Hey guys, looks like multiple people have questions about Hoko vs. Branch so moving this to its own comment. With Branch's offerings and Hoko entering the market - it's a good time to be a developer! Together we'll improve the ecosystem for developers and users. Here's what we're proud of at Branch.
1) Here at Branch, we think that providing the best experience on first using the app is essential to growth and engagement. It's important that this works well for every new user, in every use case, on every platform. Here is more information about our matching - https://dev.branch.io/recipes/ma... . To date, we have given over 100 million users a better first time experience with our links.
2) It's a massive task to make sure links work everywhere. We've spent a lot of engineering time making sure our links are supported on older operating systems and are up-to-date with constantly changing behavior on the major apps. We get into the weeds on this to help devs with issues like Android platform fragmentation - for example, our links work on the Facebook web view for both pre-Android 4.4 and post-Android 4.4 where the browser engine was altered to be based on Chrome.
3) We are also looking forward to stay ahead of changing deep link standards. Just integrating Branch means your app supports Google's App Indexing, Facebook's App Links, Apple's Universal Links, even Pinterest and Twitter's app content cards.
4) We've been working on a new onboarding flow for a while that we just launched - sign up and check it out! One you've been through the simple steps to integrate, we offer a variety of features like the ones you mention, Omar, and more - which makes complex behavior really easy to build.
We're excited to see what you build! You're welcome to reach out to us if you have any questions.
Hi there! I’m Joaquin (cofounder/CEO at HOKO). Great to have our product featured!
HOKO offers a tool for developers that want to integrate the new Google and Apple's deep linking and indexation standards into their Apps, and enjoy a higher flexibility to control and track their links from a single dashboard.
We also help developers go beyond Apple and Google’s capabilities, with some advanced tools such as linking though install (deferred deep linking), and metadata passing. Two features that can create amazing user experiences, like personalised landing pages after install.
We are also working on a tool that will help you exchange traffic with other apps installed in the same device through deep linking; there are hundreds of services that help you drive new installs; we are building one of the very first for re-engagement.
Our exclusive offer: HOKO is 100% free, but we are giving every Product Hunter one hour of real hands on support to help you take the most out of deep linking. Additionally, we can give you early access to our re-engagement platform.
We are very much looking forward to all your feedback on our product! Thanks in advance!
@joaquinfigaredo Curious to know what are your thoughts on Universal Links which Apple announced at WWDC 15 and if this affects HOKO in any way positive or negative
@goelv@joaquinfigaredo We've just posted a blog post about that! It goes into details on how to implement Universal Links. For TL;DR; - we embrace Universal Links (basically they make the overall user experience much better) and we're already compatible with Universal Links for iOS 9+. Check the blog post if you want: http://blog.hokolinks.com/how-to...
@rikas@joaquinfigaredo thanks for sharing ! I definitely did not realise all the drawbacks of universal links (besides iOS 9+ dependency) until you guys brought it up. You've given me some food for thought now..
BTW - You guys are so incredible for writing down the steps of how to get started with universal links ! You basically saved everyone from watching the 50 minute session on 'seamless linking'. I know because I already saw it!
@goelv Thanks Varun! I'm really glad you found it useful! We know first hand how poor the documentation and general info around universal links have been from the big guys. We'll make sure to keep simplifying the deep linking adoption anyway we can.
@ourielohayon Hi Ouriel, Thanks for opening the discussion. On the one side, HOKO gives you all the flexibility and advanced tools offered by the big (costly) guys; but at the same time we are pulling towards a more free open source platform, where we keep up with the latest standards pushed by Google and Apple.
e.g. you have big companies that give you the flexibility to decide the experience you want for the end user, like driving an install and still bring the user to the final destination after opening the app (plus attributing the install to a particular campaign). The problem: this is not affordable for everyone, not only for the price you have to pay them every month, but also for the more complex operation they require. On the other hand you have open standards like mobiledeeplinking.org/ or Applinks which opened the world of deep linking and are available to everyone, but that don't support more advanced features, and cannot cope with the release of new standards by Apple and Google.
Why do we want something in between? - Because we are building one of the very first re-engagement platforms; in which apps can create smart journeys for the end user; boosting traffic for everyone, and creating more connected experiences. To achieve that, first we want to build a community of apps through our current platform, and then facilitate them the possibility to connect with other apps in our network. From our vision: "The future is one in which apps are no longer silos of data - but every user interaction will lead to another app in an interconnected web of apps and devices."
@joaquinfigaredo@ourielohayon Great strategy on monetize from data not users! Definitely would use a free service because it will save me days of effort reading the standard and doing trial and error on my own website. Love the UI and the analytics as well! Great job and good luck!
@coolnalu@ourielohayon Thanks for your comment Terry! I'm happy to see that our vision resonates with you. We also believe that by saving time and effort, we are empowering developers to focus on their core products, so they can keep building great things for the end user. Thanks for all the good wishes!
@joaquinfigaredo so your main difference is that you re free? (btw we participated to mobiledeeplinking.org and i agree that was not enough to push the adoption)
@ourielohayon Thanks Ouriel. Free, simple, and it just works. The three premises that we believe can push for faster adoption, which is basically the main challenge around deep linking today. You as you mentioned from your experience with mobiledeeplinking
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