Lock-in

How it works

Lock-in builds up quietly as you use the product. Each new link, saved report and connected ad channel adds a little to what a move would cost.

• Contract. A fixed term, automatic renewal and a notice deadline decide when you are allowed to leave. Compare this with monthly billing.
• Links. Links on a vendor-owned domain cannot be pointed elsewhere, so every printed or sent copy is tied to that vendor.
• Data. History that can only be viewed in a dashboard is lost when access ends. Event-level export may be a paid extra.
• Code. Event calls and deep link handling are written against one SDK.

When it matters

You feel lock-in at renewal and whenever your needs change. A team with low lock-in can respond to a price rise by leaving. A team with high lock-in usually has to accept it. It is worth checking before you sign with any vendor, including the one you are moving to.

You can lower it without switching: use a link domain you own, export reports on a schedule, document your event names and wrap SDK calls in one module of your own code.

How it relates to attribution

Attribution data is only useful as a continuous record, and that continuity is the strongest tie of all. The longer your history sits in one system, the more a break costs. Weigh that when you read when switching is not worth it, and see what happens to historical data for what can be saved.