AppsFlyer vs Branch is a choice between two mobile attribution platforms that overlap a great deal but start from different places. AppsFlyer is a measurement platform first: attribution across mobile, web, connected TV, PC and console, with deep linking (its OneLink product) as one suite inside a larger set. Branch describes itself as a mobile measurement and deep linking platform, and its linking products (deep links, QR codes and web-to-app banners) sit at the centre of what it sells.
The short verdict: choose AppsFlyer if measuring paid user acquisition across many channels and devices is the main job. Choose Branch if getting users from email, web, social and QR codes into the right screen of your app is the main job, with attribution alongside. Both offer deferred deep linking and both offer attribution, so either can cover the other's ground. The difference is emphasis, pricing model and what you get on the entry plan.
AppsFlyer vs Branch at a glance
| AppsFlyer | Branch | |
|---|---|---|
| How it describes itself | A marketing cloud built on measurement | A mobile measurement and deep linking platform |
| Attribution | Mobile, web, CTV, PC and console | Paid, owned and earned channels, cross-platform and cross-device |
| Deep linking | OneLink: deferred deep linking, web-to-app, QR-to-app, email-to-app | Deep links, deferred deep links, branded QR codes, web-to-app banners, email |
| Plans | Zero, Growth, Enterprise | Basics, Essentials, Enterprise |
| Public pricing | Yes for Growth (per conversion), custom for Enterprise | No prices published, free trial on Basics |
| Best for | Teams whose priority is paid campaign measurement | Teams whose priority is linking from owned and organic channels |
Everything in this table comes from each vendor's own website, checked on 10 October 2026. Both products change often, so confirm the details that matter to you before you sign.
Attribution: where the two differ
AppsFlyer's measurement suite is the broader of the two on paper. Its site lists mobile, web, CTV and PC and console attribution, plus cross-platform measurement, ROI measurement, incrementality, creative optimisation, audience segmentation and product analytics. It also says it has thousands of integrated partners. If your growth team buys media across many ad networks and wants one place to compare them, this is the product AppsFlyer leads with.
Branch's attribution is described as deduplicated measurement across paid, owned and earned channels, covering web, email, ads, social, SEO, affiliates and QR codes in one view. Its pricing page shows that plan level matters here: Basics lists a limit of three ad partners, while Essentials and Enterprise list unlimited ad partners, and CTV attribution is described as an Enterprise feature.
In practice, both are full mobile attribution platforms. A team running a handful of paid channels will be served by either. The gap opens at the edges: console and PC measurement points to AppsFlyer, while a team that cares most about owned channels may find Branch's framing closer to how it works.
Deep linking and deferred deep linking
Both vendors offer deferred deep linking, which means a link keeps its context through an app install and sends the new user to the right content on first open.
AppsFlyer's OneLink covers deferred deep linking, web-to-app banners and scripts, QR codes and email links. One detail worth checking: on AppsFlyer's pricing comparison, link management, Smart Banners and the OneLink API are listed under the Growth and Enterprise plans.
Branch covers the same core ground: deep links and deferred deep links across iOS, Android, web and desktop, branded QR codes, smart banners and interstitials that carry a web visitor into the app, and email deep linking with integrations for email service providers. Linking is the product Branch is best known for, and its product range reflects that, with separate offerings for link management, banners, and branded short links and QR codes.
If deep linking is the only thing you need, either will do it. Compare the SDK setup effort for your stack and which plan the features you want sit on.
Pricing model
This is the clearest practical difference between the two.
AppsFlyer publishes its entry pricing. At the time of writing, its pricing page shows three plans:
- Zero: free, described as suited to apps that want a simple tool for owned media activities.
- Growth: pay as you go. The first 12,000 conversions are free as a one-time welcome package, then conversions cost $0.07 each. AppsFlyer defines a conversion as a successful app install or user action that your efforts drove and that you measured with AppsFlyer.
- Enterprise: custom pricing.
Branch does not publish prices. Its pricing page lists Basics, Essentials and Enterprise, offers a free trial on Basics, and sends you to a demo request for the other two. Branch's help centre says that, depending on your plan, usage is counted either by monthly active users or by volume credits.
So AppsFlyer bills on what your marketing produces (conversions), and you can estimate the cost from the public rate. With Branch you need a quote, and the unit depends on the plan you are offered. Model both against your own numbers: an app with many active users and few new installs will see the two models very differently from an app in a heavy acquisition phase.
Who each one suits
AppsFlyer suits:
- Teams spending on paid acquisition across several networks who need one source of measurement.
- Apps that also need to measure web, CTV, PC or console.
- Teams that want a published per-conversion rate to start with.
Branch suits:
- Teams whose growth comes mainly from owned and organic channels: email, website, social and QR codes.
- Apps where web-to-app banners and link management are central.
- Teams that want linking and attribution from one vendor and are happy to buy through a sales conversation.
If you are searching for AppsFlyer alternatives or Branch alternatives, the other one is the natural first comparison, because they are the two products most often shortlisted together for this job.
Where an affiliate programme fits
This part is separate from the comparison above, and it is narrower.
AppsFlyer and Branch measure marketing and route users. Branch's own writing on affiliate marketing describes its role as linking users to the right in-app content and passing conversion data back to affiliate networks, which handle the affiliate payouts. Working out what each individual affiliate has earned on an in-app purchase, and paying them, is a different job.
That is the job Insert Affiliate does for iOS and Android apps that sell in-app purchases and subscriptions. It attributes a purchase to the affiliate whose link or code was carried onto it, calculates the commission, and pays affiliates through Stripe Connect once each affiliate has completed their Stripe setup.
Insert Affiliate needs a deep link to identify the affiliate, and there are three ways to supply it:
- AppsFlyer OneLink, if AppsFlyer is already in your stack.
- Branch, if Branch is already in your stack.
- Insert Links, Insert Affiliate's own deferred deep links, which need no third-party account.
A team that only needs affiliate attribution for in-app purchases may therefore not need a full attribution platform. That is a narrow case. AppsFlyer and Branch do far more than affiliate tracking: paid campaign measurement, web-to-app banners, QR campaigns, email linking and cross-platform reporting are all outside what Insert Affiliate does. Insert Affiliate is also not built for Shopify stores. If you need broad marketing measurement, you need one of these two (or a similar platform), and an affiliate programme can sit on top of it.
FAQ
Is Branch or AppsFlyer better for deep linking?
Both support deferred deep linking, QR codes, email links and web-to-app banners. Branch puts linking at the centre of its product range, while AppsFlyer offers it as one suite within a measurement platform. Check which plan includes the linking features you need before deciding.
Is AppsFlyer cheaper than Branch?
It depends on your volumes. At the time of writing, AppsFlyer publishes a Growth rate of $0.07 per conversion after 12,000 free conversions, while Branch does not publish prices and quotes through sales. Get a Branch quote and compare both against your own install and active user numbers.
Can I use AppsFlyer and Branch together?
Technically you can run both SDKs, but most teams pick one, since both provide attribution and deep linking. Running two means two sets of numbers to reconcile and two bills.
Do AppsFlyer or Branch pay affiliates?
They measure where installs and conversions come from, including affiliate traffic, and can pass that data to other systems. Calculating and paying commission to each affiliate is handled by an affiliate network or an affiliate platform, such as Insert Affiliate for in-app purchases.
Do I need an attribution platform to run an app affiliate programme?
Not always. Insert Affiliate can use its own Insert Links to identify the affiliate, so an app that only wants affiliate attribution for in-app purchases can start without one. If you also need to measure paid campaigns or other channels, an attribution platform is still the right tool for that.