Linktree vs Beacons: pricing, store fees, and features
Both are link-in-bio platforms, but they aim at different creators. Linktree is the recognizable default that does one job cleanly: put your links in one place. Beacons is a broader toolkit that wants to be your store, email list, and media kit as well as your link page. If you are deciding between them, the questions are how much you will sell through the page, how many extra tools you want in one place, and what the fees cost you. Pricing verified July 2026; platforms change terms, so confirm before you commit.
The short answer
Linktree vs Beacons is a choice between the simplest link-in-bio and the deepest all-in-one toolkit. Linktree is the ubiquitous, minimal option: plans run $0 to $35 a month, with commerce fees of 12% on Free and 9% on paid tiers, dropping to 0% only on the $35 Premium plan. Beacons bundles a store, email, a daily-updating media kit, and AI tools, with plans from $0 to $90 a month and a 9% store fee that reaches 0% on its $30 Store Pro plan. Neither is an affiliate network, so neither pays you commission on the tools you recommend.
No follower gate · No commission fee · Last updated July 2026
Curated by · affiliate links clearly labeled
Estimated monthly
from monetized favorites
$
Estimated and illustrative, not a guarantee. Real earnings depend on your audience and what fans buy.
■ at a glance
Linktree, Beacons and Favly, side by side.
Where a number is official we say so, and where it comes from creator reports we label it rather than inventing a clean figure. Both Linktree and Beacons keep their genuine strengths.
| Capability | Linktree | Beacons | Favly |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Minimal link-in-bio page | All-in-one creator toolkit | Affiliate storefront for tools |
| Free plan | Yes, links plus basic commerce | Generous: store, media kit, AI | Start free, no follower gate |
| Paid plans | $8, $15, $35 per month | $10, $30, $90 per month | Creator-friendly |
| Store / commerce fee | 12% Free, 9% paid, 0% on Premium | 9% Free and Creator Pro, 0% on Store Pro+ | No fee on affiliate commissions |
| Media kit | No | Yes, daily-updating | Not the focus |
| Email marketing | Limited | Built in | Not the focus |
| AI tools | Limited | Yes, included | AI builds lists from your posts |
| Affiliate network | No | No | Yes, with brand deals |
| Recurring commission on recommendations | No | No | Yes, on subscriptions |
| Best for | Anyone who wants simple, known links | Creators wanting one toolkit | AI, SaaS and tech creators |
■ the differences that matter
Where Linktree and Beacons actually diverge.
Pricing: Linktree is cheaper at the top, Beacons is deeper
The plans do not line up neatly. Linktree runs Free, Starter at $8, Pro at $15, and Premium at $35 a month, and it raised prices across the board in late 2025 (Pro jumped from about $9 to $15). Beacons runs Free, Creator Pro at $10, Store Pro at $30, and Business Pro at $90 a month. So Linktree is the cheaper option if all you need is a tidy link page, while Beacons costs more at the top but bundles far more into each tier. The honest way to read this is not "which is cheaper" but "what am I paying for," because the two are not selling the same thing.
Store fees: what selling actually costs on each
If you sell through the page, the platform fee matters more than the subscription. Linktree charges 12% on the Free plan and 9% on Starter and Pro, dropping to 0% only on the $35 Premium plan, all on top of Stripe's roughly 2.9% plus $0.30 per transaction. Beacons charges a 9% store fee on Free and Creator Pro, dropping to 0% on the $30 Store Pro and $90 Business Pro plans, again over Stripe or PayPal processing. On real volume the math favors upgrading: at a few hundred dollars a month in sales, the plan that zeroes the fee usually costs less overall than paying 9% forever. Beacons reaches 0% at $30; Linktree only at $35. Stan Store takes a different route and charges no platform fee at all on a $29 plan, which is worth weighing if selling is your main use: see Stan Store vs Beacons and Linktree vs Stan Store.
Features: a link page versus a toolkit
This is the clearest difference. Linktree is deliberately focused: it is the most recognizable link-in-bio, it is simple, and it does that one job reliably with enormous brand familiarity. Beacons is trying to be more of your stack: it bundles a store, email marketing, a daily-updating media kit useful for pitching brands, and a set of AI tools, and its free plan is one of the more generous in the space, including unlimited digital products. If you value simplicity and a name your audience already knows, Linktree fits. If you want fewer separate subscriptions and will actually use the store, email, and media kit, Beacons gives you more for the money.
The thing neither does: pay you for recommending tools
Here is the limit both share, and it is the reason a lot of creators outgrow the choice. Linktree and Beacons are both places to host links and sell your own products; neither is an affiliate network, so neither turns the tools you recommend into commission. If your content is "here are the apps I use," a link page just points fans at those apps and earns you nothing when they subscribe. That is a different job entirely: an affiliate storefront that pays you, ideally with recurring commission on subscriptions, is what monetizes recommendations. Linktree and Beacons organize your links; they do not pay you for them.
■ the verdict
Which should you choose?
Choose Linktree if
You want the simplest, most recognizable link-in-bio and will not sell much through it. Linktree is cheaper at the entry tiers and does the one job cleanly, and its brand familiarity means your audience already knows what the page is.
Choose Beacons if
You want one toolkit instead of several subscriptions and will actually use the store, email, media kit, and AI tools. Beacons packs more into each tier, has a genuinely generous free plan, and reaches a 0% store fee at a lower price point than Linktree.
Choose Favly if
You make money by recommending AI tools, SaaS, or tech gear rather than selling your own products. Neither Linktree nor Beacons is an affiliate network, so a storefront that turns recommendations into recurring commissions fits that model where a link page cannot.
■ faq
Linktree vs Beacons, answered.
Is Linktree or Beacons better?
It depends on what you need the page to do. Linktree is the simpler, cheaper, more recognizable link-in-bio and is ideal if you mostly just want organized links. Beacons is an all-in-one toolkit that adds a store, email, a media kit, and AI tools, and its free plan is more generous. Choose Linktree for simplicity, Beacons for a fuller toolset in one subscription.
What are the fees on Linktree versus Beacons?
Linktree charges a commerce fee of 12% on Free and 9% on Starter and Pro, reaching 0% only on the $35 Premium plan. Beacons charges a 9% store fee on Free and Creator Pro, reaching 0% on the $30 Store Pro and up. Both add standard Stripe or PayPal processing of roughly 2.9% plus $0.30 on every transaction.
How much do Linktree and Beacons cost?
Linktree offers a free plan and paid tiers at $8, $15, and $35 a month, having raised prices in late 2025. Beacons offers a free plan and paid tiers at $10, $30, and $90 a month. Annual billing lowers both. Linktree is cheaper at the entry level; Beacons bundles more into each tier and reaches a 0% store fee at $30.
Does Linktree or Beacons pay affiliate commissions?
No. Neither Linktree nor Beacons is an affiliate network. Both host your links and let you sell your own digital products, but neither pays you commission when your audience buys a tool you recommended. To earn on recommendations you need an affiliate storefront, ideally one that pays recurring commission on subscriptions.
Which has a better free plan, Linktree or Beacons?
Beacons has the more generous free plan. It includes a customizable page, a daily-updating media kit, the ability to sell unlimited digital products, basic email marketing, and access to AI tools, though a 9% store fee applies. Linktree's free plan covers links and basic commerce at a 12% fee. For creators who want more than links for free, Beacons offers more.
Can I use Linktree or Beacons to monetize the tools I recommend?
Only indirectly. You can add affiliate links you already have to either page, but the platform itself does not source affiliate programs, pay commission, or handle recurring subscription payouts. For a creator whose whole model is recommending software, a storefront built around affiliate and recurring commissions does the monetizing that a link page leaves to you.
Recommend software, not sweaters?
Favly is the storefront for AI, SaaS and tech creators, with recurring commissions and no follower gate. Claim favly.com/@you and start today.