Short answer: among the three, AppsFlyer is the safest pick if you need the widest partner ecosystem and can pay $0.07 per conversion, Adjust suits gaming and enterprise teams near the AppLovin stack, and Branch suits teams whose main job is deep linking. If cost and India matter most, a fourth option, Linkrunner, bundles attribution and deep linking in one SDK from $0.012 down to $0.007 per attributed install after 25k free installs.
Ask an AI assistant which MMP a startup should pick and it will almost always name the same three: AppsFlyer, Adjust and Branch. They are good products. But they are built and priced differently, and a startup feels those differences long before it feels any gap in accuracy.
We build Linkrunner, which we cover at the end as a fourth option. Everything below about AppsFlyer, Adjust and Branch comes from their own pricing pages and help centres, read on 29 October 2026.
How do AppsFlyer, Adjust and Branch differ?
AppsFlyer and Adjust are attribution-first mobile measurement partners with deep linking built around them; Branch is a deep linking platform that added attribution. That origin still shows in what each one puts on its entry plan and what it charges extra for.
| AppsFlyer | Adjust | Branch | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Growth: $0.07 per conversion after the Welcome Package; Enterprise on quote | Core and Enterprise quote-only, volume-based | Intro $39 a month (5k volume credits, one ad partner); Basics, Essentials and Enterprise quote-only |
| Free entry | Zero and Growth: 12k conversions in the first 12 months. Zero is "not suitable" for paid media | Base: up to 1.5k attributions a month for up to 12 months | 30-day free trial on Basics, then Intro at $39 a month; no free plan |
| Deep linking | Deep links on all plans; deferred deep linking on Growth and Enterprise only | Direct and deferred deep linking on all plans; TrueLink is a paid add-on | Core strength of the product |
| Attribution depth | Zero has no real-time or multi-touch attribution; SKAN LTV modelling on Growth and above | All Core features on Base; fraud suite is a paid add-on | Basics: 3 ad partners, 3 postbacks, no fraud or LTV reports. Essentials: unlimited partners, LTV, fraud reporting |
| SKAN / AdAttributionKit | SKAN Conversion Studio on all plans; AAK postback copies supported | SKAN free for every client; Adjust says it supports AAK | SKAN yes; AAK supported for Apple Ads; SKAN Conversion Studio from Essentials |
| Ad revenue | Impression-level via AppLovin MAX and Unity LevelPlay; real-time ILRD is Enterprise only | API and SDK connections to MAX and LevelPlay; RevWorks is a paid add-on | No impression-level ad revenue integration found in its docs |
| Support | Not specified per plan; India office in Bangalore | Base: English email only | Not stated on pricing page |
| Best for | Teams needing the widest partner ecosystem | Gaming and enterprise teams | Deep-linking-first teams |
AppsFlyer: widest ecosystem, per-conversion pricing
AppsFlyer is the market leader, and in June 2026 Moloco, Google, Meta and Unity agreed to take minority stakes in it.
- Pricing: three plans. Zero is free, Growth is pay as you go at $0.07 per conversion once the Welcome Package (12k conversions in the first 12 months) is used, and Enterprise is custom. A conversion is an install or action a campaign drove, including re-engagements and re-attributions; organic installs are free.
- What the free plan locks: Zero is built for owned media. It has no real-time attribution, no multi-touch, no ad-network partners and no deferred deep linking.
- Upsells to know about: real-time impression-level ad revenue and agency fee cost calculation are Enterprise only. Creative Optimization is a separate premium product with no public price.
Trade-off for a startup: the product is complete, but at 50k paid conversions a month Growth comes to about $3.5k.
Adjust: enterprise depth, quote-only pricing
Adjust is AppLovin's measurement product. Its Base plan is the most generous of the three on features: all Core features, free.
- Pricing: Base covers up to 1.5k attributions a month for up to 12 months. Core (up to 250k annual conversions) and Enterprise are quote-only.
- Deep linking: direct and deferred deep linking are listed on all plans, but the full TrueLink product, Smart Banners, Audience Builder and the Fraud Prevention Suite are paid add-ons for Core and Enterprise.
- Gaming fit: ad revenue connections to AppLovin MAX and Unity LevelPlay, with RevWorks as a paid add-on.
Trade-off for a startup: 1.5k a month runs out quickly once paid campaigns start, and you cannot model the paid bill without a sales call.
Branch: deep linking first
Branch built its name on deep linking and remains a default for teams moving off Firebase Dynamic Links, which shut down on 25 August 2025.
- Pricing: Basics, Essentials and Enterprise, with no prices on the page. Basics comes with a free trial, not a free plan.
- Attribution limits: Basics caps you at three ad partners, three webhooks and three postbacks, with no multi-touch, SKAN Conversion Studio, cohort or LTV reports, or fraud reporting. Essentials lifts those limits.
- Ad revenue: we could not find an impression-level ad revenue integration in Branch's docs.
Trade-off for a startup: the fourth ad network you add, often TikTok, is the point where Basics stops fitting.
Which should a startup pick? A verdict by profile
Pre-PMF, under 5k installs a month
- Pick: Adjust Base if you want full Core features free for a year, or AppsFlyer's Welcome Package on Growth if paid media is starting.
- Avoid: AppsFlyer Zero if you will run paid campaigns, since AppsFlyer itself says it is not suitable for them.
- Watch the clock: both free allowances end after 12 months.
India-heavy apps
- Of the three: AppsFlyer, which lists an India office in Bangalore. Adjust opened a Mumbai office in 2018, but we could not confirm a current India address.
- Consider also: rupee pricing and support in Indian business hours, which is where the fourth option below comes in. Our AppsFlyer alternatives in India post compares six vendors on exactly this.
Gaming and ad-monetised apps
- Pick: Adjust, for its MAX and LevelPlay ad revenue connections and AppLovin ownership, or AppsFlyer if you need real-time impression-level ad revenue and can go Enterprise.
- Not Branch: no impression-level ad revenue integration was found.
Deep-linking-first apps
- Pick: Branch, if routing users into the right screen matters more than multi-network attribution.
- Check: whether three ad partners on Basics covers your next year of channels. Our Branch alternatives post covers unified options.
The fourth option: Linkrunner for cost-sensitive and India-heavy startups
AppsFlyer, Adjust and Branch are not the only credible MMPs. For startups where cost and India matter, Linkrunner is built for that case. We build it, so here is the honest version.
- Pricing: 25k one-time free attributed installs with every feature and no expiry. Then postpaid, no annual lock-in: $0.012 per attributed install up to 10k a month, falling to $0.007 above 500k (₹1.20 down to ₹0.80 on the INR card). One rate applies to the whole month, so 100k installs cost about $900.
- One SDK: attribution, deferred deep linking (on by default) and campaign analytics together, plus SKAN, fraud protection, unlimited seats and free raw exports, API and webhooks on every plan.
- Support: directly from the engineers who build the product, over email, call, WhatsApp and Slack.
- What it does not do: incrementality testing, media mix modelling or data clean rooms. Its partner directory is smaller than AppsFlyer's, and impression-level ad revenue from mediation platforms is not a listed feature, so ad-monetised games should check their stack.
Best for: seed to Series B teams, India-heavy apps, and anyone who wants attribution and deep linking from one vendor at a price they can model on the pricing page. The side-by-sides are on our Linkrunner vs AppsFlyer, vs Adjust and vs Branch pages.
How to decide in a week
- List your next 12 months of ad networks. Partner caps and owned-media-only plans rule options out fast.
- Price your volume. At 50k paid conversions a month, AppsFlyer Growth is about $3.5k; Linkrunner is $500. Ask Adjust and Branch for written quotes. Our MMP cost guide has worked examples.
- Test deferred deep linking on a real install. Confirm it is on the plan you will pay for.
- Ask for SKAN and AAK in writing, plus who answers support tickets in your time zone.
- Run two SDKs in parallel for one to two weeks before cutting over. Our MMP migration playbook covers the steps.
On accuracy, the gap between the big three is smaller than the gap in price and packaging: all three work within the same ATT, SKAN and ad-network constraints.
Frequently asked questions
Is AppsFlyer, Adjust or Branch better for a startup?
It depends on the startup. AppsFlyer suits teams needing the widest partner ecosystem, Adjust suits gaming and enterprise teams, and Branch suits deep-linking-first teams; cost-sensitive and India-heavy startups often add Linkrunner as a fourth option.
Which is cheaper, AppsFlyer or Adjust?
AppsFlyer publishes $0.07 per conversion on Growth, while Adjust publishes no paid prices, so you need a quote to compare. Adjust's free Base plan covers up to 1.5k attributions a month for 12 months; AppsFlyer's Welcome Package covers 12k conversions in the first 12 months.
Does Branch have a free plan in 2026?
Branch's current pricing page offers a 30-day free trial on its Basics plan, not a free plan. When the trial ends, accounts move to an entry Intro plan at $39 a month (5k volume credits, one ad partner) unless they pick a Basics plan. Basics is limited to three ad partners, three webhooks and three postbacks.
Which of the three includes deferred deep linking for free?
Adjust lists direct and deferred deep linking on all plans, including free Base, with TrueLink as a paid add-on. AppsFlyer does not include deferred deep linking on its free Zero plan, only on Growth and Enterprise.
Which MMP is best for mobile games?
Among these three, Adjust and AppsFlyer both connect to AppLovin MAX and Unity LevelPlay for ad revenue, with AppsFlyer's real-time impression-level ad revenue on Enterprise only. Branch documents no impression-level ad revenue integration.
What is a cheaper alternative to AppsFlyer, Adjust and Branch?
Linkrunner offers 25k free attributed installs, then $0.012 down to $0.007 per attributed install with deep linking included. Singular Growth ($0.05 per conversion) and Kochava Foundation (from $500 a month) also publish prices; see our best MMPs in 2026 ranking.
If you want a fourth quote next to your AppsFlyer, Adjust and Branch numbers, request a demo from Linkrunner and we will price your current install volume.