Bitly and ClickMagick both make short links, but they answer different questions. Bitly answers "how many people clicked?": it shortens links, makes QR codes and reports clicks and scans, with a free plan and paid plans from $10 a month (billed yearly). ClickMagick answers "which clicks made money?": it tracks opt-ins, sales, upsells and ad spend after the click, filters bots and sends conversions back to ad platforms, from $79 a month ($66 billed yearly) with a 14-day free trial.
If you just share links on social media or print QR codes, Bitly is enough. If you run ads, sell products or promote affiliate offers, you need ClickMagick's conversion tracking.
ClickMagick vs Bitly at a Glance
| ClickMagick | Bitly | |
|---|---|---|
| Main job | Ad and conversion tracking | Link shortening and QR codes |
| Short links | Smart Links with custom domains | Yes, branded links from Growth |
| QR codes | Not a focus | Yes, on every plan |
| Tracks clicks | Yes | Yes |
| Tracks sales and revenue | Yes, including upsells, refunds, recurring | Click and scan data only |
| Ad cost import | Meta, Google, Microsoft, TikTok, LinkedIn, X, ChatGPT Ads | No |
| Conversions sent to ad platforms | Yes (Audience Optimization) | No |
| Affiliate network postbacks | 100+ networks | No |
| Bot filtering | Yes | Not listed |
| Retargeting pixels on links | Yes | Not listed |
| Free plan | No (14-day trial) | Yes, with ads |
| Starting price | $79/mo ($66 yearly) | $10/mo, annual only |
In This Article
- ClickMagick vs Bitly at a Glance
- What Is Bitly?
- What Is ClickMagick?
- Clicks vs Conversions: The Real Difference
- Link Features Compared
- Tracking and Reporting Compared
- Who Should Use Bitly?
- Who Should Use ClickMagick?
- Can You Use Both?
- Pricing Value: What You Get Per Dollar
- Common Mistakes When Choosing
- Pros and Cons
- Our Verdict
- Frequently Asked Questions
What Is Bitly?
Bitly is the best-known link shortener. Its site describes three main tools: a URL shortener to "customize, share and track links," a QR code generator, and link-in-bio pages, with analytics for all short links and QR codes in one place and a UTM campaign builder.
Bitly Pricing
| Plan | Price | Links per Month | QR Codes per Month | Click Data History |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free (with ads) | $0 | 5 | 2 | Not shown |
| Core | $10/mo, annual only ($120/yr) | 100 | 5 | 30 days |
| Growth | $29/mo billed yearly ($348/yr) | 500 | 10 | 4 months |
| Premium | $199/mo billed yearly ($2,388/yr) | 3,000 | 200 | 1 year |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Custom | Custom |
Growth adds branded links and a complimentary custom domain; Premium adds city-level and device data and mobile deep linking. Bitly says annual plans save up to 34%. Prices from bitly.com/pages/pricing, November 2026.
What Is ClickMagick?
ClickMagick is an ad tracking and attribution platform running since 2014. It tracks visitors on your own first-party domain, records every opt-in and sale, imports ad costs, filters bots and sends conversions back to seven ad platforms. Its Smart Links are short links with custom domains, geotargeting and pixels. See our ClickMagick review.
ClickMagick Pricing
| Plan | Monthly | Yearly (per month) | Tracked Visitors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $79 | $66 | 10,000 |
| Standard | $199 | $166 | 100,000 |
| Pro | $349 | $291 | 1,000,000 |
From each vendor's pricing page, November 2026.
Clicks vs Conversions: The Real Difference
Imagine you send the same link to two audiences and each gets 1,000 clicks. Bitly shows two links with 1,000 clicks each. ClickMagick shows that one audience produced 40 opt-ins and 6 sales while the other produced 3 opt-ins and no sales, and if you paid for the traffic, what each sale cost.
That is the gap. Bitly measures attention. ClickMagick measures outcomes, which is what you need to decide where to spend money.
Key Takeaway
Bitly reports clicks and scans; it does not attribute sales or revenue to those clicks. If your links lead to anything you sell, a conversion tracker tells you far more.
Link Features Compared
| Feature | ClickMagick | Bitly |
|---|---|---|
| Custom domain short links | Yes | Growth and above |
| Geotargeting (different destinations by country) | Yes | Not listed |
| Retargeting pixels on links | Yes | Not listed |
| Link rotators and split tests | Yes | No |
| QR codes | Not a focus | Yes, every plan |
| Link-in-bio pages | No | Yes |
| UTM builder | Tracking templates for ads | Yes |
| Bulk link creation | Not a focus | Growth and above |
Tracking and Reporting Compared
Bitly shows clicks and scans by link, with data history from 30 days on Core to one year on Premium, and city and device data on Premium.
ClickMagick shows the full path from click to sale: opt-ins, sales, upsells, refunds and recurring revenue, earnings per click, cost and return per ad, attribution models on Standard and above, and cross-device tracking. It keeps data for six months on Starter and a year on Standard.
Who Should Use Bitly?
- Social media managers sharing links and wanting simple click counts.
- Businesses printing QR codes on packaging, menus or flyers.
- Creators who need a link-in-bio page.
- Teams that do not sell directly from their links.
Who Should Use ClickMagick?
- Anyone running paid ads who needs cost, revenue and return per ad.
- Affiliate marketers who need to know which links earn commissions; see how to track solo ads.
- Funnel owners who want to know which traffic produces buyers, not just visitors.
- Advertisers who want better conversion data sent to Meta and Google.
Can You Use Both?
Yes. Many marketers use Bitly for QR codes and casual social sharing, and ClickMagick for any link connected to ads, funnels or affiliate offers. If budget matters, ClickMagick's Smart Links can cover most marketing short links, leaving Bitly's free plan for occasional QR codes.
Pricing Value: What You Get Per Dollar
Bitly's plans are priced by how many links and QR codes you create; ClickMagick's by how many visitors you track. That reflects what each is for:
| Budget | Bitly Gives You | ClickMagick Gives You |
|---|---|---|
| $0 | 5 links and 2 QR codes a month, with ads | Nothing beyond the 14-day trial |
| About $10 a month | 100 links, 30 days of click data (Core, annual) | Not available |
| About $66 to $79 a month | Growth: 500 links, branded links, 4 months of data | Starter: 10,000 tracked visitors, full conversion tracking, cost import and conversion sync |
| About $199 a month | Premium: 3,000 links, 1 year of data, city and device data | Standard: 100,000 visitors, click-fraud protection, attribution models, phone sales |
For pure link management, Bitly is cheaper. For anything tied to revenue, ClickMagick does far more at a similar price to Bitly's upper plans.
Common Mistakes When Choosing
- Using click counts to judge ads. High clicks with no sales is the most expensive mistake in paid traffic.
- Paying for Bitly Premium to get "better tracking." More click data is still click data.
- Using Bitly links in affiliate promotions without conversion tracking, which hides which offers actually pay.
- Buying ClickMagick only for QR codes. Bitly is the right tool for that.
Pros and Cons
ClickMagick
Pros
- Tracks sales, upsells and revenue, not just clicks
- Ad cost import and conversion sync
- Affiliate postbacks and bot filtering
- Short links with pixels and geotargeting
Cons
- No free plan
- More to learn than a link shortener
- Not built for QR codes
Bitly
Pros
- Free plan available
- Very easy to use
- QR codes and link-in-bio pages
- Cheap entry paid plan
Cons
- No sales or revenue attribution
- Free plan limited to 5 links a month
- Branded links need Growth
- Short data history on lower plans
Our Verdict
Choose Bitly if you need short links, QR codes and click counts for content that does not sell directly. Choose ClickMagick if any of your links lead to a sale, an opt-in or a paid ad, because knowing which links make money is worth far more than knowing which get clicked. ClickMagick's 14-day free trial lets you see the difference on your own links.
Track Every Click With ClickMagick
Attribution, bot filtering and conversion sync for Meta and Google ads, with a 14-day free trial on every plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Main Difference Between ClickMagick and Bitly?
Bitly shortens links, creates QR codes and reports clicks and scans. ClickMagick also creates short links, but its main job is tracking what happens after the click (opt-ins, sales, upsells and ad spend) and sending conversions back to ad platforms.
Is Bitly Free?
Bitly has a free plan labeled "With Ads" that includes 5 links and 2 QR codes a month. Paid plans start at $10 a month on annual billing (Core).
Can Bitly Track Sales or Conversions?
Bitly's plans list click and scan data, not sales attribution. To see which links or ads produce sales and revenue, you need a conversion tracker such as ClickMagick.
Can ClickMagick Replace Bitly?
For marketing links, yes. ClickMagick's Smart Links are short links with custom domains, geotargeting and retargeting pixels, plus full conversion tracking. Bitly remains useful for QR codes and link-in-bio pages.
Which Is Better for Affiliate Marketing?
ClickMagick. It tracks affiliate sales through postbacks from more than 100 networks, filters bot clicks and shows earnings per link, which Bitly does not do.
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