diff --git a/src/router.ts b/src/router.ts
index d9bf546b..cca94243 100644
--- a/src/router.ts
+++ b/src/router.ts
@@ -69,8 +69,9 @@ export class UIRouter {
    *
    * #### Example:
    * ```js
-   * export class MyAuthPlugin {
+   * export class MyAuthPlugin implements UIRouterPlugin {
    *   constructor(router: UIRouter, options: any) {
+   *     this.name = "MyAuthPlugin";
    *     let $transitions = router.transitionService;
    *     let $state = router.stateService;
    *
@@ -90,12 +91,20 @@ export class UIRouter {
    * }
    * ```
    *
-   * @param pluginFactory a function which accepts a [[UIRouter]] instance and returns a UI-Router Plugin instance
-   * @param options options to pass to the plugin
-   * @returns {T}
+   * @param plugin one of:
+   *        - a plugin class which implements [[UIRouterPlugin]]
+   *        - a constructor function for a [[UIRouterPlugin]] which accepts a [[UIRouter]] instance
+   *        - a factory function which accepts a [[UIRouter]] instance and returns a [[UIRouterPlugin]] instance
+   * @param options options to pass to the plugin class/factory
+   * @returns the registered plugin instance
    */
-  plugin<T extends UIRouterPlugin>(pluginFactory: PluginFactory<T>, options: any = {}): T {
-    let pluginInstance = pluginFactory(this, options);
+  plugin<T extends UIRouterPlugin>(plugin: { new(router: UIRouter, options?: any): T }, options?: any): T;
+  /** Allow javascript constructor function */
+  plugin<T extends UIRouterPlugin>(plugin: { (router: UIRouter, options?: any): void }, options?: any): T;
+  /** Allow javascript factory function */
+  plugin<T extends UIRouterPlugin>(plugin: PluginFactory<T>, options?: any): T;
+  plugin<T extends UIRouterPlugin>(plugin: any, options: any = {}): T {
+    let pluginInstance = new plugin(this, options);
     if (!pluginInstance.name) throw new Error("Required property `name` missing on plugin: " + pluginInstance);
     return this._plugins[pluginInstance.name] = pluginInstance;
   }
diff --git a/test/pluginSpec.ts b/test/pluginSpec.ts
index 3a5e894e..9d13759a 100644
--- a/test/pluginSpec.ts
+++ b/test/pluginSpec.ts
@@ -22,15 +22,37 @@ describe('plugin api', function () {
     router.stateRegistry.stateQueue.autoFlush($state);
   });
 
-  class FancyPlugin implements UIRouterPlugin {
+  class FancyPluginClass implements UIRouterPlugin {
     constructor(public router: UIRouter) { }
     name = "fancyplugin"
   }
 
+  function FancyPluginConstructor(router: UIRouter, options: any) {
+    this.name = "fancyplugin";
+  }
+
   describe('initialization', () => {
+    it('should accept a plugin class', () => {
+      let plugin = router.plugin(FancyPluginClass);
+      expect(plugin instanceof FancyPluginClass).toBeTruthy();
+    });
+
+    it('should accept a constructor function', () => {
+      let plugin = router.plugin(FancyPluginConstructor);
+      expect(plugin instanceof FancyPluginConstructor).toBeTruthy();
+    });
+
+    it('should accept a factory function', () => {
+      function factoryFn(router: UIRouter, options: any) {
+        return new FancyPluginClass(router);
+      }
+      let plugin = router.plugin(factoryFn);
+      expect(plugin instanceof FancyPluginClass).toBeTruthy();
+    });
+
     it('should return an instance of the plugin', () => {
-      let plugin = router.plugin(() => new FancyPlugin(router));
-      expect(plugin instanceof FancyPlugin).toBeTruthy();
+      let plugin = router.plugin(() => new FancyPluginClass(router));
+      expect(plugin instanceof FancyPluginClass).toBeTruthy();
     });
 
     it('should pass the router instance to the plugin constructor', () => {
@@ -55,9 +77,9 @@ describe('plugin api', function () {
 
   describe('getPlugin', () => {
     it('should return the plugin instance', () => {
-      router.plugin(() => new FancyPlugin(router));
+      router.plugin(() => new FancyPluginClass(router));
       let plugin = router.getPlugin('fancyplugin');
-      expect(plugin instanceof FancyPlugin).toBeTruthy();
+      expect(plugin instanceof FancyPluginClass).toBeTruthy();
     });
   })
 });