Beacons vs Linktree is the link-in-bio comparison that comes up when creators graduate past free tools and need to actually sell something. Both have free plans. Both have paid tiers. Beacons Free takes a 9% fee on each sale, and Linktree Free cannot sell paid products at all.
The fee math, feature gaps, and ideal users break differently between them. This guide covers the real numbers from both platforms' published 2026 pricing, the trade-offs that matter, and where each one fits in a creator's stack.
Quick Answer
Beacons offers four tiers: Free (9% sales fee), Creator at $10/month (9% fee, custom domain), Creator Plus at $30/month (0% fee, courses, memberships), and Creator Max at $90/month (0% fee, white-glove onboarding, NFC card).
Linktree offers four tiers: Free (can't sell paid products), Starter at $9/month (also can't sell paid products), Pro at $17/month (0% fee, automation, integrations), and Premium at $35/month (0% fee, full feature set).
Linktree reaches 0% sales fees on a cheaper plan (Pro at $17 vs Beacons Creator Plus at $30). Linktree has more polish and broader brand recognition. Beacons leans more toward creator-store mechanics. Neither includes built-in video calls.
Both make you add a video tool to sell live sessions.
Talkspresso bundles HD video, scheduling, payments, recording, and AI Notes in one tool. Free plan: no monthly fee, 10% only when you earn. Pro: $29.95/mo, 0%.
At-a-Glance Comparison
| Beacons Free | Beacons Creator | Beacons Plus | Beacons Max | Linktree Free | Linktree Starter | Linktree Pro | Linktree Premium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $0 | $10/mo | $30/mo | $90/mo | $0 | $9/mo | $17/mo | $35/mo |
| Sales fee | 9% | 9% | 0% | 0% | Can't sell | Can't sell | 0% | 0% |
| Custom domain | No | Free 1st year | Free 1st year | Free 1st year | No | No | No | No |
| Branding removal | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Email automation | Limited | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| AI tools | Limited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | No | No | No | No |
| Courses | No | No | Yes | Yes | Free only | Free only | Yes | Yes |
| Memberships | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Pixel tracking | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Video calls | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Beacons: What You Get
Beacons calls itself an all-in-one creator platform. It started as a Linktree competitor and has gradually built out store features, AI tools, and creator-business mechanics. The 2026 pricing reflects that direction.
Free Plan ($0)
- Unlimited links and basic blocks
- Digital product sales with a 9% transaction fee
- Limited email sends (50/month)
- Basic analytics
- Beacons branding visible
Creator Plan ($10/month or $100/year)
- 9% sales fee on products (0% on invoices)
- Free custom domain for first year
- Branding removal
- Invoice tools, order bumps
- Email and AI brand outreach automation
- 500 monthly email sends
- SEO tools and integrations
- Unlimited AI generations
- Geo-targeted campaigns
Creator Plus ($30/month or $300/year)
Everything in Creator, plus:
- 0% sales fees on all products
- Sell full courses
- Memberships and subscriptions
- Branded product URLs
- Custom form requests
- Unlimited email sends
- Multiple calendar sync
Creator Max ($90/month or $900/year)
Everything in Creator Plus, plus:
- Google Workspace integration
- White-glove onboarding
- Beacons branding fully removed
- Physical NFC card for in-person sharing
- Advanced business tools
For a deeper Beacons breakdown, see our Beacons pricing 2026 guide and Beacons alternatives for creators.
Linktree: What You Get
Linktree is the household name in link-in-bio. With more than 50 million users, it's the default for creators starting out. Its commerce features are functional, but the platform's center of gravity is link sharing.
Free ($0)
- Unlimited links
- Basic themes
- QR codes, social icons
- 28 days of analytics history
- Free products only; can't sell paid products
Starter ($9/month)
- Link scheduling and unlimited featured links
- Still keeps Linktree branding
- Free products only; can't sell paid products
Pro ($17/month)
- Removes Linktree branding
- Advanced analytics (CTR, location, device, referrers)
- Instagram comment and DM automation
- Mailchimp, Kit and Klaviyo sync
- Link scheduling
- Facebook Conversion API
- Sells paid products with a 0% Linktree fee
Premium ($35/month)
- Everything in Pro
- 0% sales fee on digital products (same as Pro)
- All-time analytics history and data export
- Support replies within 4 hours
Annual billing cuts these prices: Starter $7/mo, Pro $14/mo, Premium $30/mo.
For a fuller Linktree breakdown, see our Linktree free vs Pro features comparison and Linktree complete guide 2026.
Where Beacons Wins
1. 0% fees plus store tools on one plan
Beacons Creator Plus is $30/month with 0% sales fees, and it adds courses and memberships on the same plan. Linktree reaches 0% for less on Pro ($17/month), and Pro sells courses too, but Linktree's pricing page lists no memberships. Payment processing is extra on both.
2. More creator-store features at lower tiers
The Beacons Creator plan ($10) includes order bumps, automation, AI brand outreach, and custom domain. Linktree Starter ($9) includes mostly themes and animations, and can't sell paid products. The price is almost the same; the Beacons feature set is heavier on commerce.
3. Custom domain support
Beacons gives you a free custom domain on Creator ($10/month) for the first year. Linktree's pricing page lists no custom domain on any plan. If owning yourname.com matters for your brand, Beacons wins here.
4. Built-in memberships
Beacons Creator Plus ($30/month) includes a course builder and subscription and membership products. Linktree Pro and Premium sell courses too, but Linktree's pricing page lists no memberships or subscriptions. Creators selling memberships through their bio link have to add a separate tool with Linktree.
5. A free plan that can sell
Beacons Free sells at 9%; Linktree Free can't sell paid products at all. You can start selling on Beacons without a subscription, while Linktree needs Pro ($17/month).
Where Linktree Wins
1. Brand recognition
Linktree is the default. Most audiences recognize a linktr.ee URL. Most creators link out to one. The brand carries weight that Beacons hasn't fully matched.
2. Cleaner link-hub experience
If you're mostly aggregating links (podcast, YouTube, blog, social), Linktree's design is purpose-built for that. Beacons can do it but feels more like a storefront with a links section.
3. More mature integrations
Linktree Pro syncs your subscribers to Mailchimp, Google Sheets, Kit and Klaviyo, and connects to Facebook's Conversion API for ad tracking.
4. Instagram automation polish
Linktree Pro and Premium include Instagram DM auto-replies, triggered on every post, your next post, or specific keywords. Beacons has automation too.
5. Faster setup for non-sellers
If you don't sell anything and just need a link page, Linktree Free is slightly faster to set up than Beacons Free. Lower friction for the simplest use case.
The Real Cost Math
| Monthly product sales | Beacons Free (9%) | Beacons Plus ($30, 0%) | Linktree Pro ($17, 0%) | Linktree Premium ($35, 0%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $0 | $0 | $30 | $17 | $35 |
| $250 | $22.50 | $30 | $17 | $35 |
| $500 | $45 | $30 | $17 | $35 |
| $1,000 | $90 | $30 | $17 | $35 |
| $2,000 | $180 | $30 | $17 | $35 |
| $5,000 | $450 | $30 | $17 | $35 |
Crossovers:
- At $250/month sales, Beacons Free ($22.50) is cheaper than upgrading to Beacons Plus ($30)
- At $333+/month sales, Beacons Plus saves money over Beacons Free
- Above about $189/month in sales, Linktree Pro ($17, 0%) costs less than Beacons Free's 9% (Linktree Free can't sell)
- At every volume, Linktree Pro ($17) costs less than Beacons Plus ($30), and Beacons Plus costs less than Linktree Premium ($35)
Neither row factors in Stripe processing fees (2.9% + $0.30), which apply on every sale on either platform.
Where Both Fall Short: Live Video
This is the gap nobody markets, and it's the one creators feel hardest once they try to scale.
Neither Beacons nor Linktree has built-in video calls. Neither has full paid scheduling. Neither records sessions. Neither runs live workshops.
If you sell:
- 1:1 coaching or consulting calls
- Group sessions or masterminds
- Live workshops, masterclasses, or trainings
- Paid AMAs or office hours
...you'll need a separate video tool, a separate scheduling tool, and probably a recording or transcription tool on top.
That stack starts at $28.99 a month before you earn a dollar, before any note-taking tool:
- Zoom Pro: $16.99/month
- Calendly Standard: $12/month
This is where Talkspresso fits. It's a creator platform built around live video monetization, with HD calls, scheduling, payments, and recording in one tool. Free to start. 10% platform fee only when you earn on the Free plan, or 0% on Pro ($29.95/mo).
For more, see our breakdown of the best platforms for paid video calls in 2026 and linktree alternatives for creators selling paid video calls.
Who Should Pick What
Pick Beacons if:
- You sell digital products as a meaningful part of your income
- You want a custom domain at a low price
- You want memberships and subscriptions included in the platform
- You earn $500+/month in product sales (Plus pays for itself)
- You want creator-store mechanics over pure link aggregation
Pick Linktree if:
- Your bio link is mostly a navigation hub, not a storefront
- Brand recognition with your audience matters
- You want Mailchimp, Kit or Klaviyo syncing (Pro)
- You want Instagram DM auto-replies (Pro)
- You don't need a custom domain or memberships
Pick something else if:
- You sell live sessions (coaching, consulting, workshops)
- You want video, scheduling, and recording in one tool
- You'd rather pay only when you earn (no monthly subscription on the Free plan; Pro at $29.95/mo drops the fee to 0%)
- Selling your time, not products, is your business model
In that last case, Talkspresso is the better fit. You can also keep Beacons or Linktree as your link hub and add your Talkspresso booking link as one of the entries.
What Most Reviews Get Wrong
A few things worth flagging that don't usually show up in side-by-side reviews.
The free-plan trap. Both platforms have generous free plans, and creators stay on them too long. At $500/month in product sales, Beacons Free is costing you $45/month in fees, more than Beacons Plus ($30) or Linktree Pro ($17). Linktree free can't sell paid products at all, so Linktree sellers start on Pro.
Custom domain is a real factor. Beacons gives you one. Linktree's pricing page lists none. If you're building a personal brand and care about owning yourname.com, Beacons closes a loop Linktree leaves open.
Email automation depth. Beacons' AI-driven brand outreach and email tools have gotten genuinely useful in 2026. Linktree's automation is good for Instagram comments, but Beacons' approach is broader.
Brand fit matters more than features. If your audience expects to see a linktr.ee URL, that brand recognition has real value. If your audience doesn't care, Beacons' broader feature set wins.
The Bottom Line
Beacons and Linktree are both legitimate tools for creators. Beacons leans further into commerce, and its free plan can sell. Linktree has the cheaper path to 0% sales fees (Pro at $17). Linktree has more polish, brand recognition, and mature integrations.
For digital-product sellers, Beacons Free is the cheaper way to start with no subscription, and Linktree Pro is the cheaper way to a 0% fee once you sell more than about $189 a month. For creators whose bio link is mostly a navigation hub, Linktree's free plan and cleaner link-hub UX still win. For creators whose business is live sessions, neither covers what matters most.
For more context, see our guides on Stan Store vs Linktree, Beacons alternatives, and creator economy platforms ranked by what they pay.
Two link-in-bio tools, neither with live video. Or one platform built for it.
Free to start. HD video, scheduling, and recording included. Pay 10% only when you earn on the Free plan, or 0% on Pro ($29.95/mo).
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