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Best mobile attribution platforms for startups (2026)

Eight platforms a startup is likely to shortlist, with what each costs to start, what its free tier really covers, and the limit that sets the bill.

Prices checked on each vendor's own pricing or help page, linked beside every figure. Where a vendor doesn't publish a price we say so rather than estimate one. Disclosure: this is LinkTrail's site, and LinkTrail is on the list.

The best pick for each situation

  1. 1

    Transparent pricing, deep linking and attribution in one: LinkTrail. Every tier is published, Free covers 5,000 MAU, and $19/month covers 25,000 MAU with no overage fees.

  2. 2

    A large free MMP allowance, no card needed: Singular. Up to 15,000 paid conversions free with no credit card, deferred deep linking included — though the page doesn't say whether that is lifetime or per period.

  3. 3

    Paid UA across many ad networks: AppsFlyer. Usage pricing at $0.07 per conversion and 12K free conversions in the first year.

  4. 4

    Mobile games and indie studios: Tenjin. Free Forever tier of 2,000 conversions a month, and a published $200/month plan.

  5. 5

    Lowest published monthly entry price among the MMPs here: Airbridge. Core starts at $40/month with deferred deep linking and no annual contract, plus usage beyond 500K data points at $0.0001 each.

  6. 6

    A monthly free tier with no stated time limit: Kochava. 10K free conversions a month, with partner attribution limited until Foundation.

  7. 7

    Enterprise-grade deep linking: Branch. Deep linking is Branch's core product; paid tiers beyond Basics are sales-led.

  8. 8

    Fraud prevention and raw data at scale: Adjust. A full MMP with a free first year at 1,500 attributions a month, then a sales-led contract.

All eight, side by side

Starting paid price, free tier and volume limit as published by each vendor in October 2026. “Conversion” is each vendor's own unit — an attributed install or re-engagement.

PlatformStarting paid priceFree tierMAU / volume limitBest for
AppsFlyer$0.07 per conversion (Growth, pay-as-you-go)Source: appsflyer.com/pricingYes — Zero plan: 12K free conversions for the first year12K free conversions in year one, then billed per conversionApps running paid user acquisition across many ad networks
Branch$199/month (Activation Basics package)Source: help.branch.io — Activation BasicsNone published — 30-day free trialBasics: 10,000 web short links or QR codes and 150,000 clicks a month; overage $0.05/link, $0.01/clickMid-to-large consumer apps that want enterprise-grade deep linking
AdjustContact salesSource: adjust.com/pricingYes — Base plan: up to 1,500 attributions a month for up to 12 months1,500 attributions a month on Base; paid limits not publishedGaming and large consumer apps that need fraud prevention and raw data
Singular$0.05 per conversion (Growth)Source: singular.net/pricingYes — up to 15,000 paid conversions, no credit card15,000 paid conversions free, then billed per conversionMarketers who want attribution combined with ad-spend and ROI aggregation
AirbridgeFrom $40/month (Core)Source: airbridge.io/pricingNone — 30-day free trial500K data points included, then $0.0001 per data point (Airbridge says $40 covers about 35,000 MAU at typical usage)Small-to-mid apps wanting a low-entry-price MMP with deep linking
KochavaFrom $500/month (Foundation)Source: kochava.com/pricingYes — Free App Analytics: 10K conversions a monthFree 10K conversions/month; Foundation 33K conversions/monthApps wanting an MMP with a monthly free tier and no stated time limit
Tenjin$200/month or $2,000/year (Plan S)Source: tenjin.com/pricingYes — Free Forever: 2,000 conversions a month, then $0.04 per conversionPlan S includes 10,000 conversions a month at $0.02 per conversionMobile game and indie studios focused on UA and ad-revenue ROI
LinkTrail$19/month (Starter)Source: linktrail.io/pricingYes — free forever: 5,000 MAU, 25K clicks a month, 100 linksFree 5,000 MAU · Starter 25,000 MAU · Growth ($49/month) 100,000 MAU; no overage feesSmall teams that want deep linking and attribution together, with published prices

The platforms, one by one

AppsFlyer

Full MMP with OneLink deep linking

Pick this if paid installs across many ad networks are your growth engine and you want the industry-standard MMP, paying per attributed install.

Starting paid price
$0.07 per conversion (Growth, pay-as-you-go)Source: appsflyer.com/pricing
Free tier
Yes — Zero plan: 12K free conversions for the first year
MAU / volume limit
12K free conversions in year one, then billed per conversion
Deferred deep linking
Growth and Enterprise; the free Zero plan has basic deep linking only
Best for
Apps running paid user acquisition across many ad networks

Watch out for

  • The free conversions last for the first year only.
  • Deferred deep linking is not on the free Zero plan.
  • Fraud protection and other advanced features sit on Enterprise (contact sales).

Branch

Deep linking platform with attribution

Pick this if deep linking is central to your product and you expect to grow into a sales-led enterprise contract.

Starting paid price
$199/month (Activation Basics package)Source: help.branch.io — Activation Basics
Free tier
None published — 30-day free trial
MAU / volume limit
Basics: 10,000 web short links or QR codes and 150,000 clicks a month; overage $0.05/link, $0.01/click
Deferred deep linking
Yes
Best for
Mid-to-large consumer apps that want enterprise-grade deep linking

Watch out for

  • Basics is web-link focused (its Short Link API creates web-only links) and caps ad partners at 3.
  • Essentials and Enterprise are priced through sales (“Request a demo”).

Adjust

Full MMP with TrueLink deep linking

Pick this if you're a gaming or large consumer app that will need fraud prevention and raw data, and a sales-led contract after the free year is fine.

Starting paid price
Contact salesSource: adjust.com/pricing
Free tier
Yes — Base plan: up to 1,500 attributions a month for up to 12 months
MAU / volume limit
1,500 attributions a month on Base; paid limits not published
Deferred deep linking
Yes, via TrueLink
Best for
Gaming and large consumer apps that need fraud prevention and raw data

Watch out for

  • The free Base plan expires after 12 months.
  • No published price for the paid Core and Enterprise plans.

Singular

MMP with cost aggregation and ROI analytics

Pick this if your main question is return on ad spend across paid channels and you want cost aggregation next to attribution.

Starting paid price
$0.05 per conversion (Growth)Source: singular.net/pricing
Free tier
Yes — up to 15,000 paid conversions, no credit card
MAU / volume limit
15,000 paid conversions free, then billed per conversion
Deferred deep linking
Yes, including on the free plan
Best for
Marketers who want attribution combined with ad-spend and ROI aggregation

Watch out for

  • The pricing page doesn't make clear whether the 15,000 free conversions are lifetime or per period.
  • Cross-device attribution, audiences and SSO are Enterprise features.

Airbridge

MMP with deep linking

Pick this if you want a full MMP with deferred deep linking at a low monthly entry price and your paid spend is mostly Meta, Google, Apple Ads and TikTok.

Starting paid price
From $40/month (Core)Source: airbridge.io/pricing
Free tier
None — 30-day free trial
MAU / volume limit
500K data points included, then $0.0001 per data point (Airbridge says $40 covers about 35,000 MAU at typical usage)
Deferred deep linking
Yes, on Core
Best for
Small-to-mid apps wanting a low-entry-price MMP with deep linking

Watch out for

  • Core attributes Meta, Google, Apple Ads and TikTok plus up to 2 third-party integrations; the 330+ network catalogue is on Growth (custom pricing).
  • Usage-based overage on data points; raw data export and fraud detection are Growth-only.

Kochava

MMP with SmartLinks deep linking

Pick this if you want a monthly free allowance with no stated time limit and can start on self-attributing networks and owned media before paying for full partner attribution.

Starting paid price
From $500/month (Foundation)Source: kochava.com/pricing
Free tier
Yes — Free App Analytics: 10K conversions a month
MAU / volume limit
Free 10K conversions/month; Foundation 33K conversions/month
Deferred deep linking
Yes, via SmartLinks
Best for
Apps wanting an MMP with a monthly free tier and no stated time limit

Watch out for

  • Free-tier attribution covers self-attributing networks and owned media; all integrated partner attribution starts at Foundation.
  • A large step from $0 to $500 a month.

Tenjin

MMP built for mobile games

Pick this if you're a game or indie studio and UA spend against ad revenue matters more to you than link management.

Starting paid price
$200/month or $2,000/year (Plan S)Source: tenjin.com/pricing
Free tier
Yes — Free Forever: 2,000 conversions a month, then $0.04 per conversion
MAU / volume limit
Plan S includes 10,000 conversions a month at $0.02 per conversion
Deferred deep linking
Yes, from attribution tracking links
Best for
Mobile game and indie studios focused on UA and ad-revenue ROI

Watch out for

  • Deep linking runs through attribution tracking links rather than a standalone link-management product.

LinkTrail

Deferred deep linking and install attribution in one SDK

Pick this if you're a small team on native iOS, Android, React Native or Flutter that needs deferred deep linking and install attribution in one SDK, with the price on the page and no overage fees.

Starting paid price
$19/month (Starter)Source: linktrail.io/pricing
Free tier
Yes — free forever: 5,000 MAU, 25K clicks a month, 100 links
MAU / volume limit
Free 5,000 MAU · Starter 25,000 MAU · Growth ($49/month) 100,000 MAU; no overage fees
Deferred deep linking
Yes, on every plan including Free
Best for
Small teams that want deep linking and attribution together, with published prices

Watch out for

  • It doesn't send install or event postbacks to ad networks; cost data comes from CSV imports (Growth and above).
  • No Unity or web SDK, and no clean rooms, marketing mix modeling or incrementality testing.
  • A much smaller partner catalogue than the full MMPs above.

How to choose as a startup

  • Decide whether you need a full MMP. If ad networks must receive your installs back to optimise campaigns, or you buy from many networks at once, choose an MMP (AppsFlyer, Adjust, Singular, Airbridge, Kochava, Tenjin). If growth is mostly owned channels plus a few campaigns, deep linking with install attribution is enough for now.
  • Read the unit, not just the price. Per-conversion pricing (AppsFlyer, Singular, Tenjin overage) grows with paid installs; flat tiers (LinkTrail, Kochava, Tenjin plans) grow with MAU or a monthly allowance; Airbridge bills by data points.
  • Check when the free tier ends. AppsFlyer's free conversions and Adjust's Base plan last a year. Tenjin ("Free Forever"), Kochava and LinkTrail state no time limit on theirs; Singular's page doesn't say whether its 15,000 free conversions are lifetime or per period.
  • Check deferred deep linking on the plan you'll actually buy. AppsFlyer's free Zero plan has basic deep linking only, and Branch's Basics package is web-link focused.
  • Run two tools side by side before switching. Providers use different attribution windows and match methods, so compare on your own traffic for a few weeks.

Going deeper on one rival? See LinkTrail vs Branch, AppsFlyer and Adjust, the Branch alternatives shortlist, or the best deep linking tools in 2026.

Choosing a mobile attribution platform — common questions

What is the best mobile attribution platform for a startup?

It depends on how you grow. For paid user acquisition across many ad networks, a full MMP with a free allowance is the stronger fit: Singular offers 15,000 free paid conversions, AppsFlyer 12K free conversions in the first year, and Tenjin a free-forever tier built for games. For a small team that mainly needs deferred deep linking plus install attribution, LinkTrail publishes every price, is free to 5,000 MAU, and costs $19/month to 25,000 MAU.

What is the most affordable mobile attribution platform?

Among the eight here, the published monthly entry prices are LinkTrail at $19/month (25,000 MAU), Airbridge from $40/month (Core, plus usage beyond 500K data points), Branch at $199/month (Activation Basics), Tenjin at $200/month (Plan S) and Kochava from $500/month (Foundation). On usage pricing, Singular charges $0.05 and AppsFlyer $0.07 per conversion. The free tiers with no stated time limit are Tenjin (2,000 conversions a month), Kochava (10K conversions a month, with partner attribution limited) and LinkTrail (5,000 MAU); AppsFlyer's and Adjust's free allowances last a year.

Which mobile attribution platforms publish their pricing?

AppsFlyer, Singular, Airbridge, Kochava, Tenjin and LinkTrail publish prices on their pricing pages. Branch publishes its $199/month Activation Basics package in its help centre, but Essentials and Enterprise are sales-led. Adjust publishes its free Base plan; Core and Enterprise are contact sales.

Do I need a full MMP, or just deep linking with attribution?

You need a full MMP when ad networks must receive your installs back to optimise campaigns, or when you buy from many networks and need one source of truth across them. If your growth is mostly owned channels — referrals, email, SMS, QR, creators — plus a few paid campaigns, deferred deep linking with install attribution covers the job for less, and a full MMP can come later.

What are the best AppsFlyer and Branch alternatives for startups?

Singular and Tenjin are the closest usage-priced MMP alternatives to AppsFlyer with free tiers, and Airbridge has the lowest published monthly entry price among the MMPs here: from $40/month, plus usage beyond 500K data points. For Branch-style deep linking with attribution and published pricing, LinkTrail is free to 5,000 MAU and $19/month to 25,000 MAU. See our Branch alternatives and AppsFlyer alternatives pages for the detail.

Does LinkTrail replace an MMP like AppsFlyer or Adjust?

Not for every team. LinkTrail does deferred deep linking and install attribution, imports cost data from CSV, and reads click IDs from Meta, TikTok and Google links — but it doesn't send install or event postbacks to ad networks. If network-side campaign optimisation depends on those postbacks, keep an MMP or the network's own SDK.

Sources

Each vendor's own page, read on . Prices exclude taxes and change often — confirm with the vendor before you commit.

Questions about your setup?

Email support@linktrail.io or see the plans, starting with a free tier.

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