Comparison
LinkPilot vs Dub
A team-first alternative to Dub with deeper attribution, secret links, and agency workspaces.
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.
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.
Both products lead with an API, so start with the LinkPilot API for developers page and the URL shortener API comparison. The custom URL shortener page explains your own domain, link analytics describes the click record, and secure link sharing for developers covers the secret-link half that a pure shortener does not have. The link shortener for teams page covers roles, expiry rules and audit logs; plans are on pricing.
Dub publishes its own pricing and product details at dub.co; the figures on this page were checked against it in July 2026.
Feature comparison
| Feature | LinkPilot | Dub |
|---|---|---|
| Custom branded domains | Yes | Yes |
| Open-source core | No | Yes |
| Mobile / OS-aware deep links | Yes | Limited |
| Geo & device targeting rules | Yes | Basic |
| Rule Studio with simulator + shadow mode | Yes | No |
| Secret links (encrypted, expiring, burn-after-read) | Yes | No |
| File attachments behind passphrase | Yes | No |
| AI CTA + copy suggestions | Yes | Generative AI features |
| Trust score + safe interstitial | Yes | No |
| Public, shareable analytics URLs | Yes | Limited |
| Agency multi-workspace + white-label | Yes | Workspaces only |
| Bio link pages | Yes | Yes |
| QR codes | Yes | Yes |
| Public API + webhooks | Yes | Yes |
| Tenant-scoped audit logs | Yes | Pro tier |
| 5-role RBAC | Yes | Basic team roles |
| Privacy posture | Hashed IPs, no cookies on recipient | Standard analytics |
What LinkPilot looks like
A demo workspace, not a customer's. Figures are from our own testing.
Pricing tiers, side by side
Dub details as published July 2026 — plans change; verify current pricing with the vendor.
Free
LinkPilot
$0 — 50 links, 1,000 clicks/mo, 5 secret links
Dub
Free — 25 links, 1,000 tracked clicks/mo (as published July 2026)
Growth / Pro
LinkPilot
$29/mo: unlimited links, 50,000 clicks, higher API limits, secret links
Dub
Pro from ~$30/mo for 50,000 clicks (as published July 2026 — verify with Dub)
Agency
LinkPilot
$299/mo — 25 client workspaces + white-label
Dub
Workspaces on higher tiers, custom quote
Enterprise
LinkPilot
Custom — SSO/SAML, SLA
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
- Export your links to CSV from Dub.
- Re-point your custom domain via DNS (CNAME) to LinkPilot's edge.
- Use LinkPilot's CSV import to recreate the slugs.
- Recreate any tag/folder structure inside the LinkPilot workspace.
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.