Ow.ly Link Shortener: What Happened to Hootsuite's Shortener (and What to Use Instead)

If you used Hootsuite for social media management, you probably remember Ow.ly — the built-in link shortener that automatically shortened URLs in your scheduled posts. Hootsuite retired Ow.ly, leaving many social media managers looking for alternatives.

In this guide, we'll cover what happened to Ow.ly, what Hootsuite offers now, and the best alternatives for shortening and tracking links in your social media workflow.

What Was Ow.ly?

Ow.ly was Hootsuite's proprietary link shortener, integrated directly into the Hootsuite dashboard. When you composed a post and added a URL, Hootsuite automatically shortened it to an ow.ly link.

Key features included:

• Automatic shortening when composing posts
• Basic click tracking within Hootsuite analytics
• Free for all Hootsuite users
• Bundled — no separate setup needed

Why Hootsuite Retired Ow.ly

Hootsuite deprecated Ow.ly as part of a broader product simplification. The reasons likely included:

• Maintenance costs of running a link shortening infrastructure
• Limited features compared to dedicated shorteners
• Platform support for native link tracking making Ow.ly redundant
• Focus shift toward analytics and content management features

Hootsuite now uses standard URLs or integrates with third-party shorteners.

What Hootsuite Offers Now

Hootsuite still provides some link management:

• Link tracking through UTM parameters
• Third-party integrations with shorteners like Bitly
• Analytics that track link clicks through Hootsuite's own measurement

However, the seamless one-click shortening of Ow.ly is gone. If you want short, branded links with detailed tracking, you need a dedicated tool.

Best Alternatives to Ow.ly

Linkly

Linkly is a full-featured link shortener built for marketers:

• Custom domains — use your own brand instead of a generic shortener domain
• Detailed analytics — clicks, geography, devices, referrers, and more
• UTM parameter management — auto-append tracking parameters
• Retargeting pixels — add Facebook, TikTok, and Google pixels to any link
• Link rotation — A/B test different landing pages
• QR codes — generate trackable QR codes for any link
• API access — automate link creation from your tools

Linkly works alongside any social media scheduler, not just Hootsuite.

Bitly

Bitly is the most well-known shortener. It integrates with Hootsuite directly. However, Bitly's free tier is limited, and custom domains require a paid plan. See our Bitly comparison for details.

Native Platform Links

Some social platforms now shorten links automatically (Twitter/X uses t.co, for example). However, you lose tracking control and can't use branded domains.

For a wider comparison of free, paid, and self-hosted options, see our roundup of the best link shorteners.

Setting Up Link Shortening for Social Media

Here's how to replace Ow.ly with a better workflow:

Step 1: Choose Your Short Domain

Set up a custom domain for your short links. Something like go.yourbrand.com or yourbrand.link.

Step 2: Create Links Before Scheduling

Instead of relying on auto-shortening in your scheduler:

1. 1
   Create your short link in Linkly
2. 2
   Add any UTM parameters or tracking pixels
3. 3
   Copy the short link
4. 4
   Paste it into Hootsuite (or any scheduler) when composing your post

Step 3: Track Performance

View click analytics in Linkly's dashboard to see:

• Which posts drive the most clicks
• What times get the most engagement
• Which platforms perform best
• Geographic breakdown of your audience

Why a Dedicated Shortener Beats Built-In Tools

The key advantage is platform independence. If you switch from Hootsuite to Buffer, Sprout Social, or any other tool, your links and analytics stay intact.

Integrating Linkly with Hootsuite

While there's no direct Hootsuite plugin, you can integrate Linkly with your social media workflow through:

• Linkly's API — automate link creation from any tool
• Zapier — connect Linkly to Hootsuite and hundreds of other apps
• Browser extension — quickly shorten links while browsing

Ow.ly FAQ

Is Ow.ly shut down?

Ow.ly no longer exists as a link shortening service. Hootsuite retired the shortener, so you can't create new ow.ly links — even inside Hootsuite, where shortening used to happen automatically when you composed a post.

Do old ow.ly links still work?

Existing ow.ly links have generally continued to redirect after the shortener was retired, but Hootsuite makes no ongoing commitment to them. That's the core risk of any bundled shortener: your links live or die with someone else's product decisions. A custom domain you own is the only way to keep permanent control of your short links.

Is ow.ly safe to click?

Ow.ly was a legitimate service operated by Hootsuite, but like any public link shortener, the short link itself tells you nothing about the destination. If you're unsure where an ow.ly (or any shortened) link leads, use a link expander or preview tool to inspect the destination URL before clicking.

What replaced Ow.ly in Hootsuite?

Hootsuite now relies on standard URLs, UTM-based tracking, and third-party shortener integrations rather than a built-in shortener. If you want branded short links with click analytics, you'll need a dedicated tool like Linkly or Bitly and paste the short link into your scheduler.

Conclusion

Ow.ly's retirement is actually an opportunity to upgrade your link management. A dedicated shortener gives you branded domains, detailed analytics, retargeting capabilities, and platform independence that Ow.ly never offered.

Ready to upgrade from Ow.ly? Get started with Linkly and get branded short links with comprehensive click tracking for all your social media campaigns.