I am a solo founder, and I just shipped BLNQ: a link shortener and branded QR generator with a proper REST API. Full disclosure up front, this is my own product.
Right now every new signup gets 30 days of Pro free, so you can build against the full write API and custom domains with no card.
Why I built it
Most shorteners either ship no API, gate it behind a $30+/mo plan, or fund their "free analytics" by tracking your audience with cookies and pixels. I wanted the opposite.
What you get as a dev
