Branch started as a deep linking company and grew into a full mobile measurement partner (MMP). That history is why teams look for Branch alternatives for two very different reasons. Some only use Branch links and want something cheaper or simpler. Others use Branch for paid attribution and want more ad network coverage, fraud tools or a different price model. The right replacement depends on which group you are in.
We read Branch’s pricing page and help center, and the pricing pages and documentation of six alternatives, on November 3, 2026. Every price below is a published list price, and every feature claim links to the vendor page it came from. For the full category, see our guide to mobile attribution tools.
TLDR
Short answer: AppsFlyer is the best Branch alternative for teams that run large paid budgets across many ad networks. Singular and Kochava are the strongest free starting points, with deep linking and fraud prevention in their free plans. Adjust suits teams that want a free first year (1,500 conversions a month) and pay-for-what-you-need add-ons. Airbridge is the cheapest paid plan for apps that only buy Google, Meta, Apple Ads and TikTok, and Linkrunner is the cheapest per install for startups.
- Branch is no longer quote-only. Its self-serve plans start at $39 a month (Intro) after a 30-day trial, with Activation Basics at $199 and Performance or Engagement Basics at $499 (Branch help center).
- Free entry plans: Singular (15,000 paid conversions), Kochava (10K conversions a month), Linkrunner (25,000 installs), Adjust Base (1,500 conversions a month for the first year) and AppsFlyer Zero (owned media only).
- Cheapest at 20,000 attributed installs a month: Linkrunner at about $200, then Kochava Foundation from $500. AppsFlyer Growth works out to $1,400 at $0.07 per conversion.
- Only need links? AppsFlyer’s Deep Linking Zero plan is free for short links and QR codes, and DeepLinkNow is free up to 25,000 MAU.
- Plan the switch: keep the old SDK running for at least 2 weeks after the new release, as Branch itself advises for MMP moves (Branch).
In this guide
Branch alternatives at a glance
| Platform | Best for | Free or entry plan | Paid pricing model | Deep linking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Branch (baseline) | Deep linking plus attribution in one SDK | 30-day trial, then Intro $39 a month | Plans by volume credits, links and clicks | All plans, incl. deferred |
| AppsFlyer | Big paid budgets across many networks | Zero: free for owned media | $0.07 per conversion (Growth) | Separate Deep Linking plans: Zero free, others by quote |
| Adjust | A free first year, then modular add-ons | Base: free, 1,500 conversions a month for 12 months | Core and Enterprise by quote, by annual conversions | Direct and deferred included; TrueLink is an add-on |
| Airbridge | Apps that buy only Google, Meta, Apple Ads and TikTok | 30-day trial, then Core $40+ a month | $0.0001 per data point after 500K | Deferred deep links on Core |
| Singular | A free plan with fraud prevention and SKAN | Free: 15,000 paid conversions | $0.05 per conversion (Growth) | Deep linking and deferred on Free |
| Kochava | Free start, then flat monthly tiers | Free App Analytics: 10K conversions a month | Foundation from $500, Enterprise from $2,000 a month | SmartLinks on Free; Universal and App Links on Foundation |
| Linkrunner | Startups that want the lowest price per install | Free: 25,000 attributed installs | $0.012 to $0.007 per install | Deep linking and deferred deep linking listed |
Prices are list prices in US dollars, read on each vendor’s pricing page on November 3, 2026. Units differ: AppsFlyer and Singular charge per conversion, Linkrunner per attributed install, Airbridge per data point, and Branch counts volume credits.
What Branch costs now
Several top-ranking comparison pages still say Branch has no free tier and only sells by quote. That is out of date. Branch’s help center lists four self-serve plans (Branch Intro plan):
| Plan | Price | Volume credits | Web links and QR codes | Click tracking | Ad partners |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intro | $39 a month | 5,000 | 500 | 25,000 | 1 |
| Activation Basics | $199 a month | 5,000 | 10,000 | 150,000 | 1 |
| Performance Basics | $499 a month | 100,000 | 500 | 25,000 | 3 |
| Engagement Basics | $499 a month | 100,000 | 500 | 25,000 | 3 |
- Trial: 30 days. You sign up with a work email and a credit card, and Branch places a $10 temporary hold that is refunded automatically (Branch free trial).
- Overages on Intro: $0.05 per volume credit above 5,000, $0.05 per link or QR code above 500, and $0.01 per click above 25,000 (Branch).
- Custom domain: only Activation Basics includes one among these four plans, along with the Short Link API for web links (Branch, Activation Basics).
- What a volume credit is: “the number of end-user actions tracked, driven by, and reported on in Branch”. Some contracts bill by monthly active users instead (Branch billing).
- Deep linking: deep linking and deferred deep linking are included on all plans, including Intro (Branch Intro FAQs).
- Above Basics: the Branch pricing page lists Essentials and Enterprise by quote, and CTV/OTT attribution sits on those higher plans (Branch pricing).
So the reason to leave is rarely “Branch is too expensive to start”. It is usually one of the problems in the next table.
Why teams leave Branch, and which alternative fits
| Your reason | Look at first | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Need more ad networks on a cheap plan | Singular, AppsFlyer | Branch Basics plans allow 1 to 3 ad partners. Singular collects postbacks across all your ad partners, and AppsFlyer Growth is pay-as-you-go per conversion. |
| Want fraud prevention without an enterprise contract | Singular, Kochava | Both include fraud prevention in their free plans. |
| Paying per action for heavy deep link traffic | Linkrunner, Kochava | Linkrunner bills per attributed install; Kochava Foundation is a flat monthly price with 33K conversions included. |
| Only buy Google, Meta, Apple Ads and TikTok | Airbridge | Core costs $40+ a month and covers exactly those four ad platforms. |
| Only use Branch for links and QR codes | AppsFlyer Deep Linking Zero, DeepLinkNow | You may not need an MMP at all. See the links-only section below. |
| Want a long free runway before paying | Adjust, Linkrunner | Adjust Base is free for 12 months; Linkrunner’s 25,000 free installs have no time limit stated. |
The 6 best Branch alternatives in 2026
1. AppsFlyer: best for teams with large paid budgets across many ad networks
| Best for | Teams with large paid budgets across many ad networks |
| Free or entry plan | Zero: free for owned media, with a Welcome Package of 12K free conversions in the first year |
| Paid pricing | Growth: $0.07 per conversion after the Welcome Package; Enterprise by quote |
| Deep linking | Separate plans: Zero (free), Standard, Advanced and Premium (quote) |
AppsFlyer calls itself the industry’s “#1 measurement partner” and is the usual shortlist pick when paid acquisition is the main channel. Its full-platform pricing has three plans. Zero is free and built for owned media; AppsFlyer says it is “not suitable for apps with paid activities”. Growth is pay-as-you-go at $0.07 per conversion once the 12K-conversion Welcome Package runs out, and Enterprise adds fraud protection and is sold by quote (AppsFlyer pricing).
Deep linking is priced separately. The Deep Linking Zero plan is free for short links, QR codes and routing from web and social into the app, but AppsFlyer frames it for teams that “don’t need branded links”. Deferred deep linking and referral journeys start on Standard, and smart banners, bulk links and branded domains on Advanced, all by quote (AppsFlyer). OneLink, its link product, says most new links work in about 30 minutes, and about 3 hours when deep linking or deferred deep linking is involved (AppsFlyer OneLink overview).
If you are choosing between the two market leaders, our AppsFlyer vs Adjust comparison goes deeper.
Where it beats Branch: broad ad network coverage at a published per-conversion price, and a free plan for owned-media links.
Where it falls short: per-conversion pricing adds up fast at scale: 20,000 conversions a month is $1,400 at list price. Deep linking features beyond the free Zero plan, and fraud protection, need a quote.
2. Adjust: best for a free first year and pay-for-what-you-need add-ons
| Best for | A free first year and pay-for-what-you-need add-ons |
| Free or entry plan | Base: free, up to 1,500 monthly conversions for the first year |
| Paid pricing | Core (up to 250,000 annual conversions) and Enterprise (over 2,500,000) by quote |
| Deep linking | Direct and deferred deep linking included; TrueLink, Smart Banners and Fraud Prevention Suite are add-ons |
Adjust’s Base plan gives access to all features in its Core solution for up to 1,500 monthly attributions for up to 12 months, with email support (Adjust pricing). After that, Core and Enterprise are priced by annual conversion volume and sold by quote.
Direct and deferred deep linking are part of the core product. TrueLink, Adjust’s fuller deep linking solution, is a paid Growth Solution add-on for Core and Enterprise clients, as are Smart Banners and the Fraud Prevention Suite (Adjust). TrueLink adds branded short links on a go.link domain with an automatic QR code, a deep link generator and a deep link generator API (Adjust help center).
Our head-to-head Adjust vs Branch covers attribution logic and setup in more detail.
Where it beats Branch: a full year free at small volume, and basic deferred deep linking without an add-on.
Where it falls short: no published price after the first year, and the link features most Branch users rely on (branded short links, banners) are add-ons.
3. Airbridge: best for apps that only buy Google, Meta, Apple Ads and TikTok
| Best for | Apps that only buy Google, Meta, Apple Ads and TikTok |
| Free or entry plan | 30-day free trial, then Core from $40 a month |
| Paid pricing | Core: 500K data points included, then $0.0001 per data point; Growth by quote |
| Deep linking | Deferred deep links, short links and QR codes, and a web-to-app banner on Core |
Airbridge publishes the lowest paid entry price of the full MMPs here. Core costs $40+ a month after a 30-day trial and includes 500K data points, then $0.0001 per data point; Airbridge says $40 covers about 35,000 monthly active users at typical usage (Airbridge pricing).
The catch is coverage. Core is built “for teams running paid ads on Google, Meta, Apple Ads, and TikTok”, and its ad network attribution is limited to those four. Growth, by quote, adds 330+ ad networks and platforms and fraud detection (Airbridge). Core does include deferred deep links and a web-to-app banner, which covers much of what Branch Activation users pay for.
Airbridge publishes a seven-step migration guide that includes removing the previous MMP SDK, its postback settings and its self-attributing network (SAN) integrations (Airbridge migration guide). See also Airbridge vs AppsFlyer.
Where it beats Branch: a cheap, published paid plan that bundles deferred deep links and a web-to-app banner.
Where it falls short: Core covers only four ad platforms, billing per data point makes costs depend on how many events you track, and fraud detection needs Growth.
4. Singular: best for a free plan with fraud prevention, deep linking and SKAN
| Best for | A free plan with fraud prevention, deep linking and SKAN |
| Free or entry plan | Free: $0 per conversion for 15,000 paid conversions |
| Paid pricing | Growth: $0.05 per conversion; Enterprise by quote |
| Deep linking | Deep linking and deferred deep linking on the Free plan |
Singular’s Free plan includes fraud prevention and “easy deep linking and deferred deep-linking” for up to 15,000 paid conversions. Growth costs $0.05 per conversion, and Enterprise adds cross-device attribution and an enterprise SLA (Singular pricing).
Singular says its fraud prevention is included in every plan, and it collects SKAdNetwork postbacks across ad partners with custom conversion models (Singular). That matters for Branch Basics users, who only get fraud tools and wider ad partner limits on higher plans.
Compare it with AppsFlyer in Singular vs AppsFlyer.
Where it beats Branch: fraud prevention and deep linking in a free plan, and a lower per-conversion rate than AppsFlyer.
Where it falls short: the pricing page does not list branded link domains or web-to-app banners, so check link features in a demo if links are your main use case.
5. Kochava: best for a free start, then flat monthly pricing
| Best for | A free start, then flat monthly pricing |
| Free or entry plan | Free App Analytics: $0, 10K conversions a month |
| Paid pricing | Foundation from $500 a month (33K conversions); Enterprise from $2,000 a month (200K MAU) |
| Deep linking | SmartLinks (deep linking and QR codes) on Free; Universal Links and App Links support on Foundation |
Kochava’s free plan is unusually complete: SKAN and AdAttributionKit support on iOS, SmartLinks for deep linking and QR codes, and AI-powered ad fraud prevention. Paid media attribution on Free covers self-attributing networks only; all integrated partners come with Foundation (Kochava pricing).
Foundation starts at $500 a month with 33K conversions included, and adds enhanced multi-platform deep linking, Universal Links and App Links support, IdentityLink cross-device resolution and row-level reporting. Enterprise starts at $2,000 a month with 200K MAU and adds the fraud console (Kochava). Its help center explains how SmartLinks handle deep links versus Universal Links (Kochava deep linking).
For a closer look, read Kochava vs AppsFlyer.
Where it beats Branch: predictable flat monthly tiers, and fraud prevention plus SmartLinks in the free plan.
Where it falls short: free paid-media attribution is limited to self-attributing networks, and Universal Links and App Links support needs the $500 Foundation plan.
6. Linkrunner: best for startups that want the lowest price per install
| Best for | Startups that want the lowest price per install |
| Free or entry plan | Free: 25,000 attributed installs |
| Paid pricing | Growth: pay-as-you-go, $0.012 per install (0 to 10K) down to $0.007 (500K+), billed monthly |
| Deep linking | Deep linking and deferred deep linking listed in the plan comparison |
Linkrunner is a newer, startup-focused MMP that says it is used by 400+ growth teams (Linkrunner). Its free plan includes 25,000 attributed installs. Growth is pay-as-you-go with monthly postpaid billing and no annual lock-in, at $0.012 per install up to 10K, $0.010 from 10K to 50K, $0.009 from 50K to 100K, $0.008 from 100K to 500K and $0.007 above 500K (Linkrunner pricing).
The rate is set by your total band, not tiered. Linkrunner’s own calculator prices 100,000 installs at $900 a month, which is 100,000 times $0.009 (Linkrunner). Data retention is 30 days on Free and 365 days on Growth. Its docs list SDKs for iOS, Android, React Native, Flutter, Expo, Unity and web (Linkrunner docs).
One caution: a Linkrunner blog post on Branch alternatives quotes $0.010 per install for 0 to 50K installs, which does not match its own pricing page. Use the pricing page numbers.
Where it beats Branch: the lowest published price per install here, and a free plan with no stated time limit.
Where it falls short: a younger product than the others here, so confirm the ad networks you buy from are integrated, and the pricing page does not say which plan includes fraud protection.
What 20,000 attributed installs a month costs
To compare like for like, we priced one scenario: an app with 20,000 attributed installs or conversions a month, at list price, with no add-ons or discounts.
| Platform | Monthly list price | How we got it |
|---|---|---|
| Linkrunner | $200 | 20,000 x $0.010 (10K to 50K band) |
| Branch Performance Basics | $499 | Flat plan with 100,000 volume credits; credits count actions, not only installs |
| Kochava Foundation | From $500 | Flat plan including 33K conversions a month |
| Singular Growth | $1,000 | 20,000 x $0.05 per conversion |
| AppsFlyer Growth | $1,400 | 20,000 x $0.07 per conversion, after the Welcome Package |
| Airbridge Core | $40+ plus data points | Depends on events tracked; not comparable per install |
| Adjust Core | Quote | No published price after the free Base year |
Treat this as a starting point. Conversion definitions differ between vendors, and paid add-ons such as fraud suites, branded links or raw data export change the total.
If you only used Branch for links
Many teams adopted Branch for deep links and never used its attribution. If that is you, a link tool may be enough, and since Firebase Dynamic Links shut down there are more of them. We cover the full list in our Firebase Dynamic Links alternatives guide. Two published options:
- AppsFlyer Deep Linking Zero: free short links, QR codes and routing into the app. Deferred deep linking needs the Standard plan and branded domains the Advanced plan, both by quote (AppsFlyer).
- DeepLinkNow: free up to 25,000 MAU, then $49, $149 or $499 a month (DeepLinkNow).
- Branch Intro itself: at $39 a month with deferred deep linking included, it may still be the cheapest way to keep your existing links working.
If you need to tie web visits to app installs, see our web-to-app attribution tools comparison.
How to migrate off Branch without losing attribution
Branch publishes its own guide for teams moving to Branch from another MMP, and Airbridge publishes one for moving away from another MMP. The same rules apply in reverse (Branch MMP migration guide, Airbridge migration guide).
- Audit what you use. List every Branch link, QR code, domain, event and ad partner postback. Branch recommends this inventory as the first step, and it is a good time to retire unused links.
- Keep your link domain working. Old Branch links in emails, QR codes and printed material keep pointing at Branch. Keep Branch on its cheapest plan, or redirect, until those links age out.
- Rebuild optimization events first. Every event you send to ad networks for campaign optimization must flow through the new SDK before you switch.
- Move low-spend networks first. Branch advises switching tracking links on your lowest-spend ad networks first to limit attribution loss.
- Run both SDKs for at least 2 weeks after release, so users on older app versions are still measured. Consider a forced app update.
- Clean up. Remove the old SDK, its postback settings and its SAN integrations, as Airbridge’s guide lists in its step 3.
How we compared these platforms
We read each vendor’s pricing page and the relevant help center articles on November 3, 2026, and captured each homepage the same day. We counted only published prices; where a vendor sells by quote, we say so. The cost scenario uses 20,000 attributed installs or conversions a month at list price, with no add-ons, discounts or overage. We did not run these SDKs in a live app for this comparison.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best alternative to Branch?
For most teams running paid user acquisition, AppsFlyer is the best Branch alternative because of its ad network coverage. Singular and Kochava are the best free starting points, with deep linking and fraud prevention in their free plans. For the lowest price per install, Linkrunner charges $0.012 to $0.007 per install after 25,000 free installs.
Does Branch have a free plan?
Branch has a 30-day free trial rather than a permanent free plan. After the trial, its cheapest self-serve plan, Intro, costs $39 a month with 5,000 volume credits, 500 web links or QR codes and 25,000 tracked clicks. Deep linking and deferred deep linking are included.
How much does Branch cost per month?
Branch’s self-serve plans cost $39 a month (Intro), $199 a month (Activation Basics) and $499 a month (Performance Basics or Engagement Basics), per its help center. Essentials and Enterprise plans are sold by quote.
Who are Branch’s main competitors?
Branch’s main competitors are the other mobile measurement partners: AppsFlyer, Adjust, Singular, Kochava and Airbridge, plus newer players such as Linkrunner. For deep linking only, it also competes with link tools such as AppsFlyer’s Deep Linking plans and DeepLinkNow.
Is AppsFlyer better than Branch?
AppsFlyer is usually better for paid acquisition across many ad networks, and its Growth plan is $0.07 per conversion. Branch is often simpler for teams whose main need is deep linking, since deferred deep linking is included on every Branch plan, while AppsFlyer sells deferred deep linking on its Standard Deep Linking plan by quote.
What is the cheapest Branch alternative?
Linkrunner has the lowest published per-install price, with 25,000 free attributed installs and then $0.012 to $0.007 per install. Airbridge Core starts at $40 a month for apps that only buy Google, Meta, Apple Ads and TikTok. Singular, Kochava and Adjust also have free entry plans.
How long should I run two MMP SDKs during migration?
Keep the old SDK active for at least two weeks after the release that adds the new one, so users who have not updated are still measured. Branch recommends that minimum in its own MMP migration guide.
