Is refer.is free to use and what does the free plan include?

Updated

Yes — refer.is offers a free tier that includes 1,000 tracked clicks and unlimited redirects every month, and the site states you can get started without a credit card. That makes it usable at no cost for low-volume link shortening, QR codes, and basic click analytics. If your tracked clicks exceed 1,000 in a month, or you need features reserved for paid plans, you would need to check the Pricing page, since the free tier's exact limits beyond those two numbers aren't spelled out on the homepage.

What the free plan includes

Based on the refer.is homepage, the free tier covers:

  • 1,000 tracked clicks per month — clicks that are recorded and reported in your analytics.
  • Unlimited redirects — links still send visitors to their destination even after you pass the tracked-click cap; the cap applies to tracking, not to whether the link works.
  • No credit card required — sign-up does not ask for payment details up front.
  • Access to the core toolbox — short and branded URLs, QR code generation, the browser extension, and click analytics are all presented as part of the product rather than as paid add-ons.

The homepage also lists free tools for shortening links from specific sources, including Amazon, Dropbox, Figma, Spotify, and YouTube.

What "tracked clicks" means for your usage

The distinction between tracked clicks and redirects matters when you're estimating cost:

Scenario Free tier behavior
A link gets 800 clicks in a month All 800 are tracked and reported
A link gets 1,500 clicks in a month The first 1,000 are tracked; the rest still redirect but may not appear in analytics
You run many links with low traffic each Total tracked clicks across all links count toward the same 1,000

So the free plan suits personal projects, small campaigns, or testing the product. A campaign that regularly drives more than 1,000 clicks per month is the point where you'd want to look at paid options.

Features you can use on the free tier

The homepage groups the product into several capabilities, none of which are marked as paid-only:

  • Branded links — short, memorable URLs such as refer.is/deal, aimed at affiliates, creators, and campaigns.
  • QR codes — one QR code per link, for flyers, posters, and events.
  • Browser extension — shorten the page you're currently on without leaving the tab.
  • Custom domains — put links on your own domain (for example go.acme.com), with domain status shown as Verified or Pending.
  • Click analytics — see clicks by campaign and channel in real time, plus breakdowns by country and by browser (the homepage shows examples like Instagram vs. Newsletter as traffic sources, and Chrome/Safari/Firefox/Edge as browsers).
  • API — create and manage links programmatically; the documented example is a POST https://api.refer.is/v1/links request returning 201 Created with a short link.

Integrations (Zapier, Make, n8n, Slack) and MCP support for AI agents are both labeled "Coming soon," so they aren't available yet regardless of plan.

When you'd need to pay

The site has a dedicated Pricing page, which indicates paid plans exist alongside the free tier. The homepage does not state the price, the exact limits of each paid tier, or which specific features are gated behind payment. To decide whether you need to upgrade, check the Pricing page for:

  • The tracked-click allowance above 1,000 per month.
  • Whether custom domains, API access, or analytics history are limited on the free plan.
  • Any per-seat or per-domain charges.

If your usage stays under 1,000 tracked clicks a month and you don't need anything the Pricing page marks as paid, the free tier is enough and no card is required to start.