LinkTrail vs Branch, AppsFlyer, Adjust and 4 more
Side-by-side breakdowns of LinkTrail and the 7 tools teams commonly shortlist for mobile deep linking and install attribution — Branch, AppsFlyer, Adjust, Singular, Airbridge, Kochava and Tenjin — including the cases where the other tool is the better pick.
Updated October 2026 · We keep these pages fair; tell us if something's out of date.Branch, AppsFlyer and Adjust, at a glance.
The dimensions that most often decide the shortlist, for Branch, AppsFlyer and Adjust; the pages above cover all 7 rivals. Verify current terms with each vendor before you commit.
| What matters | LinkTrail | Branch | AppsFlyer | Adjust |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Published pricing | $0–$49/mo, plus custom Scale | No prices on its pricing page | Free tier, then $0.07 per conversion | Free Base plan; paid plans quoted |
| Free plan | 5,000 users a month, forever | Free trial on Basics | Zero, for owned media | Base: free for the first year |
| Start without a sales call | Same day | Basics trial; paid plans by demo | Zero and Growth | Base; paid plans through sales |
| Deferred deep linking | Yes | Yes | On Growth and up | Yes |
| Advertising identifiers | Never reads IDFA or GAID | Uses them where permitted | Uses them where permitted | Uses them where permitted |
| Overage fees | None — features pause, never charged | Not published | Per conversion past the free allowance | By contract |
| SDK coverage | iOS, Android, RN, Flutter | Plus Web, Unity, Cordova and more | Plus Unity and more | Plus Unity, Web, Cordova and more |
| Ad-network integrations | Ad-spend import and webhooks (Growth) | 80+ platforms | Large partner marketplace | Broad partner list |
| Measurement suite beyond attribution | No — links and attribution only | Yes | Yes — incl. clean rooms, incrementality | Yes — incl. a fraud suite |
What these platforms actually do.
They solve some or all of the same two problems. The first is deferred deep linking: carrying the context of a tapped link through an App Store or Play Store install so a brand-new user lands on the product, article, or invite they clicked instead of a generic homepage. Universal Links and App Links cannot do this on their own, which is why the category exists at all.
The second is install attribution: deciding which click produced which install. Since Apple's App Tracking Transparency made the IDFA unavailable for most users, attribution providers generally do this with a waterfall — deterministic signals such as the Google Play Install Referrer first, then probabilistic matching where consent allows it, with Apple's AdAttributionKit and SKAdNetwork reporting paid iOS installs separately.
Where they differ is scope and pricing model. Branch, AppsFlyer, Adjust, Singular, Airbridge, Kochava and Tenjin are mobile measurement platforms, priced in ways that range from per-conversion rates and usage-based plans to sales quotes. LinkTrail is narrower than the measurement platforms on purpose: linking and attribution only, priced in public, and built so that a privacy review is short.
Start with LinkTrail if…
- Your app is native iOS, native Android, React Native or Flutter
- You want to read the price on the page and start without a sales call
- You want deferred deep linking and attribution in one SDK
- You'd rather not use advertising identifiers at all
- You want limits you can read and no overage fees
Pick an incumbent if…
- You need a Unity or web SDK
- You need a large pre-built ad-network catalogue
- You need a measurement suite with clean rooms or incrementality
Choosing a platform, in questions.
What is the best Branch alternative in 2026?
It depends on what you relied on Branch for. If it was deferred deep linking, smart routing, and campaign attribution, LinkTrail covers the same ground with published pricing and same-day self-serve setup. If you relied on Branch's 80-plus integration catalogue, its Web and Unity SDKs, or its enterprise measurement features, AppsFlyer or Adjust are closer replacements than LinkTrail is.
How much do mobile attribution platforms cost?
It depends on the pricing model, and the models differ a lot. Some rivals publish per-conversion rates (AppsFlyer Growth at $0.07, Singular Growth at $0.05), some publish starting prices (Airbridge Core from $40 a month, Tenjin from $200, Kochava Foundation from $500), and some send paid tiers through sales (Adjust beyond its free Base plan, and Branch, whose pricing page lists no prices). Rival prices were checked on each vendor's pricing page in October 2026. LinkTrail publishes every tier: free up to 5,000 monthly active users, $19 a month for 25,000, $49 a month for 100,000, and a custom Scale tier above that — with no overage fees.
Do I still need an attribution platform now that Firebase Dynamic Links is gone?
If all you need is a link opening an installed app, Universal Links and App Links handle that for free once you host the association files. You need a platform when link context has to survive an install, when one URL must route across iOS, Android, and web, or when you need to know which campaign produced an install. Those three things have no operating-system equivalent.
Can LinkTrail run alongside my existing attribution provider?
Yes. Nothing prevents both SDKs from being present, and running them in parallel for a few weeks is the normal way to compare match rates on your own traffic before committing. Expect the numbers to differ — providers use different attribution windows and match methods, so a gap between two tools is usually methodology rather than a bug in either.
Which platform is best for privacy and consent compliance?
LinkTrail's defaults are strict: the SDK never reads the Apple IDFA or the Google Advertising ID, and it waits for consent before attributing unless you turn that off. Branch, AppsFlyer, and Adjust all offer consent controls, but they use advertising identifiers where the user permits them.
How do I choose between these platforms?
Start with scope. If you need deep linking and install attribution for a native iOS, Android, React Native, or Flutter app, LinkTrail covers it with published pricing and same-day setup, and you can validate it on your own traffic for free. If your requirement extends into a full measurement suite — clean rooms, incrementality, a dedicated fraud suite — or you need a Unity or web SDK, one of the incumbents is the better fit and our comparison pages say which.
Try it next to what you use. Decide with your own numbers.
Free for your first 5,000 users. No card, no sales call.