Short answer: Choose a deep linking tool on six things: deferred deep linking on the plan you'll actually pay for, links on your own domain, QR codes, web-to-app routing, install attribution in the same tool, and a published price. Then test one real link with a fresh install before you sign. The features look similar on paper; the plans they sit on are where tools differ.
What is a deep linking tool?
Deep linking tool: a service that creates smart links which open your app on the right screen if it's installed, or send people to the right app store and then the right screen if it isn't.
Since Firebase Dynamic Links shut down on 25 August 2025, most app teams get this from a mobile measurement partner (MMP) or a deep linking vendor. It has two parts: links your marketing team creates, and an SDK your developers add once.
SDK: a small piece of code from the vendor, added to your app, that reads the link on open and reports installs back.
What should you check before choosing a tool?
Check whether deferred deep linking, your own link domain and install attribution are all on the plan you'd buy, and whether that plan has a published price. These are the features most often split across tiers.
1. Deferred deep linking on your plan
New users from ads, influencers and referrals need to land on the right screen after install, and some vendors keep this off their free or entry plan. Ask "which plan", not "do you support it". The deferred deep linking explainer shows how to test it.
2. Links on your own domain
Branded domain: a link address on your own domain, such as go.yourbrand.com, instead of the vendor's.
Links on your domain look trustworthy in bios and messages, and you can point them at a new vendor later. Links on a vendor's domain stay with the vendor if you leave. On 15 September 2026, AppsFlyer revoked branded domains from its free Zero plan, which is a good example of why this matters; see OneLink, onelink.me and onelink.to.
3. QR codes
Posters, packaging and events need a QR code that opens the same smart link. Check that the QR code routes by device like the link does, and that scans are reported separately from taps.
4. Web-to-app routing
Can the tool send mobile website visitors into the app, through a banner or a link on the page? Also check what happens on a computer, where there's no app to open.
5. Attribution in the same tool
A link that routes well but can't say which campaign drove the install does half the job. Separate tools mean two SDKs and two sets of numbers to reconcile.
Attribution: crediting each install to the campaign, ad or link that drove it.
6. A published price
A published per-install or per-month price lets you estimate cost at your volume before a sales call. "Custom pricing" usually means the price moves with your volume and your negotiation.
How do the main tools compare?
From each vendor's own pricing page, checked in October 2026. "Unverified" means the vendor's page doesn't make it clear.
| Tool | Deferred deep linking on free or entry plan | Attribution included | Published price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linkrunner | Yes, every link, every plan | Yes | 25k one-time free installs, then $0.010 to $0.007 per install |
| AppsFlyer | No, Standard deep linking tier and up | Yes | $0.07 per conversion (Growth); deep linking tiers custom |
| Adjust | Yes, in the attribution features | Yes | Not public; free Base plan for 12 months |
| Branch | Unverified; deep linking isn't listed on Basics | Yes | Not public |
| Singular | Deep linking yes; deferred not spelled out | Yes | $0.05 per conversion (Growth) |
| Airbridge | Yes, on Core | Yes | From $40 a month; 30-day trial |
| Tenjin | Yes, in the feature list | Yes | Free 2k conversions a month; from $200 a month |
| Kochava | SmartLinks on Free; deferred unverified | Yes | Foundation from $500 a month |
Airbridge suits small apps that want deferred links, short links, QR codes and a web-to-app banner on one low monthly plan. Tenjin suits indie and hybrid-casual game studios. For the full feature breakdown of each tool, see this comparison of deep linking tools.
Where Linkrunner fits: Best for teams that want deferred deep links and attribution in one SDK on a published price. Linkrunner's deep links are dynamic and deferred by default, run on branded domains, cover QR codes and web-to-app flows, and the first 25k attributed installs are free.
How do you test a tool before committing?
Use the free plan or trial to run one real campaign link end to end:
- Create a link to a specific screen, on your own domain if the plan allows it.
- Check it in the link checker to confirm the UTM tags are clean.
- Delete the app, tap the link on an iPhone, install and note the first screen. Repeat on Android.
- Tap it again with the app installed, and once inside Instagram's in-app browser.
- Scan the QR code version on both phones.
- Check the dashboard: did the install appear under the right campaign? If a short link drops your UTM tags, short links losing parameters explains why.