For a small team or indie developer, the best affordable mobile attribution tools in 2026 are Linkrunner, Tenjin, Airbridge, Singular and Kochava, because each publishes a free tier or a self-serve price and none needs an enterprise contract to start. Linkrunner's free plan covers the first 25k attributed installs with every feature included, then charges $0.012 down to $0.007 per attributed install, postpaid, with no annual lock-in.
The rest of this post ranks the five, shows what each costs at 10k and 30k installs a month, and lists what a small team gives up with each.
Disclosure: this post is written by the team that builds Linkrunner, which is why it is listed first. Every other vendor's figures come from that vendor's own pricing page, read on 10 November 2026. Where a page did not say, this post says "not stated".
What is the best attribution tool for a small team or indie developer?
A small-team attribution tool is a mobile measurement partner (MMP) with a published self-serve price or free tier, no annual contract, and enough bundled features to run real campaigns without add-ons.
- Ranking criterion: published entry price and free-tier size first, then whether deep linking and SKAN come bundled, then contract terms.
- Small is the norm on Linkrunner: in a count of active Linkrunner projects over 30 days, roughly four in five processed under 10k installs a month. Aggregated across projects, no project-level detail.
- Why it matters: most "best MMP" lists are written for teams with a sales budget. A solo founder needs a price they can read and a plan they can leave.
How do the five options compare?
| Rank | Tool | Free entry | Published paid entry | Deferred deep linking | SKAN | Contract |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Linkrunner | 25k attributed installs, one-time | $0.012 per install, falling to $0.007 | Every plan | Every plan | No annual lock-in |
| 2 | Tenjin | 2k conversions a month | $200 a month for 10k | Listed as a feature, plan not stated | Free for all customers | Monthly, cancel anytime; annual optional |
| 3 | Airbridge | 30-day trial | Core from $40 a month | Core | Listed, plan not stated | No annual contract |
| 4 | Singular | 15k paid conversions (period not stated) | $0.05 per conversion | Free plan | SKAdNetwork on Free | Not stated |
| 5 | Kochava | 10k conversions a month | Foundation from $500 a month | SmartLinks on Free | Supported on Free | Monthly or annual prepayment; length not stated |
Last checked 10 Nov 2026. SKAN is Apple's privacy-preserving install measurement framework.
The five options, in order
1. Linkrunner
- Pricing: first 25k attributed installs free, no credit card, no calendar expiry. Then postpaid from $0.012 per install (Rs1.20 on the rupee card) to $0.007 (Rs0.80) at scale. One rate applies to the whole month.
- Strengths: every feature on every plan, including deferred deep linking, SKAN, fraud protection and webhooks. Unlimited seats, no export or API fees. A mobile and web attribution platform (Web SDK in beta). Same-day set-up for most teams, fully live within a week.
- What you give up: no incrementality testing, media mix modelling or data clean room. Data retention varies by plan; see the pricing page for current limits.
- Best for: a small team that wants a published per-install price with everything included. VC-backed teams can apply to the Startup Program for 50k free installs.
2. Tenjin
- Pricing: free up to 2k conversions a month with all features, then $0.04 per extra. Paid plans run $200 (10k), $400 (25k) and $700 (50k) a month, with larger tiers above, and extra conversions at up to $0.03.
- Strengths: no credit card on Free, month-to-month on paid plans, SKAN free for all customers.
- What you give up: a small free allowance, and a plan-level deep linking answer is not on the page.
- Best for: studios that want a flat monthly bill.
3. Airbridge
- Pricing: 30-day trial, then Core from $40 a month with 500k data points, then $0.0001 per extra data point.
- Strengths: deferred deep links, short links and QR codes in Core, no annual contract.
- What you give up: Core allows two third-party integrations. Billing is by data points, so cost depends on event volume, not installs. SKAN plan coverage is unclear, so ask.
- Best for: apps on a couple of ad networks.
4. Singular
- Pricing: Free includes 15k paid conversions, then Growth at $0.05 per conversion.
- Strengths: cost aggregation, fraud prevention, deep linking and SKAdNetwork attribution are listed on Free.
- What you give up: automated data exports are a paid add-on, and contract terms are not stated.
- Best for: teams that want many paid networks in one view.
5. Kochava
- Pricing: Free App Analytics at 10k conversions a month, Foundation from $500 a month for 33k.
- Strengths: SmartLinks and SKAN support on Free, and a long enterprise feature set to grow into.
- What you give up: on Free, paid media attribution covers self-attributing networks only, retention is 30 days and post-install event tracking is absent.
- Best for: teams that expect to grow into the wider Kochava suite.
Usually quoted, not self-serve: AppsFlyer's Zero plan is described on its own page as not suitable for apps with paid activities, and Growth is $0.07 per conversion after 12k free conversions in year one. Branch shows no dollar prices and routes Essentials and Enterprise to a demo. Adjust's pricing is quote-led.
What does each cost at 10k and 30k installs a month?
List price in steady state, before any free allowance:
| Monthly paid installs | Linkrunner | Tenjin | Singular | Kochava | Airbridge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10k | $120 (about Rs12k) | $200 | $500 | $500 (Foundation) | From $40 plus data-point overage |
| 30k | $360 (about Rs36k) | $400 to $550 | $1.5k | $500 (covers 33k) | From $40 plus data-point overage |
- Linkrunner: $0.012 at both 10k and 30k (the 0 to 50k band), one rate for the whole month. Month one is cheaper because the first 25k installs are free.
- Tenjin at 30k: the $400 plan covers 25k, and the extra 5k cost up to $0.03 each, so about $550 at most. The $700 plan is the alternative.
- Not like for like: vendors meter different things (attributed installs, conversions, data points). Treat the figures as indicative and confirm each definition.
- Cheaper is not always lighter: the lowest bill still needs SDK time, so see What Does an MMP Actually Cost in 2026? for hidden costs.
What should a small team check before signing up?
- How the free allowance is metered. One-time, monthly or first year? Linkrunner's 25k has no calendar expiry; AppsFlyer's runs for year one; Singular's period is not stated.
- Whether paid attribution is limited on free. Kochava's Free covers self-attributing networks only.
- Deep linking and SKAN: included or add-on. Check the plan you would actually pay for.
- Export and API fees. Singular's automated exports are an add-on; Linkrunner charges none.
- What happens at the limit. Postpaid billing keeps running; a forced upgrade can interrupt reporting.
Attribution only starts once the SDK ships, so integrate before the first paid spend. For the thresholds, read Do You Need an MMP? When It Pays for Itself. For free-plan detail, see Free MMP Plans Compared.
FAQ
What is the best free attribution tool for an indie developer? Linkrunner has the largest published free allowance here, 25k attributed installs with every feature, no card and no calendar expiry. Tenjin (2k a month) and Singular (15k paid conversions) are the other free entry points.
Do I need an MMP on a very small ad budget? Often not yet. Under roughly Rs2 lakh a month, free tiers and UTMs can be enough; see Low-Budget Attribution.
Which tools have no annual contract? Linkrunner, Tenjin (month-to-month on paid plans) and Airbridge state it. Singular's page does not say, and Kochava lists monthly or annual prepayment without stating length.
Is the Linkrunner free plan really free? Yes for the first 25k attributed installs, with no card. After that billing is postpaid per attributed install, and unattributed organic installs are not billed. More in Why Affordable MMPs Are Game-Changers.
How long does set-up take? Same day for most teams, fully live within a week.
The short version
Start with the free tier that matches your volume, check how it is metered, and pick the tool whose paid price you can read today. Linkrunner is first here as the product this team builds, with a published per-install price and the gaps stated above. See the pricing page and MMP for startups, or request a demo, and run the five checks above before you sign.