Key takeaways
- OneLink is AppsFlyer's deep linking product: one link that routes users to the right in-app screen across iOS and Android, including deferred deep linking through install.
- OneLink lives inside the AppsFlyer SDK and dashboard. AppsFlyer offers it standalone, with a free Zero tier plus paid deep linking plans, but it is built as part of an attribution-first platform, so it can be more than teams that only need routing want to manage.
- If your need is routing and deferred deep linking rather than full attribution, a dedicated deep linking tool can cover the same routing without the surrounding attribution platform.
What is AppsFlyer OneLink?
OneLink is AppsFlyer's deep linking solution. It lets you create a single link that works across iOS and Android and automatically routes each user to the right destination based on their device and whether the app is installed. When the app is present, OneLink opens it to the correct screen. When it is not, OneLink handles deferred deep linking through the install.
In practice, OneLink combines standard deep linking with deferred deep linking in one link, using <a href="https://www.appsflyer.com/products/deep-linking/">Universal Links on iOS and App Links on Android</a>. Because it lives inside the AppsFlyer SDK, every click is also tied to attribution data in the same integration.
How OneLink deep linking works
OneLink relies on AppsFlyer's Unified Deep Linking, or UDL, API. When a user opens the app after clicking a OneLink URL, the SDK runs UDL, retrieves the link data from AppsFlyer's servers, and calls back the app's deep link handler with the routing parameters. Developers read those parameters to send the user to the right screen.
The key pieces, per <a href="https://dev.appsflyer.com/hc/docs/dl_android_unified_deep_linking">AppsFlyer's developer documentation</a>, are the onDeepLinking callback in a DeepLinkListener, and parameters such as deep_link_value and deep_link_sub1 through deep_link_sub10 that carry the destination. For new users, UDL returns only the deferred deep linking parameters, and a legacy method called OCDS (onConversionDataSuccess) exists for cases UDL does not cover, such as clicks outside the attribution lookback window.
What OneLink is good at
OneLink is strong when deep linking and attribution genuinely belong together. Because routing and measurement share one SDK, you can connect a click to an install to the in-app screen the user reached and the action they took next, which is exactly what a paid-acquisition team needs to optimize toward post-install events.
That unification is the selling point: a single integration that both routes users and measures the campaign that drove them. For teams already committed to AppsFlyer for attribution, OneLink is the natural way to handle links.
The trade-off: OneLink is built for attribution-first teams
AppsFlyer sells its Deep Linking Suite standalone, with a free Zero tier plus paid deep linking plans, so you can adopt OneLink without an attribution contract. But it is built inside an attribution-first platform: the routing lives in the AppsFlyer SDK and dashboard, and the capabilities most teams actually want from it, deferred deep linking, branded domains, and higher volumes, sit on paid deep linking tiers that use conversion-based pricing. If deep linking is your primary need, much of the surrounding measurement platform goes unused.
For a team whose job is to route users into the right screen and preserve campaign context through install, that surrounding platform is weight it may never use if attribution is not on the roadmap. The routing itself, Universal Links and App Links with deferred matching, is not unique to OneLink. What OneLink adds is the tight coupling to AppsFlyer attribution, which is valuable only if you want that attribution.
When a dedicated deep linking tool is the better fit
If you want OneLink's core behavior, one link, cross-platform routing, and deferred deep linking, without buying a full MMP, a dedicated platform is the cleaner path. Ulinkly delivers deep linking and deferred deep linking through native SDKs for iOS, Android, Flutter, and React Native, with custom domains and install attribution on paid plans (the free tier uses a shared.ly subdomain), and no enterprise contract.
Ulinkly is free for up to 10,000 monthly active users per project with unlimited link creation; deferred deep linking with install attribution is on paid plans, starting at 9 dollars per month. It also ships a native MCP server, so an AI coding agent like Claude Code or Cursor can create a project, set iOS and Android identifiers, add and verify a domain, and create links end to end. When you do need full attribution alongside your links, OneLink inside AppsFlyer is a sound choice.
Frequently asked questions
What is AppsFlyer OneLink used for?
OneLink is AppsFlyer's deep linking product. It creates a single link that routes users to the correct in-app screen across iOS and Android, handles deferred deep linking for users who install first, and ties each click to AppsFlyer attribution data in the same SDK.
Does OneLink support deferred deep linking?
Yes. OneLink handles deferred deep linking across iOS and Android. When a user clicks a link without the app installed, OneLink routes them through the app store and delivers them to the intended screen on first open, preserving the campaign context through the install.
Can I use OneLink without paying for AppsFlyer attribution?
Partly. AppsFlyer sells its Deep Linking Suite standalone, with no attribution or paid-media plan required, including a free Zero tier for basic short links, QR codes, and routing. But deferred deep linking, branded domains, and higher volumes move to paid deep linking plans, and OneLink still lives inside the AppsFlyer SDK and dashboard. If you only need routing, a dedicated platform can be simpler and cheaper.
What is a simpler alternative to OneLink?
A dedicated deep linking platform such as Ulinkly provides the same core routing, one link, cross-platform, through native SDKs, and is free up to 10,000 monthly active users with unlimited link creation. Deferred deep linking and attribution are on paid plans from 9 dollars per month. It suits teams that need routing rather than a full attribution suite.
Want OneLink's routing without the full platform?
Ulinkly does cross-platform deep linking with native SDKs, and deferred deep linking on paid plans. Start free for up to 10,000 monthly active users at ulink.ly/pricing.
Sources
- AppsFlyer OneLink deep linking: https://www.appsflyer.com/products/deep-linking/
- AppsFlyer Unified Deep Linking (Android) docs: https://dev.appsflyer.com/hc/docs/dl_android_unified_deep_linking
- AppsFlyer deferred deep linking glossary: https://www.appsflyer.com/glossary/deferred-deep-linking/