"The URL shortener market is saturated."
I’ve heard this a hundred times. Bitly, TinyURL, Rebrandly, Short.io... why would anyone build another one?
Here’s why I’m building jo4.io anyway.
The Market Reality
Yes, Bitly exists. They’re also:
- Expensive - Premium pricing for basic features, enterprise tiers cost 10x+ more
- Enterprise-focused - Overkill for creators and small businesses
- Slow to innovate - Same features for years
There’s a massive gap between "free tier with ads" and "enterprise pricing."
My Target Customer
Not enterprises. Not marketing agencies with huge budgets.
Creators and small businesses who:
- Share links on social media daily
- Want to know what’s working
- Don’t want to pay Bitly prices
- Need a …
"The URL shortener market is saturated."
I’ve heard this a hundred times. Bitly, TinyURL, Rebrandly, Short.io... why would anyone build another one?
Here’s why I’m building jo4.io anyway.
The Market Reality
Yes, Bitly exists. They’re also:
- Expensive - Premium pricing for basic features, enterprise tiers cost 10x+ more
- Enterprise-focused - Overkill for creators and small businesses
- Slow to innovate - Same features for years
There’s a massive gap between "free tier with ads" and "enterprise pricing."
My Target Customer
Not enterprises. Not marketing agencies with huge budgets.
Creators and small businesses who:
- Share links on social media daily
- Want to know what’s working
- Don’t want to pay Bitly prices
- Need a simple API for automation
Think: YouTubers, newsletter writers, indie hackers, small e-commerce stores.
The Differentiators
1. Generous Free Tier
Most of my users will never pay. That’s fine. They’ll tell others.
2. Simple, Fast Analytics
Click counts, referrers, geo data. No 47-tab analytics dashboard.
3. Developer-First API
Create links programmatically. Every feature available via API.
4. Fair Pricing
Pro and Enterprise tiers priced at ~50-60% less than major competitors.
5. Bio Links (Link-in-Bio)
Everyone has an Instagram/TikTok bio. One link to rule them all.
The Business Model
Freemium + Usage-Based:
- Free: 30 links/month, 1 month analytics retention, 1 API key
- Pro: 500 links/month, 6 months analytics, 5 custom domains, 10 API keys
- Enterprise: Unlimited everything, 12 months analytics, team features
Target: A few hundred Pro + a handful of Enterprise customers for sustainable MRR.
Is that life-changing money? No. Is it a solid indie business? Yes.
Why It’s Not Crazy
Low CAC - SEO + content marketing. People search "URL shortener" constantly. 1.
Sticky product - Once your links are created, you don’t switch. Migration is painful. 1.
Recurring revenue - Monthly subscriptions, not one-time purchases. 1.
Low support burden - It’s a simple product. Not much can go wrong. 1.
API = B2B potential - Developers integrate it, then their company needs the paid tier.
Current Status
- MVP live at jo4.io
- ~200 links created (mostly me testing lol)
- Pre-revenue (just launched)
- Running lean infrastructure
Next: Content marketing, ProductHunt launch, reaching out to creators.
The Honest Truth
Will this become a million-dollar business? Probably not.
Will it become a sustainable side income that could grow into something bigger? That’s the bet.
The URL shortener market isn’t "saturated" - it’s "dominated by expensive incumbents with room for alternatives."
Am I delusional? What am I missing? Genuine feedback welcome.
Building in public at jo4.io