Install attribution answers the question every growth experiment depends on: which link, campaign or person caused this install? You do not need a mobile measurement partner to get that answer. LinkTrace connects installs back to clicks with two HTTP calls and no SDK, at flat monthly pricing that starts free.
Install attribution is the process of connecting an app install back to the marketing touch that caused it — a tapped link, a campaign, a referrer. It is what lets you say “this install came from that LinkedIn post” instead of guessing.
The chain is simple in theory: someone taps a link, installs, opens the app. Attribution records the tap and matches it to the first open. It breaks in practice because the app store sits in the middle: cookies do not survive it, and the store does not hand the context back to you.
Full MMPs solve this with an embedded SDK and paid-media integrations. LinkTrace solves it server-side: the click is recorded when the link is tapped, and your app reports the install through one API call. The full walk-through of SDK-free methods — server-side fingerprinting, Play Install Referrer, SKAdNetwork — is in how to track installs without Firebase or AppsFlyer.
A full MMP — AppsFlyer, Adjust, Branch — is the right tool when you run significant paid-media spend and need SKAdNetwork management, ad-network postbacks or fraud scoring. If that is you, use one. We say the same thing on our AppsFlyer comparison.
LinkTrace is for the other case: teams growing through referrals, social, messaging, QR and influencer links, who want to know what worked without embedding an SDK or signing an annual contract.
| Capability | LinkTrace | Full MMP |
|---|---|---|
| Integration | Two HTTP calls, no SDK | SDK in the app, plus platform configuration |
| Best for | Referral, social, messaging, QR, influencer | Paid media at scale |
| Pricing | Flat monthly, free plan included — see pricing | Usage-metered or custom; AppsFlyer Growth publishes $0.07 per conversion, Branch publishes no price |
| What you give up | SKAdNetwork, ad-network postbacks, fraud scoring | Simplicity and self-serve setup |
Competitor figures as verified on our AppsFlyer and Branch comparison pages.
POST /api/v1/referral-links. source, campaign, medium and customPayload are yours to set.POST /api/v1/attributions. Matched installs come back with the full link metadata: source, campaign, and whatever payload you attached.{
"success": true,
"data": {
"attributed": true,
"referrerIdentifier": "user_9821",
"campaign": "summer_referral",
"customPayload": {
"screenName": "promo_screen",
"promoCode": "SAVE20"
}
}
}The user must install within 24 hours of tapping the link. Installs outside that window return attributed: false. Details are in the API reference and how LinkTrace works. For a step-by-step walkthrough aimed at small teams, see install attribution for indie developers.
No SKAdNetwork management, ad-network postbacks, fraud scoring and paid-media cost aggregation, and no smart-banner SDK. LinkTrace is deliberately narrow: links, installs, referrals. For the full decision framework, read do you need an MMP?, or see our MMP alternative page.
The click is recorded server-side when someone taps your link, along with device signals. After install, your app calls the Attribution API, and LinkTrace matches the install to the recorded click with device fingerprint matching. Matched installs return the original link’s metadata.
Fingerprint matching is probabilistic, not deterministic. It performs best when the tap and the first app open happen close together on the same device and network, and it can miss when they do not — a different device, a long delay, or a signal-stripping browser. In controlled testing with known click-to-install pairs, LinkTrace correctly attributed 97% of Android installs and 85% of iOS installs where the install happened within 30 minutes of the click; accuracy across the full 24-hour window is lower. When there is no confident match, the API returns attributed: false rather than a guess.
24 hours. The user must install within 24 hours of tapping the link.
When you run paid user acquisition at scale and need SKAdNetwork management, ad-network postbacks or fraud scoring. Those are MMP jobs, and LinkTrace does not try to do them.
The original link’s metadata: referrer identifier, source, campaign, medium, and any custom payload you attached when creating the link.
Yes. Install attribution is included on the free Starter plan (a one-time allowance of 100 dynamic links and 1,000 attributed installs), with no credit card required. See pricing.
Two HTTP calls, no SDK, and deferred deep linking, install attribution and referral tracking on every plan.