Tally Custom Domains: How They Work & What to Know [2026]

Quick answer: Yes. Tally supports custom domains—and unlike several competitors, it does them well. On Tally Pro, you can connect an apex domain (acme.com) or a subdomain (ask.acme.com), map each published form to a pretty URL like ask.acme.com/contact, and rely on automatic SSL certificate issuance and renewal. The setup is self-serve: add the domain, add the generated DNS records, wait for verification, and map your forms.

That said, Tally’s own documentation surfaces a few friction points worth knowing before you commit: deleting a form doesn’t release its custom URL until you remove the mapping in two separate places; a domain or subdomain can only be connected to one Tally account at a time—so your desired subdomain may already be claimed by someone else’s account, resolvable only through support; and pointing your main domain at Tally will take an existing website offline, so subdomains are the practical path for most sites.

In this guide, we’ll walk through how Tally’s custom domains work, what they do well, and the documented limitations—plus how the feature compares if you’re evaluating branded-form platforms.

Yes—on Tally Pro. Per Tally’s documentation, connecting a custom domain lets you share forms on your own web address, with per-form URLs you choose yourself. Both domain types are supported:

Two structural rules sit underneath the feature:

• One destination per domain or subdomain. “A domain or subdomain can only point to one destination at a time,” per Tally’s docs—if it’s already connected to another website, service, or DNS record, Tally won’t be able to validate it.
• One Tally account per domain or subdomain. Domains and subdomains can only be connected to a single Tally account at a time.

The good news is what’s not on this list: no clean-URL restriction, no form IDs baked into every path. Unlike platforms that keep opaque identifiers in the URL even after you connect a domain, Tally’s pretty URLs are short, memorable paths you assign per form.

If you’re on Tally Pro, here’s the documented process:

1. Connect the domain. Go to Domains in your sidebar and click Add domain. You can add either a domain (acme.com) or a subdomain (ask.acme.com).

2. Add the DNS records at your provider. After adding your domain, open the Configuration tab, where Tally generates the DNS records you need to add at your domain provider—Cloudflare, Namecheap, GoDaddy, or others. For subdomains, Tally’s FAQ points the record at cname.tally.so.

Two things to check before you add the records: the domain can’t already point somewhere else (see the one-destination rule), and if you’re connecting a subdomain of your main site, the subdomain is fully independent—setting it up won’t affect your primary website.

3. Wait for verification and SSL. DNS propagation can take from a few seconds to a few hours. Tally shows progress through a status indicator:

When the domain resolves to Tally’s servers, an SSL certificate is issued automatically. Tally also renews certificates automatically—no certificate management on your end.

4. Map your forms with pretty URLs. When the domain is active, head to the Domain tab, select a published form from the dropdown list, and give it a shorter, more memorable slug—the end part of your URL. Save your changes. The three-dot menu next to each mapping lets you delete a URL or change the form’s metadata.

The feature itself is solid. These are the documented friction points:

• Requires Tally Pro. Custom domains aren’t available on Tally’s free plan—the feature is part of the paid tier.
• Deleting a form doesn’t release its custom URL. Per Tally’s FAQ, when you delete a form, its custom URL isn’t released immediately—you also need to remove it from your Domains settings: open the domain, find the page using that path, remove it via the three-dot menu, and save. Only once it’s removed in both places—the form’s Share tab and Domains—is the URL free to reuse. If you regularly retire and replace forms (seasonal campaigns, A/B tests), that’s a two-step cleanup each time.
• Your desired subdomain may already be claimed. Tally’s docs describe the tell: a subdomain that resolves to cname.tally.so but shows a 404 usually means it’s connected to a different Tally account, not that it’s unclaimed. The documented remedy is contacting support to check its status—ideally before purchasing a plan or reconfiguring your DNS.
• One destination, period. A domain or subdomain can only point to one place at a time. If it’s already connected to another website or service, Tally can’t validate it until you free it up.
• Apex domains take your website offline. Tally’s own FAQ is direct: if your main domain already runs a website, pointing it at Tally would take that site down—so use a subdomain instead. To be fair, this is DNS-level reality rather than a Tally flaw: an apex domain can only resolve to one host, which is why Formware’s own documentation also recommends subdomains for most organizations.

What works well: the flow is fully self-serve, both domain types are supported, pretty URLs are per-form and truly clean, SSL is issued and renewed automatically, and the status indicator makes verification state transparent at a glance.

Let’s be honest about the overlap first: Tally’s custom domain implementation is genuinely comparable. Both platforms support apex domains and subdomains, both map forms to clean paths, both issue and renew SSL automatically, and both run self-serve DNS verification. If all you need is “my forms on my domain,” Tally Pro delivers that.

The differences are in the details around the feature:

URL mapping lifecycle. On Formware, URL mappings are managed from the domain’s Configure screen—select a published form, assign a path, save; remove an entry with the trash icon. One place, one screen. Tally’s documented removal flow spans two locations (the form’s Share tab and the Domains settings) before a URL is released for reuse—worth knowing if you rotate forms often.

Cross-account claiming. Tally’s documentation describes a scenario where your desired subdomain is already connected to a different Tally account—resolvable through a support conversation, ideally before you subscribe. Formware’s domain flow runs add → DNS → verification (Pending Check to Verified) → mapping, within your own organization.

What surrounds the domain. A branded URL pays off most when the whole journey is branded and the platform supports the workflow behind it. Formware’s Pro bundles white-labeling (no badge, your logo and favicon), partial submissions so abandoned leads aren’t lost, per-ending custom redirects that hand respondents off to a booking page or checkout, respondent email notifications, and WhatsApp capabilities—form sharing, widgets, and forwarding responses—that matter if WhatsApp is a lead channel for your business.

The pricing question. Both platforms gate custom domains behind their paid plan. Formware’s Pro is $29.99/month or $299/year—published, the same for everyone. Whatever the paid tier costs on the other side, the comparison to run is: what does the upgrade buy beyond the domain?

The free-plan math. Tally’s free plan is also generous with usage, so on both platforms the upgrade decision is about branding and business features—not response caps. Formware’s free plan offers unlimited forms, questions, and responses (subject to fair use), alongside hidden fields (pair them with the UTM builder for campaign tracking), recall, and conditional logic at no cost—with full visual customization included.

If you’re weighing Formware against Tally more broadly—beyond just domains—we break down the full comparison in Formware vs. Tally, or browse our Tally alternatives guide for the wider market.

Yes. Tally supports custom domains on its Pro plan—both apex domains (acme.com) and subdomains (ask.acme.com), with per-form pretty URLs like ask.acme.com/contact. SSL certificates are issued and renewed automatically. Custom domains aren’t available on Tally’s free plan.

Add the domain under Domains → Add domain, open the Configuration tab to get the generated DNS records, add them at your domain provider, and wait for verification (a few seconds to a few hours). When the status turns green, head to the Domain tab to map published forms to pretty URL slugs. If verification fails, double-check the DNS records and click Verify to retry.

No—and Tally’s FAQ says so directly: a domain can only point to one server at a time, and pointing your main domain at Tally would take your existing website offline. Use a subdomain instead (forms.mysite.com, survey.mysite.com)—subdomains are fully independent, and setting one up won’t affect your main site. This is DNS-level reality rather than a Tally-specific flaw, which is why most form platforms, including Formware, recommend subdomains for sites that already live on the apex domain.

Per Tally’s documentation, a subdomain that resolves to cname.tally.so but returns a 404 is usually connected to a different Tally account—not unclaimed. Domains and subdomains can only be connected to one Tally account at a time. The documented remedy: contact support to check the subdomain’s status before purchasing a plan or reconfiguring your DNS.

You need to remove the mapping in two places before the URL is reusable: in the form’s Share tab, and in your Domains settings—open the domain, find the page that uses the path, remove it via the three-dot menu, and save. Only after both removals is the URL free to assign to another form.

Yes. Tally calls them pretty URLs—once your domain is active, you select a published form from a dropdown and assign it a slug, producing URLs like ask.acme.com/customer-survey. There’s no form ID or opaque identifier baked into the path.

Yes. When your domain resolves to Tally’s servers, an SSL certificate is issued automatically—shown as the orange status state—and Tally renews certificates automatically. No certificate purchase, upload, or renewal management is required.

Custom domains are part of Tally Pro—Tally’s paid plan; they’re not included on the free plan. Formware includes custom domains on Pro at $29.99/month or $299/year—published pricing—with both apex domains and subdomains, automatic SSL, and clean per-form URLs.

Formware includes custom domains on Pro at $29.99/month or $299/year. The core capability is comparable—apex domains and subdomains, clean per-form URLs like ask.acme.com/contact, automatic SSL issuance and renewal—but Pro also bundles white-labeling, partial submissions, custom redirects, respondent email notifications, WhatsApp features, and unlimited team members with role-based access. See the full Formware vs. Tally comparison, or our Tally alternatives guide for the wider market.

Tally’s custom-domain features were verified at the time of writing and may change. Check Tally’s documentation for current details.