Firebase Dynamic Links Alternatives in 2026, Compared

The main Firebase Dynamic Links alternatives are Google's own App Links and Universal Links, a link service such as WarpLink, a mobile measurement partner such as Branch or AppsFlyer, or a self-hosted build. Google's path is free but only opens an app that is already installed. For small teams that need deferred deep links, install attribution, and analytics without a sales call, WarpLink is the closest replacement: free for 10,000 clicks a month, with paid plans from $19.

This comparison scores each option against what Firebase Dynamic Links actually did, with dated prices and a source for each one.

What Happened to Firebase Dynamic Links?

Google shut down Firebase Dynamic Links on August 25, 2025, after announcing the deprecation in 2023. Google says all Firebase short links, including page.link subdomains and custom domains, now return HTTP 404. Google's stated reason: the native APIs that Dynamic Links was built on kept changing, which made it hard to keep its core feature stable, carrying a user into the app after install on any platform.

Some Firebase Dynamic Links still redirect, for now

Google says all Firebase Dynamic Links now return HTTP 404. On October 8, 2026 we requested 32 real page.link short links from 25 domains found in the September 2026 Common Crawl, the way an iPhone does. 25 still redirected, 15 to the app's own website or store and 10 to a Firebase preview page. The other 7 returned an error or no redirect. A redirect only sends the tap to a web destination. Link creation, the console, and SDK updates are gone, and Google can end the redirects at any time. We do not know when, so migrate before they stop. Our free Firebase Dynamic Links checker shows whether a given link still redirects.

What Google's own migration path covers

Google's migration guide moves you to App Links and Universal Links. Its own comparison table shows what that path keeps and what it drops:

For the features that path drops, Google's FAQ tells you to export your link metadata and move to another deep linking provider on a new domain. That gap is what every alternative below competes to fill.

What Must a Replacement Cover?

Firebase Dynamic Links did three jobs from one URL: open the app, survive an install, and count the taps. A replacement should cover all three pillars, linking, attribution, and analytics, plus the practical details that decide how painful the switch is.

Two failure points catch most teams. The first is deferred deep linking: Google's own path does not have it, and some free plans leave it out. The second is pricing that only appears after a demo request. Check both before you write any code.

Firebase Dynamic Links Alternatives at a Glance

App Links and Universal Links (Google's path)

Best fit: apps whose links only ever need to open an installed app, such as links inside your own emails to existing users. Limit: a user without the app gets no store routing from one link, and after install they land on the home screen. There are no click counts and no short URLs. You also host and maintain the AASA and assetlinks.json files yourself.

WarpLink

Best fit: developers and small teams that need what Firebase Dynamic Links did, plus install attribution, at a published price. WarpLink covers Universal Links, App Links, deferred deep links, install attribution, and real-time analytics, with sub-10ms redirects and MIT-licensed SDKs for iOS, Android, React Native, and Flutter. See how we measure this.

Branch

Best fit: teams running paid acquisition at scale that need multi-touch attribution and ad network integrations. Limit: Branch publishes no free plan, only a 30-day trial that settles at $39 a month if you never pick a plan. Intro has no custom branded domain and no Short Link API. Activation Basics, $199 a month, adds one custom domain and a web-only Short Link API, the Performance and Engagement packages are $499 each, and Essentials and Enterprise are demo requests with no published price. Prices as of October 2026. The full breakdown is in Branch Pricing in 2026.

AppsFlyer

Best fit: multi-channel marketing teams whose attribution data feeds back into ad networks. Limit: its Growth plan charges $0.07 per measured conversion after a Welcome Package of 12,000 free conversions or one year, whichever comes first. The updated free Zero plan does not include deferred deep linking, which sits on custom-priced OneLink plans. Prices as of October 2026. For a small team replacing a free linking service, per-conversion pricing is the wrong axis.

Self-hosting

Best fit: teams with spare engineering time that want every byte under their control. Limit: you build AASA and assetlinks.json hosting, redirects, store routing, deferred matching, bot detection for previews, and analytics yourself, then keep all of it working as Apple and Google change platform rules. Expect weeks of engineering to reach what Firebase gave you for free.

Linking, Attribution, and Analytics Compared

Linking

Every serious alternative opens the installed app through Universal Links and App Links. The differences are in setup and fallbacks. WarpLink generates and hosts the apple-app-site-association and assetlinks.json files from your app registration and regenerates them on every change. One link sends iOS users to the App Store, Android users to Google Play, and desktop users to your website, with a per-link fallback that overrides the app default. WarpLink resolves redirects at the edge in sub-10ms. See how we measure this.

Attribution

Firebase Dynamic Links recovered the link after install and counted first opens per link, but it did not report how each install was matched. WarpLink matches each install through a cascade: the Play Install Referrer on Android, the IDFV on iOS for returning devices, and a probabilistic device match as a fallback on both. Every result carries its match type and a confidence score, so you can route a guaranteed match differently from a likely one. For the mechanics, see how first-install routing works.

WarpLink answers which link, post, or campaign drove each install, with a match type and confidence on every result.

Analytics

WarpLink counts clicks in real time, with duplicate clicks removed in the database, and breaks them down by link, device, country, referrer, and hour. Firebase showed link stats in its console and logged opens to Google Analytics. Neither carries over to any replacement, so note your cutover date and compare the two periods side by side.

Pricing and Migration Tradeoffs

What did Firebase Dynamic Links cost?

Firebase Dynamic Links was free, with no plan tiers. That is why most teams never budgeted for links, and why the price of a replacement is the first question.

What a replacement costs

Prices as of October 2026 from each vendor's pages, listed in Sources. Branch and AppsFlyer bill by plan, credits, or conversions rather than clicks, so their columns are not a like-for-like click price.

WarpLink plans

Every plan includes deferred deep links, install attribution, social previews, full API access, and the MCP server. Annual billing gives two months free. Redirects keep working past any click limit, on every plan. When a Free organization reaches its monthly limit, the figures already counted stay visible and stop updating, every later click is stored, and those clicks appear after an upgrade or when the billing period rolls over. Free reads the last 30 days of its 90 days of data, and an upgrade shows the rest at once.

Migration effort

Moving to any provider is the same three jobs: swap one SDK per app, recreate your links, and move or redirect your domain. On WarpLink, the SDK swap replaces the Firebase handlers with one onLink callback that receives taps and deferred installs. Links are recreated through the REST API or dashboard. Links on Google's page.link domains cannot be saved, while links on a custom domain you own can keep working.

The Firebase Dynamic Links migration steps cover the domain decision, field mapping, and code for iOS, Android, React Native, and Flutter.

Which Choice Fits Your Team?

• Your links only open the app for existing users. Use Google's App Links and Universal Links path. It is free, and you lose nothing you used.
• You share links with people who may not have the app yet. You need deferred deep links. WarpLink includes them on the free tier, so you can test a real first install before you pay anything.
• You need to know which link, post, or campaign drove installs. Choose a service with install attribution that reports match confidence. WarpLink covers this on every plan.
• You have engineering time and strict control requirements. Self-host, and budget for maintenance every time iOS or Android changes link handling.

For developers and small teams migrating off Firebase, WarpLink is the closest match to what you had: free to start, published prices, no sales call, and linking, attribution, and analytics in one SDK. Create a free account and test a real first install before you pay anything; the quickstart guide takes you from account to first link. For wider comparisons, see WarpLink vs. Branch for indie developers, WarpLink vs. AppsFlyer for small teams, WarpLink vs. Adjust for small teams, and Best Deep Linking Alternatives for Small Teams in 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Firebase Dynamic Links shutting down?

It already has. Google shut down Firebase Dynamic Links on August 25, 2025, after announcing the deprecation in 2023. Link creation and the console are gone, and Google says every link now returns HTTP 404, although some links still redirect in our tests.

What is replacing Firebase Dynamic Links?

Google's own migration guide points to App Links and Universal Links, which restore deep links into an app that is already installed. That path does not cover store routing, deferred deep links, click analytics, or short links. For those, Google's FAQ says to move to another deep linking provider on a new domain. WarpLink covers all four, plus install attribution, with a free tier.

What is the best Firebase Dynamic Links alternative?

It depends on what you used. If links only need to open an installed app, Google's free App Links and Universal Links path is enough. If you need deferred deep links, install attribution, and analytics without a sales call, WarpLink is the closest replacement, free for 10,000 clicks a month.

What is the cheapest Firebase Dynamic Links alternative?

Google's App Links and Universal Links path is free, but it drops deferred deep links and analytics. Among replacements that keep them, WarpLink costs $0 for 10,000 clicks a month and $19 a month for 100,000. As of October 2026, Branch's self-serve plans run from $39 to $499 a month, and AppsFlyer charges $0.07 per conversion after its free allowance.

Do Firebase Dynamic Links still work?

Google says no. Google says all Firebase Dynamic Links now return HTTP 404. On October 8, 2026 we requested 32 real page.link short links from 25 domains found in the September 2026 Common Crawl, the way an iPhone does. 25 still redirected, 15 to the app's own website or store and 10 to a Firebase preview page. The other 7 returned an error or no redirect. A redirect is not proof that your link still reaches the right screen, so migrate before it stops.

How much does it cost to replace Firebase Dynamic Links?

On WarpLink, replacing Firebase Dynamic Links costs $0 on the free tier for up to 10,000 clicks per month, then $19 to $149 per month as volume grows. Branch publishes $39 to $499 a month as of October 2026, and AppsFlyer charges $0.07 per conversion after a free Welcome Package. Self-hosting is free in fees but costs engineering time to build and maintain.

Which alternative keeps a user's context through a first-time install?

Any alternative with deferred deep linking. Google's App Links and Universal Links path does not have it, so a new user lands on the home screen after install. WarpLink, Branch, and AppsFlyer's paid OneLink plans match the install back to the tap and open the original screen. WarpLink returns a match type and confidence with every match.

Sources

• WarpLink test, October 8, 2026: 32 real page.link short links from 25 domains found in the September 2026 Common Crawl, requested the way an iPhone does. 25 still redirected (15 to the app's own website or store, 10 to a Firebase preview page) and 7 returned an error or no redirect.
• Firebase, Dynamic Links Deprecation FAQ: the August 25, 2025 shutdown date, the HTTP 404 and 400/403 behavior, the URL prefix deletion, and Google's reason for the shutdown.
• Firebase, Migrate from Dynamic Links to App Links and Universal Links: the feature comparison table above.
• Branch, Intro plan and Activation Basics: the $39, $199, and $499 prices, the 30-day trial, and the domain and API limits, checked October 2026.
• AppsFlyer, pricing, Zero update, and account plans and billing: the $0.07 Growth rate, the Welcome Package, and deferred deep linking on Zero, checked October 2026.
• WarpLink, pricing: plan prices, click limits, and retention.