Switching Costs: Migrating Between Deep Linking Platforms

Switching deep linking platforms is not like switching email providers. You cannot just export your data and import it elsewhere. Deep links live in emails, push notifications, social media posts, QR codes printed on physical materials, and indexed in search engines. A platform switch affects all of these touchpoints.

This guide quantifies the real switching costs so you can make an informed decision. For migration ROI, see migration ROI calculator. For a step-by-step migration guide, see deep linking migration checklist.

Cost Categories

1. Engineering Time

The most significant cost. A platform migration involves:

Task	Hours (Typical)	Cost at $150/hr
Evaluate new platform	8-16	$1,200-2,400
Set up new platform account + config	4-8	$600-1,200
Replace SDK (iOS)	8-16	$1,200-2,400
Replace SDK (Android)	8-16	$1,200-2,400
Update deep link handling code	8-24	$1,200-3,600
Update smart banners	4-8	$600-1,200
Update web integration	4-8	$600-1,200
Set up redirects from old links	8-16	$1,200-2,400
QA and testing	16-32	$2,400-4,800
Monitoring post-migration	8-16	$1,200-2,400
Total	76-160 hours	$11,400-24,000

Cross-platform apps (iOS + Android + React Native/Flutter) are on the higher end. Single-platform apps are on the lower end.

2. Link Migration

Existing deep links live in the wild. You cannot update them all:

• Emails already sent. Deep links in past marketing emails, transactional emails, and newsletters cannot be changed.
• Social media posts. Links shared on Twitter/X, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram remain.
• QR codes. Printed QR codes (packaging, signage, business cards) cannot be updated.
• Search engine index. Google has indexed pages that link to your deep links.
• Push notifications. Past notifications with deep links in users' notification history.

Mitigation: Set up redirects from old platform links to new platform links. This preserves most functionality but adds a redirect hop (increasing latency by 100-300ms).

3. Analytics Gap

When you switch platforms, you lose:

• Historical analytics. Click and conversion data from the old platform may not be exportable, or may not be importable into the new platform.
• Trend continuity. You cannot compare pre-migration and post-migration performance in a single dashboard.
• Attribution continuity. If using the platform for attribution, switching resets your attribution windows.

Mitigation: Export historical data before switching. Run both platforms in parallel during a transition period to maintain continuity.

4. Risk

Things that can go wrong during migration:

• Broken links. If redirects are not set up correctly, existing links stop working. Users see error pages.
• Failed deferred deep links. Users who clicked a link on the old platform and install the app after migration may not get routed to the correct content.
• Smart banner downtime. The transition from old banner code to new banner code may cause gaps.
• App review delays. The new SDK may require a new app store submission. App review can take days.
• Regression. Edge cases that the old platform handled may not be handled by the new platform (or handled differently).

Switching Cost by Platform Type

From MMP to Focused Platform

Moving from Branch/AppsFlyer/Adjust to a focused deep linking platform (like Tolinku):

• SDK replacement: Moderate. Remove attribution SDK, add deep linking SDK.
• Code changes: Moderate. Attribution event tracking code can be removed. Deep link handling code needs updating.
• Link migration: High. MMP links use the MMP's domain (e.g., app.link, onelink.me). All existing links need redirects.
• Analytics: Attribution data stays with the MMP. Deep linking analytics start fresh.

Estimated total cost: $12,000-20,000.

From Firebase Dynamic Links to Any Platform

Moving from deprecated FDL:

• SDK replacement: Easy. FDL SDK was lightweight and the replacement is similar.
• Code changes: Moderate. Link handling patterns are similar across platforms.
• Link migration: High. page.link URLs are hosted by Google. You need redirects.
• Analytics: FDL analytics were basic. Minimal loss.

Estimated total cost: $8,000-15,000.

From One Focused Platform to Another

Moving between similar deep linking platforms:

• SDK replacement: Easy. Similar APIs and patterns.
• Code changes: Low. Route handling is similar.
• Link migration: Moderate. Need redirects from old domain to new domain.
• Analytics: Start fresh on new platform.

Estimated total cost: $6,000-12,000.

Reducing Switching Costs

Use Your Own Domain

The single most effective way to reduce future switching costs is to use your own link domain (e.g., links.yourapp.com) instead of the platform's domain (e.g., app.link or yourapp.onelink.me).

With your own domain:

• You control the DNS. Switching platforms means pointing your domain to a new provider.
• Existing links continue to work because the domain does not change.
• No redirect hops needed.

Minimize SDK Coupling

Keep your deep link handling code loosely coupled from the SDK:

// Tightly coupled (hard to switch)
BranchSDK.handleDeepLink(url) { params in
    let productId = params["product_id"] as? String
    navigateToProduct(productId)
}

// Loosely coupled (easy to switch)
func handleDeepLink(_ url: URL) {
    let productId = extractProductId(from: url)
    navigateToProduct(productId)
}

// SDK only handles initialization and deferred deep link retrieval

The routing logic should be your code, not the SDK's code. The SDK should provide the URL; your code should decide where to navigate.

Maintain Data Portability

Regularly export your deep link configurations and analytics data. Do not assume the platform will exist forever (Firebase Dynamic Links taught this lesson).

Run Parallel During Transition

During migration, run both platforms simultaneously for 2-4 weeks:

• New links use the new platform.
• Old links continue to work on the old platform.
• Monitor both for issues before fully decommissioning the old platform.

Migration Timeline

Phase	Duration	Activities
Evaluation	1-2 weeks	Evaluate new platform, prototype integration
Setup	1 week	Configure new platform, set up domain, define routes
Integration	1-2 weeks	Replace SDK, update handling code, update banners
Testing	1 week	QA all deep link flows across platforms and contexts
Parallel run	2-4 weeks	Both platforms active, new links on new platform
Cutover	1 day	Redirect old links, decommission old platform
Monitoring	2 weeks	Watch for issues, fix edge cases

Total: 6-10 weeks for a typical migration.

Tolinku Migration Support

Tolinku provides migration guides from major platforms: Branch, AppsFlyer, Adjust, and Firebase Dynamic Links. Custom domain support means you can point your existing link domain to Tolinku, minimizing the impact on existing links.

For migration ROI, see migration ROI calculator. For the full platform comparison, see deep linking platform comparison.