Discover New Features in GoTo.now's Free URL Shortening Plan
Published February 05, 2025 · GoTo.now Team
TL;DR - GoTo.now's free plan now covers what most services charge for: custom back-halves, real-time click stats that stay private to you, QR codes you can edit after printing, and a public link checker. No trial clocks, no expiring links, no credit card.
Key points
- Custom short links like
goto.now/your-thingare free with an account- Click stats update in real time and are visible only to you
- Every link comes with an editable QR code - Unlimited scans, no expiry
- The link checker previews any short URL before you open it
- Links never expire, so old posts and printed materials keep working
"Free plan" usually means "demo with a countdown." You get the good features for two weeks, then a paywall slides in front of the thing you were using. We built GoTo.now's free plan to be the opposite: the useful stuff, free, permanently.
Here's what's in it now, and why each piece matters.
Custom short links, no upcharge
A random link like goto.now/x7Kq2 works fine. But goto.now/spring-sale works better - People can read it, remember it, and even say it out loud. Readable links also get clicked more, because they show where they lead.
Custom back-halves come free with a free account. Type your link, type the ending you want, done. Use it for campaign names, event names, your podcast handle - Anything worth remembering. And if you want the front half branded too, connecting your own branded domain turns goto.now/menu into yourcafe.link/menu.
Click stats that update live - And stay private
Every link you create keeps score: total clicks, where they came from, which countries and cities, what devices, and when. The numbers update in real time, so you can watch a launch land as it happens.
One thing worth being clear about: your stats are private. They live in your dashboard and nobody else can see them - Not competitors, not the public, not anyone with the link. Some shorteners expose click counts to anyone who asks; here, the data belongs to the link owner, full stop.
What do you do with it? Real questions get real answers:
- Which of the three posts drove the signups?
- Did the email or the story get more taps?
- Is the audience on phones or laptops? (Design accordingly.)
- What time of day does your audience actually click?
Check any link's numbers in your dashboard whenever you like.
A QR code with every link - And it's editable
Every short link you make comes with a QR code, generated free in the QR code generator. You can recolor it, restyle it, and put your logo in the middle.
The part that surprises people: the code stays editable after you print it. The code points at your short link, and you can repoint that link anytime. Printed 2,000 flyers and the event venue changed? Update the destination in your dashboard and every flyer is instantly correct. Scans are unlimited and the code never stops working, because the link behind it never expires.
Check any short link before you trust it
Short links hide their destination - That's the point, but it's also why cautious people hesitate to click them. The link checker fixes that. Paste in any short URL and see exactly where it leads without visiting it.
It's public and free, so it protects both directions: you can vet links people send you, and your audience can vet links you send them. That transparency is rare among shorteners, and it makes GoTo.now links safer to share in places where trust matters - Community groups, customer emails, printed materials.
Links that never expire
This one's not flashy, but it might matter most. Every GoTo.now link - Free plan included - Works forever.
Plenty of services quietly expire links after months of inactivity, or when you stop paying. When that happens, every place the link ever appeared breaks at once:
| Where the link lives | What happens when it expires |
|---|---|
| Old blog posts and tweets | Dead ends for anyone who finds them |
| Video descriptions | Viewers hit an error page years later |
| Printed flyers and cards | Unfixable without reprinting |
| QR codes on packaging | Scans go nowhere |
A short link is a promise that a click will land somewhere. Expiry breaks that promise retroactively. We just don't do it.
Free keeps meaning free
Add it up: custom back-halves, live private stats, editable QR codes with unlimited scans, a public link checker, and links that outlive the campaign they were made for. That's not a teaser tier - It's a complete tool.
The best way to check whether the free plan fits you is to use it. Shorten one real link, watch its first clicks arrive in your dashboard, and print its QR code somewhere. Everything above works exactly the same on day one and day one thousand.
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