When Google shut down Firebase Dynamic Links in August 2025, it didn't send a warning to your users — your links just broke. Campaigns stopped converting. Referral flows died. App install journeys snapped in half. And the most capable replacement, Branch.io, starts at $499 a month. That's not a solution for most developers.

HopLinks was built for exactly this moment — a modern, affordable, India-first alternative with everything Firebase DL did, plus features Firebase never had.

What Firebase Dynamic Links Did (And Why It Mattered)

Firebase DL solved three problems mobile teams had come to take for granted:

• Smart routing — one link automatically sent iOS users to the App Store, Android to Play Store, and desktop to your web fallback
• Deferred deep linking — user clicks before installing, installs the app, still lands on the exact right screen
• Campaign analytics — click tracking tied to specific links and UTM parameters

It was free. It just worked. That's why it became infrastructure for thousands of apps — and why its shutdown hurt so much.

How HopLinks Smart Routing Works

One link. Every device. Every scenario. Here's exactly what happens when a user clicks a HopLinks smart link:

How HopLinks Compares to Every Alternative

Intent Links: The Feature Nobody Else Has

A standard deep link routes users to a screen inside your app. An intent link goes further — it triggers a specific action in a specific app. This is a massive deal for India.

Pricing That Actually Makes Sense for India

HopLinks uses Purchasing Power Parity pricing — the same method Spotify, GitHub, and Atlassian use globally. Indian users pay in INR, not a flat USD rate nobody can afford.

• PPP-adjusted pricing drives 4.7× higher conversion rates vs flat USD pricing in emerging markets
• Companies with localised pricing grow 30% faster on average
• India's PPP-adjusted per capita is ~20% of the US — so $3.99 vs $14.99 is the right equation

Who HopLinks Is Built For

Indie Developers & Solo Founders

• Free plan covers personal projects entirely — 3 links + 1,000 clicks/month
• All intent links (WhatsApp, UPI, Maps) included even on free
• Upgrade to Starter ($3.99) when you hit limits and need to scale

Startups & Growing Teams

• Pro gives API access, custom domains, and 100K clicks/month
• Geographic routing for multi-market and multi-country campaigns
• 3 team seats so growth, product, and engineering share one dashboard

Marketing Agencies

• White-label dashboards — clients see your brand, not HopLinks
• Bulk CSV link creation for high-volume campaign management
• Multiple custom domains, one per client brand
• Custom plan with SLA support and flexible billing terms

How to Migrate from Firebase Dynamic Links

• Step 1 — Audit. Find every active Firebase DL link in your campaigns, emails, and app code. Focus on live flows first.
• Step 2 — Recreate. Set iOS destination, Android destination, and web fallback in HopLinks. Takes ~30 seconds per link.
• Step 3 — Update your app. Point Universal Links (iOS) and App Links (Android) to your new HopLinks domain. Same process, new domain.
• Step 4 — Add a custom domain (Pro). Use go.yourapp.com instead of hop.link — migration becomes invisible to users.
• Step 5 — Bulk import (Pro). Use CSV upload to migrate hundreds of links in minutes.

The Bottom Line

Firebase shutting down was painful. But it created the right moment to upgrade to infrastructure that actually fits modern mobile — smart routing, intent navigation, and analytics that tie link performance to real outcomes.

Here's what you get with HopLinks that Firebase never offered:

• ✓ Intent links for WhatsApp, UPI, Maps, and social apps
• ✓ INR pricing built for Indian developers and startups
• ✓ Geographic routing on Pro — route by country
• ✓ Dynamic QR codes that update without reprinting
• ✓ Developer API and webhooks for full programmatic control
• ✓ Free plan that's genuinely useful, not a crippled teaser

Start on the free plan. Your first deep link goes live in under 2 minutes.