What Is OneLink? OneLink.to vs AppsFlyer OneLink

Short answer: if the link you saw starts with onelink.to, it is a download link from OneLink.to that sends you to the right app store for your phone. If it ends in onelink.me, it is an AppsFlyer OneLink: a deep link an app's marketing team uses to open a specific screen in their app and to measure which campaign the tap came from. If you are in the UK and saw Onelink at an online checkout or in an email about your account, that is Stripe's payment wallet, which used to be called Link.

"OneLink" is the name of three unrelated products. Two are link tools used by app teams; in the UK, the name also belongs to Stripe's payment wallet. Most people searching for it have just tapped, or are about to tap, one of these links and want to know what it is and whether it is safe. This guide answers both questions first, then covers what app teams should know before choosing either one.

Which OneLink do you mean?

OneLink.to: a Stockholm-based service, running since 2011, that turns one link or QR code into a smart download link: iPhone users go to the App Store, Android users go to Google Play. (onelink.to)

AppsFlyer OneLink: the deep linking technology inside AppsFlyer, a mobile measurement company. A single link decides the best way to route each user and carries attribution data about which campaign they came from. (AppsFlyer)

Onelink (Stripe's payment wallet, UK only): since 30 May 2026, Stripe's Link wallet, which stores your payment details so you can pay quickly at online checkouts, has been called Onelink in the United Kingdom. Stripe describes it as a name change only (Stripe). It has nothing to do with app links. If you were not expecting a message about a Onelink account, do not use the links in it; go to Onelink's own help centre instead.

The first two are a kind of smart link: one URL that behaves differently depending on the device that opens it.

Is a OneLink link safe?

Both onelink.to and onelink.me are legitimate domains run by real companies. That does not make every link on them safe, because any account holder can create one and point it anywhere. Judge the link by where it ends up, not by the domain it starts on.

How to check a OneLink before trusting it:

• Look at who sent it. A link from a brand's official email, website or social account is a normal marketing link. A link from an unknown number or a "you have won" message deserves suspicion whatever the domain.
• Read the subdomain. AppsFlyer links follow the pattern subdomain.onelink.me, where the subdomain is set by the app's marketing team (AppsFlyer developer docs). It usually matches the brand.
• Check where you land. A genuine download link ends on apps.apple.com or play.google.com, or opens the app you already have. If it lands on a login page, a payment form or a direct file download instead, close it.
• Never install an app file from a link. On Android, an official app comes from Google Play, not from a downloaded APK file.
• Preview before you tap. Long-press the link on your phone to see the full URL, or paste it into a URL expander.

What is onelink.me used for?

onelink.me is the domain AppsFlyer uses for OneLink links, so seeing it means the app you are about to open measures its marketing with AppsFlyer. App teams use these links to:

• Deep link into the app. Send users straight to a product, offer or piece of content rather than the home screen. This is deep linking.
• Keep context through an install. If the app is not installed, the user goes to the store first, and the link's parameters are restored on first open (AppsFlyer).
• Measure campaigns. Each link carries attribution data about the campaign a user came from, so the marketing team can see which ads and partners drive installs.
• Power QR codes. AppsFlyer generates QR codes from OneLink links to measure scans through to installs and in-app events (AppsFlyer QR-to-app).

What OneLink.to does and how it works

The rest of this guide is for app teams weighing up OneLink.to itself. The mechanics are simple:

1. You create a OneLink and paste in your App Store and Google Play URLs.
2. A user taps the link or scans its QR code.
3. OneLink.to detects the device and redirects to the right store. On the demo link, desktop visitors go to the brand's website.

onelink.to/yourapp
  iPhone   -> App Store
  Android  -> Google Play
  Desktop  -> your website

What you get, according to its pricing page:

• Free plan: 3 links, unlimited traffic, unlimited editing, device stats and 90 days of daily stats. No credit card required.
• Paid plans: from $10 a month (Professional) to $80 a month (Enterprise), adding more links, more users, country and referrer stats, and custom links.
• Deep linking on higher tiers: parameter forwarding and Android deferred deep linking from the Team plan ($25 a month); "Open in App" deep linking and a custom domain from Team Plus ($40 a month).
• UTM campaign stats from the Team plan upwards.

Where OneLink.to works well

OneLink.to does one job cleanly, and for many apps that job is enough:

• Organic distribution: email signatures, social bios, press releases and website footers where one link has to work for every phone.
• Print and packaging: QR codes on posters, menus and product boxes. Because destinations are editable, you can update a printed code later without reprinting it.
• No engineering time: there is no SDK to install for basic store routing.
• Low cost: the free plan covers a handful of links indefinitely.

Where it falls short for paid campaigns

OneLink.to is a routing tool, not a mobile measurement partner. Its statistics are click-side: device, redirect, country, referrer and UTM campaign. Its pricing page lists no install attribution, in-app event tracking or ad network integrations.

That matters the moment you spend money on ads:

• No install or revenue data. You can see that a link got 5k taps, but not how many became installs, sign-ups or purchases.
• Nothing to send back to ad networks. Meta and Google optimise on the conversion events they receive. A redirect never sees the install, so the campaign learns nothing.
• No iOS privacy framework support. Paid iOS installs are measured through Apple's SKAdNetwork and the newer AdAttributionKit. A redirect has no way to read either.
• Deep linking is partial and plan-gated. Deferred deep linking is listed for Android only, and "Open in App" needs Team Plus.
• Influencer and affiliate payouts rest on clicks. Clicks are easy to inflate and say nothing about the quality of users a partner brings.

Alternatives when you need attribution

If your links now sit inside paid campaigns, you need a platform that handles routing, deferred deep linking and attribution together. Our comparison of the best deep linking tools scores the main options side by side. In short:

• AppsFlyer OneLink: the same name, but a full deep linking and measurement product inside AppsFlyer's wider platform. Suits teams already on AppsFlyer.
• Linkrunner: an MMP where every link is dynamic and deferred by default, with attribution, SKAN support and postbacks to Meta, Google and TikTok in the same platform. Pricing is pay-as-you-go, from $0.010 down to $0.007 per attributed install, after 25k free installs (pricing).

The offline case is where the gap shows most clearly. abcoffee uses Linkrunner to follow every offline user from a QR code scan through to the app, something a click counter cannot do. Our guide to deep linking for QR codes walks through that set-up, and deferred deep links explained covers how context survives the install.

You do not have to drop OneLink.to entirely. Plenty of teams keep it for a bio link and move only paid traffic to an MMP. If you are planning the move, read when to migrate from OneLink.to (and how).

Frequently asked questions

What is OneLink used for?

It depends which one. OneLink.to sends people to the right app store from one link or QR code. AppsFlyer OneLink, on onelink.me, deep links users into an app and tells the marketing team which campaign they came from.

What is the Onelink email or checkout option I saw in the UK?

It is Stripe's payment wallet. Stripe renamed its Link wallet to Onelink in the United Kingdom from 30 May 2026, with no change to how it works. It is separate from both OneLink.to and AppsFlyer OneLink. If a message about it looks unexpected, check your account through Onelink's own help centre rather than the links in the message.

Is OneLink.to free?

Yes, for basic use. The free plan includes 3 links with unlimited traffic and editing. Paid plans start at $10 a month and add more links, users and statistics.

Can I use OneLink.to for Meta or Google ads?

You can put the link in an ad, but the ad network will not learn anything from it. OneLink.to lists no install tracking or conversion postbacks, so you cannot measure or optimise the campaign on outcomes.

Does onelink.me mean the link is from AppsFlyer?

Yes. onelink.me is the domain AppsFlyer uses for OneLink links, usually with the app's own subdomain in front. The link itself was created by the app's marketing team, not by AppsFlyer.

Can OneLink.to do deep linking?

Partly. Android deferred deep linking is available from the Team plan, and "Open in App" deep linking from Team Plus. For a fuller list of questions, see our OneLink.to FAQ hub.

The bottom line

If you tapped a OneLink, check where it lands and who sent it; the domain alone tells you which company built the link, not whether it is safe. If you are choosing a tool, OneLink.to is a sensible free option for organic download links, and an MMP is the step up once ads and influencers are involved.

To see attributed installs, deep links and ROAS in one place, request a demo from Linkrunner. Start with a simple check: list every link you currently pay to drive traffic to, and note which ones can tell you what happened after the tap.