Top 6 AppsFlyer Alternatives for Indian Mobile Marketers in 2025
Indian mobile marketers are discovering that the mobile measurement partner (MMP) landscape has evolved dramatically, with new solutions offering better value, local support, and India-specific features that make AppsFlyer alternatives increasingly attractive. With the mobile attribution software market growing at 11.1% CAGR and reaching $250 million in 20251, choosing the right attribution platform has never been more critical for business success.
The exodus from AppsFlyer isn’t just about cost, it’s about finding solutions that understand the unique challenges of the Indian market, from GST compliance to regional ad network integrations. Smart marketers are evaluating alternatives that offer better ROI, local support, and pricing structures designed for the Indian ecosystem.
Why Indian Mobile Marketers want to switch from AppsFlyer
AppsFlyer’s evolution from a startup-friendly platform to an enterprise-focused solution has created some pain points for Indian businesses. Rising costs represent the primary concern, with multiple users reporting “no startup-friendly pricing” and unexpected charges for features like “data locker and pivot” that should be basic functionality2.
The pricing structure has become particularly challenging for Indian SMEs. Companies report “exorbitant rates ranging from $10,000 to $14,000 per month” with pressure to commit to quarterly or annual payments instead of flexible monthly billing. One Indian company, FirstCry.com, specifically noted that AppsFlyer is “pricey and might be affordable only for enterprises.”
Local support limitations create additional friction for Indian marketers. While AppsFlyer maintains an office in Bengaluru, customer reviews indicate limited responsiveness during Indian business hours and insufficient understanding of local compliance requirements. The platform lacks adequate integration with Indian-specific ad networks and provides limited Hindi or regional language support for non-English speaking team members.
Complex implementation requirements compound these challenges. Users consistently report that “initial setup and configuration can be complex and time-consuming,” with the platform feeling “somewhat clunky” and overwhelming for beginners. The 90-day limitation on raw data access and rate restrictions on report generation create operational bottlenecks that particularly impact resource-constrained Indian businesses.
India-Specific Mobile Attribution Challenges
The Indian mobile attribution landscape presents unique complexities that global MMPs often overlook. GST implications create immediate cost pressures, with mobile attribution services subject to 18% GST, effectively increasing platform costs for Indian businesses while requiring GST-compliant invoicing with proper documentation for Input Tax Credit claims.
Regional ad network integration represents another critical challenge. Platforms like InMobi (with 38.28% of customers from India and $268M annual revenue), Glance (valued at $1.6B with 450M+ smartphones globally), and ShareChat (80M+ monthly active users) require specialized integration approaches that many international MMPs don’t prioritize3.
Rupee pricing considerations significantly impact adoption decisions. With 300+ SMEs going public in just Q3 2024 and startup funding growing Y-o-Y, Indian businesses increasingly demand INR-based pricing structures that eliminate foreign exchange complexities and align with local purchasing power dynamics.
The time zone and localization challenges extend beyond simple support hours. India’s single time zone creates regional user behavior variations that affect campaign performance. Attribution platforms must account for these patterns while supporting 22 official languages and diverse cultural preferences across different states.
Key Features to Look for in AppsFlyer Alternatives
When evaluating alternatives, Indian marketers should prioritise attribution capabilities that include multi-platform tracking, fraud prevention, and real-time analytics. The most effective platforms offer unlimited raw data access, customisable attribution models, and comprehensive SDK support for both iOS and Android applications.
Budget considerations remain paramount for cost-conscious Indian businesses. Look for transparent pricing structures with startup-friendly tiers, INR-based billing options, and no hidden fees for essential features. The best alternatives offer free trials without credit card requirements and scalable pricing that grows with your business needs.
Indian ad network integrations should include pre-configured support for InMobi, Glance, ShareChat, and other regional platforms. Platforms with Indian presence typically offer better integration support, faster troubleshooting, and deeper understanding of local advertising ecosystem requirements.
Multi-language support and data protection compliance complete the essential feature set. Seek platforms that provide documentation and interfaces in Hindi and other regional languages, along with built-in GDPR, CCPA compliance and preparation for India’s upcoming Digital Personal Data Protection Act implementation4.
A Note About Our Platform
Before diving into the alternatives, we should mention that Linkrunner.io is publishing this guide. In the interest of editorial fairness, we’ve excluded ourselves from the ranked comparison below. However, we believe our India-first approach offers unique advantages worth considering:
Why Linkrunner stands out for Indian businesses: Built specifically for the Indian market with INR-based pricing, local support with direct founder access, AI-driven attribution capabilities, and deep understanding of Indian advertising ecosystem requirements.
We’re an MMP that helps marketing teams improve app retention & ROAS, tracking every user journey, from the first link click to app download, user activity, and revenue generated. We also offer robust deferred deep-linking solutions, a suite of fraud protection tools and a bunch of integrations with ad networks like Google, Meta, Jio and other platforms like Mixpanel, Posthog, Amplitude, etc.
We offer a very generous free-tier (starting from first 5k downloads all the way upto 100k+ downloads), along with seamless integration and bespoke customer support. Best part? Our pricing of $0.01 (INR 85 paisa) per intall is one of the lowest in the industry! Our focus on cost-effectiveness makes advanced attribution accessible to Indian startups and SMEs typically priced out of premium alternatives.
Now, let’s explore the top 6 AppsFlyer alternatives for Indian mobile marketers:
Top 6 AppsFlyer Alternatives Ranked for India
Important Note: Firebase Dynamic Links (used for deep linking and attribution) is shutting down on August 25, 2025, while Firebase Analytics continues to operate. Linkrunner is a great alternative to Firebase dynamic links and can help you in migrating!
#1 Adjust: Enterprise-Grade Platform
Adjust leads our rankings with its enterprise-grade infrastructure and fraud prevention capabilities. Founded in 2012, Adjust processes data for 135,000+ apps including major brands like Spotify, Booking.com, and SoundCloud5.
The platform excels in advanced fraud protection with proactive fraud filters protecting against click bots, fake installs, and SDK spoofing. This matters significantly in the Indian market, where fraud rates can be particularly high due to the competitive mobile advertising landscape.
Pricing structure includes a generous free tier supporting up to 1,500 monthly attributions, making it accessible for smaller Indian developers. Paid plans scale based on Monthly Active Users with transparent pricing and no restrictions on data queries, callbacks, or API pulls.
Adjust’s regional presence in Asia-Pacific markets ensures better support alignment with Indian business hours. The platform supports 21 languages and offers dedicated Sales Engineers for onboarding, addressing common implementation challenges that plague AppsFlyer users.
Best for: Large enterprises requiring robust fraud prevention, companies prioritizing security compliance, and businesses with complex automation needs.
#2 Branch: Deep Linking + Attribution
Branch combines deep linking with comprehensive attribution, making it suitable for e-commerce and user experience-focused applications. With 100K+ apps including Fortune 500 companies like TikTok, Shopify, and Airbnb, Branch has proven scalability and reliability6.
The platform’s people-based attribution approach provides advanced cross-device and cross-platform user tracking, particularly valuable for Indian businesses serving users across multiple devices and platforms. Built-in fraud protection comes included for all advertising customers, eliminating additional security costs.
Deep linking capabilities, with universal links, Android App Links, and deferred deep linking supporting sophisticated user journeys from web to app. This becomes crucial as Indian e-commerce companies focus on seamless conversion experiences.
Best for: E-commerce and retail apps, companies prioritizing user experience, businesses requiring sophisticated cross-platform attribution, organizations needing seamless web-to-app experiences.
#3 Kochava: Privacy-Focused Platform
Kochava delivers leading privacy compliance with its privacy-first architecture and comprehensive omnichannel measurement capabilities. Founded in 2011 as one of the first MMPs, Kochava serves enterprise clients including McDonald’s, Hilton, and Nike1.
The Marketers Operating System (m/OS) provides multi-device attribution across mobile, web, connected TV, gaming consoles, and VR platforms. This breadth makes Kochava attractive for businesses requiring attribution beyond mobile applications.
Privacy features include built-in Privacy Profiles, Intelligent Consent Manager™, and no fingerprinting approach that future-proofs against evolving privacy regulations. For Indian businesses preparing for DPDPA compliance, these capabilities provide significant value.
The platform offers Free App Analytics® tier for independent developers, though premium features require investment. Charging around $500 for 33k conversions/month (with the first 10k conversion/month free), potentially limiting for companies in cost-sensitive counties like India.
It’s know for its raw data access and transparency, with granular, row-level data available even during trial periods. Advanced analytics include in-platform SQL prompts for custom data queries.
Best for: Large enterprises with substantial marketing budgets, privacy-conscious organizations requiring compliance, companies needing omnichannel measurement beyond mobile, businesses requiring detailed data transparency.
#4 Singular: Marketing Analytics + Attribution
Singular excels in unified marketing analytics, combining attribution with cost aggregation from 1,000+ integrated partners. Major clients include LinkedIn, Airbnb, Lyft, and Twitter, demonstrating enterprise-scale capabilities2.
The platform’s comprehensive fraud prevention includes industry-leading fraud detection provided free of charge. Singular’s fraud resilience tested highest among MMPs, providing confidence for Indian marketers concerned about click fraud and install fraud.
ROI analytics directly connect attribution data with spend information, enabling precise campaign optimization and budget allocation decisions. The Marketing ETL feature automates data loading to Redshift, Snowflake, and BigQuery for advanced analysis.
Indian market accessibility historically comes through competitive pricing and install-based models that were attractive to cost-conscious businesses. Customer success teams provide responsive support with strong onboarding processes.
Singular currently charges $0.05 per install in its Growth plan (with the first 15k installs for a one-time free of charge option), with an bespoke Enterprise tire above it.
Best for: Marketing teams requiring unified cost and attribution data, companies focused on ROI optimization, businesses with complex multi-channel campaigns, organizations needing detailed cost aggregation and reporting.
#5 Apptrove: Developer-Friendly with Indian Presence
Apptrove targets the Indian market with competitive pricing and strong local support infrastructure. Developed by Trackier, the platform serves Indian clients including GroMo, BankSathi, FoodHub, and IndiaPlay, demonstrating proven local market success.
The comprehensive attribution suite includes real-time mobile measurement, 7-layered fraud detection with customizable settings, and deep linking through Unilinks with dynamic routing and branded domains. SKAN analytics provide dedicated Apple SKAdNetwork dashboard functionality.
Indian market advantages include 24/7 customer support with dedicated relationship managers, deep understanding of local mobile marketing landscape, and documented success stories from Indian companies. Multi-language support includes regional preferences alongside English and Hindi.
Partnership ecosystem includes integrations with CleverTap, MoEngage, and other platforms popular in the Indian market. This focus on local marketing technology stack compatibility provides implementation advantages over global competitors.
Best for: Indian mobile app developers and marketers, small to medium-sized businesses seeking cost-effective solutions, startups requiring comprehensive yet affordable attribution, companies needing strong local support and market understanding.
#6 Firebase Attribution: Google’s Solution with Critical Limitations
Firebase Attribution offers completely free mobile measurement as part of Google’s Firebase ecosystem, making it attractive for budget-conscious Indian developers. The platform integrates seamlessly with Google Analytics 4 and provides unlimited reporting for up to 500 distinct events.
Google ecosystem integration benefits businesses advertising primarily through Google Ads, providing enhanced attribution features and audience building capabilities. BigQuery export enables advanced analytics through data warehouse integration for more sophisticated users.
Critical limitation: Firebase Dynamic Links shutdown on August 25, 2025, represents a major disruption requiring immediate attention7. All Firebase Dynamic Links will stop working completely, returning HTTP 404 errors and breaking marketing campaigns, user onboarding flows, and referral programs dependent on deep linking functionality.
Migration urgency means any business currently using Firebase Dynamic Links must plan alternative solutions within the next 2months. This shutdown affects offline marketing materials, QR codes, email campaigns, and SMS marketing using Firebase deep links. This is where Linkrunner can prove to be a valuable alternative to Firebase’s deeplink service.
Indian market adoption remains high among startups and SMEs due to free pricing and Google’s significant local infrastructure investment. However, limited integration with non-Google advertising networks restricts effectiveness for businesses using diverse advertising channels.
Best for: Google Ads advertisers seeking cost-effective attribution, startups with limited attribution budgets, developers using Google/Firebase ecosystem, companies advertising primarily through Google channels. NOT recommended for businesses requiring deep linking functionality due to upcoming service discontinuation.
Detailed Comparison: What should Indian Marketers consider?
Pricing considerations remain the primary decision factor for Indian businesses. Free options like Firebase (with limitations) and Kochava’s basic tier provide starting points, while paid alternatives vary significantly in cost and value proposition. Enterprise solutions like Adjust, Singular, and Kochava require substantial monthly investments of $15,000+ that may exceed smaller businesses’ entire marketing budgets. But Linkrunner’s industry-low pricing of $0.01 per install beats all! :)
Feature comparison framework should evaluate attribution accuracy, integration capabilities, reporting flexibility, and privacy compliance. Leading platforms support 1,000+ ad network integrations, but Indian businesses specifically need InMobi, Glance, and ShareChat compatibility that many international providers deprioritize.
Regional capabilities separate local winners from global players. Linkrunner and Apptrove demonstrates strong understanding of Indian market dynamics, GST compliance requirements, and local support expectations. International platforms like Adjust and Branch offer broader global capabilities but may lack cultural nuance and market-specific optimization.
Evaluation factors should include implementation complexity, data export capabilities, customer support quality, and long-term platform stability. Consider total cost of ownership including setup fees, professional services, and potential switching costs if the platform doesn’t meet evolving business needs.
The mobile measurement partner selection represents a strategic decision impacting marketing effectiveness, data quality, and ultimately business growth. Indian marketers benefit from carefully evaluating both international leaders and India-focused alternatives to find solutions matching their specific requirements, budget constraints, and growth objectives.
Conclusion
The mobile attribution landscape in 2025 offers Indian marketers unprecedented choice, with solutions ranging from free global platforms to specialized alternatives. While AppsFlyer remains a market leader globally, its pricing structure, limited local focus, and implementation complexity create opportunities for more targeted solutions.
Each platform in our comparison serves different business needs and budgets. For businesses requiring enterprise-grade features, Adjust leads in fraud prevention and automation, while Branch excels in user experience and deep linking. Privacy-conscious organizations benefit from Kochava’s compliance capabilities, and marketing analytics teams find value in Singular’s cost aggregation features. Apptrove provides strong local market understanding with competitive pricing, while Firebase offers free attribution with significant limitations.
The Firebase Dynamic Links shutdown creates immediate urgency for affected businesses, making 2025 the ideal time to evaluate comprehensive MMP alternatives rather than patching deep linking solutions. Indian marketers who act decisively in platform selection will gain competitive advantages through better attribution accuracy, local support, and cost optimization.
Why Consider Linkrunner.io for Your Business
As an India-first mobile measurement platform, Linkrunner.io addresses the specific pain points that drive Indian businesses away from international solutions. With INR-based pricing, local support with direct founder access, AI-driven attribution capabilities, and deep understanding of the Indian advertising ecosystem, we make advanced attribution accessible to Indian startups and SMEs typically priced out of premium alternatives. Our modern technical capabilities compete effectively with enterprise platforms while maintaining cost-effectiveness crucial for the Indian market.
Smart mobile marketers recognise that attribution platform selection impacts every aspect of user acquisition, campaign optimization, and growth measurement. Choose solutions that understand your market, support your budget, and scale with your ambitions.
Footnotes
Other Similar Blogs
Why Every Mobile App Business Needs an MMP Platform in 2025
In 2025, the mobile app ecosystem is more crowded, competitive, and data-driven than ever before. With millions of apps competing for user attention and marketing costs steadily rising, understanding where your users come from and what drives them to engage has become a critical business function.
Gone are the days when simply tracking installs was enough. To grow sustainably and optimize marketing performance, app businesses now need precision tools that go beyond vanity metrics. This is where a Mobile Measurement Partner (MMP) platform like Linkrunner.io becomes not just helpful, but essential.
The Attribution Puzzle
The path a user takes before installing your app is often long and fragmented. One moment, they’re watching an Instagram Reel. Later, they’re Googling your brand. They might even hear about you in a WhatsApp group before finally downloading your app via a YouTube ad days later.
Without attribution technology, you have no way to connect the dots between these touchpoints. You don’t know what campaign influenced the install. You can’t measure which creative performed best. You’re spending money, but you’re blind to its effectiveness.
That’s where the power of an MMP comes in.
What Is an MMP Platform?
A Mobile Measurement Partner (MMP) platform is a specialized analytics and attribution tool designed to track where app installs and in-app actions come from. It connects user activity back to your advertising sources (Facebook Ads, Google Ads, influencer links, and more) giving you a complete view of how marketing impacts real user behavior.
Platforms like Linkrunner.io provide a single, unified dashboard that aggregates, de-duplicates, and attributes all your marketing data in one place, saving you from manually reconciling metrics across fragmented platforms.
Six Reasons Why Every App Needs an MMP
1. Accurate Multi-Touch Attribution
Users don’t just click and install. They interact with your brand across multiple campaigns and channels. A good MMP can attribute credit to each of these touchpoints (whether it’s a last-click install or a multi-touch conversion journey) so you can understand the true cost and impact of your campaigns.
Without this accuracy, you risk pouring money into ineffective ads while underfunding high-performing ones.
2. Fraud Protection That Saves Real Money
Mobile ad fraud is a multibillion-dollar problem. Bots, spoofed installs, and click farms can quietly steal your ad dollars in the background. MMPs like Linkrunner use real-time fraud detection algorithms to flag and block suspicious activity, so you only pay for genuine users.
This alone can improve your ROI and give you more confidence in your ad spend.
3. Unified Data, Clear Insights
Most marketing teams juggle multiple dashboards: Meta Ads Manager, Google Ads, Firebase, and more. Each tells part of the story, but none give the full picture.
An MMP consolidates data from all platforms, aligning your metrics with user behavior inside the app. Instead of switching between tabs, you get a single source of truth that makes analysis faster and decision-making smarter.
4. Privacy-First by Design
Between GDPR, CCPA, and Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT), mobile privacy has become a moving target. MMPs are built to help you stay compliant, by using probabilistic attribution when needed, honoring consent, and keeping you on the right side of platform policies.
Linkrunner.io adapts to privacy changes faster than in-house solutions, shielding your marketing efforts from policy disruptions.
5. ROI-Driven Campaign Optimization
Measuring installs is just the beginning. You need to know which campaigns lead to retention, engagement, and revenue.
An MMP enables this by connecting downstream events (like purchases, subscriptions, and user activity) to the original source. With this clarity, you can double down on high-performing channels and eliminate waste, turning guesswork into strategic optimization.
6. Automation That Scales With You
As your app grows, managing attribution manually becomes impossible. MMPs automate data collection, campaign tagging, and optimization, allowing your team to scale user acquisition without scaling complexity.
With tools like Linkrunner’s automated insights and AI-powered reporting, your team can focus on strategy and growth, not just data wrangling.
The Cost of Flying Blind
Choosing not to implement an MMP might seem like a way to save money, but the hidden costs quickly pile up:
Wasted Ad Spend: You may be spending up to 30% of your marketing budget on low-ROI sources and not even realize it.
Missed Growth Opportunities: Without performance visibility, you can’t double down on what works.
Falling Behind Competitors: In a market where data-driven decisions win, not having attribution insights puts you at a disadvantage.
In today’s mobile landscape, not using an MMP isn’t neutral, it’s risky.
What to Look for in a Modern MMP
If you’re considering integrating an MMP, here are the key factors to evaluate:
Cost Transparency: Traditional MMPs can be expensive, especially at scale. Linkrunner.io offers pricing up to 7x cheaper than legacy player (without sacrificing features).
Ease of Integration: Look for SDKs that are lightweight, well-documented, and easy to implement across iOS, Android, and web.
Analytics Depth: Choose a platform that goes beyond attribution. Linkrunner offers AI-driven insights to uncover trends, anomalies, and optimization opportunities automatically.
Support and SLAs: Attribution issues can happen, what matters is how fast your provider helps resolve them. Linkrunner’s support team is known for fast turnaround and proactive issue resolution.
Dashboard Usability: A powerful tool isn’t useful if your team can’t understand it. Intuitive dashboards drive adoption and make daily reporting painless.
Final Thoughts
In 2025, the question isn’t whether you should have an MMP. It’s which one will empower you to scale smarter, grow faster, and spend wiser.
As privacy rules tighten and user journeys grow more complex, platforms like Linkrunner.io offer a critical edge. By centralizing marketing data, defending against fraud, and illuminating the path from install to conversion, an MMP becomes the foundation of your mobile marketing strategy.
Make the switch now, and let your data start working for you.
The Critical Importance of Reliable Deferred Deep Linking for Modern Mobile Apps
In today’s competitive mobile landscape, providing a seamless user experience isn’t just a nice-to-have — it’s essential for app growth and retention. One key technology that significantly impacts this experience is deferred deep linking.
While many app marketers are familiar with basic deep linking, the reliability of deferred deep linking can make or break a user’s first impression and ultimately affect conversion rates.
What Is Deferred Deep Linking?
Before diving into why reliability matters, let’s clarify what deferred deep linking actually is: Basic deep linking takes users directly to specific in-app content (rather than just opening the app’s home page) when they click a link — but only works if the app is already installed. Deferred deep linking extends this functionality by “remembering” the user’s intended destination even when they need to install the app first. After installation, the user is seamlessly directed to the specific content they were originally trying to access.
This seemingly simple technology is actually quite complex to implement correctly — and that’s where reliability becomes crucial.
Why Reliability Matters in Deferred Deep Linking
First Impressions Shape User Retention
Research shows that 25% of users abandon apps after just one use. When a new user clicks on a promotional link promising specific content (like a special offer, product, or feature) but ends up on a generic welcome screen instead, you’ve already failed your first impression test. Reliable deferred deep linking ensures the promised content is delivered, creating a positive first interaction.Conversion Rate Optimization
Marketing campaigns that utilize deferred deep linking correctly have shown conversion improvements of up to 2.5x compared to campaigns that don’t preserve context during the installation process. Each failed deep link represents a potential customer lost in the conversion funnel.Maintaining Marketing Attribution Data
Beyond just the user experience, unreliable deferred deep linking can break your attribution chain. Without proper implementation, you lose visibility into which campaigns are driving not just installations but actual in-app conversions and engagement — making ROI calculations nearly impossible.Complex Technical Challenges
Several factors can cause deferred deep linking to fail:
OS-specific limitations (iOS and Android handle deep linking differently)
Edge cases with various device manufacturers
Browser inconsistencies
Timing issues during app installation
Reliable solutions must account for all these variables.
The Hidden Costs of Unreliable Deep Linking
When deferred deep linking fails, it triggers a cascade of negative outcomes:
Wasted Ad Spend: You pay for clicks and installations, but lose the conversion because users can’t find what was advertised
Increased Support Costs: Confused users contact customer service when they can’t find promised content
Damaged Brand Perception: Users blame your app, not the linking technology
Skewed Analytics: Attribution data becomes unreliable, leading to poor marketing decisions
How to Ensure Reliable Deferred Deep Linking
Implementing reliable deferred deep linking requires:
Robust Technology: Choose an MMP with proven reliability in deferred deep linking across all device types, browsers, and edge cases
Thorough Testing: Test your deep links across multiple scenarios, devices, and user journeys
Fallback Strategies: Implement graceful fallbacks when deep linking fails for any reason
Monitoring: Track success rates and quickly identify any issues with specific campaigns or link types
Conclusion
In the mobile app ecosystem, the details matter. Reliable deferred deep linking might seem like a small technical consideration, but it significantly impacts user experience, conversion rates, and ultimately your bottom line. As you evaluate mobile measurement partners, prioritize those that can demonstrate consistently reliable deferred deep linking capabilities across all platforms and user scenarios.
By ensuring your users always arrive at their intended destination — even after installing your app — you’re not just improving a technical metric; you’re building trust from the very first interaction.
The True Cost of Mobile Attribution: Why Affordable Solutions Like Linkrunner.io Are Changing the Game
In 2025, mobile attribution has become a foundational part of any app marketer’s tech stack. It’s no longer just a tool for advanced teams. It’s a baseline requirement for anyone spending money on user acquisition. Yet, while the value of attribution is clear, the cost associated with traditional Mobile Measurement Partner (MMP) platforms is often not.
Many developers and marketing teams (especially those at growing or mid-market app companies) have silently accepted high attribution bills as a “cost of doing business.” But what if it didn’t have to be?
The Real Price of Legacy Attribution Tools
Legacy MMPs like AppsFlyer, Branch, and Adjust offer sophisticated tracking features, but they come with a heavy price tag. Most app marketers initially focus on pricing per install or event, but the true cost goes far beyond that.
1. Volume-Based Pricing That Penalizes Growth
Almost every legacy MMP charges based on the number of attributed installs or tracked events. At first, this might feel like a fair tradeoff: pay as you scale. But in practice, this model punishes success. As your acquisition efforts become more effective, a larger portion of your budget gets diverted into attribution costs.
For example, if you’re driving 100,000 installs per month, you might end up paying $3,000 to $5,000 monthly, which often equals 5–10% of your entire marketing budget. That’s money you’re not putting into ads, creative, or optimization.
2. Hidden Feature Paywalls
It gets worse when you realize that the base pricing tiers don’t even unlock the full platform. Many essential features (like fraud detection, cohort analysis, API access, and long-term data retention) come with additional fees:
Advanced fraud protection? +20%
API and raw data access? Separate tier
More than 6 months of data retention? Pay extra
When you add these up, your $3,000/month bill can easily double.
3. High Engineering and Integration Overheads
The technical complexity of legacy MMPs often requires dedicated engineering time to implement and maintain:
Initial SDK integration
Event parameter mapping
Campaign tagging setup
Data reconciliation between platforms
It’s not uncommon for dev teams to spend dozens of hours every month just maintaining the MMP setup, an expensive drain on internal resources.
4. Tiered Support That Slows You Down
Lastly, most older MMPs offer tiered support based on how much you pay. If you’re not in the top pricing tier, expect delayed replies, limited access to specialists, and longer resolution times.
This can be a nightmare if attribution breaks during a critical campaign window, like a holiday sale or product launch.
Why This Matters: The Real ROI Impact
These costs aren’t just a line item. They have ripple effects on your entire growth strategy.
Imagine this scenario:
You spend $50,000 on a campaign
Your MMP takes an 8% cut ($4,000)
Your target CPI is $2.00
That $4,000 hit means 2,000 fewer users acquired. This results in a higher effective CPI, a lower ROAS, and reduced momentum in user acquisition.
In other words, the more you rely on attribution, the more expensive your growth becomes (unless you’re using the right tool).
Linkrunner.io Enters the Scene: A Better Way Forward
Enter Linkrunner.io, a modern MMP built for cost-conscious, growth-focused app teams. With flat, transparent pricing and enterprise-grade features included out of the box, Linkrunner is making powerful attribution accessible to everyone (from indie developers to Series B startups and beyond).
Here’s how it works differently.
Flat-Rate Pricing That Scales With You
No more paying more just because you’re successful. Linkrunner’s pricing is fixed and predictable, with no install- or event-based penalties. This unlocks scalability for marketing teams, allowing them to run high-volume campaigns without spiraling measurement fees.
Compared to legacy MMPs, customers report paying up to 7x less. That means more capital for acquisition, experimentation, or product.
Everything Included (No Surprise Costs!)
Every Linkrunner plan comes fully loaded:
Advanced fraud detection
Unlimited historical data retention
Seamless attribution across Android, iOS, web, and OEM channels
Real-time API access for custom dashboards and modeling
AI-powered analytics to surface optimization opportunities
It’s attribution the way it should be: powerful, complete, and unlocked from day one.
Developer-Friendly by Design
Most attribution platforms are built for analysts first and developers last. Linkrunner reverses that. With clean, auto-generating SDKs, no-nonsense docs, and built-in campaign tagging, integration takes a fraction of the time compared to older tools.
Support for CI/CD pipelines, QA modes, and live-testing environments makes it ideal for fast-moving growth teams.
Real Support for All Customers
Unlike platforms that reserve responsive help for their largest customers, Linkrunner offers:
24/7 support availability
Attribution specialists, not generic agents
Personalized onboarding sessions
Ongoing optimization and training
Whether you’re running your first attribution test or scaling multi-country campaigns, you’re never alone.
Why This Matters Strategically
Affordable attribution isn’t just a “nice to have.” It reshapes what’s possible for app marketing.
Experiment More, Risk Less
Freed from volume penalties, your team can test TikTok, influencer campaigns, push notification strategies, or programmatic networks without worrying about budget bloat from tracking costs.
Democratized Access to Data
When attribution isn’t metered, your product managers, designers, and growth analysts can explore metrics and behavior freely, leading to more informed product decisions and faster iteration loops.
Support Long-Term Planning
Cohort tracking over 30, 60, 90, and even 180 days becomes feasible without extra fees, allowing real LTV modeling, retention forecasting, and revenue planning.
Full-Funnel Visibility, Not Just Top-of-Funnel
From ad click to install to revenue, Linkrunner tracks it all across every channel, every region, and every user segment, without breaking your budget.
The Business Case: Real-World Math
Let’s say your app spends $100,000 per month on user acquisition:
Legacy MMP (7%): $7,000/month → $84,000/year
Linkrunner.io (1%): $1,000/month → $12,000/year
Annual savings: $72,000
With that savings, you could fund:
An entire new growth hire
Another 28,800 users (at $2.50 CPI)
6 months of influencer campaigns
A stronger runway or improved burn rate
In every scenario, the ROI upside of switching is undeniable.
The Attribution Revolution Is Now
Measurement isn’t going anywhere. If anything, it’s becoming more important as privacy frameworks tighten and marketing budgets face more scrutiny.
But that doesn’t mean attribution needs to be expensive, gated, or reserved for enterprises. With Linkrunner.io, attribution becomes a growth enabler, not a hidden tax.
Whether you’re just launching or scaling into new geographies, choosing the right MMP can add velocity to your entire business.
The question isn’t whether you can afford attribution.
It’s whether you can afford to keep overpaying for it.
