AppsFlyer’s Free Plan Just Shrank: What Moved to Paid, and What Your Options Are
As of August 13, 2026, deferred deep linking, branded domains, Smart Banners, bulk links, and API access sit outside AppsFlyer’s free Zero plan. Here is exactly what changed, what it costs to replace, and a migration path that takes an afternoon.
What happened
AppsFlyer restructured its deep-linking pricing, effective August 13, 2026. The free Zero plan keeps short links, QR codes, and basic click reporting. According to AppsFlyer’s published deep-linking pricing page, everything teams actually built workflows on has moved up: deferred deep linking now requires the Standard tier, Smart Banners, bulk link creation, and branded domains require Advanced, and OneLink API access is Premium only. All three paid tiers are listed as custom pricing, which in practice means a sales conversation before you know the number.
If you picked OneLink’s free tier after Firebase Dynamic Links shut down last August, this is the second time in a year the ground moved. This post is the map: what changed, what each piece costs to replace elsewhere, and how to migrate a link portfolio in about fifteen minutes of actual work.
The Zero plan, before and after
- Short links
- QR codes
- Basic click reporting
- Web-to-app routing
- Deferred deep linkingStandard
- Branded domainsAdvanced
- Smart BannersAdvanced
- Bulk link creationAdvanced
- OneLink API accessPremium
Who actually feels this
If your links are a handful of bio links and QR codes, Zero still covers you and there is no fire to put out. The teams affected are the ones that treated OneLink’s free tier as infrastructure: a branded domain in printed materials, deferred deep linking in the onboarding flow, a script creating links through the API. Those workflows now carry an unbudgeted line item with an unknown price.
The honest framing is not that free is gone — it is that the free tier went back to being a demo. That is AppsFlyer’s right; their core business is enterprise measurement. But it changes the calculation for small teams who only ever needed the link layer.
What the same capabilities cost on Appy
Appy is a smart-link platform, not a measurement suite, which is exactly why its pricing is boring: two flat self-serve tiers, published on the pricing page, no sales call. Here is the feature-by-feature picture as of August 2026.
| Capability | Appy | AppsFlyer |
|---|---|---|
| Short links + dynamic QR codes | Free (4 links) · unlimited redirects on every plan | Free (Zero) |
| Device routing to App Store, Google Play, and Huawei AppGallery | Every plan, including Free | Store routing available; AppGallery not a first-class target |
| Custom slugs / branded link paths | Pro — $9.99/mo flat | Branded domains: Advanced, custom pricing |
| Deep links into app screens | Pro — $9.99/mo flat | Standard, custom pricing |
| Bulk management, data export, parameter forwarding | Business — $39.99/mo flat (500 links) | Advanced and above, custom pricing |
| REST API for link automation | Public REST API with account-scoped keys | Premium only, custom pricing |
| Deferred deep linking | Enterprise — contact sales | Standard and above, custom pricing |
Both columns reflect published pricing pages as of August 13, 2026. Plans change — check both pages before deciding. Appy’s deferred deep linking is an Enterprise feature; if that specific capability is your core need on a small budget, evaluate carefully on both sides.
The fifteen-minute migration
The work is small because a link migration is mostly an inventory problem, not an engineering problem. Budget fifteen minutes of doing and a coffee’s worth of testing.
Inventory your OneLink URLs
Export or list every live OneLink: bios, ad destinations, email templates, printed QR codes. The printed ones matter most — they are the hardest to change later and the reason to move to links you control.
Recreate each link in Appy
One link per campaign, with App Store, Google Play, AppGallery, and web fallback destinations. On Pro, keep your slug naming; the QR codes regenerate automatically from each link.
Carry your UTM discipline over
Whatever utm_source and utm_campaign values your reporting expects, append them to the new links so downstream analytics does not notice the swap.
Swap the surfaces you control today
Bios, ad platform destination URLs, email templates, website buttons. This is find-and-replace work; the link count from step one is your checklist.
Test the device matrix before you call it done
One tap each on an iPhone, a Google-services Android, and a Huawei device, plus a desktop click. Confirm the store opens, the fallback works, and the parameters arrive.
Frequently asked questions
Do my existing OneLink URLs stop working?
No — this is a pricing change, not a shutdown. Links on the Zero plan keep resolving. The risk is functional: capabilities your workflow depends on, like deferred routing or API automation, now sit behind paid tiers.
Can I migrate printed QR codes?
A printed QR encoding a OneLink URL cannot be repointed by anyone but AppsFlyer. That is the argument for printing QR codes that encode a link you can re-target: on Appy, the QR encodes your link and the destination stays editable after printing.
Is Appy really flat-priced?
Yes: Free, Pro at $9.99 per month, and Business at $39.99 per month, published on the pricing page with annual discounts. Redirects are unlimited on every plan, including Free.
What about my historical OneLink analytics?
Export them from AppsFlyer while you have access. Appy analytics start counting from your first redirected click; history does not transfer between platforms — a lesson the Firebase Dynamic Links shutdown taught the hard way.
Continue exploring
Branch.io vs AppsFlyer OneLink vs Appy: 2025 Deep Linking Comparison
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Parameter Forwarding for Deep Links, Universal Links, App Stores, and Web
Learn how to preserve campaign and context parameters across app opens, app-store redirects, Universal Links, and web fallbacks without overwriting destination values.
Deferred Deep Linking: How It Works and When to Use It
Understand how deferred deep linking carries the original link intent across install so new users land on the right in-app screen, not a generic home tab.
Looking for something else? Browse all topics on the blog.
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