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2. Naming your URLs
As a URL enterprise manager, one of the most underrated things that OSlash allows you and your team to do is to name your links using simple, everyday words - just the way you want. And that too, for free.
Naming links with OSlash is incredibly powerful. It transforms a messy string of characters into human-readable shortcuts that are far easier to recall and share. Every time you wish to access a page, you can in less than a second. That’s the power of memorable shortcuts.
When you create shortlinks using Bitly and Rebrandly, you still get a random string composed of letters, numerals, and special characters which is easier to share, but definitely not easier to recall. If you want to name your links as you like, you will have to shell out a premium to do so with traditional URL shorteners.
Naming links with OSlash is incredibly powerful. It transforms a messy string of characters into human-readable shortcuts that are far easier to recall and share. Every time you wish to access a page, you can in less than a second. That’s the power of memorable shortcuts.
When you create shortlinks using Bitly and Rebrandly, you still get a random string composed of letters, numerals, and special characters which is easier to share, but definitely not easier to recall. If you want to name your links as you like, you will have to shell out a premium to do so with traditional URL shorteners.
3. Branding or customizing your shortlinks
Shortlinks is a favorite area for companies to extend their branding to. Custom or branded shortlinks are a useful tool to differentiate a brand from its competitors and to enhance brand recall.
With OSlash, you get the option to customize both the domain as well as the URL, for free. So, you can update the destination link of a shortcut later, while keeping the name of the Shortcut unchanged.
While most link managers also offer custom domains and change of link destination, the former is usually restricted to the enterprise version.
With OSlash, you get the option to customize both the domain as well as the URL, for free. So, you can update the destination link of a shortcut later, while keeping the name of the Shortcut unchanged.
While most link managers also offer custom domains and change of link destination, the former is usually restricted to the enterprise version.
4. Creating memorable shortcuts to shared company resources
Teams work with shared resources. Every member of a workspace needs access to common information to work together. Instead of indulging in repetitive back and forth for links to such information, it helps to make it centrally accessible. This is especially valid for documents serving as a single source of truth for everyone in the workspace.
As a one-stop enterprise URL manager, OSlash is predominantly helpful for creating memorable and intuitively navigable shortcuts to such resources in order to keep everyone on the same page and strengthen workplace collaboration. OSlash is the only tool that helps you create an atlas or directory of links - of essentially all workplace information.
And, this is what differentiates OSlash from traditional URL shorteners like Bitly and Rebrandly, which do not offer extensive internal link management for companies. Other commonly used workplace URL managers include Golinks, Glean, and open source solutions such as Goat and Trot.to.
As a one-stop enterprise URL manager, OSlash is predominantly helpful for creating memorable and intuitively navigable shortcuts to such resources in order to keep everyone on the same page and strengthen workplace collaboration. OSlash is the only tool that helps you create an atlas or directory of links - of essentially all workplace information.
And, this is what differentiates OSlash from traditional URL shorteners like Bitly and Rebrandly, which do not offer extensive internal link management for companies. Other commonly used workplace URL managers include Golinks, Glean, and open source solutions such as Goat and Trot.to.
5. Creating a private or unlisted shortlink
Sometimes, you want to create and keep shortcuts for your eyes only. They may be links you want to bookmark for reference or articles you want to peruse at leisure. We know from experience that finding these pages later in a sea of saved links or bookmarks is challenging. The interface is tough to navigate, the search capabilities unintuitive.
But, with OSlash, it is easy to keep your links private as well as intuitively organized. While creating a Shortcut, all you have to do is toggle the private button on in the extension window. All your private shortcuts will be visible only to you and will be stored together in the collection o/my for easier navigability.
Example: You can create a daily/weekly/monthly to-do list in Notion and easily access it using the Shortcut o/my/to-do-list.
Some OSlash alternatives like Golinks and Glean also let you create private shortlinks.
We understand that you may not be happy nesting all your private shortcuts in a single o/my collection. If you wish, you can create multiple workspaces, say, one for yourself, one for your family, and one for "let's start something of our own" friends. Plus, you can switch between them seamlessly.
But, with OSlash, it is easy to keep your links private as well as intuitively organized. While creating a Shortcut, all you have to do is toggle the private button on in the extension window. All your private shortcuts will be visible only to you and will be stored together in the collection o/my for easier navigability.
Example: You can create a daily/weekly/monthly to-do list in Notion and easily access it using the Shortcut o/my/to-do-list.
Some OSlash alternatives like Golinks and Glean also let you create private shortlinks.
We understand that you may not be happy nesting all your private shortcuts in a single o/my collection. If you wish, you can create multiple workspaces, say, one for yourself, one for your family, and one for "let's start something of our own" friends. Plus, you can switch between them seamlessly.
6. Organizing your shortlinks into folders
You can easily structure and organize your shortcuts just the way you want - through OSlash collections. Collections help you group related shortcuts together into ‘folders’ as nested links and thus, to find them more quickly.
Example: The collection o/design can be a one-stop destination for all design links such as o/design/branding-guidelines, o/design/prototype, o/design/wireframes, o/design/UI etc.
Only one other OSlash alternative, Goat, offers similar functionalities using spaces and keyword groups to create nested links.
Example: The collection o/design can be a one-stop destination for all design links such as o/design/branding-guidelines, o/design/prototype, o/design/wireframes, o/design/UI etc.
Only one other OSlash alternative, Goat, offers similar functionalities using spaces and keyword groups to create nested links.
7. Custom sharing of shortlinks within the workspace
You also have the freedom to share OSlash shortcuts with select members of your organization rather than with everyone in your workspace. You can do so by creating a collection of such shortcuts and then giving the access to the collection only to these members. So the collection o/design or o/marketing-collaterals can be shared with the department members only.
Among our alternatives, while Golinks and Glean lack collections, they do offer you the ability to create unlisted shortlinks with strict permission enforcement. This means you can share even individual shortlinks with select teammates, rather than the whole organization.
Among our alternatives, while Golinks and Glean lack collections, they do offer you the ability to create unlisted shortlinks with strict permission enforcement. This means you can share even individual shortlinks with select teammates, rather than the whole organization.
8. Finding the right link in your workplace
Don’t remember a particular shortcut? Can’t recall the app you created it for? With universal search, OSlash helps you search across all your applications and folders (whether local or on the cloud) to fetch you what you need, instantly. If you want to search only among your OSlash shortcuts to locate the right ones, simply use the Omnibox search or the OSlash launcher to do so.
Golinks also offers their own Omnibox search, but does not come equipped with universal search, unlike Glean. On the other hand, open source solutions like Trot.to and Goat require you to manually search through the shortcut directory or app dashboard for the right shortlink.
Currently, none of the OSlash alternatives offer the speed and convenience of the launcher in navigating through your shortlinks.
Golinks also offers their own Omnibox search, but does not come equipped with universal search, unlike Glean. On the other hand, open source solutions like Trot.to and Goat require you to manually search through the shortcut directory or app dashboard for the right shortlink.
Currently, none of the OSlash alternatives offer the speed and convenience of the launcher in navigating through your shortlinks.
9. Inserting shortlinks automatically in text editors and other apps
We built OSlash autocomplete so you never have to insert a link in your text editors: Linear, Jira, or Gmail by copy-pasting. Autocomplete lets you insert links by directly typing the shortcut and saving you the hassle of hitting ctrl+C, ctrl+V, time and again.
Autocomplete is a feature one hundred percent unique to OSlash.
Autocomplete is a feature one hundred percent unique to OSlash.
10. Sorting and finding your shortlinks using tags
While OSlash collections offer tremendous convenience in sorting and finding your shortcuts, we came up with tags to further simplify categorizing them.
Tags allow you and your team to surface related shortcuts. For example, you could mark o/prd, o/roadmap, o/demo with the tag ‘Product’ and make it easier to find all Product shortcuts together. You can tag a shortcut with roles, departments, functions, app suites, or any other categorize you like.
Can we let you in on a secret? You’ll find tags (but not collections) if you opt for Golinks too!
Tags allow you and your team to surface related shortcuts. For example, you could mark o/prd, o/roadmap, o/demo with the tag ‘Product’ and make it easier to find all Product shortcuts together. You can tag a shortcut with roles, departments, functions, app suites, or any other categorize you like.
Can we let you in on a secret? You’ll find tags (but not collections) if you opt for Golinks too!
11. Deeplinking into or searching website directories using your shortlinks
OSlash makes it simpler for you to directly go to a search result on websites that have a searchable directory such as Amazon, Jira, Linear, Twitter, Youtube, etc. Typing a variable Shortcut such as o/jira/dev-100 would directly take you to the ticket number you have referenced. With this, you can stop jumping through hoops to find what you need.
We are (only very) slightly bummed that most of our competitors - Glean, Golinks, Trot.to, and Goat - also allow you to do this with similar features including programmatic go links, quicksearches, and parameterized keywords.
We are (only very) slightly bummed that most of our competitors - Glean, Golinks, Trot.to, and Goat - also allow you to do this with similar features including programmatic go links, quicksearches, and parameterized keywords.
12. Accessing shortlinks using your mobile device
We want you to have access to all your resources on the go! That’s why you have the OSlash app available on both Google Play Store and App Store.
We are one of the few URL managers to understand the need for a mobile app for your shortlinks. Among our competitors, only Glean, currently, comes with a mobile app.
We are one of the few URL managers to understand the need for a mobile app for your shortlinks. Among our competitors, only Glean, currently, comes with a mobile app.
13. Hosting and maintenance
If you think internal link managers (like ones used by many Silicon Valley giants such as Google and Netflix) are superior to a cloud-based SaaS app, this is for you. We concede internal tools offer complete control and autonomy, but if security is a concern, we’ve got you covered with enterprise grade security features.
Internal tools also need VPN to run, not to mention the significant investment of money and engineering resources to set-up, tune, and maintain the service. It would take paying and retaining at least two engineers to manage the upkeep of such a tool.
This is where a SaaS solution like ours comes in handy. You can benefit from cost-effectiveness, a refined design and user experience, 24*7 support, and a host of extra features like thousands of supported integrations. So, why not outsource link management to us and focus instead on building what you build best?
And if you are still skeptical and don’t like the fully-managed experience we offer at OSlash, you may want to check out any of our alternatives offering a self-hosted service, like Glean or Trot.to. It can save your time, money, and energy.
Internal tools also need VPN to run, not to mention the significant investment of money and engineering resources to set-up, tune, and maintain the service. It would take paying and retaining at least two engineers to manage the upkeep of such a tool.
This is where a SaaS solution like ours comes in handy. You can benefit from cost-effectiveness, a refined design and user experience, 24*7 support, and a host of extra features like thousands of supported integrations. So, why not outsource link management to us and focus instead on building what you build best?
And if you are still skeptical and don’t like the fully-managed experience we offer at OSlash, you may want to check out any of our alternatives offering a self-hosted service, like Glean or Trot.to. It can save your time, money, and energy.
14. Product design and user experience
Our team of engineers and designers worked really hard to bring you a clean and intuitive UI and an extremely user-friendly experience with OSlash.
We went one step ahead of all our competitors to enhance the ease of creating and remembering your shortcuts with features like hotkeys to create a shortcut and power-up the launcher, shortcut recommendations, autocomplete, Omnibox search, and OSlash widget.
We know our alternatives have some pretty great features. But we assure you that you won’t find the complete package elsewhere.
We went one step ahead of all our competitors to enhance the ease of creating and remembering your shortcuts with features like hotkeys to create a shortcut and power-up the launcher, shortcut recommendations, autocomplete, Omnibox search, and OSlash widget.
We know our alternatives have some pretty great features. But we assure you that you won’t find the complete package elsewhere.
15. Affordability
The good news? Most URL managers on the market are free for small teams and offer free trials for large ones.
The bad news? The free versions have limited benefits and come with restrictions on the number of shortlinks you can create and share. Further, enterprise versions can be too costly for the value they provide.
OSlash comes with flexible pricing designed to suit your requirements and we don’t impose any limits on the number of shortcuts you can create. Yes, even in our free plan.
Trot.to, Goat, and Golinks are also free for small teams, while Glean offers a free trial and flexible pricing.
The bad news? The free versions have limited benefits and come with restrictions on the number of shortlinks you can create and share. Further, enterprise versions can be too costly for the value they provide.
OSlash comes with flexible pricing designed to suit your requirements and we don’t impose any limits on the number of shortcuts you can create. Yes, even in our free plan.
Trot.to, Goat, and Golinks are also free for small teams, while Glean offers a free trial and flexible pricing.