refer.is

refer.is provides real-time click analytics that break down link traffic by campaign and channel, country, and browser or device. You can see a monthly click total with a period-over-period change, then drill into which sources drive those clicks. This is useful if you run links across multiple channels — for example an Instagram bio link, a newsletter, and a QR code on a flyer — and need to know which one is actually working. The analytics are part of the same dashboard where you create short and branded links, so there is no separate reporting tool to connect.

What the analytics dashboard shows

The refer.is page presents analytics in a few distinct blocks. Each answers a different question.

Monthly clicks and change

A headline figure shows clicks for the current month alongside a percentage change versus the prior period. The example on the site reads 12,480 clicks, +18%. This gives you a fast read on whether overall link activity is growing or shrinking before you look at any breakdown.

Clicks by channel and campaign

Below the total, refer.is attributes clicks to the source that produced them. The site's example splits a month's traffic as:

This is the part that answers "which campaign or channel drives my clicks." If you tag or separate links by where you place them, the channel breakdown tells you where to invest more effort and where a link is underperforming.

Audience geography

A country breakdown shows where clicks originate. The example lists:

• United States — 4,210
• United Kingdom — 2,380
• Germany — 1,640
• India — 1,120

Use this to check whether your audience matches where you think it is — useful for timing posts, localizing landing pages, or deciding whether a regional campaign is reaching the right people.

Browsers and devices

A browser breakdown shows the environment people click from:

• Chrome — 6,890
• Safari — 3,120
• Firefox — 1,480
• Edge — 990

The site describes this block as showing "the browsers and devices people click from." If most clicks come from one browser or device type, that is a signal about how your destination page needs to render.

How to use these dimensions together

The value comes from combining the views rather than reading them in isolation. A practical sequence:

1. Check the monthly total and change to confirm traffic is moving in the direction you expect.
2. Open the channel breakdown to find which source produced the clicks. If Instagram is 42% and your newsletter is 31%, you know where the bulk of attention is.
3. Cross-check country and browser to understand who is clicking and from where. A spike from a country you do not target, or from a browser your page does not support well, is worth investigating.
4. Act on the link level. Because refer.is shows click counts per link (the site's examples include refer.is/deal at 1,284 clicks and refer.is/promo at 12K), you can compare individual links within a channel to see which message or offer performs.

The site frames the overall purpose as: "See which campaigns and channels drive your clicks, in real time."

What to check before relying on it

• Real-time vs. historical. The site describes analytics as real time. If you need long-term retention or export, confirm what the dashboard keeps and whether your plan covers it — the page does not state a retention window.
• Attribution method. refer.is attributes clicks to channels and campaigns. How you label or separate links determines how clean that breakdown is, so plan your link naming before you launch a campaign.
• Free tier limits. The site states the free tier includes 1,000 tracked clicks and unlimited redirects per month, with no credit card required. Analytics beyond that volume, or on custom domains, may depend on a paid plan — check the pricing page for the current terms rather than assuming the free tier covers heavy campaigns.
• Integrations are not live yet. Zapier, Make, n8n, Slack, and MCP support for AI agents are listed as "coming soon." If your workflow depends on pushing refer.is analytics into another tool, that is not available yet.

Where analytics fits in the wider tool

Click analytics sits alongside the other refer.is features — branded links, QR codes, a browser extension, custom domains, and an API — in one dashboard. The API (POST https://api.refer.is/v1/links) lets you create and manage links programmatically, which matters if you want consistent link structure across many campaigns, since that structure is what makes the channel and campaign breakdowns meaningful. For a quick start, the free tier's 1,000 tracked clicks is enough to test whether the channel and country views give you the answers you need before committing to a paid plan.

On refer.is, a branded link is a short URL that uses a domain you control instead of the default refer.is domain. You connect a custom domain to your account, and the service then issues short links on that domain — for example go.acme.com or links.acme.com — while still handling the redirect and click tracking. This is aimed at affiliates, creators, and campaign marketers who want the click to look trustworthy rather than generic.

What a branded link actually is

A branded link replaces a long, messy URL with a short, memorable path on your own domain. The refer.is homepage shows the pattern directly:

The same shortening logic applies when the domain is yours. Instead of refer.is/deal, you would get something like go.acme.com/deal. The destination, the redirect, and the click counting all stay the same — only the visible domain changes.

The homepage also lists example paths such as refer.is/launch, refer.is/summer-sale, and refer.is/newsletter, which shows the intended style: short, human-readable slugs that describe the campaign rather than the destination.

How custom domains work

1. Add your domain in the dashboard. You point a domain or subdomain you own (for example go.acme.com) at refer.is.
2. Verify it. The homepage shows domain states of Verified (go.acme.com, links.acme.com) and Pending (try.acme.com). A domain must reach the verified state before links on it resolve reliably.
3. Create links on that domain. When you shorten a URL, you choose the domain, and refer.is returns a short link on it. The API example on the homepage shows this as a domain field in the request:

POST https://api.refer.is/v1/links
{
  "url": "https://example.com",
  "domain": "refer.is"
}

201 Created
refer.is/x7Kp

Swap refer.is for your verified domain and the created link comes back on your own domain.

The stated benefit is trust: "Put your links on your own domain, so people trust the click." A recognizable domain tends to read as legitimate, while an unfamiliar shortener domain can look like spam.

What you get alongside the branded link

Branded links are not just cosmetic — they feed the same analytics as any other refer.is link:

• Click analytics — the homepage shows a monthly clicks figure (12,480, +18%) broken down by channel, e.g. Instagram 42%, Newsletter 31%.
• Geography — clicks by country (United States 4,210, United Kingdom 2,380, Germany 1,640, India 1,120).
• Browsers and devices — Chrome 6,890, Safari 3,120, Firefox 1,480, Edge 990.
• QR codes — every link can generate a QR code for flyers, posters, and events.
• Browser extension — shorten the page you are on without leaving the tab.

Because the domain is yours, the analytics still attribute clicks to your links, so you can compare campaigns and channels in one place.

Who this fits

Branded links and custom domains on refer.is suit:

• Affiliates who want a clean link instead of a long tracking URL.
• Creators sharing links in bios, newsletters, or video descriptions.
• Campaign marketers running multiple channels and needing per-channel click data.

If you only need occasional short links and don't care about the domain, the default refer.is domain is enough. Custom domains matter when the link is public-facing and the domain affects whether people click.

Practical notes before you start

• Verification is a required step, not optional. A pending domain will not behave like a verified one, so plan for DNS changes to propagate.
• Subdomains are the common choice. The examples use go., links., and try. subdomains rather than root domains, which keeps your main site separate.
• The API supports domain selection at creation time, so you can script link creation per campaign if you manage many links.
• Integrations (Zapier, Make, n8n, Slack) and MCP for AI agents are marked "Coming soon" on the homepage — do not plan a workflow around them yet.
• Pricing is not stated on the homepage beyond the free tier. The page says "1,000 tracked clicks and unlimited redirects every month, free" with "No credit card required," and links to a separate pricing page. Check that page for limits on custom domains and higher click volumes before committing.

The fastest way to judge fit: connect one subdomain, create a single branded link, and confirm it redirects and records a click. If that works end to end, the rest is scale.

Yes. refer.is provides a REST API that lets you create and manage short links from your own code. The documented example endpoint is POST https://api.refer.is/v1/links, and a successful request returns a created short link. This is aimed at developers who want to integrate link shortening into their own applications rather than create links by hand in the dashboard.

What the API does

According to the refer.is site, the API lets you "create and manage links from your own code." The page shows a single worked example rather than a full reference, so treat the details below as what is documented, not a complete specification.

The example request from the site:

POST https://api.refer.is/v1/links
{
  "url": "https://example.com",
  "domain": "refer.is"
}

The example response:

201 Created
refer.is/x7Kp

Reading this example:

• Input: a JSON body with the destination url and the domain to shorten on.
• Action: the API creates a short link.
• Expected result: an HTTP 201 Created status and a short link (refer.is/x7Kp) that redirects to the destination.

The domain field is what connects the API to branded links and custom domains — you can pass your own verified domain instead of refer.is so the generated links carry your brand.

Who it's for

The API fits cases where links are generated programmatically rather than manually:

• An app that creates a shareable link every time a user publishes content.
• A marketing system that generates campaign links with a consistent branded domain.
• A backend that needs to shorten URLs in bulk as part of a workflow.

If you only need a handful of links and QR codes, the dashboard and browser extension cover that without any code.

What to check before building on it

The site's example leaves several things unspecified, so confirm them against the docs before committing:

• Authentication. The example shows no auth header or key. You will need to find how requests are authenticated in the docs.
• Managing links. The page says the API can "create and manage" links, but only shows creation. Look for endpoints for updating, listing, or deleting links.
• Rate limits and quotas. The free tier is described as "1,000 tracked clicks and unlimited redirects every month." How that maps to API call limits is not stated on the page.
• Error responses. Only the success case (201 Created) is shown.

Related capabilities the API connects to

The API is one part of a broader toolbox, and the same account features apply to links you create through it:

• Branded links and custom domains — links can live on your own domain, which is why the request accepts a domain field.
• Click analytics — links are trackable, so clicks, channels, countries, and browsers can be measured.
• QR codes — a QR code can be generated for a link.

Integrations with Zapier, Make, n8n, and Slack, plus MCP support for AI agents, are listed as "coming soon," so they are not available yet.

Getting started

1. Create a refer.is account (the free tier covers 1,000 tracked clicks and unlimited redirects per month, with no credit card required).
2. Open the API docs from the site to get the current endpoint details and authentication method.
3. Send a test POST to https://api.refer.is/v1/links with your url and domain, and confirm you get a 201 Created and a working short link.
4. If you plan to use a custom domain, verify it first so links resolve correctly.

The main gap to close before building is authentication — the public example does not show it, so the docs are the place to confirm exactly how your requests are authorized.

refer.is is a link management tool that turns long URLs into short, branded links, generates a QR code for each link, and tracks how those links perform. It fits affiliate marketers, creators, and campaign owners who share links across channels and want to know which ones get clicked. The free tier includes 1,000 tracked clicks and unlimited redirects per month, with no credit card required.

Core capabilities

The homepage groups the product into four main jobs:

• Branded links — Short, memorable URLs for affiliates, creators, and campaigns. The example on the site shows a long Amazon affiliate URL (amazon.com/dp/B0C8J1QXKR/ref=sr_1_3?tag=affiliate-21) reduced to refer.is/deal.
• QR codes — Every link can get a QR code for flyers, posters, and events.
• Browser extension — Shorten any page without leaving the tab you are on.
• Custom domains — Put links on your own domain so people trust the click. The site shows domain states as Verified or Pending.

Click analytics

Analytics is the part that separates refer.is from a plain URL shortener. The dashboard reports:

The stated purpose is to see which campaigns and channels drive clicks in real time, and where your audience is.

Building on refer.is

For developers, refer.is exposes an API. The documented example creates a link:

POST https://api.refer.is/v1/links
{
  "url": "https://example.com",
  "domain": "refer.is"
}

A 201 Created response returns a short link such as refer.is/x7Kp. Integrations with Zapier, Make, n8n, and Slack, plus MCP support for AI agents like Claude, Cursor, and Codex, are listed as coming soon — not yet available.

Who it is for

• Affiliate marketers — Replace long tracking URLs with a branded short link and see which placements convert.
• Creators — One memorable link per campaign (refer.is/podcast, refer.is/newsletter) with click counts attached.
• Event and campaign teams — A QR code per link for print materials, plus country and browser breakdowns.

What to check before committing

• The free tier covers 1,000 tracked clicks and unlimited redirects monthly; pricing for higher volumes is listed on the pricing page rather than the homepage.
• Integrations and MCP are marked "coming soon," so don't plan a workflow around them yet.
• Custom domains require verification, and the site shows a Pending state — expect a setup step before links go live on your own domain.

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:

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.