# Shlink vs AI Shortlink

> Two self-hosted [URL Shortener projects](https://selfhost.directory/url-shortener), compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | Shlink | AI Shortlink |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 70/100 ✓ | 43/100 |
| Rank in category | #3 of 23 in URL Shortener | #16 of 23 in URL Shortener |
| GitHub stars | 5 379 ✓ | 168 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +76 | — |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 13 ✓ | 0 |
| Latest release | v5.1.8 · 21 Oct 2026 | — |
| Setup | Easy ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes ✓ | No |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Main language | PHP | Go |

## Which one should you pick?

Shlink scores 70/100 against 43/100 for AI Shortlink, so it is the safer default.

Shlink ships more often: 13 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for AI Shortlink.

If you want the quickest setup, Shlink is easier to run; AI Shortlink needs more configuration.

Shlink is growing faster right now (+76 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [Shlink](https://selfhost.directory/project/shlink) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/shlink.md)
- [AI Shortlink](https://selfhost.directory/project/shortlink) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/shortlink.md)

---
Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/shlink-vs-shortlink