Key takeaways
- App install attribution answers one question that matters disproportionately early: which of the few things you are doing to acquire users is actually working.
- Every major attribution platform has a free tier, but each one caps out differently, on conversions, on monthly active users, or on install volume, so "free" does not mean the same amount of runway everywhere.
- Most early apps do not need to buy attribution capability at all. The free tier of a lightweight tool, paired with basic install and event tracking, covers the real question until you are spending enough to justify more.
Why this matters before you have a marketing budget
It is tempting to treat attribution as a later problem, something to bolt on once there is real ad spend to optimize. That instinct backfires for a specific reason: attribution is also how you learn which of your free or nearly-free channels, a launch on a community forum, a founder's personal following, a first batch of press, actually produced installs. Without it, you cannot tell a channel that quietly worked from one that just happened to coincide with a busy week.
Setting up install attribution before you spend on ads costs you nothing and gives you a baseline. When paid acquisition does start, you already know what organic and referral installs look like, which makes it far easier to tell whether a campaign is adding real volume or just riding the same wave your organic channels already produce.
What "free" actually means across the major platforms
The attribution category is dominated by tools built for teams spending real money on paid acquisition, and their free tiers reflect that: they are entry points, not a permanent home for a small app. Reported terms illustrate the pattern rather than an exact current number, since these shift, but they are useful for understanding the shape of each free tier. AppsFlyer's free Zero plan includes a conversion allowance for the first year. Branch does not publish a standing free-tier limit; its own site lists a free trial on the Basics plan, and third-party writeups cite a practical ceiling near 10,000 monthly active users. Adjust's free Base tier is aimed at very early volume, up to about 1,500 monthly attributions for the first year.
The pattern across all three: the free tier is generous enough to test the platform, thin enough that a real launch or a single viral moment can blow through it, and the paid tier above it is priced for a team already running meaningful acquisition spend, not a solo founder validating an idea.
What to actually track first
Before evaluating any platform, get clear on the small number of things install attribution needs to answer at this stage. You want to know, per channel, how many installs it produced, and ideally whether those installs did anything meaningful afterward, completed onboarding, activated a core feature, or converted to paid. You do not yet need cross-network fraud filtering, multi-touch modeling, or incrementality testing. Those become relevant once you have enough channels and enough spend that the difference between models changes a real budget decision.
A workable starting setup: unique tracked links per channel, so a link in your Product Hunt listing, a link in a newsletter mention, and a link on your own site are each attributable separately, plus a small number of in-app events (signup, activation, first purchase) tied to the install that produced them. That is a materially smaller build than a full MMP integration, and it answers the question that actually matters this early.
The install attribution and deep linking overlap
Install attribution and deep linking solve adjacent problems with the same underlying mechanism. Attribution asks which channel produced an install. Deep linking, specifically deferred deep linking, asks which screen a new user should land on after that install. Both rely on the same click-to-install matching handshake, so a platform that does deep linking well is usually a short step away from also giving you install attribution, without a separate integration.
This is why a dedicated deep linking platform with basic attribution built in often makes more sense for an early app than adopting a full MMP and only using a fraction of it. You get the routing and the "which channel" answer from one SDK, one integration, and one bill.
When to move to a full MMP
The upgrade point is usually clear once it arrives: you are running paid user acquisition across more than a couple of ad networks, you need to compare cost per install and downstream value across those networks in one place, or fraud in paid traffic has become large enough that a dedicated fraud module pays for itself. Until then, the free tier of a lightweight tool, paired with disciplined manual tracking of the channels you are testing, will answer the questions a startup actually has.
Ulinkly's free tier covers deep linking and basic install tracking up to 10,000 monthly active users per project; deferred deep linking and source attribution are on paid plans, from 9 dollars per month.
Frequently asked questions
What is app install attribution?
App install attribution connects an app install back to the specific channel, campaign, or link that produced it, so you can tell which marketing efforts, paid or organic, are actually driving downloads and, ideally, meaningful in-app activity afterward.
Do I need a paid attribution platform as an early-stage app?
Usually not right away. Most attribution platforms have a free tier, but they are built for teams already running paid acquisition. A lightweight deep linking platform with basic attribution, or even manually tracked unique links per channel, typically covers what an early app needs to know.
What is the difference between free attribution tiers at AppsFlyer, Branch, and Adjust?
Each caps differently: AppsFlyer's free tier is based on a conversion allowance, Branch offers a free trial rather than a published standing free tier, and Adjust's Base tier is based on monthly attribution volume for a limited time. All three are meant as entry points rather than a long-term home for a small app, and exact terms shift over time, so check current terms before relying on a specific number.
How does install attribution relate to deep linking?
They share the same underlying matching mechanism: both need to connect a click to a later app install. A platform that handles deferred deep linking well can usually provide basic install attribution from the same integration, which is often simpler than adopting a separate full attribution platform early on.
Want install attribution without an MMP contract?
Ulinkly gives you deep linking and basic install tracking free for up to 10,000 monthly active users; deferred deep linking and source attribution start at 9 dollars per month. Start at ulink.ly/pricing.
Sources
- AppsFlyer pricing overview: https://www.appsflyer.com/pricing/
- Branch pricing: https://branch.io/pricing/
- Adjust pricing: https://www.adjust.com/pricing/