22 Apps Zippy Opens Natively: The Full List
See all 22 apps Zippy opens natively from inside social in-app browsers — the full platform list, how it works, and how it stacks up.
⚡ Zippy: 22 doors. one link. the webview didn't stand a chance.
Zippy opens 22 apps natively from inside social in-app browsers: LinkedIn, Instagram, WhatsApp, Reddit, Product Hunt, YouTube, TikTok, X, GitHub, Amazon, Spotify, Facebook, Pinterest, Threads, Telegram, Apple Music, Discord, Google Maps, App Store, Play Store, Snapchat, and Twitch. One short link detects the platform and fires the real app instead of the crippled webview where nobody is logged in.
That's the whole job. When someone taps your link inside Instagram, TikTok, or LinkedIn, the tap opens in that app's in-app browser — a stripped-down webview where your visitor isn't signed in, their pixels don't fire, and "Open in App" is a coin flip. If you've never seen why that quietly eats your conversions, start with why links die in the in-app browser. This post is the receipts: every one of the 22 platforms, grouped by what you'd actually use them for.
What are the 22 apps Zippy opens?
Zippy's 22 supported apps cover the platforms creators, affiliates, and agencies point traffic at every day — social networks, stores, music, video, dev, and maps. Here's the full list, grouped:
- Social & messaging: LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, X, Threads, Pinterest, Snapchat, WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, Reddit
- Video & streaming: YouTube, TikTok, Twitch
- Music: Spotify, Apple Music
- Commerce & discovery: Amazon, Product Hunt, App Store, Play Store
- Dev & maps: GitHub, Google Maps
Twenty-two, and the list grows as we ship more schemes. The point isn't the count — it's that these are the destinations creators send people to. A Spotify pre-save, an Amazon affiliate product, a WhatsApp DM, a YouTube video, a Product Hunt launch: each one converts dramatically better in the native app, where the visitor is already logged in.
⚡ Zippy: i don't care where the tap starts. i care that it lands in the app.
How does Zippy open the native app instead of the browser?
Zippy fires the destination app using each platform's own deep-link mechanism, with the browser as a safety net — never a broken link. The honest, unglamorous version:
- On iOS: Zippy fires the app's custom URL scheme from inside the webview. For apps that only ship universal links (GitHub, for instance), it punts through Safari so the OS can hand the tap to the app.
- On Android: Zippy builds an
intent://URL, which Android resolves straight to the installed app. - When a scheme is wrong or the app isn't installed: the link degrades to opening the web page in a browser. You lose the native open, never the destination. A miss is a normal web link, not a dead end.
Every serious deep-linking tool does some version of this — it's a maintenance grind of per-app quirks that shift with every app update. We keep ours open source under AGPL so you can read exactly what happens to your click.
How does Zippy compare to other link tools for this job?
For the specific job of opening someone else's app natively from a social webview — as a creator or affiliate, without owning the destination app — Zippy is purpose-built. But the other tools are genuinely good at their own jobs, so here's the fair picture:
| Tool | Opens 3rd-party apps? | Click pricing | Links permanent? | Open source | Free tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zippy | Yes — 22 platforms | Flat, never metered | Yes, never expire | Yes (AGPL) | 5 links free forever |
| URLgenius | Yes — hundreds of apps, deep quirk coverage | Pay-per-click (~$0.02/click) | Tied to subscription | No | Trial-oriented |
| Bitly | Not really — deep linking gated to top tier | Tiered; deep links ~$199/mo Premium | Tied to plan | No | ~5 deep links/mo |
| Branch / AppsFlyer | Only apps you own (needs the app's SDK) | Enterprise / MAU-based | Platform-tied | No | Dev tiers |
Where each genuinely wins:
- URLgenius has the deepest per-app coverage in the business — hundreds of apps and years of quirk maintenance. If you need to deep link into a niche app outside the big platforms, URLgenius likely supports it and Zippy doesn't. That breadth is real and hard-won. The full breakdown is in Zippy vs URLgenius. The difference that matters for most creators: URLgenius charges per click, so a viral post becomes a bill. Zippy never meters clicks.
- Bitly owns brand recognition and enterprise link management — SSO, huge free-tier link volume, a name every marketer knows. But deep linking / app-opening is gated to its ~$199/mo Premium tier, with only a handful of deep links on free. It's a mass-market shortener, not a native-app tool. See Zippy vs Bitly.
- Branch.io & AppsFlyer OneLink are powerful attribution and deferred-deep-linking platforms — but they require the destination app's SDK. They serve app owners attributing their own installs, not creators linking to other people's apps. Different ICP entirely. If you own the app, they're excellent; if you're sending traffic to Spotify or Amazon, they're the wrong tool.
None of that is shade. It's just that "open 22 named apps natively, for a creator who owns none of them, with unlimited clicks and links that never expire" is a specific job — and it's the one Zippy is built for.
⚡ Zippy: context for the graveyard — Firebase Dynamic Links shut down in august 2025. a lot of people needed a new door. hi.
Which of the 22 matter most for creators?
The highest-leverage opens are the ones your income already runs through: Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, WhatsApp, Amazon, and Spotify. If you're an affiliate, Amazon opening in the native app means the visitor is already logged in and your cookie sticks. If you sell through DMs, a WhatsApp link that opens the real app skips the "scan this QR" dance. Music creators live and die on Spotify and Apple Music pre-saves landing in-app. The rest of the 22 are there for when a campaign reaches for them — Product Hunt on launch day, Discord for community, Twitch for streamers, Google Maps for local — so you're never stuck routing one platform through a webview.
FAQ
How many apps does Zippy open?
Zippy opens 22 apps natively: LinkedIn, Instagram, WhatsApp, Reddit, Product Hunt, YouTube, TikTok, X, GitHub, Amazon, Spotify, Facebook, Pinterest, Threads, Telegram, Apple Music, Discord, Google Maps, App Store, Play Store, Snapchat, and Twitch. New platforms get added over time as we ship and test each app's deep-link scheme.
What happens if the app isn't installed?
The link degrades gracefully to opening the destination in a browser. Zippy fires the native scheme first; if the app is missing or the OS rejects the scheme, you get the normal web page. You never get a broken or dead link — worst case is a standard browser open, same as any short link.
Does Zippy work on both iOS and Android?
Yes. On iOS, Zippy fires the app's custom URL scheme in-webview (with a Safari punt for universal-links-only apps like GitHub). On Android, it uses intent:// URLs that resolve straight to the installed app. Same short link, correct behavior per device.
Do I need to own the app to link to it?
No — that's the entire point. Zippy links to other people's apps (Amazon, Spotify, YouTube, and so on) with no SDK required. Tools like Branch and AppsFlyer need the destination app's SDK, which only works if you own the app. Zippy needs nothing from the destination.
Is the free plan enough to try this?
Yes. Zippy's Sidekick tier is free forever with 5 active links and full app-opening included — no credit card. If you outgrow it, Hero is $19/mo (or $180/yr, ~$15/mo) for unlimited links and unlimited clicks that are never metered, custom slugs, and full analytics. Links never expire and clicks are never billed, on any paid plan.
Point one link at all 22 — grab a free Zippy at zipthe.link.