Competitor Analysis Glossary
Quick-reference for terms and features used across competitor profiles. Competitor files live in competitor files and link back here.
Core Deep Linking
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Deep Link | A URL that routes a user to a specific screen or piece of content inside a native mobile app, rather than just launching the app's home screen. |
| Deferred Deep Link | Preserves link intent (destination screen + payload) across an app install. If the user doesn't have the app, the link stores the context and delivers it after the app is first opened post-install. |
| Universal Links (iOS) | Apple's technology (iOS 9+) that allows links to open directly in the app without routing through Safari. Uses apple-app-site-association (AASA) file hosted on the domain. |
| App Links (Android) | Google's equivalent (Android 6+) that allows verified links to open directly in a specific app. Uses assetlinks.json hosted on the domain. |
| Custom (Branded) Domain | Using your own domain (e.g. go.yourbrand.com or yourbrand.to) instead of a platform-provided subdomain (e.g. yourbrand.page.link). Builds brand trust and improves click-through rates. |
| Web-to-App Routing (Journeys) | Smart banners or interstitials on a mobile website that detect whether the user has the app installed and either deep-link into it or redirect to the app store. Also called "smart banners" or "web-to-app banners". |
| Fallback / Web Preview | The web page shown when a user clicks a deep link on a device that doesn't have the app installed and isn't on a mobile platform (e.g., desktop). Usually includes app store links and content previews. |
| Social Meta Tags (OG Tags) | Open Graph metadata attached to a link so that when shared on social platforms (WhatsApp, Twitter, LinkedIn, Slack), a rich preview card appears with title, image, and description. |
Attribution & Measurement
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Mobile Measurement Partner (MMP) | A third-party platform that independently measures mobile ad campaigns — attributing installs, in-app events, and revenue to specific ad clicks. Examples: AppsFlyer, Adjust, Kochava, Branch. |
| Attribution | The process of determining which marketing touchpoint (ad click, email link, organic search) led to a specific user action (install, purchase, signup). |
| Click-Through Attribution | Credits a conversion (install/event) to the last ad click the user interacted with before the action. The default model for most MMPs. |
| View-Through Attribution | Credits a conversion to an ad impression (the user saw the ad but didn't click). Available on some MMPs as an optional model. |
| Multi-Touch Attribution (MTA) | Distributes credit for a conversion across multiple touchpoints in the user journey (first click, last click, all clicks, time-decay models). |
| SKAdNetwork (SKAN) | Apple's privacy-preserving attribution framework. Sends aggregated, anonymized conversion data to ad networks without exposing individual user data. Replaced individual device-level attribution on iOS 14+. |
| Privacy Sandbox / Attribution Reporting API | Google's Android equivalent of SKAN — privacy-preserving attribution that operates within a sandboxed environment without cross-app identifiers. |
| Device Match (Deterministic Match) | Matches users across web and app by using a shared identifier (e.g., device fingerprint, cookie, or advertiser ID). |
| Probabilistic Match | Infers the same user across web and app using statistical models (IP, device type, timestamp) rather than exact identifiers. Less accurate but privacy-friendlier. |
| Signal Hold | A technique that delays sending postbacks (conversion data) to ad networks for a configurable window, allowing the platform to filter out users who cancel subscriptions shortly after install. Improves ROAS accuracy for subscription-based apps. |
| Marketing Mix Modeling (MMM) | A statistical analysis technique that measures the impact of various marketing channels on outcomes (installs, revenue) using aggregated data rather than user-level tracking. Privacy-safe alternative to MTA. |
| SAN (Self-Attributing Network) | An ad network that performs its own attribution (e.g., Google Ads, Meta Ads) rather than relying on a third-party MMP. MMPs must integrate with SANs via certified partnerships to measure these channels. |
Metrics & Quotas
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| MAU (Monthly Active Users) | The count of unique users who interact with your app or links at least once within a 30-day rolling window. The primary billing metric for most deep linking / MMP platforms. |
| DAU (Daily Active Users) | Unique users in a single day. Some platforms use this for rate limiting or more granular billing. |
| Monthly Active Trackers (MAT) | Kochava's variant of MAU — unique devices tracked per month for billing purposes. |
| Conversions | In MMP context: a tracked post-install event (purchase, signup, level-complete). Not the same as installs — conversions represent engagement after install. |
| Install Attribution | The specific event of crediting an app install to a specific ad click or campaign. |
| Click Event | A recorded event each time a user clicks a tracked link. The fundamental unit of billing for link-shortening / click-tracking platforms. |
| Link Creation Quota | The maximum number of new links you can create per day or month on a given plan. |
| API Rate Limit | The maximum number of API requests allowed per second/minute/hour. Exceeding this returns HTTP 429 (Too Many Requests). |
| LTV (Lifetime Value) | The predicted or measured total revenue a user will generate over their entire relationship with the app. Used to evaluate acquisition ROI. |
| ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) | Revenue generated divided by ad spend. The key efficiency metric for paid user acquisition. |
| Data Retention | How long a platform stores your analytics and event data. Ranges from 30 days to indefinite. Shorter retention on lower tiers is a common cost-saving measure. |
| Tracked Users / Monthly Tracked Users (MTU) | Adjust's billing metric — similar to MAU but counts unique devices that were attributed or tracked in a month, not just users who opened the app. |
| Subscription Analytics | Analytics features specific to subscription-based apps (recurring revenue tracking, churn prediction, ARPU, trial-to-paid conversion). Offered by Airbridge and some MMPs. |
Platform Types
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| MMP (Mobile Measurement Partner) | Full-suite attribution platform: measures ad campaigns, prevents fraud, provides analytics. Deep linking is one feature among many. (AppsFlyer, Adjust, Kochava, Singular) |
| MLP (Mobile Linking Platform) | Focused on deep linking + link management as the core product. Attribution may be included but is secondary. (Branch is the prime example.) |
| URL Shortener | Simple link-shortening with click analytics. No deep linking, no attribution, no SDK. (Bitly, Dub.co, TinyURL) |
| Dedicated Deep Linker | A platform whose sole focus is deep linking — no MMP bundle, no paid attribution suite. (ChottuLink, Linkrunner) |
Anti-Fraud & Compliance
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Click Fraud / Click Spam | Fake or low-quality clicks generated by bots or click farms to steal attribution credit. |
| Install Fraud (Click Injection / Injection) | Malware or fraudulent apps that detect a real install on the device and inject a fake click to claim credit. |
| SKAN Postback | A conversion notification sent from Apple's SKAdNetwork to the ad network after a delayed, aggregated reporting window. |
| GPDR / CCPA | Data privacy regulations (EU, California) that restrict how user data is collected, stored, and shared. Affects what attribution data platforms can legally access. |
| ATT (App Tracking Transparency) | Apple's iOS framework requiring apps to ask user permission before tracking their activity across other companies' apps and websites. Reduced identifier availability dramatically. |
SDK & Integration
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| SDK (Software Development Kit) | A library provided by the platform that you embed in your mobile app to handle deep links, pass attribution data, and track in-app events. |
| REST API | HTTP-based API for creating links, managing campaigns, and retrieving analytics programmatically (server-side). |
| Webhook | A real-time HTTP callback that the platform sends to your server when an event occurs (link clicked, conversion recorded, etc.). Useful for integrating with your own backend. |
| Pixel / S2S (Server-to-Server) Postback | A server-side event notification sent from your backend to the MMP when an event happens. Bypasses SDK limitations for server-side events (e.g., subscription purchases). |
| Flutter SDK | A cross-platform SDK targeting Google's Flutter framework. |
| React Native SDK | A cross-platform SDK targeting Meta's React Native framework. |
| Unreal Engine SDK | A cross-platform SDK for Epic Games' Unreal Engine. Rare among MMPs; only Singular offers it. |
| MCP Server | Model Context Protocol server — exposes a platform's data and tools to AI coding assistants (Claude, Cursor) for programmatic access. Airbridge and Kochava have shipped MCP support. |
| BYOC (Bring Your Own Cloud) | An option where a platform runs within the customer's own cloud infrastructure, giving them full data residency control. |
Billing Models
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Usage-Based (PAYG) | Pricing scales directly with actual usage (MAU, clicks, events). No flat fee — you pay per unit. |
| Tiered / Plan-Based | Fixed price per tier with included quota. Overage charges if you exceed the tier's limits. |
| MAU-Based | The most common billing model in this space — your monthly bill is based on how many Monthly Active Users your app has. |
| Event-Based | Pricing based on the number of tracked events (clicks, conversions, impressions). Common for MMPs. |
| Flat-Rate | A single fixed price regardless of usage volume (within reason). Rare in this market. |
| Overage Fee | An extra charge applied when you exceed your plan's included quota. Can be per-unit or a flat fee at renewal. |
| Annually Contracted | Pricing is negotiated and billed annually rather than monthly. Common for enterprise MMP plans. Often comes with a lower effective monthly rate but less flexibility. |
Link Types
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Short Link | A compact URL (e.g., go.app.com/abc123) that redirects to a longer destination. Created via the platform's API or dashboard. |
| Long Link | The full, un-shortened deep link URL with all parameters encoded (e.g., https://yourapp.page.link/?link=https://app.example.com/deep/path&apn=com.example&ibi=com.example). Created directly; never shortened. |
| OneLink | AppsFlyer's branded deep link format — a single URL that handles routing, attribution, and deep linking across all platforms. |
| TrueLink | Adjust's branded deep linking solution — provides direct + deferred deep linking with audience-based personalization. |
| SmartLinks | Kochava's deep link format — intelligent links that route users based on device, platform, and campaign context. |
| Creative IQ | Singular's AI-powered creative analytics feature — cross-references creative performance (images, videos, copy) across all ad networks to identify what drives installs. |
| QR Code | A scannable matrix barcode encoding a deep link URL. Most platforms auto-generate one per link. |
Last updated: 2026-07-30