Linktree vs Beacons (2026): Pricing, Fees and Who Wins
Linktree and Beacons are the two most-asked-about link-in-bio tools. They've overlapped in the last two years as both broadened their feature sets, but the core difference in philosophy remains: Linktree optimizes for simplicity and broad appeal, Beacons optimizes for creator commerce and deeper customization. This is a fair head-to-head of both.
One thing to note upfront for streamers: neither is built around Twitch. Linktree can embed a Twitch player and Beacons can pull Twitch follower counts into its media kit, but neither shows a LIVE state, syncs your schedule or pulls your clips. If those are the features you need, read the link in bio for Twitch comparison first. This comparison is most useful once you have decided a general-purpose tool is the right fit.
The 30-second version
- Pick Linktree if you want the simplest, most familiar link-in-bio with the largest ecosystem.
- Pick Beacons if you sell digital products, want a built-in media kit, or want more design control on the free plan.
- Compare streamer-specific tools too if your primary need is Twitch live status, schedule, or clips.
| Linktree | Beacons | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Unlimited links, Linktree logo | Links, media kit, 5 pages, 9% fee on sales |
| Paid plans, monthly | $8, $15, $35 | $10, $30, about $100 |
| Paid plans, billed yearly | $6, $12, $30 a month | $100, $300, $900 a year |
| Remove the logo | Pro or Premium | Creator Plus |
| Custom domain | Not offered, per its help center | From Creator |
| Built-in media kit | None found | Yes, on every plan |
| Twitch | Player embed | Follower counts in the media kit |
Pricing
- Linktree. Free, Starter ($8/mo, or $6 billed yearly), Pro ($15/mo, or $12), Premium ($35/mo, or $30). Prices rose in late 2025. Its pricing page lists selling with no platform fee from Pro, with $0.25 per payout.
- Beacons. Free (9% fee on sales), Creator ($10/mo or $100/yr, 9% fee still applies), Creator Plus ($30/mo or $300/yr, 0% fee), Creator Max ($100/mo or $900/yr on its pricing page; its help center still says $90).
To remove the Linktree logo you need Pro ($15/mo, or $12 billed yearly) - Starter keeps it. Beacons' help center puts logo removal on Creator Plus ($30/mo). On fees, Beacons charges 9% on product sales until Creator Plus, so if you sell, compare the fee against the plan price rather than the plan price alone.
Design and customization
Linktree's templates are clean and constrained. You pick a theme, a color, and a couple of layout options, and you ship. Customization beyond that requires paid tiers and is still narrower than Beacons.
Beacons gives you more design surface area even on the free plan. Custom fonts, more layout variants, more block types. Trade-off: it's easier to make a Beacons page look bad if you don't have an eye for design.
Winner depends on you. If you want a guaranteed-OK result with minimal effort, Linktree. If you want more design control and can use it, Beacons.
Commerce
Beacons is more commerce-oriented: storefronts, digital products, courses, memberships and email marketing all live natively. Lower friction to start selling.
Linktree has been catching up with courses, digital products and sponsored links, and its no-fee selling on Pro is a real draw. For a serious shop, Beacons is still the deeper tool.
Winner: Beacons if commerce matters.
Analytics
Both count clicks on the free plan. Linktree's paid plans extend how far back you can look: 90 days on Starter, a year on Pro and all time on Premium. Beacons advertises real-time analytics on every plan, including free.
Winner: close. Beacons gives you more on free; Linktree's paid tiers keep more history.
Media kit
Beacons has a built-in media kit that updates daily from connected Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and Twitch accounts - on every plan. Linktree has no built-in kit that we could find; you would link to an external PDF.
Winner: Beacons. If you stream, note that Pulz builds a media kit from your own Twitch and Kick stream sessions - average and peak viewers, hours streamed - which is the part sponsors of streamers ask about first.
Custom domains
Beacons includes a custom domain from the Creator plan ($10/mo, free for the first year). Linktree's help center says it does not offer custom domains, though its features page has mentioned them under Pro, so check the current plan before you rely on it. For most creators this is a secondary detail, not the main reason to choose one.
Reliability
Both have had outages. For a tool that is the front door to your other channels, keep a copy of your links somewhere you control so an outage or a change of tool never costs you more than an afternoon.
Twitch / streaming features
Linktree can embed a Twitch video, live stream or chat, and Beacons connects Twitch for follower counts in its media kit. Neither shows a LIVE state on the page, syncs your Twitch schedule or pulls your clips. If those matter, see pulz.bio vs Linktree, pulz.bio vs Beacons or the Linktree alternatives for streamers.
Where each wins clearly
- Linktree wins for: creators who want the simplest possible setup, the most integrations, and a 'just works' result with minimal configuration.
- Beacons wins for: creators who sell digital products, run sponsored deals, want a hosted media kit, or want more on the free plan.
- Neither wins for: streamers who need Twitch live status, schedule sync, or clip display. Those features need a Twitch-specific tool.
FAQ
Which has lower fees?
If you sell, Linktree Pro ($15/mo) lists selling with no platform fee, while Beacons charges 9% until Creator Plus ($30/mo). If you don't sell, fees don't matter and both free plans work.
Do I need to pay to remove the branding?
Yes, on both. Linktree's logo goes on Pro ($15/mo, $12 billed yearly) and Beacons' on Creator Plus ($30/mo, $25 billed yearly).
Which is better for a Twitch streamer?
Neither is built for it: Linktree embeds a Twitch player, Beacons pulls Twitch follower counts into its media kit. A streamer-specific page that follows your stream is covered in the link in bio for Twitch comparison.
Can I import my links from Linktree to Beacons?
We couldn't find a Linktree importer in Beacons' help center - it documents product importers for stores such as Shopify and Gumroad. With a typical link count, re-creating the links by hand takes a few minutes.
Will switching from Linktree to Beacons confuse my followers?
Practically no. Update the URL in every social bio in one pass; followers won't notice. Keep the old Linktree alive for a few weeks just in case, then delete it.