Linktree vs Beacons in 2026: which link in bio is better for creators?
Linktree vs Beacons compared on price, selling fees, courses, email, media kit, AI tools, and analytics, with the break-even math. Checked September 2026.
Beacons is the better pick for most creators who sell. Its free plan takes 9% of sales where Linktree Free takes 12%, and it throws in a media kit, email sends, and Instagram auto-DMs. At the top, Beacons Creator Plus ($30 a month, 0% fee) is $5 cheaper than Linktree Premium ($35, 0%). Linktree is the better pick if you mostly share links and want the simplest, best-known page. If you want a free page now and a full store for courses, coaching, and AI products later, Eden is a third option.
Full disclosure: we make Eden, which we cover as a third option at the end. Beacons' numbers come from its pricing page. Linktree's come from its pricing page and help center. All were checked in September 2026. Card processing (usually 2.9% + 30¢ per US sale through Stripe) applies on both and is left out of the fee numbers.
Linktree vs Beacons at a glance
| Linktree | Beacons | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, Starter $8, Pro $15, Premium $35 a month | Free, Creator $10, Creator Plus $30, Creator Max $100 a month |
| Selling fee | 12% Free, 9% Starter and Pro, 0% Premium | 9% Free and Creator, 0% Creator Plus and Max |
| What you can sell | Digital products, courses (powered by Kajabi), paid bookings | Digital products, courses, memberships, plus brand deals and affiliate links |
| Courses | On every plan, with the plan's fee | 1 course with no video hosting on Free and Creator. Unlimited with hosting on Plus |
| Collects emails and phone numbers. Mailing list integrations from Pro | Built-in email sends: 50 a month Free, 500 on Creator, unlimited on Plus | |
| Media kit | Not listed on its pricing page | Auto-updating media kit on every plan, plus rate cards and invoices |
| AI tools | AI insights listed in analytics | AI assistant (Beam) with daily credits: 30 Free, 300 Creator, unlimited on Plus |
| Instagram auto-DM | Unlimited auto-replies on Premium | Auto-DMs on every plan |
| Analytics | Basic on Starter, advanced on Pro, advanced plus data export on Premium | Real-time analytics on every plan |
| Look | Custom themes, fonts, and layouts from Pro. Linktree branding removed from Pro | Colors, fonts, and layouts on every plan. Beacons branding removed on Creator Plus |
| Custom domain | Not listed on its pricing page | Free custom domain from Creator ($10) |
The short read: Linktree is a link page first, with selling added on. Beacons is a creator toolkit first: link page, store, email, media kit, and AI in one app. Beacons gives more on its free and cheap plans. Linktree is simpler and better known.
Price and fees
Both have a free plan and charge a cut of sales until you pay for the top tier.
Linktree, from its pricing page and help center:
| Linktree plan | Monthly | Billed yearly | Fee on digital products and courses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | 12% |
| Starter | $8 | $6/mo | 9% |
| Pro | $15 | $12/mo | 9% |
| Premium | $35 | $30/mo | 0% |
Linktree prices must fall between $1 and $10,000, and paid digital products only work in certain countries. Linktree's help center says Stripe charges 2.9% + 30¢ per purchase on every plan.
Beacons, from its pricing page:
| Beacons plan | Monthly | Billed yearly | Fee on sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | 9% |
| Creator | $10 | $100 a year | 9% |
| Creator Plus | $30 | $300 a year | 0% |
| Creator Max | $100 | $900 a year | 0% |
Beacons' FAQ puts it plainly: 0% on Creator Plus and Creator Max, 9% on Free and Creator. Money goes to your connected Stripe or PayPal account.
The break-even math
Here's what each plan costs you per month at different sales levels. It's the plan price plus the platform's cut. Processing is about the same on both, so it's left out.
| Monthly sales | Linktree Free | Linktree Starter | Linktree Premium | Beacons Free | Beacons Creator | Beacons Creator Plus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $100 | $12 | $17 | $35 | $9 | $19 | $30 |
| $500 | $60 | $53 | $35 | $45 | $55 | $30 |
| $1,000 | $120 | $98 | $35 | $90 | $100 | $30 |
| $3,000 | $360 | $278 | $35 | $270 | $280 | $30 |
Where the lines cross:
- Beacons Free always beats Linktree Free. Both cost $0, and Beacons takes 9% instead of 12%.
- Beacons Creator Plus beats Beacons Free once you sell about $333 a month ($30 ÷ 9%).
- Linktree Premium beats Linktree Free at about $292 a month, and Linktree Starter at about $300.
- Beacons Creator Plus always beats Linktree Premium, by $5 a month. Both take 0%.
So under about $300 a month in sales, stay on a free plan, and Beacons' free plan keeps more of each sale. Above that, pay for a 0% plan. Beacons' is cheaper.
What you can sell
Linktree sells digital products, courses, and paid bookings. Courses are powered by Kajabi, so you don't need a Kajabi account. Bookings come on every plan and sync with Google Calendar. Linktree also has ways to earn that aren't your own products: sponsored links and the Linktree Shop, both US only. On Premium you keep 100% of affiliate shop earnings.
Beacons sells digital products on every plan, but courses are capped: one course with no video hosting on Free and Creator. Unlimited courses with video hosting and memberships need Creator Plus. Order bumps and discount codes come on every plan. Creator Plus adds buy-now-pay-later through Klarna and Affirm and split payments. Beacons also leans into brand deals, with an affiliate network it says has 12,000 brand partners.
Email, media kit, and AI tools
This is where Beacons pulls ahead.
Email. Beacons has its own email tool: send to your list from inside Beacons, with welcome emails and automation sequences. The free plan caps you at 50 sends a month, Creator at 500, and Creator Plus is unlimited. Linktree collects emails and phone numbers on every plan, and sends them to your mailing list tool from Pro. It doesn't send the emails itself.
Media kit. Beacons has a media kit on every plan that updates daily from your linked social accounts, plus rate cards, a pricing calculator, and invoices for brand deals. We didn't find a media kit on Linktree's pricing page.
AI. Beacons is built around an AI assistant called Beam. It can chat about your analytics, write text and emails, design your page, and make images. The free plan gets 30 AI credits a day, Creator 300, and Creator Plus unlimited. Linktree's feature list includes AI insights in analytics, but AI isn't a main part of the product.
Instagram auto-DMs. Beacons includes them on every plan (the advanced two-way version carries Beacons branding below Creator Plus). Linktree puts unlimited Instagram auto-replies on Premium.
Analytics and look
Linktree analytics grow with your plan: basic on Starter, advanced on Pro, and advanced with data export on Premium. Custom themes, fonts, and layouts start on Pro, which also removes Linktree branding.
Beacons gives real-time analytics on every plan and lets you change colors, fonts, and layouts from the start. It adds a free custom domain on Creator ($10). Removing Beacons branding and adding your own Facebook, TikTok, and Pinterest pixels needs Creator Plus.
Which one should you pick?
- Choose Linktree if you mostly share links, want the most familiar page, or earn from sponsored links and the Linktree Shop in the US.
- Choose Linktree Premium if you already use Linktree, sell more than about $300 a month, and want social scheduling and data export in the same app.
- Choose Beacons Free if you're starting to sell. You keep 3% more of each sale than on Linktree Free, and you get a media kit and email sends.
- Choose Beacons Creator Plus if you sell more than about $333 a month, want more than one course, or run memberships. It's the cheapest 0% plan of the two.
A third option: Eden
Eden is a link in bio with a full store behind it, built for creators who sell courses, coaching, and knowledge products.
- A free page on every plan at your-handle.eden.so, with several looks, links, videos, an email box, testimonials, and your products. The "Built on Eden" badge can be turned off on any plan. See your creator page.
- Selling starts at $29 a month (Starter), plus 5% per sale. Discount codes, order bumps, and timed sales are on that plan. Pro at $79 adds up to 3 one-click upsells after checkout and an affiliate program where Eden pays your affiliates.
- More product types. Courses, cohorts with live sessions, downloads, memberships, and bundles.
- Coaching with call packages, applications for high-ticket offers, booking on your Google Calendar with Google Meet links, and a private space for each client.
- Custom AI products: an AI trained on your material that buyers pay to chat with. Neither Linktree nor Beacons sells this.
- Signups go to your list. Emails from your page can go straight to Kit, beehiiv, GoHighLevel, or Substack.
Where Eden falls short, honestly:
- Beacons Creator Plus is cheaper than Eden at every sales level. $30 and 0% beats $29 plus 5%. Eden only wins on product types.
- Eden Starter beats Beacons Free once you sell about $725 a month, and Linktree Free at about $414. Linktree Premium is cheaper than Eden past about $120 a month.
- Eden has no email sending, no media kit, and no custom domain. Page analytics are simple: views for 7 and 30 days and your top clicked blocks.
- Instagram auto-DMs need Eden's Pro plan ($79 a month), not Starter.
- Eden isn't a merchant of record, so sales tax is yours to handle.
How to set up your page on Eden
- Sign up at app.eden.so and claim your handle.
- Open Your store → Storefront and click Edit page.
- Add your photo, bio, and social links, and pick a look.
- Add blocks: links, a video, an email box, or your products.
- Click Save, then paste your page link into your bio.
Building products is free on any plan. When you're ready to publish one, upgrade to Starter and it shows up on your page on its own.
Frequently asked questions
Is Beacons better than Linktree?
For selling, usually yes. Beacons' free plan takes 9% where Linktree's takes 12%, and its 0% plan costs $30 against Linktree's $35. Beacons also includes email sends, a media kit, and AI tools. For a simple link page, Linktree is easier and better known.
Does Beacons take a percentage of sales?
Yes, 9% on the Free and Creator ($10) plans. Creator Plus ($30) and Creator Max ($100) take 0%. Stripe or PayPal processing is extra on every plan.
Does Linktree take a percentage of sales?
Yes, on digital products and courses: 12% on Free, 9% on Starter ($8) and Pro ($15), and 0% on Premium ($35). Stripe processing of 2.9% + 30¢ applies on every plan.
Which has the better free plan?
Beacons, if you sell. It takes a smaller cut and adds a media kit, 50 email sends a month, and Instagram auto-DMs. Linktree's free plan is fine for links only. For more options, see our Beacons alternatives, Linktree alternatives, and best link in bio tools.
Can I sell courses on Linktree or Beacons?
Yes on both. Linktree courses run on Kajabi and carry your plan's fee. Beacons allows one course without video hosting until you pay $30 a month for Creator Plus.
Want a free link in bio that can grow into a store for courses, coaching, and AI products? Start Eden free.