Comparison

    LinkPilot vs Dub

    A team-first alternative to Dub with deeper attribution, secret links, and agency workspaces.

    Dub is a beautiful, modern shortener with strong developer ergonomics — clean API, polished UI, and an open-source core. It's a great pick for engineering-led teams that want a tidy primitive to build on.

    LinkPilot is built for cross-functional teams — marketing, product, sales, and agencies — that need conversion intelligence on top of the shortening primitive. AI CTAs, trust scoring, secret links, and a Rule Studio with simulator and shadow mode ship in the same workspace.

    Both products are excellent at the core job. The decision is mostly about scope: do you want a focused link primitive (Dub), or a workspace that also covers secrets, redirect logic, and agency operations (LinkPilot)?

    LinkPilot is a workspace product, not just a shortener. Branded short links, mobile/OS-aware deep links, geo and device targeting, Rule Studio (with simulator and shadow mode), AI CTA suggestions, trust scoring, secret links, agency white-label, and a public API ship together in the same product — without an enterprise call.

    Feature comparison

    Feature LinkPilot Dub
    Custom branded domains
    Open-source core
    Mobile / OS-aware deep links Limited
    Geo & device targeting rules Basic
    Rule Studio with simulator + shadow mode
    Secret links (encrypted, expiring, burn-after-read)
    File attachments behind passphrase
    AI CTA + copy suggestions Generative AI features
    Trust score + safe interstitial
    Public, shareable analytics URLs Limited
    Agency multi-workspace + white-label Workspaces only
    Bio link pages
    QR codes
    Public API + webhooks
    Tenant-scoped audit logs Pro tier
    5-role RBAC Basic team roles
    Privacy posture Hashed IPs, no cookies on recipient Standard analytics

    Pricing tiers, side by side

    Free

    LinkPilot

    Analytics + custom rules + secret links

    Dub

    Generous free tier

    Starter

    LinkPilot

    Custom domain + branded links + RBAC

    Dub

    Custom domain + analytics

    Growth / Pro

    LinkPilot

    AI, secret links, audit logs

    Dub

    Higher click volume + team

    Agency / Enterprise

    LinkPilot

    Multi-workspace + white-label

    Dub

    Custom quote

    Which should you pick?

    Choose LinkPilot if…

    • You need Rule Studio with simulator and shadow mode to test redirect logic safely.
    • You also share secrets (passwords, tokens) and want them in the same workspace.
    • You run an agency and need per-client workspaces with white-label.
    • You want trust scoring and a safe-redirect interstitial out of the box.
    • You want tenant-scoped audit logs on every paid tier.

    Choose Dub if…

    • Open-source is a hard requirement.
    • You're building on top of the shortener primitive and want a minimal surface area.
    • Your team is engineering-led and prefers a developer-first product.
    • You don't need secret sharing, agency workspaces, or rule simulation.

    Why teams switch

    • Rule Studio with conflict detection, simulator, and shadow mode — ship redirect logic with confidence.
    • Secret links cover encrypted payloads, IP-binding, and burn-after-read use cases plain shorteners can't.
    • Agency-grade workspaces with brand kits, shared reports, and per-client white-label.
    • Trust scoring + interstitials help users click links from your brand with confidence.

    Migration in 4–5 steps

    1. Export your links to CSV from Dub.
    2. Re-point your custom domain via DNS (CNAME) to LinkPilot's edge.
    3. Use LinkPilot's CSV import to recreate the slugs.
    4. Recreate any tag/folder structure inside the LinkPilot workspace.

    The verdict

    Dub is a great primitive; LinkPilot is a more complete platform. If you want a focused, open-source shortener, Dub is a fine pick. If you want a workspace that also handles secrets, redirect logic, and agency operations, LinkPilot is the better fit.

    FAQ

    Is LinkPilot open-source like Dub?

    LinkPilot is a managed product. We focus on a hosted, multi-tenant experience with RLS-based isolation, audit logging, and rate limiting baked in.

    Can I migrate from Dub?

    Yes — export your links to CSV from Dub, then use LinkPilot's CSV import to recreate them. Custom domains can be re-pointed via DNS.

    Which has a better API?

    Both ship clean REST APIs. LinkPilot adds outgoing webhooks for click and link events on every paid tier, plus tenant-scoped audit log access.

    What about pricing?

    LinkPilot's pricing is competitive at the team and agency tiers and includes more attribution features (Rule Studio, secret links, trust score) per dollar.

    Does LinkPilot offer rule simulation?

    Yes — Rule Studio includes a simulator and shadow mode, so you can validate logic against real traffic before publishing.

    Are secrets really separate from analytics?

    Yes — secret contents are stored and served on a separate workflow. They never enter campaign or click analytics.

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