Can I change where a short link points after I've sent it?

Yes. Edit the destination in the toui.io dashboard; texts already sent are unaffected — the same short link redirects to the new destination.

Why does HTTPS matter for short links?

Modern messaging clients, browsers, and link scanners distrust plain-HTTP links. toui.io provisions HTTPS automatically via Cloudflare for SaaS.

How long can an SMS actually be?

160 characters per segment in GSM-7 encoding; 70 if the message uses emoji or non-Latin characters (UCS-2). Longer messages split into billed segments.

Do I need to be technical to set this up?

One CNAME DNS record. If your domain is on Cloudflare it is about five minutes; other registrars may need 1–24h for DNS to propagate.

Can I manage more than one custom domain?

One custom domain per team for now.

Can I use my Typeform / Google Forms / Calendly links?

Put them behind your own short link and redirect — you get a clean, branded link in the text and full freedom to change the destination later.

The links in your SMS campaigns work better when you own them

Your own short domain is built into toui.io Pro — one subscription, no add-ons.
Five minutes to set up, ready to use from your dashboard.

Try toui.io Pro See how it works ↓

How your team probably sends SMS

Say your company runs events — a webinar or two a month. The week before, you text 200–300 registrants: venue, time, parking, a pre-event survey. You send through your SMS provider, tag the links with UTM parameters, and collect responses in a separate tool like Typeform or Google Forms.

Three things get in your way — and those three things are exactly why a short link on your own domain stops being a nice-to-have.

Three things that get in your way

An SMS doesn't hold much

A single SMS segment is 160 characters in standard GSM-7 encoding — and only 70 once a message uses emoji or non-Latin characters (UCS-2). Go over, and the message splits into multiple segments, each billed separately. A full campaign link with UTM tags easily runs 80–100 characters on its own:

https://yourcompany.com/event/spring?utm_source=sms&utm_campaign=spring-event&utm_medium=notification

So a short link isn't cosmetic — it's whether your actual message fits.

Campaign details change after you hit send

Venue moves, time shifts, the survey URL gets replaced. The text is already delivered — the only thing you can still change is where the short link points.

Some shared shorteners let you edit the destination on paid tiers, but managing that across many links gets unwieldy. A short link on your own domain means you edit the destination in your dashboard, and recipients never get a second "correction" text.

A stranger's domain costs you trust

A recipient who sees go.yourcompany.com/spring knows where it goes. A recipient who sees an unfamiliar shortener domain has to decide whether to trust it.

Messaging clients, spam filters, and link scanners increasingly weigh the reputation of the sending domain — a domain you own and use consistently builds that reputation over time, while a shared domain pools yours with everyone else's.

What "your own short domain" actually means

It's not renting a vendor's ready-made branded domain. It's using a domain your company already owns to run a subdomain dedicated to short links — something like go.yourcompany.com, link.yourcompany.com, or m.yourcompany.com.

You need three things: (a) a domain your company already owns, (b) one CNAME DNS record, and (c) a short-link service that can run on that domain.

The ways to get one

Self-host an open-source shortener

Full control

Who it fits: Teams with IT capacity
Friction: Engineering + maintenance cost

Subscribe to a service with custom domains

Self-serve

Who it fits: SMBs whose marketers run it
Friction: Depends on the pricing model — some unbundle HTTPS / custom domains as paid add-ons

Subscribe to a ready-made branded domain

Fastest start

Who it fits: No company domain yet
Friction: The domain belongs to the vendor — harder to move later

You'll go compare on your own from here — that's the point: the full picture, and trust in your judgement.

Where toui.io fits

toui.io is the second kind: a subscription that includes custom domains. Pro covers custom-domain setup (with HTTPS), the open API, 50,000 clicks/month, bulk upload, and a bilingual interface — one price, nothing unbundled.

Try toui.io Pro See the 5-minute setup

FAQ

Can I change where a short link points after I've sent it?: Yes. Edit the destination in the toui.io dashboard; texts already sent are unaffected — the same short link redirects to the new destination.
Why does HTTPS matter for short links?: Modern messaging clients, browsers, and link scanners distrust plain-HTTP links. toui.io provisions HTTPS automatically via Cloudflare for SaaS.
How long can an SMS actually be?: 160 characters per segment in GSM-7 encoding; 70 if the message uses emoji or non-Latin characters (UCS-2). Longer messages split into billed segments.
Do I need to be technical to set this up?: One CNAME DNS record. If your domain is on Cloudflare it is about five minutes; other registrars may need 1–24h for DNS to propagate.
Can I manage more than one custom domain?: One custom domain per team for now.
Can I use my Typeform / Google Forms / Calendly links?: Put them behind your own short link and redirect — you get a clean, branded link in the text and full freedom to change the destination later.