What is free
🎁 Free Tiers — Master Comparison
| Platform | Free quota | Renews / Expiry | Notable features included |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChottuLink | 25K MAU | ✅ Yes · Forever | Full deep linking, unlimited links/clicks/QR |
| Branch | ~10K MAU | ✅ Yes · Forever | Deep linking, basic click/install tracking only |
| Kochava | 10K Conversions | ✅ Yes · Forever | SAN attribution, SKAN, A/B testing, basic fraud |
| Singular | 15K Conversions | ✅ Yes · Forever | Full attribution + fraud + cost aggregation + APIs |
| Tenjin | 2K Conversions | ✅ Yes · Forever | ALL features incl. fraud + SKAN (no paywalls) |
| Airbridge | 10K MAU | ✅ Yes · Forever | Deep linking only (no paid attribution) |
| Bitly | 5 Links | ✅ Yes · Forever | Click analytics, 2 QR codes, no deep linking |
| Dub.co | 25 links + 1K events | ✅ Yes · Forever | Deep links, A/B testing, 3 custom domains |
| Adjust | 1,500 Attributions/mo | ✅ Yes · ⚠️ 12 months only | Deep linking, basic fraud |
| AppsFlyer | 12K Conversions | ❌ One-time pool · ⚠️ 12 months | Full attribution + MTA + deep linking |
| Linkrunner | 25K Attributed installs | ❌ One-time pool · Never expires | Full MMP features |
| Firebase DL | ∞ | ❌ DEAD (Aug 2025) | Was unlimited & free — now shut down |
📂 Grouped by "how the free tier behaves"
🟢 Group A — Forever free, renews every month (most common — 8 platforms)
Use it as long as you want; the quota resets monthly.
ChottuLink, Branch, Kochava, Singular, Tenjin, Airbridge, Bitly, Dub.co
🟡 Group B — Free but the clock is ticking (2 platforms)
Generous free allowance, but it disappears after 12 months.
- Adjust → 1,500 attributions/mo for 12 months, then you must pay
- AppsFlyer → 12K free conversions as a one-time pool within the first 12 months
🟠 Group C — One-time bucket, never refills (1 platform)
A fixed free amount you burn through; once it's gone, it's gone.
- Linkrunner → 25K attributed installs total (never expires, but doesn't renew)
⚫ Group D — Was free, now dead
- Firebase Dynamic Links → was completely free with no caps — shut down August 2025
🏆 "Most generous free tier" — by category
| If you want… | The winner is… | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Pure deep linking | ChottuLink | 25K MAU forever + unlimited links/clicks/QR |
| Full attribution for free | Singular | 15K conversions/mo forever, includes fraud + SKAN + cost data |
| Every feature unlocked | Tenjin | Only 2K conversions, but zero feature paywalls |
| No expiry, ever | ChottuLink / Kochava / Singular | All renew monthly with no 12-month trap |
⚠️ The catch to flag on the slide
"Free" is not equal across the market. Three traps to watch:
- Time bombs — Adjust & AppsFlyer free tiers expire after 12 months.
- One-time pools — AppsFlyer & Linkrunner give you a bucket, not a subscription. Once spent, no more free.
- Feature starvation — Branch's free tier strips attribution/fraud entirely; ChottuLink's free tier hides analytics behind the paid wall.
🔑 One-line takeaway
8 of 12 competitors offer a genuinely renewable, forever-free tier. ChottuLink and Singular are the most generous; Adjust and AppsFlyer's "free" is really a 12-month trial. The only ever-unlimited free option (Firebase) is dead.