Link in Bio for Mobile Apps: What Works, What Doesn't, and How to Track Installs

Why your bio link matters more than you think

Indie devs often overlook their bio link, plopping a Linktree URL into their Instagram profile and pointing one row to the App Store, another to Google Play, and that's that. They then ask themselves why 80% of the people tapping on the link don't end up downloading the app.

Your bio link is your highest-intent funnel. A user has just seen your TikTok, Instagram Story, newsletter, podcast mention, and they like what they see enough to search you up and are now one tap away from your app. This is your opportunity to make the install seamless, or to let all that traffic slip right through your fingers.

Linktree, Beacons, Stan Store, Bio.site, the common link-in-bio tools, aren't built for this job. They were built for creators selling courses, newsletters, and Shopify stores. They don't care about iOS vs. Android. They can't tell you how many people installed your app. They don't know what "installs" are.

This post walks through what an app developer's link in bio actually needs, why generic tools miss the point, and how to set up something that tracks every click, install, and dollar of revenue per source.

What your app's link in bio needs

Four things. In order of importance:

• Platform routing: You need a single URL that automatically sends an iOS user to the App Store and an Android user to Google Play. If you link only to one store, then half your traffic lands on the wrong store. If you use a custom interstitial asking the user to pick their platform, you add friction and your conversion drops off a cliff.
• Install tracking: You need to know how many people tapped on the bio link and actually installed your app. Clicks are trivial. Installs are the metric that matters. Without install tracking, you don't know whether Instagram or TikTok is actually growing your user base.
• Revenue tracking per source: If you have one bio link for Instagram, another for TikTok, another for your newsletter, you need to know which one is actually generating money, beyond installs, beyond users. What's the difference between "Instagram is bringing in 200 installs" and "Instagram is bringing in 200 installs that convert into 12 paying users paying $9.99/month"?
• A page that fits your brand: Your bio link shouldn't look like a generic template you just borrowed. It needs to be a continuation of your app. It needs to be your logo, your brand color, your words, your screenshot images.

Generic link-in-bio tools get none of the four above right for apps.

Why generic link-in-bio tools fall short for apps

Linktree, Beacons, Stan Store, Bio.site, Milkshake, Koji. They all have the same architecture. This is a simple page with a list of buttons. Each button is a URL. That's all there is to it.

That's how it works for a person who wants to link to their Substack, their Shopify store, their TikTok, and their Discord.

It doesn't work for apps. There are three reasons for that.

First, because each button has one URL, you can't make a single button open the App Store on iOS and the Google Play Store on Android. You either have to pick, or you put two buttons up: "iOS" and "Android." Then you have to hope the user knows what device they have and makes the right choice. Both of those will result in lost installs.

Second, you don't get analytics past the link click. Linktree tells you how many clicks on each button they get. They don't tell you how many clicks result in installs, because Linktree doesn't have the SDK for your app embedded on the page. As soon as a user leaves your bio page, the analytics stops.

Third, you have very limited branding options. If you're paying for Linktree, you still have a Linktree page, because it's hosted on Linktree. There's no way to get your brand on Linktree. You can't have any of the visual layouts of your app on the page. You can't have a video or screenshot of your app on the page. You can't even write any copy on the page that's different from their default templates. All you can change is the background color.

For a course creator who wants to link to their Substack and their Shopify store, this works fine. For an app developer whose only sales channel is the App Store and the Google Play Store, this is a leak you can't afford.

The five options for an app developer's bio link

This is what's realistic in 2026.

Option 1: Direct App Store or Google Play link

Pros: Simple: 1 click on your bio, 1 click on the store. Cons: Half the people will be on the wrong platform. You put up your App Store link and an iPhone user clicks it, and all they see is a website that says, "Get it on Google Play, but iPhones don't have a Google Play Store." You get no conversion. When it works: For a single app that is for iOS-only or Android only, if you're sure your audience uses that one app.

Option 2: Generic link-in-bio tool (Linktree, Beacons, Stan Store, etc.)

This is the standard. The most common way is just a hosted page with two buttons, labeled "Download on iOS" and "Get on Android."

Pros: Free or cheap. Easy. People are already familiar with the experience. Cons: There's no routing. It's left up to the user. There's no analytics. You can't track conversion. You can't track revenue. There's no way to brand it beyond the background color. And if you have multiple bio links, you can't track performance per channel. When it works: When you're just starting out and you only care about vanity click metrics.

You can find more details in our post on Linktree alternatives for app developers or our deep-dive Linktree vs. Beacons vs. Stan Store.

Option 3: Custom landing page on your own domain

This option is a page you create and host at yourapp.com/download that uses client-side JS to route traffic to the App Store or Google Play. You can add your own App Store/Play Store badges and integrate your own tracking pixels.

Pros: You have full creative control. Because you own the domain, you have full control over SEO. Cons: You'll need to build and host the page yourself. Implementing OS-based routing means adding custom JS that you either write or import. Tracking installs involves integrating your own SDK and handling attribution logic. If you're going to track revenue per link, you'll need to handle revenue attribution (e.g., RevenueCat, Stripe, or Superwall webhooks). For most indie app devs, this approach is too much work unless you really need it. When it works: When you have time, design skills, and a decent reason to keep the download page on your own domain.

Option 4: Branded download page with install tracking (what Instally does)

This is a hosted landing page at instally.io/your-app (or your custom domain) that automatically routes to the App Store and Play Store while tracking all metrics, like clicks, installs, and even subscription revenue.

Pros: A single link tracks everything: clicks, installs, and revenue per source. It has all your app's visual branding elements. Every bio link gets its own unique link you can track. Cons: You need to install a tracking SDK to complete the attribution loop. (Our SDK is small.) When it works: When you want the full funnel — clicks, installs, revenue — visible per source, and you don't want to build it yourself. See our branded download page overview for more on this.

Option 5: App Store Custom Product Pages (iOS only)

A native Apple Store feature that allows you to create multiple variants of your Store page with different creative assets (e.g., screenshots, promo text, video).

Pros: It's a native iOS app feature. You can show different creative for different audiences. You get Apple-level analytics. Cons: It only works on iOS. You're capped at 35 variants (and that's a lot). There's nothing like it for Android. You can't really measure installs or revenue per variant (just impressions and taps). Most indie devs who try this run into the same wall, like in our Custom Product Pages aren't install tracking blog post. When it works: As a complement to a real bio link, not a replacement.

The honest recommendation

In 2026, option #4, a branded link with install and revenue tracking, is the right choice for most indie app devs. Choices 1 through 3 all mean you're losing either conversion potential or visibility. Option 5 works only on iOS and is fairly restrictive. Only choice 4 delivers everything you need, a single link that directs traffic to the appropriate app store, records installs, and ties revenue back to that original link.

So now it's down to how you actually do this.

How to set up a branded download page with install tracking

Five basic steps, from beginning to end.

Step 1: Choose your landing page URL. Instally's default URL is instally.io/your-app. If you'd like your own domain, yourapp.link, yourapp.download, any URL you like, you can simply configure a custom domain for your Instally landing page. You'll need the Business Plan. Step 2: Populate your landing page with your assets. Upload your logo, app screenshots, tagline, and Apple App Store and Google Play Store badges. Your landing page should be branded around your own app's look and feel, not Instally's. Step 3: Link your App Store and Google Play Store. Enter your Apple App Store link and your Google Play Store link on the Instally page. Instally automatically detects whether a visitor is on a desktop (both badges show) or a mobile device (the correct badge displays depending on the iOS or Android platform). Step 4: Install the SDK into your app. You'll only need roughly 10 lines of code in your AppDelegate.swift (for iOS) and MainApplication.kt (for Android). If you use Flutter or React Native, the instructions are just as straightforward. This completes the attribution loop: when someone clicks a bio link, installs your app, and opens it for the first time, that SDK call registers the install. Step 5: Set up your unique links. Create a single bio link per marketing source: your Instagram bio, TikTok bio, YouTube description, newsletter, podcast mention, or influencer campaign. Each link directs to the same Instally landing page, but every link's source is recorded separately. You'll see your Instally dashboard populate with the number of clicks per link, followed by installs per link, and, if you've connected revenue tracking, installs and revenue per link.

You've got it. The full SDK integration guide is in our docs, and the process to configure a bio link typically takes less than ten minutes.

How to track installs from your bio link

Tracking is the weak spot for many solo developers. Your bio link landing page could be perfect, but without the ability to discern which install came from which bio link, you're flying blind.

You'll want to track three data points in the following order, because these are the three that enable the most actionable decisions:

• Clicks per link. The volume of users who tap each individual bio link. This tells you which channels bring in the most visitors.
• Installs per link. How many of those clicks eventually resulted in installs. This tells you which channels are producing results.
• Revenue per link. How many of those installs eventually resulted in paid users. This tells you which channels are generating sales.

Only one data point tells you which channel has a positive ROI: revenue. Installs per link reveal the most effective channels to generate leads at the top of the funnel; revenue per link reveals the most effective channels to drive profitable growth. Check out how to track bio link app installs for the full installation details as well as for those metrics that actually matter.

Which platforms send the most install traffic through bio links?

According to data aggregated from indie app developers who have Instally in 2026:

• Instagram is the leading source of install traffic for lifestyle, health, fitness, and creator apps.
• TikTok is the leading source of install traffic for apps with a viral, entertainment, game, content app, or novelty tool focus. See tracking TikTok UGC campaigns.
• Newsletters drive the highest conversion traffic-per-click traffic. Smaller traffic volumes, but the installs to paying-user ratio is 2-3x higher than from social media.
• Podcasts have poor click-thru rates for bio links but exceptionally high conversion rates among those who click. It's worth the slot in your bio if you've ever appeared on a podcast with a mobile-centric audience.
• YouTube bio link pages drive a good amount of app install traffic in the case of apps that fit into tutorial-style content or app comparison videos.

Read more about the Instagram bio link for app installs.

Common mistakes to avoid

Linking to only one store. You forfeit half your potential app installs when you only link to your app in just one store. Make sure your bio link routes your traffic to multiple stores. Pretending a bio link is good enough when using a generic bio link service. It may be ok. Until you want to find out what's driving traffic and conversions. Then it suddenly becomes not ok because you're unable to figure that information from Linktree analytics. Using one bio link for all traffic sources. You don't know how traffic to your app is driving app downloads if the traffic coming from your Instagram, TikTok, or newsletter all routes to one single URL. Create a different bio link for each traffic source. Failing to track revenue. Number of app installs means nothing without context. Your Instagram may drive 200 installs and have all the users churn after a week. Your TikTok may drive 50 installs with 10 converting to paying subscribers. Just tracking number of app installs won't tell you either situation. Making the landing page look too generic. You're likely going to give the first impression of your brand with a bio link page landing page. If your bio link page looks like a standard Linktree page, then users have been prepared to download a standard app. However, if it looks like your branded app, then users are primed to eventually becoming a paying user.

FAQ

Do I really need a custom bio page, or is Linktree fine to start?

Linktree is okay for 1-2 weeks when you're still trying to gauge traction. Past that point, you need to know how users are installing your app and how much of your bio traffic is converting to app installs, which Linktree can't tell you. The switching cost is relatively low, and therefore most indie developers end up with a proper app bio link within 30 days.

Does the bio link need to be on my own domain?

No. Many indie developers start with instally.io/their-app and switch to their own custom domain yourapp.link once they're on the Business tier. You're not losing SEO points by listing yourself on instally.io; after all, those bio pages function as conversion paths, not landing pages, so search engines don't index them in that way.

What about deep linking into specific app screens?

Basic deep linking is supported, so that's to say a bio link can open a screen in your app if they have it installed. If you need deferred deep linking at scale to support 100s of ad networks, that's a different game, and you might need to look at Branch as an alternative; but again, most indie developers don't need those capabilities. Learn about other Branch alternatives for indie developers.

Can I have multiple bio links routing to the same app?

Absolutely! Every Instally link is unique, so you can create 10 different bio links to the same app, all of which have their own separate tracking. For instance, you might create different Instally links for Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, a newsletter, a podcast, and your own website. Then track clicks, installs, and revenue from each in your dashboard.

What if my app is iOS-only (or Android-only)?

Yes! While you won't get to use platform routing as much, you'll still get the value of install tracking and a branded download page. A custom branded page helps build brand consistency across platforms, while install tracking tells you which channels are driving installs.

How does this compare to using App Store Custom Product Pages?

App Store and Google Play Custom Product Pages let you show different screenshots or app previews to users who click from different channels. That might help with conversion a bit, but they come with a lot of limitations; you need to make separate Custom Product Pages for each app store variant, so you won't get a unified view of all app store downloads, and Custom Product Pages will only be available on iOS, for up to 35 variants, and they will only let you track variants-level install counts, not channel-level attributions, in the way most people are thinking of now. A branded download page that you can install track covers both app stores, has unlimited links per source, and tracks the entire click → install → revenue funnel. Learn more about Custom Product Pages vs. app install tracking.

Is this replacing my website?

Nope! For SEO, long-tail content, long-form explanations, etc, you still need your own website (usually yourdomain.com or app-name.tld). Your Instally bio link serves a different, higher-intent audience that wants to take an action right now, so it's actually pretty normal to have both yourdomain.com and instally.io/yourapp (or yourname.app, etc).

What does this cost?

Instally has a free tier for 1 app, 1 tracked link, and up to 1,000 installs/month, as well as a Growth tier at $40/month for 3 apps, unlimited links, 25,000 installs, plus full install and revenue tracking; the Scale tier at $79/month adds unlimited apps, 100,000 installs, creator accounts, custom domains, and Stripe Connect payouts for paying other creators in your team.

The short version

Generic "link in bio" tools like Linktree didn't get all of the key things a developer would ever actually need to have in their bio link: platform routing, install tracking, install and revenue tracking, plus custom branding. A branded download page that has install tracking covers all of these, letting you get a view of your whole funnel, and track which channels are driving installs. Set this up once, use one unique Instally link per channel, and you'll know which channels are actually getting you paying users, rather than just looking at raw click counts and guessing which ones are best.