Core Difference

The fundamental difference

Dub

Link shortener for web and social media

Shortens long URLs into branded short links
Analytics: clicks, referrers, geolocation
Best for: marketing campaigns, Twitter bios, emails

Redirectly

Mobile deep linking platform with install attribution

Routes users directly to specific app screens
Preserves context through app install (deferred)
Best for: app onboarding, referrals, email verification

The key distinction

Dub: Shortens a link like "https://example.com/very/long/path" to "https://dub.co/abc123". When clicked on desktop, the user goes to the web page. When clicked on mobile, if your app is installed, you can open the app instead—but Dub doesn't handle this natively.

Redirectly: Creates deep links that open your app or web with context preserved. If the app isn't installed, Redirectly stores the intended content and delivers it when the app is installed for the first time. Dub doesn't do this.

Comparison

Feature-by-feature comparison

Feature	Redirectly	Dub
Link shortening
Mobile app deep linking		Limited
Deferred deep linking (through app install)
Install attribution
Mobile SDK (Flutter/React Native)
Custom subdomains
AASA/assetlinks hosting
Web redirects
Click analytics
A/B testing
QR code generation
Webhook support

Use Cases

When to use each platform

Use Dub when you need:

Web link shortening for blogs, emails, Twitter, LinkedIn
Click-through analytics on web—who clicked, where they came from
A/B testing URLs—test different landing pages
QR codes for offline campaigns
Simple branded links—marketing campaigns

Use Redirectly when you need:

Mobile app deep linking—open specific screens in your app
Deferred deep linking—preserve context through app install
Install attribution—know which referrals led to installs
Referral programs—track which users referred new installs
Email verification flows—preserve verification tokens through install
Personalized onboarding—guide users to relevant content

Use both together:

Dub and Redirectly solve different problems and can complement each other:

•Dub for web marketing—shorten links in blog posts, social media
•Redirectly for app campaigns—deep link to specific app screens

Code Examples

How they work differently in code

Dub: Shortening a web link

// Dub API - Create a short link
const shortLink = await fetch('https://api.dub.co/links', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: { 'Authorization': 'Bearer dub_key' },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    url: 'https://example.com/very/long/marketing/campaign/page',
    domain: 'mycompany.link',
  }),
});

// Result: https://mycompany.link/abc123
// When clicked on desktop: goes to web page
// When clicked on mobile: goes to web page (no app deep linking)

Dub creates short URLs for web. When users click on mobile, they still land on the web page. No app integration.

Redirectly: Deep link to app screen

// Redirectly API - Create a deep link
const deepLink = await fetch('https://api.redirectly.app/v1/links', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: { 'Authorization': 'Bearer api_key' },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    path: 'product/blue-shoes',
    queryParams: { size: '10', color: 'blue' },
  }),
});

// Result: https://myapp.redirectly.app/product/blue-shoes?size=10&color=blue
// When clicked on mobile with app installed: app opens to product screen
// When clicked on mobile without app: stores intent, prompts install,
//   on first launch app opens to product screen (deferred)

Redirectly creates deep links for apps. Preserves context even if the app needs to be installed first.

In your Flutter app with Redirectly

import 'package:redirectly/redirectly.dart';

// On app launch, get the deep link (works even if just installed)
final deepLink = await Redirectly.getInitialLink();

if (deepLink != null) {
  if (deepLink.path == 'product') {
    final productId = deepLink.queryParameters['product'];
    // Navigate to product screen
    context.go('/product/$productId');
  }
}

// With Dub short links, you'd manually parse the redirect target
// With Redirectly, the SDK handles this automatically

Other comparisons

See how Redirectly compares to other platforms:

Redirectly vs Branch→Redirectly vs Firebase→Redirectly vs Kochava→What is Deferred Deep Linking?→

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Can I use Dub for mobile app deep linking?

Dub can shorten links, but it doesn't have native support for deferred deep linking or install attribution. If you need the app to open to a specific screen, you'd need to build custom logic. Redirectly handles this out of the box.

Does Redirectly shorten links like Dub?

Redirectly creates deep links that are functional URLs. They're not as short as Dub links (which use short domains), but they're readable and packed with context. For purely cosmetic link shortening, Dub is better. For app deep linking, Redirectly is necessary.

Should I use both Dub and Redirectly?

You could. Use Dub for web marketing links (blog posts, Twitter), and Redirectly for app campaigns. But many teams find Redirectly's deep links sufficient for both web and app contexts.

Does Dub have deferred deep linking?

Not natively. Dub is primarily a web link shortener. It can redirect to an app store, but it won't preserve context when the app installs for the first time. Redirectly is designed specifically for this use case.

Is Redirectly more expensive than Dub?

Dub has free and paid tiers focused on link shortening. Redirectly has free and paid tiers focused on app deep linking. Pricing depends on your use case. For app deep linking, Redirectly is a necessity; Dub can't replace it.

Redirectly vs Dub