These get compared as though they are the same category. They are not, and the comparison usually means someone is about to overbuy.
What each is for
A mobile measurement partner — Branch, AppsFlyer, Adjust, Kochava — exists to arbitrate. You run ads on several networks. Each network's SDK claims credit for installs. The MMP receives postbacks from all of them, applies attribution rules, and decides who actually earned it.
That is a real problem with real money attached, and worth paying to solve.
A link platform routes a visitor to the right place and tells you what happened. iPhone to the App Store, Android to Google Play, desktop to your site. Clicks, scans, channels.
The question that decides it
How many ad networks are you paying at once?
If the answer is zero or one, there is no attribution conflict to arbitrate. You know where your traffic came from because you only have one paid source. An MMP would be solving a dispute that does not exist.
If the answer is three or more, and each is invoicing you for overlapping installs, an MMP pays for itself in resolved double-counting alone.
The honest middle
Most teams asking this question are somewhere in between: a bit of paid social, an app store presence, some organic sharing, maybe an email list.
For that shape, the useful thing is not attribution arbitration. It is knowing which of your own channels works — did the newsletter or the packaging QR code drive more installs — and making sure every link lands correctly.
That is a link platform's job, and it costs an order of magnitude less.
What to avoid
Do not buy an MMP because a competitor has one. Their ad budget may be ten times yours, which changes the maths entirely.
Do not wire everything through a vendor's own domain, either. Whatever you pick, the link should live on a domain you control, so switching later does not kill links already in circulation.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the difference between an MMP and a link platform?
- A mobile measurement partner reconciles installs across many ad networks, receives postbacks, and arbitrates which network gets credit. A link platform routes a visitor to the right destination and reports what happened. The MMP exists to settle disputes between ad networks you are paying.
- When do I actually need an MMP?
- When you are spending on several ad networks at once and each claims credit for the same install. That conflict is what an MMP resolves. On one paid channel plus owned channels there is no conflict to arbitrate.
- Are MMPs expensive?
- They are priced for companies with meaningful ad budgets, and are typically annual contracts rather than self-serve. Published pricing is rare, which is itself a signal about the intended buyer.
- Can I move to an MMP later?
- Yes, and that is the sensible order. Start with links on a domain you own. If you later add an MMP, the links keep working because the destination is still yours.
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