Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

URLify VS Zero Width Shortener

Compare URLify VS Zero Width Shortener and see what are their differences

URLify logo URLify

Turn your URL's into suspicious looking links

Zero Width Shortener logo Zero Width Shortener

Shorten URLs with zero-width characters
  • URLify Landing page
    Landing page //
    2019-07-03
  • Zero Width Shortener Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-29

URLify features and specs

  • Simplified Sharing
    URLify allows users to generate short URLs, making it easy to share links in messages, posts, and documents without dealing with long and unwieldy URLs.
  • Improved Aesthetics
    By shortening URLs, URLify can help make content look cleaner and more professional, which can be beneficial for branding and presentation purposes.
  • Tracking and Analytics
    URLify provides tools to track the number of clicks and gathers analytics, which can be useful for marketing strategies and understanding user engagement.

Possible disadvantages of URLify

  • Reliance on Third-party Service
    Using URLify means depending on an external service for link management. If the service is unavailable or goes down, access to the links could be compromised.
  • Potential Security Concerns
    As with any URL shortening service, users may encounter phishing scams or malicious content hidden behind the shortened link, raising security concerns.
  • Loss of Original Context
    Shortened URLs do not accurately reflect the original web address, which can sometimes lead to trust issues or reluctance to click on the link.

Zero Width Shortener features and specs

  • Privacy
    The use of zero-width characters makes URLs harder to detect and trace, enhancing privacy.
  • Customization
    Users can embed zero-width characters into URLs, providing a way to customize links without affecting their appearance.
  • Data Concealment
    Zero-width characters can hide information within URLs, making it useful for specific security or data obfuscation applications.
  • No Visual Impact
    The zero-width characters do not alter the visual appearance of the URL, maintaining visual consistency.

Possible disadvantages of Zero Width Shortener

  • Compatibility Issues
    Some platforms and applications might not recognize zero-width characters properly, potentially leading to broken links.
  • Security Risk
    The hidden nature of zero-width characters can be exploited for malicious purposes, such as hiding phishing links or malware.
  • Debugging Difficulty
    Identifying problems with URLs containing zero-width characters can be challenging, complicating debugging efforts.
  • Misuse Potential
    Because zero-width characters can be invisible, there’s a risk they could be misused for sneaky or unethical purposes.

Analysis of Zero Width Shortener

Overall verdict

  • Zero Width Shortener can be considered 'good' for users seeking to create novel, discreet, or filtered URLs. However, it may not be suitable for all situations, especially if transparency is a priority or if there are concerns about the URL's legitimacy from the recipients' perspective.

Why this product is good

  • Zero Width Shortener (zws.im) is a tool that allows users to create short URLs that contain zero-width characters. This provides a unique way to conceal the URL's destination, making it less obvious at first glance. Such URLs can be useful for novelty purposes, sharing links with a touch of mystery, or bypassing certain filters that scrutinize URLs based on visible text.

Recommended for

  • Tech enthusiasts interested in innovative URL solutions
  • Users looking to share links in a novel way
  • Individuals trying to bypass simple URL filters

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to URLify and Zero Width Shortener)
Link Management
27 27%
73% 73
URL Shortener
25 25%
75% 75
Branded URLs
31 31%
69% 69
Social Media Tools
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Zero Width Shortener seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 2 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

URLify mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of URLify yet. Tracking of URLify recommendations started around Mar 2021.

Zero Width Shortener mentions (2)

  • TikTok tells staff impacted by wildfires to use sick hours if they can't work
    > Google used to watermark internal emails using non-visible Unicode. It would catch people copy-pasting things to the press. How does that even work? I assume the unique identifiers are generated along the lines of https://zws.im but do they send a different version of the same email to each unique recipient? Or does the watermark get inserted by some email client when copying text? - Source: Hacker News / 5 months ago
  • Oda gets sent an IP grabber 1 hour before Runescape DMM tourney
    It works for link shorteners like https://zws.im/ so it will work for ip grabbers too. I don't think I've seen one like that though. Source: almost 3 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing URLify and Zero Width Shortener, you can also consider the following products

PixelMe - URL shortener for savvy marketers

Polr - An open source URL shortener. A great non-profit and free alternative to bit.ly, TinyURL, or goo.gl.

Short.io - Short.io makes short links (vanity urls) on your own domain. Free signup, analytics and API. Chrome, slack, zapier and segment integrations.

YOURLS - YOURLS is a website that contains all the tools you need to create and launch your very own URL shortener. URL shorteners like bitly or TinyURL are fine for public use, but they offer limited options in terms of URL customization.

Cutt.ly - Free custom URL Shortener and branded URLs with advanced links tracking and Link Management Platform & API.

Bitly - Get the most out of your social and online marketing efforts. Own, understand and activate your best audience through the power of the link with Bitly Enterprise.

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