Comparison · recorded 26/08/2026
The 6 best marketing attribution tools compared
There is no “best tool” in the abstract: these six don't measure the same thing. An honest ranking starts with a question — are you looking for clicks, conversions, or revenue?
The three levels of measurement
level 1
Count clicks
Who passed through the link. Every tool on this page does this.
level 2
Track conversions
The form submitted, the signup completed. Dub, PIMMS, and a few others get here.
level 3
Attribute revenue
The dollar against the link, the spend against the dollar. This is where agencies work — and where we are.
Recorded from source, not from press kits
Six tools reviewed
A listicle where the publisher wins every row is an ad. Here, every tool keeps its real strength — ours included, no bigger and no smaller.
Dub
United States · open source
The most technically polished link infrastructure, self-hostable at no cost.
Choose it if: You have a technical team and want to own your link infrastructure.
PIMMS
France · open source
The closest tool to full conversion attribution, with standout SEO content.
Choose it if: You want open-source conversion tracking and read documentation in English first.
Short.io
International
The best volume-to-price ratio for short links, with country and device routing on entry plans.
Choose it if: Your priority is link volume and routing, not revenue proof.
Rebrandly
United States / Ireland
Enterprise governance: roles, permissions, SOC 2, HIPAA.
Choose it if: You are a large organization and IT requires US certifications.
Switchy
France
Retargeting: re-engage everyone who clicked, unlimited pixels on every plan.
Choose it if: Your strategy is ad-first and retargeting is your primary metric.
Subtraq
France
Revenue attribution: the sale traced to the link, Meta spend imported, ROAS calculated, the report under your agency's name.
Choose it if: You are an agency or freelancer and the only question that matters is “how much did it bring in.”
How this comparison is made
Dated and sourced figures
Pricing grids change without notice — one of them was still showing “custom plans” for former clients on the day of the survey. That's why the date matters as much as the number, here as in our detailed comparisons.
The rule we hold ourselves to
Every claim comes from a public page read on 26/08/2026, URL on file in our records. Anything we couldn't verify is not written. A disputed figure is corrected and dated.
Questions for choosing
Where does Google Analytics fit in?
GA measures your site — that's a different layer. The tools on this page measure LINKS distributed where GA sees nothing: a story, a bio, a flyer. The two coexist fine; neither replaces the other.
Why isn't Bitly on the list?
Because this page compares ATTRIBUTION tools, and Bitly, as of the August 2026 survey, counts clicks — level 1. Our Bitly alternatives page handles that search.
Doesn't a free open-source tool do the job?
If you can host, maintain, and update it yourself: honestly, yes. The price of a managed tool pays for not needing those three skills — it's an agency trade-off, not a universal truth.
Is your ranking really neutral?
No — no publisher ranking is, and those that claim to be lie twice. Our bias is declared: we think level 3 is what matters for an agency. The other five “choose it if” entries are written to be fair anyway.
Test revenue attribution
The fastest test isn't reading another comparison: it's dropping a link on a real campaign and watching the “revenue” column fill in.
Try it free