Mobile attribution platforms to watch in 2025. How to pick the right tool for growth

A mobile attribution platform, in a nutshell, is a solution for tracking the success of marketing campaigns. By integrating an SDK into your app’s code, it tracks installs, identifies traffic sources, and provides campaign insights. These platforms help app owners understand which channels drive the most installs, allowing them to optimize their marketing efforts. Mobile attribution platforms can fall into three categories based on what users they cater to:

• Webmasters
• Affiliate networks and agencies
• Mobile app owners

Here, we focus on the third group - mobile app owners.

But first, let's break down what a mobile attribution platform is in more detail.

A mockup is a layout that designers use to showcase their work. It can be a laptop screen, a business card, a monitor or a mobile phone. It is used to previsualize how a particular interface will look on a screen, such as a mobile device. Thanks to a mockup, it is possible to obtain a realistic image rather than a flat picture taken out of context.

A few years ago mockups of real devices were just starting to be used and it was a cool design solution. But even today, 80% of mobile app designs are shown without mockups on the Dribbble homepage. Heavyweight solutions have been replaced by simplicity and lightness.

Mobile attribution is the way to identify and track the source of app installs by linking user actions across multiple marketing channels to specific app downloads. Attribution platforms track the complete user journey—from the first interaction with an ad to the app install. Mobile attribution helps app owners understand which marketing efforts are most effective in driving high-quality users.

Mobile attribution vs analytics

Often, people confuse mobile attribution with analytics. Though both analyze the success of marketing efforts, they look at those from different angles. Mobile attribution, as mentioned, focuses on tracking where users come from and how they interact with your marketing campaigns.

Analytics, on the other hand, helps measure user behavior inside the app after install. While attribution platforms connect installs to specific campaigns or sources, analytics platforms track how users engage within the app, such as actions, retention, or purchases.

That's to say, you might need both to have a complete picture of your app’s performance.

Now, we mentioned that mobile attribution platforms track app installs through a detailed process that links marketing efforts to actual user behavior. Let’s look at it in more detail.

• User interaction with an ad—A user sees an advertisement on social media, within another app, or on a website, and clicks on it.

• Gathering user data—The ad network collects important user data, such as the device’s unique identifier (ID), device model, and geolocation. This information is encrypted into a unique identifier called a click ID.

• Sending the click ID to the attribution platform—The click ID is transmitted to the mobile attribution platform to mark the user’s action.

• App install—The user then installs the app from the App Store or Google Play. While the app store doesn't pass along any identifying information, the attribution platform continues to track the process.

• Launch and data capture—When the user opens the app, the attribution platform’s SDK, embedded in the app, captures data from the device. It then compares this information to the click ID it received earlier.

• Attribution determination—If the platform finds a match, the install is credited to the ad campaign that drove the user to download the app. If there’s no match, it’s recorded as an organic install.

• Sending conversion data back—Conversion data, including whether the user completed the install, is sent back to the ad network. This allows the marketing team to measure the effectiveness of their campaign and optimize it accordingly.

This entire process is known as server-to-server integration or postback. It’s a key feature for mobile attribution platforms because it ensures that tracking is accurate. Without postbacks, a platform can’t effectively link traffic sources to app installs—making the choice of attribution platform a critical decision.

There are plenty of mobile attribution tools on the market, but not all are equal. Some are paid, some are free. The main difference lies in how much data they give you—and what you can actually do with it.

To help you cut through the noise, we looked at customer reviews on platforms like G2, Trustpilot, and Software Advice. Based on that, we’ve picked six top tools. Four of them are better suited for companies focused on the US and EU markets. But if you're expanding globally—especially into CIS countries—two more might be worth a look.

All of these tools offer postback support, which means they can track ad-driven installs in real time. Most paid options like Appsflyer, Adjust, Branch, and Kochava offer free trials, followed by paid plans with advanced features and broader integrations.

AppMetrica and MyTracker both offer solid attribution capabilities for free. However each has limitations that might not fit every business, especially if you're working outside of CIS markets.

You might have heard of Google Firebase being quite a popular tool. However, we decided not to include it in our listing here, since it provides a significantly narrower functionality, compared to others. Yes, it supports postbacks and basic tracking, but it lags behind in features, UI, and ad network coverage—only about 50 are supported. Worse, install data shows up with a delay, which makes real-time campaign optimization difficult. Still, it might work for simple cases or early-stage apps, so a special mention is quite deserved.

Let’s take a closer look at each of these platforms—and what kind of business they’re best for.

AppsFlyer is one of the leading mobile attribution and marketing analytics platforms that helps marketers attribute every app install to the marketing campaign and media source that drove it.