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Link shortener

Live, free

One paste. One short link. Nothing in the way.

Paste any long URL and get a clean zou.sh link, already copied to your clipboard. No account, no ads, no captcha, and the link never expires.

Free, no sign-up. Works over Tor and VPNs.

How it works

How the link shortener works

  1. 1

    Optional: pick an ending

    Want zou.sh/meetup instead of a random code? Open the custom ending option and type it before you paste. Otherwise, skip this step.

  2. 2

    Paste the long URL

    Paste into the empty field and the link is shortened at once. There is no button to press and no form to fill in.

  3. 3

    Share it anywhere

    The short link is already on your clipboard. Use the QR button for a print-ready code, or New to shorten another link.

Why it helps

What comes with every short link

No plan to pick and no settings to learn. The same rules apply on the website, in the API and through the MCP server.

  • Codes that are hard to misread

    Random codes use 5 characters from an alphabet that leaves out look-alikes such as 0, O, 1, l and I. Letter case is ignored on lookup.

  • Same URL, same link

    Shorten a URL that already has a link, without a custom ending, and you get that link back instead of a duplicate. Retries from scripts stay harmless.

  • No end date

    Links have no expiry and no inactivity timeout, and there is nothing to renew. Only an owner with an account (early access) can set an expiry.

  • No ads, no captchas

    Visitors go straight to the destination, with no interstitial page. There is no captcha or bot wall in front of the site, even over Tor or a VPN.

  • A standard 302 redirect

    Every zou.sh link answers with an HTTP 302. Browsers don’t cache it by default, so each visit passes through zou.sh and can be counted.

  • Web, API and MCP alike

    Shorten on blinkhop.com, with one POST to the REST API, or by asking Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor through MCP. Same rules, same links.

Under the hood

What happens when you paste a link

Blinkhop checks that the destination is a public web address and that its domain isn’t on the phishing and malware blocklist. If the same URL already has a link, you get that link back; if not, a new code is created.

  • Codes: 5 characters, no look-alike letters or digits
  • Case-insensitive: zou.sh/7kp2x opens zou.sh/7Kp2x
  • A QR code for every link: add /qr to it
  • A preview page for every link: add + to it
  • Refused: embedded credentials, private addresses, zou.sh links

For apps and agents

The same shortener, from code or chat

Developers call the REST API without a key, and AI assistants connect to the remote MCP server with one URL. Both create the same zou.sh links as the website.

  • API: POST /links with a url field, as JSON or a form
  • Add ?format=text to get only the short URL back
  • HTTP 201 for a new link, 200 for an existing one
  • MCP server: https://mcp.blinkhop.com/mcp
  • Free limits: 20 new links per minute, 300 per day per IP
Read the quickstart

terminal

curl -s "https://api.blinkhop.com/v1/links?format=text" \
  --data-urlencode "url=https://example.com/events/2026/meetup"

201 Created response 

https://zou.sh/7Kp2x

Availability

Free today. More with an account.

Everything in the first column works right now, with no account. The second comes with accounts, now in early access.

Live Today, free, no account

  • Shorten any public URL on the web, through the API or over MCP
  • Random 5-character codes or a custom ending
  • A QR code and a + preview page for every link
  • Links that never expire, with no account
  • 20 new links per minute and 300 per day per IP address
Shorten a link

Early access With an account

  • Edit where a link points after you share it
  • Expiry dates and click limits
  • An analytics dashboard for your links
  • An API key with higher limits
Join early access

FAQ

Questions, answered.

Visit the help center
Is this link shortener really free?

Yes. The website, the API and the MCP server are free to use without an account, within 20 new links per minute and 300 per day per IP address. Paid plans, in early access, add extras such as branded domains.

Do zou.sh short links expire?

No. A link never expires unless its owner sets an expiry date, which takes an account (early access). Do short links expire? covers the edge cases, such as links disabled for abuse.

Why did I get the same short link twice?

Shortening a URL that already has a link returns that link instead of a duplicate. If you need a second link to the same page, give it a custom ending.

Does a zou.sh link use a 301 or a 302 redirect?

A 302. Browsers don’t cache it by default, so every visit goes through zou.sh, where it can be counted, and a destination edited by its owner (early access) applies from the next click.

Can I shorten links over Tor or a VPN?

Yes. No captcha or bot wall stands in front of the website, the API, the MCP server or redirects. Limits are counted per IP address, so a busy shared exit can reach them sooner.

Can I shorten links from code or an AI assistant?

Yes. Send a POST request to https://api.blinkhop.com/v1/links, no key needed, or connect your assistant to https://mcp.blinkhop.com/mcp. The quickstart has a first request ready to copy.

Related

Your next short link is one paste away.

No sign-up, no ads and no captcha. Paste a URL and share the zou.sh link.