows iframe is to test it – paste the URL in the Smart Link, and it will instantly tell you if the site doesn’t support CTAs.
You can’t share YouTube or any other social media sites. You can’t share media sites, including Frobes and BuzzFeed. No IMDb, no Quora, no Reddit, no Amazon nor eBay either.
Even though there are plenty of other useful websites and blog articles to share.
Linkiro free plan includes 3 call-to-action buttons and up to 2,000 clicks per month. That’s more than enough to start. Paid plans start at $19/mo (Basic plan – 10 call-to-action buttons and 10,000 monthly clicks and with a possibility to upgrade as you grow). For more information, check their pricing page.
Sharest.co
Sharest.co is white label link shortening service that includes a balanced mix of link retargeting and embedded Call-to-Action within branded links. This platform perhaps is one of the leading alternatives to Sniply.
Sharest.co allows you to re-target and interact with your visitors on any links you share just like when they are on your own website. So, you can add call-to-action and image ads to any links you share.
Besides, any marketing scripts that you use on your own website (for example live chat or opt-in form) can also be used on any links that you share using Sharest.co.
This platform has an impressive tutorial section with how-to guides to discover platforms full potential.
But that’s not all. Sharest.co has an amazing free plan with:
- Unlimited links
- Unlimited clicks
- Unlimited scripts
- Unlimited pixels
- Unlimited calls-to-action
This is more than enough to start your side hustle with embedded call-to-action buttons. Anyway, if you want to benefit from the full range of features offered by Sharest.co, you can pick up one of their paid plans. Prices and conditions are available here.
Conclusion
Making money from shortening links is a promising, rather profitable business that is still relevant. In order to reach a high income, you naturally have to bust a nut. But the result is definitely worth it.
There are many examples when entrepreneurs turned link shortening into a permanent income stream which brings 2-3 thousand dollars a month. Therefore, the investment of time and effort is justified.
