Custom link domains explained
Custom link domains for deep links: why your own domain matters, how it connects to Universal Links and App Links, which plans include it and how to set one up.
A custom link domain puts your deep links on a domain you own, such as go.yourbrand.com, instead of the vendor's. It makes links look trustworthy and, more importantly, lets you move them to another provider later. Each platform hosts the Universal Links and App Links files for it once you point the domain at them.
What is a custom link domain?
A custom link domain is a domain or subdomain you own, such as go.yourbrand.com, that a deep linking platform serves your links from, in place of its own shared domain.
Branded link: a short link on your own domain rather than a vendor's. Linkrunner's glossary entry on the branded link gives the one-line version.
Why does your own link domain matter?
- Portability: this is the big one. Firebase Dynamic Links users on Google's page.link domain lost every link when the service shut down on 25 August 2025. Links on a domain you own can be repointed to a new provider.
- Trust: people and spam filters are more likely to tap go.yourbrand.com than an unknown short domain.
- Control: you decide the paths, and you can keep the domain if the vendor changes its plans.
How does a custom domain connect to Universal Links and App Links?
The operating system decides whether a link opens your app by checking files hosted on the link's domain:
- iOS: an apple-app-site-association file at /.well-known/ on the domain, listing your app ID and paths.
- Android: an assetlinks.json file at /.well-known/, listing your package name and signing certificate fingerprint.
When you point a subdomain at a deep linking platform (usually with a DNS record), the platform serves those files for you. Your app must also list the domain in its associated domains (iOS) and intent filters (Android), so a new domain usually means a new app release.
Deep Link Doctor's guide to the apple-app-site-association file covers the iOS file in detail.
Which plans include a custom link domain?
From each platform's own pages, read on 2 Nov 2026:
| Platform | Custom link domain |
|---|---|
| Linkrunner | Branded short links on custom domains (free plan) |
| Airbridge | Custom domains in Core (from $40 a month) |
| AppsFlyer | Branded domains on the Advanced deep linking tier |
| Adjust | Own domain on TrueLink Core Standard or Enterprise packages |
| Bitly | Custom branded links from Growth |
| Dub | 3 custom domains on Free |
| OneLink.to | 1 on Team Plus, 3 on Enterprise |
| Short.io | 5 custom domains on Free |
| URLgenius | One branded domain for $49 on Growth |
Branch, Kochava and Singular document custom or branded link domains without saying which plan includes them. The comparison table has sources for every cell.
How do you set one up?
- Pick a subdomain you don't use for anything else, such as go., link. or open.
- Add the DNS record the platform gives you, usually a CNAME or A record.
- Wait for the certificate: most platforms issue HTTPS for you.
- Add the domain to the app: associated domains on iOS, intent filters on Android, then release.
- Test installed, not-installed and desktop paths, plus in-app browsers.
Do this before you print anything. QR codes on packaging live for years, and the domain inside them is hard to change.
What should you watch out for?
- One domain per app setup: some platforms ask you to use the same branded domain across every platform of an app; Adjust's help centre says so for its Enterprise domain.
- Changing it later: Adjust notes an Enterprise domain cannot be changed once saved.
- Vendor domains still exist: some platforms keep their own domain alongside yours; Branch's docs require its alternate app.link domain in your associated domains as well.
- Root domains: use a subdomain rather than your main website domain, so link routing never interferes with the site.
Linkrunner, Short.io and Dub include a custom domain on their free plans, so it costs nothing to start on your own domain. The choosing guide explains how this fits with the other four decisions.
Questions
Do I need a custom domain for Universal Links?
You need a domain whose association files list your app. A vendor's shared domain can do that for you, but your own domain is what lets you move providers without breaking links.
Can I use my main website domain for deep links?
It is possible, but a dedicated subdomain such as go.yourbrand.com is safer, because the link platform can host the association files without touching your website.
What happens to links on a vendor's domain if I switch?
They stay with the vendor. When you leave, you have to recreate them on your new provider and update every place they were shared or printed.
Which free plans include a custom link domain?
Linkrunner (branded short links on custom domains, every feature on the free plan), Short.io (5 custom domains) and Dub (3 custom domains) include one free; Dub and Short.io put app deep links on paid plans.
What is a deep linking tool?
A deep linking tool creates links that open a specific screen inside a mobile app instead of the home screen or a web page. Good tools also handle users without the app, sending them to the store and then to the right screen after install.
What is deferred deep linking?
Deferred deep linking keeps the link's destination through an app install. A user who taps a link without the app goes to the store, installs, opens the app and still lands on the screen the link promised.
More guides
- GuideHow to choose a deep linking toolHow to choose a deep linking tool: the five questions that decide it, what to test before signing, and when an MMP with links beats a standalone link tool.
- GuideDeferred vs direct deep linksDeferred vs direct deep links: how each works on iOS and Android, why deferred links need a platform, how tools match installs, and which campaigns need which.