Migrate from Branch, Adjust or AppsFlyer

This guide is for teams moving deep links and install attribution from Branch, Adjust or AppsFlyer. It maps names and behaviors, nothing else. Vendor terms are written as they appear in those products’ documentation. It assumes the hosted service: the API at https://app.dectog.com and links at https://{username}.dectog.com/{slug}.

Self-hosting

On your own deployment the API base is PUBLIC_BASE_URL, links use your ROOT_DOMAIN, and the fingerprint windows come from ATTRIBUTION_WINDOW_HOURS and ATTRIBUTION_LOW_ENTROPY_WINDOW_HOURS. See Configuration reference.

The verdict in their terms

Every install report returns one DectogAppInstallResponse. This table places the vocabulary of the three products on its fields.

Concept	DecTog
The install came from a link (Branch +clicked_branch_link, AppsFlyer af_status: Non-organic, Adjust attribution with a tracker)	matched: true, type: 'non-organic'. matched is attribution credit. It is granted only at matchConfidence guaranteed or high.
Deterministic match (Branch +match_guaranteed)	matchConfidence: 'guaranteed', matchSource referrer or clipboard, and referrerSource naming the store: google_play, huawei, samsung, xiaomi, vivo or meta.
Probabilistic match (AppsFlyer “probabilistic modeling”, Branch “fingerprint”)	matchSource: 'fingerprint'. high is credited. medium is not credited but returns a routing candidate (slug, deepLink, clickParams, confidence). low returns nothing.
Deferred deep link (Branch $deeplink_path, Adjust deferred deep link callback, AppsFlyer deep_link_value)	install.deepLink (the dec_deeplink of the tapped URL) or install.routing?.deepLink. For the link’s stored path call dectog.resolveLink(username, slug) and read deepLinkPath, the running platform’s.
First session (Branch +is_first_session, AppsFlyer is_first_launch)	The onAppInstalled emission itself. installState is install, reinstall or update. App updates never run the fingerprint. Reinstalls run the full ladder and carry isReinstall: true; the dashboard leaves them out of the Installs KPI and the per-link counts.
Referring link (Branch ~referring_link)	install.link?.url and install.slug
Who invited the user (AppsFlyer af_referrer_customer_id or deep_link_sub2, Adjust clickLabel from adj_label, a Branch custom key such as referring_user_id)	install.link?.referrerCustomerId, from a link made by createReferralLink. The server reads it from the link, so editing the tapped URL cannot change it. See Referral programs.
Campaign fields (Branch ~campaign, ~channel, ~feature, ~tags; Adjust campaign, adgroup, creative, label; AppsFlyer pid, c, af_adset, af_ad, af_channel)	The link’s Tracking fields label, campaign, adgroup, creative, overridden per tap by dec_label, dec_campaign, dec_adgroup, dec_creative, plus dec_tracker. Returned as install.clickParams. utm_* is stored as well and feeds the Overview charts.
Custom link data (Branch link data, AppsFlyer deep_link_sub1 to deep_link_sub10)	Link metadata (any JSON), returned as install.customParameters
Identity (Branch setIdentity, AppsFlyer setCustomerUserId)	dectog.identify(customerId: ..., name: ..., email: ..., phone: ...); dectog.logout() forgets it
Events (Branch BranchEvent, Adjust event tokens, AppsFlyer logEvent with af_revenue)	dectog.trackConversion(revenue: ..., currency: ...) and dectog.trackEvent(name). The first identify of a new customer on a fresh install records the signup lead. See Events.
Attribution read-back (AppsFlyer onConversionDataSuccess, Adjust attribution callback)	onAppInstalled, currentAppInstall, and getAttributionData(), which re-pulls GET /api/v1/attribution after a restart
Server postback (Branch webhooks, Adjust callbacks, AppsFlyer Push API)	Webhooks: app.installed, app.install_updated, event.conversion, event.lead, app.opened, referral.converted, link changes and, opt-in, click.recorded. HMAC-SHA256 signed, logged, retried for about a day.
Request signing (AppsFlyer af_sig)	Every SDK call carries x-dectog-timestamp and x-dectog-signature. Unsigned requests get 401.

Branch

Branch	DecTog
Quick Link https://xyz.app.link/abc	https://{username}.dectog.com/{slug}, created on the Links page or with POST /api/v1/links
$deeplink_path, $ios_deeplink_path, $android_deeplink_path	ios_deep_link_path and android_deep_link_path on the link; dec_deeplink per tap
$fallback_url	The link’s target is the last mobile fallback, after the app’s fallback_url
$desktop_url	The link’s fallback_url, or dec_fallback per tap. The default is the branded QR page.
$ios_url, $android_url	dec_redirect_ios and dec_redirect_android per tap; the link’s redirect_url for both platforms
$og_title, $og_description, $og_image_url	og_title, og_description, og_image_url on the link, with the app’s values as defaults
$web_only, $uri_redirect_mode	No equivalent
NativeLink (checkPasteboardOnInstall, willShowPasteboardToast)	The pasteboard read is on by default on iOS (DectogCollection.pasteboard). willShowPasteboardPrompt() works before initialize(). The iOS tap-to-store page is the web side that copies the link. DectogPasteButton renders UIPasteControl for late pastes.
Install referrer readers (Play, Huawei, Samsung, Xiaomi)	Built in, with retries. Play, Huawei and vivo need no extra library. Samsung and Xiaomi activate when the host app adds their libraries. See Deterministic attribution.
Reinstall event	isReinstall: true, installState: 'reinstall'. A reinstall goes through the ladder and the fingerprint like a first install; the dashboard leaves it out of the Installs KPI and the per-link counts.
Data Export API	The raw export of clicks, installs, opens and events, with the account key
Journeys, Universal Email, Deepviews, Data Feeds	No equivalent

Adjust

Adjust’s tracker URL parameters keep their names in DecTog with a dec_ prefix.

Adjust	DecTog
Tracker https://app.adjust.com/<token>	A link. dec_tracker records a tracker name per tap; it has no routing effect.
campaign, adgroup, creative, label	dec_campaign, dec_adgroup, dec_creative, dec_label, falling back to the link’s Tracking defaults
deep_link	dec_deeplink
redirect, redirect_ios, redirect_android, redirect_macos, redirect_windows	dec_redirect, dec_redirect_ios, dec_redirect_android, dec_redirect_macos, dec_redirect_windows, plus dec_redirect_linux
fallback	dec_fallback
AdjustAttribution (trackerToken, trackerName, campaign, adgroup, creative, clickLabel)	install.clickParams (tracker, campaign, adgroup, creative, label), install.slug, install.link
Deferred deep link callback	onAppInstalled with deepLink or routing
LinkMe	The pasteboard read plus the iOS tap-to-store page
Install referrer with retries	Up to three connection attempts, 3 seconds apart, for transient Play errors. The first-launch registration waits up to installReferrerTimeout (default 5 seconds); a referrer that arrives later is sent as a late claim and onAppInstalled emits again.
retry_in	The SDK honors Retry-After: up to 10 seconds in-process, longer waits defer to the next launch
Apple Search Ads through AdServices	DectogCollection.appleSearchAdsToken in collect (off by default). The result is on install.appleSearchAds, on getAttributionData(), on the webhook and on the Overview card.
Server callbacks	Webhooks
Reattribution	No equivalent for installs: a late deterministic signal can upgrade an organic or fingerprint verdict; a credited install never changes link. Events within the re-engagement window after a link opens the installed app (7 days by default, per app) count for that link; see Events.
SKAdNetwork, ad-network integrations	None

AppsFlyer

AppsFlyer	DecTog
OneLink https://xyz.onelink.me/abc/...	https://{username}.dectog.com/{slug}
af_dp, deep_link_value	dec_deeplink per tap; ios_deep_link_path and android_deep_link_path on the link
deep_link_sub1 to deep_link_sub10	Link metadata (returned as customParameters), or the dec_* tracking fields
af_web_dp	The link’s fallback_url or dec_fallback
af_ios_url, af_android_url	dec_redirect_ios, dec_redirect_android, or the link’s redirect_url
af_r	dec_redirect
pid, c, af_adset, af_ad, af_channel	utm_source and utm_campaign (the Overview charts group by these) plus dec_label, dec_campaign, dec_adgroup, dec_creative
Unified Deep Linking (subscribeForDeepLink, DeepLinkResult)	onLinkClick for direct opens; onAppInstalled.routing and deepLink for deferred opens
Conversion data (onConversionDataSuccess: af_status, is_first_launch, media_source, campaign)	onAppInstalled: type, matched, matchSource, matchConfidence, clickParams; getAttributionData() on later launches
setDeepLinkTimeout	installReferrerTimeout (default 5 seconds) plus late claims
setCustomerUserId	identify(customerId: ...)
logEvent with af_revenue and af_currency	trackConversion(revenue: ..., currency: ...)
af_sig	The request signature on every SDK call
Push API	Webhooks: installs, conversions, leads, opens and referrals
Pull API, Master API	The raw export of clicks, installs, opens and events, and the MCP analytics tool for totals by link, campaign, country and other dimensions, both with the account key; GET /api/v1/links (lifetime click_count); the dashboard
Protect360	Eight rules: emulator, impossible_speed, install_velocity_ip, click_storm_ip, stale_referrer, stale_clipboard, stale_meta, click_reuse. Strict fraud mode makes flagged installs count as organic.
Apple Search Ads	appleSearchAds on the verdict
SKAdNetwork, Conversion Studio, ad-network integrations	None

AppsFlyer separates routing (UDL) from attribution data (GCD). DecTog separates them inside one object: routing says where to send a new user, matched and clickParams say who gets credit.

Running both for a while

A migration is safer when both tools see the same traffic for a few weeks. Keep the MMP’s SDK in the app next to flutter_dectog, point a DecTog link’s If the app isn’t installed > Custom URL (redirect_url) at the MMP’s tracking link, and turn on MMP click handoff for the app on the Apps page. A tap then goes through DecTog, which records the click, and on to the MMP’s link with DecTog’s click id added:

Destination host	Added
*.onelink.me, app.appsflyer.com (AppsFlyer)	clickid=<DecTog click id>, and pid=<your media source> when the app sets one
*.sng.link (Singular)	the same
app.adjust.com, adj.st (Adjust)	the same

A clickid or pid already in the tracking link is kept. Store URLs, scheme links and other hosts are never changed. The click id is the 16-character dtg_click value that names the click in DecTog, so an install the MMP attributes can be looked up on the DecTog side by it. Whether the MMP keeps the clickid parameter in its raw data depends on the link and partner settings in its own dashboard; check one test install there before relying on it. The store redirect then belongs to the MMP’s link, so DecTog’s own install match for those taps falls back to the store referrer the MMP passes on, or to the fingerprint.

How attribution differs

• Deterministic signals win in this order: store install referrer, pasteboard, Meta referrer. Then the fingerprint. Then organic. See How attribution works.
• One install per click. A click another install already consumed moves the ladder on to the next signal; click_reuse is flagged only when nothing later matches.
• Fingerprint candidates are web clicks from a phone with the same hashed IP and OS family. The window is 24 hours for clicks that share a device model or a screen profile with the install, the probabilistic window Adjust gives a click, and 2 hours for clicks with neither and for installs on cellular. The 2-hour window can be set per app (1 to 720 hours) in the app’s Advanced settings.
• App updates (install_state: update) never run the fingerprint. Reinstalls do, and carry is_reinstall: true. Late claims never run the fingerprint.
• Strict fraud mode, the low-entropy window and an install’s webhook app are read from the app the install concerns, and an install is only matched against its own app’s links.
• A pasted link or a Meta referrer earns credit for 7 days (per app); an older one routes the user without credit. Store referrers keep 30 days.
• Apple Search Ads is resolved server-side and arrives later: pending, then resolved, no_attribution, invalid or expired. Only resolved and no_attribution are final.

What DecTog does not do

DecTog is not a mobile measurement partner: no SKAdNetwork or AdAttributionKit, no ad-network integrations or postbacks, advertising identifiers only through the optional flutter_dectog_adid package, no re-attribution windows, and SDKs for Flutter, React Native and the web. The full list, with the probabilistic-matching limits and Apple’s fingerprinting rules, is on What DecTog does not do.