Firebase Dynamic Links alternatives in 2026: 8 options compared

Firebase Dynamic Links did three things for free: one link that opened your app or the right store, a link that survived an install (deferred deep linking), and previews when the link was shared. Google shut it down on 25 August 2025, and nothing from Google replaces all three.

This is the list we'd want if we were choosing today. We make one of the options, DL2App, so we've stuck to what each vendor publishes and said where others are the better pick. Prices are from public pages as we read them in October 2026; check each vendor before you decide.

The short answer

• Your app only needs to open when it's already installed: use native Universal Links and App Links. Free, no vendor.
• You need links that survive an install, at a flat, published price: DL2App or ChottuLink.
• You buy paid installs and need ad attribution: Branch or AppsFlyer. You're buying a measurement suite, and links come with it.
• You only need "send people to the right store": onelink.to.

Comparison table

	Starts at	Deferred deep linking	Custom domain	App SDKs
Native Universal Links / App Links	Free	No	Your own	None needed
DL2App	Free, then $19, $49 or $99 a month	Every plan, including Free	Every plan, including Free	React Native (with Expo), web
ChottuLink	Free up to 25K monthly users, then $19, $39, $99	Every plan	From $39	iOS, Android, Flutter, React Native, Unity
Branch	No public price list	Yes	Yes	iOS, Android, React Native, Flutter, Unity and more
AppsFlyer OneLink	Free "Zero" plan; deferred on custom-priced plan	Not on the free plan	Not on the free plan	iOS, Android and major frameworks
Dub	See dub.co/pricing	Clipboard-based; SDKs in beta in our research	Yes	iOS and React Native in beta
Bitly, Short.io, Rebrandly	App routing from $199, $48 and $149 a month	Not documented	Yes	None
onelink.to	From $10 a month	No (store routing)	Yes	None needed

1. Native Universal Links and App Links

What it is: the features built into iOS and Android. You host an apple-app-site-association file and an assetlinks.json file on your domain, declare the domain in your app, and links to it open the app.

Good for: apps that only need links to open when the app is installed. It's free, it's on your own domain, and no vendor can shut it down.

Missing: everything Dynamic Links added on top. Without the app, people land on your website, not the store. Nothing survives an install. There are no click stats, no short links and no help with Instagram's or Facebook's in-app browsers. Google pointed developers here, and a Google spokesperson acknowledged that native links don't cover deferred deep linking.

If you go this way, our free AASA validator and assetlinks.json validator check the two files.

2. DL2App

What it is: a deep link service built as a direct Dynamic Links replacement. One link opens the app if installed, the right store if not, and the right screen after a fresh install.

Good for: teams that want Dynamic Links' behaviour without per-click or per-user pricing. Deferred deep linking and a custom domain are on every plan, including Free. Paid plans are flat at $19, $49 or $99 a month. Links that are in use keep redirecting if you stop paying, and you can export a copy to host yourself. It imports long Dynamic Links and maps each parameter, and it gives Instagram and other in-app browsers a hand-off page.

Missing: native iOS, Android and Flutter SDKs aren't published yet (React Native, Expo and web are). There's no ad-network attribution. It's a new service, so it has no long track record.

3. ChottuLink

What it is: a deep linking service aimed squarely at former Dynamic Links users, priced by monthly active users.

Good for: apps that want native SDKs on every platform today, including Flutter and Unity, and a free tier: up to 25K monthly active users with unlimited links and deferred deep linking.

Watch for: the free and $19 plans use a chottu.link subdomain. A custom domain starts on the $39 plan. That matters because the lesson of the Firebase shutdown is to keep links on a domain you own. The price also steps up as your monthly users grow.

4. Branch

What it is: a mobile measurement and engagement suite with deep linking at its core. It's the longest-standing name in the category.

Good for: teams running paid user acquisition who need ad-network attribution, fraud protection and web-to-app banners with targeting, with SDKs for almost every platform.

Watch for: there's no public price list, and the figures we found disagree with one another, so expect a sales conversation. If all you used Dynamic Links for was opening the app and carrying links through installs, you'd be paying for a lot you won't use. Our Branch comparison goes into detail.

5. AppsFlyer OneLink

What it is: the deep linking part of AppsFlyer, the large attribution platform.

Good for: apps already using AppsFlyer for attribution. Adding OneLink avoids a second SDK.

Watch for: the free "Zero" deep linking plan covers short links, QR codes and routing, and AppsFlyer describes it as best when "you don't need branded links". Deferred deep linking is on the Standard plan, which is priced through a demo.

6. Dub

What it is: a modern open-source link management platform, strong on marketing links, analytics and affiliate programs.

Good for: teams whose main need is branded short links and click analytics, with some app links on top.

Watch for: in our research its mobile SDKs were in beta, with Android listed as coming soon. Its deferred deep linking uses the clipboard, with a fallback it describes as unreliable on shared networks.

7. Bitly, Short.io and Rebrandly

What they are: general link managers for marketing teams.

Good for: large volumes of branded short links to web pages.

Watch for: opening apps is a higher-tier feature: from $199 a month on Bitly, $149 on Rebrandly and $48 on Short.io in our research. None documents deferred deep linking, so a link can't carry someone through an install.

8. onelink.to

What it is: one link that sends each visitor to the right app store. Simple, cheap, and running since 2011.

Good for: "Download our app" links and QR codes, with no app changes at all.

Watch for: it routes to the store; it doesn't open a specific screen or carry a link through an install.

What to check before you choose

1. Does the link survive an install? If you used Dynamic Links for referrals, invites or campaigns, this is the feature you're replacing. Ask how Android and iOS installs are matched, and what happens when there's no match.
2. Is the domain yours on the plan you'll use? A vendor subdomain repeats the page.link problem: if the vendor goes away, every shared link goes with it.
3. How does the price grow? Per-click, per-conversion and per-user pricing can all be cheap at launch and expensive once a link takes off.
4. What happens if you stop paying, or the vendor shuts down? Get it in writing, and keep an export.
5. Is there an SDK for your stack? Check that it's released and maintained, not in beta.
6. Can it import your old links? Old app versions keep sharing page.link addresses for months. See what page.link links do today.

How to migrate

Whatever you pick, the steps are the same: choose a domain you own, recreate your fixed campaign links with the same paths, add the domain to your app's Associated Domains and Android intent filters, replace the Dynamic Links SDK calls, release the update, then switch your share code to the new links. Our migration guide walks through it, and the Dynamic Link decoder shows what each parameter in an old link did.

Questions people ask

What is the best free Firebase Dynamic Links alternative? If you only need installed apps to open, native Universal Links and App Links are free and need no vendor. If you also need links that survive an install, DL2App and ChottuLink both have free plans with deferred deep linking; DL2App's free plan includes a custom domain, and ChottuLink's free plan has more native SDKs.

Is there an official Google replacement for Firebase Dynamic Links? No. Google recommends Universal Links and App Links, which open an installed app but don't carry a link through an install and have no analytics.

Do Firebase Dynamic Links still work? The service shut down on 25 August 2025 and links can no longer be created or managed. When we tested live page.link links in October 2026, most still redirected somewhere, but iPhones were shown a Google page instead of opening the app, and Google can stop answering at any time.

Can I keep my page.link URLs when I migrate? No. page.link belongs to Google. Links on your own domain can keep the same addresses with a new provider.

Do I need an SDK to replace Firebase Dynamic Links? Not to open an installed app. You need one to receive deferred deep links after an install, because something in the app has to ask which link led to it.