Why look beyond Singular
Singular, established in 2014, specializes in mobile attribution, cost aggregation, and ad fraud prevention, serving mobile app marketers who require detailed LTV measurement and data-driven decision-making. It offers a unified marketing data platform with robust ETL and data warehousing capabilities, providing compliance with SOC 2 Type II, GDPR, CCPA, and ISO 27001 standards. While Singular provides a comprehensive SDK for mobile app integration and APIs for data export, its custom enterprise pricing model might not align with all budget requirements. Organizations might seek alternatives that offer more transparent pricing, specialized features for specific industries, or a different balance of attribution accuracy, fraud prevention, and analytics tools. Some users may also look for solutions with stronger native integrations with specific ad networks or business intelligence platforms, or those that better cater to non-enterprise-level operations.
Top alternatives ranked
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1. Adjust — Mobile measurement and fraud prevention for app growth
Adjust is a mobile measurement partner (MMP) that provides app marketers with attribution, analytics, and fraud prevention tools. Founded in 2012, it focuses on helping apps grow by delivering insights into user acquisition campaigns and in-app behavior. Adjust offers a comprehensive suite for tracking ad spend, campaign performance, and user lifetime value, similar to Singular's core offerings. Its fraud prevention suite is designed to detect and block various types of ad fraud, ensuring data accuracy. Adjust integrates with numerous ad networks and marketing platforms, providing a centralized view of marketing data. Developers can utilize its SDK for cross-platform data collection and leverage APIs for custom integrations and data export.
- Best for: Enterprise app marketers, fraud detection, campaign optimization, global reach.
Learn more about Adjust or visit their official website.
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2. Kochava — Independent mobile attribution and data management
Kochava is an independent mobile measurement partner (MMP) that provides attribution, analytics, and data management solutions for mobile apps. Established in 2011, Kochava emphasizes data ownership and transparency, offering a platform that allows marketers to understand the entire user journey. Its core offerings include mobile attribution, fraud detection, and audience segmentation. Kochava's fraud prevention capabilities are designed to identify and mitigate various forms of ad fraud, protecting marketing budgets and data integrity. The platform also provides tools for data enrichment and integration with a broad ecosystem of ad networks and marketing platforms. Developers can integrate the Kochava SDK into their apps for robust tracking and utilize APIs for data access and automation.
- Best for: Mobile app marketers needing independent attribution, advanced fraud detection, and granular data control.
Learn more about Kochava or visit their official website.
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3. Google Analytics — Web and app analytics for comprehensive insights
Google Analytics offers a powerful suite of tools for tracking and reporting website and app traffic. While not a dedicated mobile attribution partner like Singular, Google Analytics provides extensive capabilities for user behavior tracking, conversion funnel optimization, and cross-platform data collection, especially with Google Analytics 4 (GA4). GA4 is designed to measure app and web interactions together, offering a unified view of the customer journey. It leverages an event-based data model, which allows for flexible reporting and analysis across various user touchpoints. For mobile apps, GA4 integrates with Google's Firebase SDK to collect data, enabling marketers to understand app engagement, user retention, and monetization. While it offers analytics, it typically requires integration with an MMP for precise ad attribution across diverse ad networks.
- Best for: Comprehensive web and app analytics, user behavior tracking, conversion optimization, cross-platform data collection.
Learn more about Google Analytics or visit their official support page.
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4. Meta Ads (Facebook Ads) — Social media advertising and app promotion
Meta Ads, encompassing Facebook and Instagram advertising, is a widely used platform for social media advertising, audience targeting, and app promotion. While primarily an ad network, Meta provides robust tools for measuring campaign performance, including app installs and in-app events, through its SDKs and pixel. The platform allows advertisers to reach broad or highly targeted audiences based on demographics, interests, and behaviors. For mobile app marketers, Meta Ads offers specific campaign objectives like App Installs and App Engagement, with detailed reporting on campaign effectiveness. Its measurement capabilities, combined with the Meta Pixel and Conversions API, enable tracking of user actions post-ad click. While it provides attribution within the Meta ecosystem, it typically works in conjunction with an MMP for holistic, cross-network attribution.
- Best for: Social media advertising, broad audience reach, e-commerce promotion, lead generation, app installs.
Learn more about Meta Ads or visit their business help center.
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5. Google Ads — Search and display advertising for app installs
Google Ads is a leading online advertising platform, enabling businesses to display ads on Google Search, YouTube, Google Display Network, and mobile apps. For mobile app marketers, Google Ads offers Universal App Campaigns (UAC), which streamline the process of promoting apps across Google's properties. UACs automate ad creation and placement to drive app installs and in-app actions. Google Ads provides detailed reporting on campaign performance, cost-per-install, and conversion tracking. While it offers attribution for campaigns running within the Google ecosystem, it is not an independent mobile measurement partner like Singular. Marketers often use Google Ads data in conjunction with an MMP to get a complete picture of cross-channel attribution. Its SDKs support integration with various programming languages for managing campaigns and reporting.
- Best for: Driving app installs, search advertising, display advertising, YouTube advertising, broad reach across Google's network.
Learn more about Google Ads or visit their support page.
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6. DV360 — Programmatic demand-side platform for advanced media buying
Display & Video 360 (DV360) is Google's demand-side platform (DSP) that enables programmatic media buying across various ad exchanges and publishers. It is designed for large-scale advertisers and agencies to manage complex campaigns across display, video, audio, and out-of-home channels. DV360 offers advanced audience targeting, brand safety controls, and optimization tools. While it doesn't offer mobile attribution as its primary function, it integrates with MMPs to track app installs and in-app events driven by programmatic campaigns. DV360's strength lies in its ability to execute sophisticated media buying strategies and provide granular control over ad placements and budgets. It provides comprehensive reporting on campaign delivery and performance, which can be combined with MMP data for a holistic view of return on ad spend.
- Best for: Large-scale programmatic media buying, cross-channel campaign management, advanced audience targeting, brand safety and verification.
Learn more about DV360 or visit their support page.
Side-by-side
| Feature | Singular | Adjust | Kochava | Google Analytics (GA4) | Meta Ads (Facebook Ads) | Google Ads | DV360 |
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| Category | Mobile Measurement Partner (MMP) | Mobile Measurement Partner (MMP) | Mobile Measurement Partner (MMP) | Analytics | Ad Network / Social Media Advertising | Ad Network / Search Advertising | Demand-Side Platform (DSP) |
| Core Functionality | Attribution, Cost Aggregation, Fraud Prevention | Attribution, Analytics, Fraud Prevention | Attribution, Fraud Detection, Data Management | Web & App Analytics, User Behavior | Social Media Advertising, App Promotion | Search & App Advertising, Installs | Programmatic Media Buying, Campaign Management |
| Mobile Attribution | Yes, cross-network | Yes, cross-network | Yes, cross-network | Limited (requires MMP for holistic) | Yes (within Meta ecosystem) | Yes (within Google ecosystem) | No (integrates with MMPs) |
| Ad Fraud Prevention | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Limited (platform-specific) | Limited (platform-specific) | Yes (brand safety tools) |
| Cost Aggregation | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| LTV Measurement | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Limited (requires custom setup) | Limited (requires custom setup) | No |
| Pricing Model | Custom Enterprise | Custom Enterprise | Custom Enterprise | Free (with paid 360 option) | Ad Spend Based | Ad Spend Based | Ad Spend Based |
| Developer Experience | Comprehensive SDKs, APIs | SDKs, APIs for various platforms | SDKs, APIs, documentation | Firebase SDK for apps, Data API | SDKs for iOS/Android, Conversions API | Google Ads API, UACs | APIs for campaign management |
| GDPR/CCPA Compliance | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
How to pick
Choosing an alternative to Singular involves evaluating your specific mobile app marketing needs, budget, and desired level of data control. Consider the following decision points:
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For dedicated mobile attribution and advanced fraud prevention: If your primary requirement is precise, cross-network mobile attribution combined with robust ad fraud detection, Adjust and Kochava are direct competitors to Singular. Adjust is often favored by enterprise app marketers for its comprehensive suite and global reach, while Kochava emphasizes data ownership and granular control, appealing to those who prioritize independence and detailed fraud mitigation.
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For comprehensive web and app analytics: If your focus is on understanding user behavior across both your website and mobile app, and you need robust analytics capabilities, Google Analytics (GA4) is a strong contender. GA4's event-based model provides a unified view of the customer journey, though it typically requires an MMP for holistic ad attribution beyond Google's ecosystem.
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For social media app promotion: If a significant portion of your user acquisition comes from social channels, Meta Ads (Facebook Ads) is essential. It offers powerful targeting and measurement tools within the Meta ecosystem for driving app installs and engagement. However, for a complete picture of cross-channel performance, it should be integrated with an MMP.
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For search and broad app advertising: If you rely heavily on search advertising or want to leverage Google's vast network for app installs, Google Ads is indispensable. Its Universal App Campaigns simplify app promotion, but similar to Meta Ads, an MMP is usually needed for comprehensive attribution across all your marketing channels.
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For large-scale programmatic media buying: If you are an enterprise advertiser or agency managing complex, large-scale programmatic campaigns across multiple channels, DV360 is the platform for advanced media buying. While it doesn't provide attribution itself, it integrates with MMPs to track the performance of its programmatic efforts, offering granular control over ad placements and budgets.
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Consider your budget: Singular, Adjust, and Kochava typically operate on custom enterprise pricing. If you have a smaller budget or prefer a free analytics solution, Google Analytics (GA4) provides a robust free tier. Ad networks like Meta Ads and Google Ads operate on an ad spend model, where costs scale with your campaigns.
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Evaluate integration needs: Assess which ad networks, marketing automation platforms, and business intelligence tools you need to integrate with. All listed alternatives offer SDKs and APIs, but the breadth and depth of pre-built integrations can vary. Ensure the chosen alternative seamlessly fits into your existing tech stack.
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Data ownership and privacy: If data ownership and strict compliance (beyond standard GDPR/CCPA) are critical, independent MMPs like Kochava might offer more control and transparency compared to solutions tied to major ad platforms.