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Since Apple's iOS 14.5 update introduced App Tracking Transparency, marketers have faced a significant challenge: traditional pixel-based tracking now misses a substantial portion of conversions from iPhone users. This data gap makes it nearly impossible to know which ads actually drive revenue.
The good news? A new generation of iOS tracking solutions has emerged to bridge this gap using server-side tracking, probabilistic modeling, and first-party data strategies.
We evaluated dozens of tools based on tracking accuracy, ease of implementation, ad platform compatibility, and value for marketing teams. Here are the top iOS tracking solutions that help you recapture lost attribution data and make confident scaling decisions.
Best for: Multi-channel advertisers needing comprehensive attribution with AI-powered optimization recommendations
Cometly is a marketing attribution platform that captures every touchpoint across the customer journey using server-side tracking and AI analysis.
Cometly solves the iOS tracking problem by operating entirely server-side, bypassing browser and device restrictions that break traditional pixels. The platform doesn't just track conversions—it enriches them with full customer journey data and feeds that intelligence back to your ad platforms.
What sets Cometly apart is its AI layer that analyzes attribution data across all channels and delivers actionable recommendations for scaling. Instead of just showing you what happened, it tells you what to do next based on which campaigns actually drive revenue.
Server-Side Tracking: Captures conversion data directly from your server, completely independent of iOS restrictions or cookie limitations.
Conversion Sync: Sends enriched, first-party conversion events back to Meta, Google, TikTok, and other ad platforms to improve their targeting algorithms.
AI Recommendations: Identifies high-performing ads and campaigns across every channel with specific suggestions for budget allocation and scaling.
Multi-Touch Attribution: Connects every touchpoint from first click to final conversion, showing the complete path to purchase across all marketing channels.
Real-Time CRM Integration: Links attribution data with your CRM to track leads through the entire sales cycle, not just initial conversions.
Digital marketing teams and agencies running campaigns across multiple ad platforms who need accurate attribution data to make confident scaling decisions. Particularly valuable for businesses with complex customer journeys or longer sales cycles where traditional pixel tracking fails to connect the dots.
Custom pricing based on ad spend volume. Demo available to explore features and determine the right plan for your business.
Best for: Shopify-focused DTC brands needing ecommerce-specific attribution and profit analytics
Triple Whale is an attribution platform designed specifically for ecommerce brands with deep Shopify integration and first-party tracking.
Triple Whale built its entire platform around the Shopify ecosystem, making it incredibly fast to implement for DTC brands. The first-party pixel approach captures server-side data while maintaining the simplicity that ecommerce teams need.
Beyond attribution, Triple Whale includes profit analytics that factor in cost of goods sold, shipping, and other expenses. This gives you a clearer picture of actual profitability by channel, not just revenue.
First-Party Pixel: Server-side data collection that works independently of iOS restrictions while remaining easy to install.
Shopify-Native Integration: Connects directly to your Shopify store with automatic order syncing and profit calculation based on product costs.
Creative Performance Analysis: Tracks which ad creatives drive the most conversions, helping you identify winning assets quickly.
Customer Journey Visualization: Maps the path from first touch to purchase with visual journey reports.
Post-Purchase Surveys: Adds survey attribution to capture customer-reported sources that tracking might miss.
Shopify merchants running paid advertising who want a plug-and-play solution with built-in profit analytics. Ideal for DTC brands focused primarily on ecommerce channels rather than complex multi-platform campaigns.
Growth plan starts at $129/month with tiered pricing based on monthly revenue and feature access.
Best for: Enterprise brands with complex media mixes needing advanced modeling and incrementality testing
Northbeam is an enterprise attribution platform that combines media mix modeling with multi-touch attribution for measurement across all channels.
Northbeam takes a fundamentally different approach by using media mix modeling alongside traditional attribution. This statistical method analyzes historical performance patterns to attribute value even when direct tracking is impossible—making it particularly effective for iOS measurement.
The platform's machine learning continuously refines attribution models based on actual conversion patterns, adapting to changes in user behavior and platform restrictions without manual intervention.
Media Mix Modeling: Statistical analysis that attributes value based on historical performance patterns, working independently of tracking pixels.
Incrementality Testing: Machine learning-based testing to determine the true incremental impact of each marketing channel.
Cross-Channel Budget Optimization: Recommendations for reallocating spend based on modeled performance across all channels.
Custom Attribution Windows: Flexible lookback windows that can be adjusted based on your specific sales cycle.
Cohort Analysis: Tracks customer lifetime value by acquisition source with predictive LTV modeling.
Established brands spending six figures monthly across multiple channels who need enterprise-grade measurement. Best suited for companies with sufficient historical data to power statistical modeling and teams that understand advanced attribution concepts.
Custom enterprise pricing based on data volume and complexity. Implementation typically starts around $1,000/month.
Best for: Marketing teams needing unified measurement across online and offline channels
Rockerbox is a unified marketing measurement platform that combines multiple attribution methodologies for comprehensive channel analysis.
Rockerbox doesn't force you to choose between attribution approaches. The platform runs multi-touch attribution, media mix modeling, and incrementality analysis simultaneously, letting you compare results and gain confidence in your data.
The real differentiator is offline channel support. Rockerbox attributes TV spots, podcast ads, direct mail, and other traditional media alongside digital channels—giving you a complete view of marketing performance.
Multi-Methodology Attribution: Runs MTA, MMM, and incrementality testing in parallel so you can compare different measurement approaches.
Offline Channel Unification: Connects online conversions to offline marketing activities like TV, radio, and print advertising.
TV and Podcast Attribution: Tracks conversions driven by broadcast media using time-based correlation and promo code analysis.
Customer Journey Mapping: Visualizes the complete path to conversion across all touchpoints, both digital and traditional.
Automated Reporting: Scheduled reports delivered to stakeholders with insights and performance trends.
Mid-market to enterprise brands running integrated campaigns across digital and traditional media. Particularly valuable for companies with significant TV, podcast, or direct mail spend who need to measure those channels alongside digital.
Custom pricing based on data volume, number of channels tracked, and team size. Contact for quote.
Best for: Technical teams building custom attribution infrastructure with flexible data routing
Segment is a customer data platform with server-side tracking capabilities for companies that want to own their attribution infrastructure.
Segment isn't an attribution platform—it's the foundation for building one. The tool captures server-side events and routes them to any destination you choose, giving you complete control over your data architecture.
This flexibility means you can simultaneously send conversion data to your analytics platform, your ad networks, your CRM, and your data warehouse. One tracking implementation powers everything downstream.
Server-Side Event Tracking: Captures conversion events from your server, bypassing all browser and device restrictions.
400+ Native Integrations: Pre-built connections to ad platforms, analytics tools, CRMs, and data warehouses.
Identity Resolution: Links user activity across devices and sessions to create unified customer profiles.
Real-Time Data Streaming: Sends events to destinations instantly as they happen, enabling immediate optimization.
Privacy-Compliant Collection: Built-in consent management and data governance features for regulatory compliance.
Companies with engineering resources who want to build custom attribution logic or need flexible data routing to multiple destinations. Works well for SaaS companies and tech-forward brands with specific data requirements that off-the-shelf solutions can't meet.
Free tier available for basic usage. Team plan starts at $120/month with usage-based scaling for higher volumes.
Best for: Mobile app marketers needing SKAdNetwork optimization and probabilistic attribution
AppsFlyer is a mobile measurement partner specializing in app attribution with deep expertise in iOS compliance and fraud prevention.
AppsFlyer was built specifically for mobile apps, making it the go-to choice for app marketers navigating iOS restrictions. The platform's SKAdNetwork implementation helps you maximize the limited data Apple provides while filling gaps with probabilistic modeling.
The fraud prevention suite is particularly strong, using machine learning to identify fake installs and click spam before they waste your budget. For app-focused businesses, this protection alone can justify the investment.
SKAdNetwork Optimization: Maximizes the value of Apple's privacy-compliant attribution framework with conversion value modeling.
Probabilistic Attribution: Uses statistical modeling to attribute conversions when deterministic tracking isn't available.
Deep Linking: Creates seamless web-to-app experiences with deferred deep links that maintain context after install.
Fraud Prevention Suite: Machine learning algorithms detect and block fraudulent installs, click spam, and attribution manipulation.
Audience Segmentation: Builds custom audiences based on in-app behavior for retargeting campaigns.
Mobile app developers and marketers running user acquisition campaigns across ad networks. Essential for gaming companies, subscription apps, and any business where the app is the primary product.
Free tier covers up to 10,000 conversions monthly. Paid plans start at $0.05-0.06 per conversion with volume discounts.
Best for: Gaming and subscription apps needing robust fraud prevention and uninstall tracking
Adjust is a mobile analytics and attribution platform with industry-leading fraud prevention, popular among gaming studios and subscription businesses.
Adjust built its reputation on fraud prevention, and that focus shows in the sophistication of its detection algorithms. The platform identifies fraudulent activity patterns that other tools miss, protecting your user acquisition budget from waste.
For subscription apps, Adjust offers specialized analytics that track the metrics that matter most: trial conversions, renewal rates, and subscription lifetime value by acquisition source.
Aggregated Attribution: Privacy-compliant measurement that works within iOS restrictions while maintaining useful granularity.
Machine Learning Fraud Prevention: Continuously learning algorithms that adapt to new fraud patterns automatically.
Audience Builder: Creates custom segments based on user behavior for precise retargeting campaigns.
Uninstall and Reinstall Tracking: Monitors app deletions and reinstalls to understand churn patterns by source.
Subscription Analytics: Specialized metrics for tracking trial-to-paid conversion and subscription retention.
Gaming companies and subscription apps where fraud is a significant concern and user retention metrics are critical. Works well for businesses with high user acquisition volumes where even small improvements in fraud detection create substantial savings.
Custom pricing based on monthly attribution volume and required features. Contact for enterprise quote.
Best for: Apps with significant web traffic needing seamless web-to-app attribution and deep linking
Branch is a deep linking and attribution platform that excels at tracking cross-platform journeys from web to app.
Branch solves a specific problem that other tools struggle with: tracking users who discover your brand on the web but convert in your app. The platform's universal deep links maintain attribution context through the app install process.
This is particularly valuable for content-driven apps where users might read an article on mobile web, install the app, and then subscribe. Branch ensures you don't lose attribution for that conversion just because it crossed platforms.
Universal Deep Linking: Creates links that work seamlessly across iOS, Android, and web with consistent behavior.
Cross-Platform Journey Attribution: Tracks users from initial web interaction through app install and in-app conversion.
Web-to-App Conversion Tracking: Maintains attribution when users move from mobile web to native app experiences.
QR Code Attribution: Tracks conversions from physical QR codes in print, packaging, or retail environments.
Referral Analytics: Measures the performance of referral programs and social sharing features.
Apps with substantial mobile web traffic that need to track cross-platform user journeys. Particularly valuable for media apps, marketplaces, and any business where content discovery happens on web but monetization happens in-app.
Free tier available for basic deep linking. Paid plans based on monthly active users with custom pricing for enterprise features.
Best for: High-ticket businesses with long sales cycles needing call tracking and extended attribution windows
Hyros is an attribution platform focused on businesses with complex sales processes, offering call tracking and attribution windows up to one year.
Hyros was built for businesses where the sale doesn't happen immediately after the ad click. The platform tracks conversions over extended periods, connecting phone calls, form submissions, and eventual purchases back to the original ad that started the journey.
The call tracking integration is particularly sophisticated, using AI to analyze call content and automatically tag calls as qualified leads or sales. This means you can attribute revenue to ads that drove phone conversations, not just online conversions.
Call Tracking Attribution: Connects phone calls back to the specific ad and keyword that drove them with call content analysis.
Extended Attribution Windows: Tracks customer journeys up to one year, capturing conversions with long consideration periods.
AI Optimization Recommendations: Analyzes performance data to suggest budget reallocation and creative changes.
Print Tracking: Attributes conversions from direct mail campaigns using unique phone numbers and URLs.
Custom Attribution Models: Builds attribution logic tailored to your specific sales process and touchpoint patterns.
B2B companies, coaching programs, professional services, and high-ticket ecommerce brands where sales cycles span weeks or months. Essential for businesses where phone conversations are a critical part of the sales process.
Starts at $99/month for basic plans with pricing scaling based on traffic volume and advanced features.
The right iOS tracking solution depends on where you're running campaigns and how your customers buy.
For multi-channel advertisers and agencies needing comprehensive attribution with AI recommendations, Cometly offers the most complete solution. The platform's server-side tracking captures conversions that pixel-based tools miss, while the AI layer tells you exactly which campaigns to scale.
Shopify-focused DTC brands often find Triple Whale's ecommerce-specific features valuable, particularly the profit analytics that show true profitability by channel. Mobile app marketers should prioritize AppsFlyer or Adjust for their SKAdNetwork expertise and fraud prevention capabilities.
Enterprise brands with complex media mixes across TV, podcast, and digital channels may benefit from Northbeam's modeling approach or Rockerbox's unified measurement. Technical teams wanting to build custom attribution logic should consider Segment as the foundation.
Whatever you choose, the key is moving beyond broken pixel tracking to server-side solutions that capture the full customer journey. Traditional tracking methods miss too many iOS conversions to make confident scaling decisions. Modern attribution platforms solve this by operating at the server level, feeding enriched data back to your ad platforms, and giving you the accurate insights needed to grow profitably.
Ready to elevate your marketing game with precision and confidence? Discover how Cometly's AI-driven recommendations can transform your ad strategy. Get your free demo today and start capturing every touchpoint to maximize your conversions.
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