A short URL is never just a redirect—it is the very first impression your audience gets before they click.
When you share a random string of characters like plung.co/x7kQ9p, your users have to guess where it leads. But when you share plung.co/launch-2026, plung.co/my-portfolio, or plung.co/newsletter, you establish instant credibility, context, and trust.
Today, we are thrilled to announce a major upgrade to our developer platform: Custom link aliases are now officially unlocked for all developers on the Free tier.
What Changed: The Power of Programmatic Aliases on Free
Previously, programmatic custom aliases via our REST API were reserved exclusively for paid subscriptions. While visitors to our homepage form could test out custom aliases, developers integrating Plung into CLI tools, Discord bots, static sites, or GitHub Actions workflows were asked to upgrade.
We realized that did not align with our developer-first ethos. Great side projects and indie apps should not have to settle for unbranded, random strings simply because they are in the building phase.
Starting today:
- Every registered developer on the Free plan can now specify a custom
aliasin their API requests. - No credit card required. Just generate an API key and start shipping branded links instantly.
- 6+ Character Minimum: Free developers unlock custom aliases starting at just 6 characters (e.g.
plung.co/summer,plung.co/signup).
The New Namespace Progression
Short links are finite namespace real estate. To prevent aggressive keyword squatting on ultra-short dictionary words while giving everyone the flexibility they need, we have established a clear, transparent tier progression:
| Tier | Custom Aliases | Minimum Length | Example Slugs |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| Public Anonymous | Included | 7 characters | plung.co/project-demo |
| Free Developer | Included | 6 characters | plung.co/launch, plung.co/my-link |
| Hobby Plan | Included | 4 characters | plung.co/shop, plung.co/blog, plung.co/vote |
| Indie & Pro Plans | Included | 3 characters | plung.co/dev, plung.co/app, plung.co/api |
Signing up for a free developer account immediately gives you access to a shorter character minimum (6 characters instead of 7), real-time click analytics, QR code generation, link persistence, and our high-performance REST API.
How to Use It with API v2
Using custom aliases in your applications is effortless. Simply pass the alias field in your POST /v2/shorten request body:
curl -X POST https://api.plung.co/v2/shorten \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
-d '{
"url": "https://github.com/my-org/open-source-project",
"alias": "awesome-oss"
}'
Response
{
"shortUrl": "plung.co/awesome-oss",
"shortCode": "awesome-oss",
"url": "https://github.com/my-org/open-source-project",
"alias": "awesome-oss",
"createdAt": "2026-10-13T10:30:00.000Z"
}
If the alias is already claimed or contains reserved brand keywords, the API returns a descriptive error message with HTTP 400 Bad Request, allowing your application to handle fallback naming seamlessly.
Safe, Protected, and Reliable
Opening custom aliases to the Free tier does not mean compromising on safety. Every alias requested—whether submitted via our web form or through an automated API token—is continuously vetted by:
- Reserved Brand Protection: Automatic blocking of trademarked brands, banking names, and deceptive phishing variations.
- Multi-Engine Threat Scanning: Google Web Risk, VirusTotal, and URLhaus background scans verifying destination endpoints in real-time.
- Adaptive Lifecycle sweeps: Continuous temporal health checks ensuring your branded redirects stay clean and trustworthy over time.
Start Building Today
The updated alias policy is live right now across all Plung environments.
Log in to your Developer Console, create a new API key, and start creating recognizable, branded short links for your next project. We can't wait to see what you build!
Written by
Plung Team