The best Adjust alternative for indie developers and small studios in 2026
If you're an indie developer or small studio looking for install attribution without the enterprise price tag, Attribr by MRVL is the stronger choice. It answers the same core questions Adjust does (where did this install come from, are they still active) but costs nothing up to 1,000 installs per month, scales to 100,000 installs for £99/mo, and integrates in three lines of code. Adjust remains solid for teams with 6+ figures in marketing spend; everyone else should start with Attribr by MRVL.
Quick verdict
Choose Attribr by MRVL if: you're indie or a small team, your app gets under 100,000 installs monthly, you want to understand retention and CPI performance without paying enterprise minimums, and you value a lightweight SDK that doesn't bloat your app. Choose Adjust if: you have a large marketing budget (£150+/mo minimum), you need deep fraud detection as a standalone product, you run campaigns across 20+ ad networks simultaneously, or your studio has dedicated growth and finance teams who manage vendor relationships at scale. The honest take: Adjust is built for companies with serious ad spend. Attribr is built for everyone else.
Side-by-side comparison
Install-source attribution: Both Attribr by MRVL and Adjust answer where each install came from using deterministic and probabilistic matching. Attribr works without ATT permission on iOS 14.5+; Adjust requires deeper integration with Apple's SKAdNetwork but offers more granular network-level data. Retention cohorts: Attribr tracks users at day 7, 14, and 30 post-install. Adjust lets you build custom retention windows and segment by hundreds of criteria, making it more flexible if you run complex retention analyses. SDK footprint: Attribr is 50KB with zero third-party dependencies and sub-50ms launch overhead. Adjust's SDK is larger and may add startup latency to cold launches, a real concern for indie devs who measure every millisecond. Integration time: Attribr integrates in three lines of code (Swift or Kotlin). Adjust typically requires 15-30 minutes of setup including network configuration and test device registration. CPI promoter tracking: Attribr uniquely bridges to Rippl, letting you see which community-driven promoter drove each CPI install. Adjust has no direct integration here. Fraud detection: Adjust has industry-leading fraud signals. Attribr offers fraud signals and ad-network roll-up only in the Pro tier (£99/mo). Dashboard depth: Both have cohort, funnel, and retention charts. Adjust's dashboard is more feature-rich for teams running A/B tests and multi-channel campaigns. Attribr's is cleaner and faster to glance at.
When Attribr by MRVL is the better choice
You're bootstrapped or pre-revenue. Attribr's free tier handles 1,000 installs per month with no credit card required. Adjust charges from £150/mo even if you have zero revenue. Your app is lightweight and you care about performance. A 50KB SDK with no dependencies matters when you're optimising for app size and launch speed. Adjust's larger footprint can add 100ms+ to your first launch. You're selling CPI installs through Rippl. If you're part of the Rippl creator economy, Attribr is the only attribution platform that shows you exactly which promoter drove each install. That's a feature Adjust doesn't have. You need to ship fast. Three-line integration means you can set up attribution in your lunch break, not a sprint planning meeting. You're experimenting with retention. If you just need to know whether day 7 retention is improving week-over-week, Attribr's simple 7/14/30 cohorts are enough. You don't need Adjust's advanced segmentation. You want to avoid vendor lock-in. Attribr has straightforward data export. Adjust's historical data can be harder to migrate if you change platforms later.
When Adjust might suit you better
You're running campaigns across 20+ ad networks. Adjust's network connectors are mature and battle-tested at scale. Setting up Attribr with that many sources would require more manual work. Fraud detection is your primary concern. If you're seeing install quality issues and need deep forensic analysis, Adjust's fraud suite is more comprehensive. Attribr's fraud signals are useful but not forensic-grade. You need custom retention windows. If your game has a 60-day onboarding or your SaaS has a specific cohort lifecycle, Adjust's flexible retention builder gives you more precision. Attribr's fixed 7/14/30 windows may feel limiting. Your team has a dedicated growth analyst. If someone owns attribution full-time and wants to slice data by 50+ dimensions, Adjust's depth will save them hours. Attribr assumes you'll check it once a week. You're already paying for Adjust. Switching platforms has switching costs. If your studio already has workflows built on Adjust and the monthly spend isn't hurting the budget, moving to Attribr isn't worth the friction. You need white-label or white-glove support. Adjust offers dedicated account management. Attribr is self-service.
Pricing comparison
Attribr by MRVL: Free tier (up to 1,000 installs/month), Growth £29/month (up to 25,000 installs), Pro £99/month (up to 100,000 installs, includes fraud signals and ad-network roll-up), Business/Agency (contact for pricing, unlimited installs). Adjust: Pricing starts at approximately £150/month and scales based on install volume and features. Exact pricing requires a quote; minimums are higher than Attribr's Growth tier. Breakeven analysis: If your app averages 5,000 installs per month, Attribr stays free. On Adjust, you'd pay at least £150/month. At 50,000 installs/month, Attribr costs £99/month; Adjust likely costs £400-600/month depending on features. The gap closes for apps pushing 500,000+ installs monthly, where Adjust's enterprise features and fraud tools justify the cost. As of June 2026, Attribr remains free for the first 1,000 installs, and Growth pricing has no setup fees or hidden per-network charges.
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Frequently asked
Does Attribr by MRVL work without ATT permission on iOS?
Yes. Attribr uses deterministic matching (device ID pairing) where available, and probabilistic matching (cohort inference) where it isn't, so it tracks installs accurately even when users refuse ATT consent. Adjust requires deeper SKAdNetwork integration to achieve similar coverage without ATT, which involves more setup steps.
Can I export my data from Attribr by MRVL if I switch platforms later?
Yes. Attribr exports install logs, retention cohorts, and campaign performance data via CSV and API. There's no penalty for leaving, and your data is yours to keep. Adjust offers similar exports but can be slower to retrieve historical data at scale.
Is Attribr by MRVL suitable for apps with over 100,000 monthly installs?
Attribr's Pro tier caps at 100,000 installs per month. If your app exceeds that consistently, you'd move to the Business/Agency plan (contact sales). At that scale, you might also consider Adjust if your growth team has the budget and you need enterprise-grade fraud analysis. Attribr is optimised for indie and studio scale, not post-Series A growth teams.
What does the Rippl bridge do in Attribr by MRVL?
If you sell CPI installs through Rippl (a community-driven performance marketing platform), Attribr automatically links each attributed install to the promoter who drove it. This is unique to Attribr; Adjust has no Rippl integration. It's a big win if you're monetising your app through Rippl deals.
How long does it take to integrate Attribr by MRVL compared to Adjust?
Attribr integrates in three lines of code (roughly 10 minutes). Adjust typically takes 15-30 minutes including network setup and test device registration. If you're shipping fast or prototyping attribution quickly, Attribr wins. If you're planning a multi-year analytics foundation, the extra 20 minutes for Adjust may be worth it.