Free Deep Linking Tools: What You Get (and What You Don’t)

Every deep linking platform offers a free tier or free trial. But free tiers vary enormously in what they actually provide. Some are fully functional with usage caps. Others are feature-limited versions designed to push you toward paid plans. And some "free" options require significant engineering effort to implement yourself.

This guide evaluates the free options for deep linking in 2026, what you actually get, and where the limitations will hit you. For platform comparisons, see deep linking platform comparison. For startup-specific guidance, see app growth for startups.

Free Tier Comparison

Platform	Free Tier	Key Limits	Upgrade Trigger
Tolinku	Free forever	1,200 clicks/mo, 1 Appspace, 5 routes	Click volume
Branch	Free (limited)	Basic features, usage limits	Enterprise features
Kochava FAA	Free App Analytics	10,000 MAU, limited features	Advanced analytics, fraud
AppsFlyer	Zero plan	10,000 conversions/mo	Conversion volume
Firebase Dynamic Links	Deprecated	Service shutting down	N/A
Native (DIY)	Free	No limits	Engineering time

Option 1: Tolinku Free Tier

Tolinku offers a free tier that includes core deep linking functionality:

What you get:

• 1 Appspace (one app)
• 5 route patterns
• 1,200 clicks per month
• Universal Links (iOS) and App Links (Android)
• Deferred deep linking
• 1 smart banner
• 7-day analytics retention
• 1 webhook
• QR code generation

What you do not get:

• Multiple Appspaces
• More than 5 routes
• Longer analytics retention (90 days+ requires Standard)
• Multiple smart banners
• Team members (single user)
• Priority support

Best for: Solo developers, side projects, and apps in early validation. The 1,200 clicks/month covers apps with up to ~40 deep link clicks per day, which is sufficient for most pre-launch and early-stage apps.

When to upgrade: When you exceed 1,200 clicks/month or need more than 5 route patterns. The Standard tier is $39/month with 50,000 clicks.

Option 2: Native Deep Linking (Build It Yourself)

You can implement deep linking without any third-party platform by configuring Universal Links and App Links yourself.

What you get:

• Full control over the implementation
• No usage limits
• No recurring cost
• No third-party dependency

What you must build:

• Host and maintain apple-app-site-association (AASA) file
• Host and maintain assetlinks.json file
• Build web fallback pages for users without the app
• Implement deferred deep linking logic
• Build your own analytics for link tracking
• Handle edge cases: in-app browsers, email clients, social media apps, QR code scanners
• Test across iOS versions, Android versions, and browser combinations

Estimated effort: 2-6 weeks of engineering time for a production-quality implementation. Ongoing maintenance for OS updates, new edge cases, and bug fixes.

Best for: Teams with strong engineering resources who want zero dependencies. Common in large companies with custom infrastructure requirements.

Hidden costs: Engineer time is not free. At $150/hour for a senior mobile developer, even 2 weeks of implementation time is $12,000. A $39/month platform subscription would take 25 years to equal that cost.

Option 3: MMP Free Tiers

Mobile Measurement Partners (Branch, AppsFlyer, Kochava) include deep linking in their free attribution tiers.

Branch Free Tier

Branch offers a free tier with basic deep linking. The limits are not publicly documented in detail, but the free tier is designed for small apps and restricts access to advanced features like Journeys (smart banners), data integrations, and premium support.

Best for: Small apps already using Branch that have not yet outgrown the free limits.

Limitation: Branch's free-to-paid transition involves sales conversations and enterprise pricing. There is no self-serve mid-tier.

Kochava Free App Analytics

Kochava FAA provides free attribution for apps under 10,000 monthly active users. Deep linking through SmartLinks is included.

Best for: Small apps that want both attribution and deep linking at no cost.

Limitation: No fraud detection, limited audience tools, and the jump to enterprise pricing is steep.

AppsFlyer Zero Plan

AppsFlyer's Zero plan provides attribution for up to 10,000 monthly conversions. OneLink deep linking is included.

Best for: Apps running small paid campaigns that need attribution alongside deep linking.

Limitation: 10,000 conversion cap. Once exceeded, pricing jumps to the Growth plan.

Option 4: Firebase Dynamic Links (Deprecated)

Firebase Dynamic Links was the most popular free deep linking service. It is deprecated and will shut down. Do not start new projects on FDL.

If you are still on FDL, see Firebase Dynamic Links alternatives.

What Free Tiers Actually Lack

Analytics Depth

Free tiers typically provide basic click counts. You do not get:

• Funnel analysis (click to install to open to conversion)
• Geographic breakdowns
• Device and OS version breakdowns
• Referrer analysis
• Time-series trends

These matter when you are optimizing deep link performance.

Support

Free tiers include community support or documentation only. When your Universal Links stop working on a specific iOS version, or your App Links fail on Samsung devices, you need responsive support. Free tiers do not provide this.

Multiple Environments

Free tiers typically provide one app or one environment. If you need staging and production environments, or if you have both iOS and Android as separate apps, you may need multiple accounts or need to upgrade.

Smart Banners

Most free tiers either do not include smart banners or severely limit them. Smart banners are a significant driver of app installs from web traffic, and losing them reduces your web-to-app conversion rate.

Decision Framework

Use native (DIY) if:

• Your team has the engineering capacity.
• You only need basic deep linking (no deferred, no smart banners).
• You are building for a single platform (iOS only or Android only).

Use a free platform tier if:

• You need deep linking to work reliably out of the box.
• You are in early-stage development or validation.
• You want to upgrade to paid features later without re-implementing.

Upgrade to paid when:

• You exceed free tier usage limits.
• You need smart banners for web-to-app conversion.
• You need analytics beyond basic click counts.
• You need team collaboration features.
• You need responsive support for production issues.

Tolinku Free Tier

Tolinku's free tier is designed to be useful for real apps, not just a trial that expires. Universal Links, App Links, deferred deep linking, smart banners, and analytics are all included. Upgrade when your app grows past the free limits.

For a full comparison of all platforms, see deep linking platform comparison. For Bitly comparison, see Bitly vs Tolinku.