Linktree vs Beacons
Updated May 2026
Choosing between Linktree and Beacons comes down to which trade-offs you can live with. Linktree (Free / $15) is built for creators who want unlimited links, while Beacons (Free / $10-$30) targets creators who care about email capture and audience growth. Neither offers free retargeting pixels, free video backgrounds, or edge-rendered SEO out of the box — Linklay does, on its free plan. The breakdown below covers pricing, key feature gaps, and which tool wins for which use case in 2026.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Linktree | Beacons | Linklay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free Links | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Pricing | Free / $15 | Free / $10-$30 | Free / $9.99 |
| Custom Themes (Free) | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Analytics | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Free Retargeting Pixels | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Video Backgrounds | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Email Capture (Free) | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Remove Branding | Pro | Pro | Pro |
Pricing Breakdown
Linktree pricing: Free / $15. Beacons pricing: Free / $10-$30. Linklay pricing: Free / $9.99 (Pro is $9.99/month or $99/year, the cheapest paid plan in the category). Both Linktree and Beacons keep their best features behind paid tiers — branding removal, advanced analytics, integrations. Linklay puts retargeting pixels, real-time analytics, AI link reordering, scheduled links, and email capture on the free plan. Pro adds branding removal, video backgrounds, and the SEO-Powered Link feature unique to Linklay.
Key Feature Differences
On free-plan capability, Linktree omits retargeting pixels and does not support video backgrounds; Beacons omits pixels and does not support video. Linklay ships both — plus AI reordering, link scheduling, link locking, spotlight pinning, and a free Tip Jar (0% platform fee on Pro, 10% on Free). The biggest hidden gap: SEO. Linktree and Beacons render bio pages with client-side JavaScript, meaning Google indexes very little. Every Linklay profile is edge-rendered with ProfilePage structured data, so creators routinely rank for their own brand and niche queries.
Neither Linktree nor Beacons offers retargeting pixels, video backgrounds, or email capture for free — Linklay does. If you compare Beacons vs Linktree honestly, both tools charge a transaction fee for commerce and lock features that Linklay includes at no cost, even on the free plan you'd use to share multiple links from your social media profiles.
When you compare Beacons vs Linktree side by side, the gaps become clear around customization options — both tools let you match your brand to a degree, but neither ships link in bio pages that rank in Google as a hosted landing page. Both platforms offer drag and drop link reordering on paid plans, and beacons offers a deeper storefront, but neither helps you reach social media audiences via search. Advanced features like monetization tools, affiliate links, custom domain support, and each tool's transaction fee structure vary significantly — Linktree's transaction fee runs 9–12% on most plans, Beacons charges a 9% transaction fee on the free tier and 5% on Pro, while Linklay's transaction fee is 0% on every plan. For small businesses weighing pro plan costs, the landing page performance of each tool matters as much as the feature list.
Both platforms offer a drag and drop editor and core social media link management, and both are essentially a page with multiple links you paste into your bio so visitors can share multiple links from one tap. A beacons page includes some monetization tools but restricts analytics unless you upgrade. Linklay includes retargeting pixels, detailed analytics, and email capture on the free plan — features neither Linktree nor Beacons offer without paying, and without any transaction fee on sales routed through your link in bio pages.
Related reading: Linktree vs Beacons vs Linklay 2026 — a deeper editorial walkthrough that breaks down each landing page experience and transaction fee model.
Which Should You Choose?
Pick Linktree if you're already deep in its ecosystem and the migration cost outweighs the feature gap. Pick Beacons if email capture inside the bio link is your single most important requirement. Pick Linklay if you want the broadest free-plan feature set, the lowest Pro price ($9.99/mo), 0% commerce fees on every tier, and the only bio-link tool that actually ranks in Google. Most creators switching from Linktree or Beacons cite the same three reasons: free retargeting pixels, video backgrounds, and SEO that works.
Try the Free Alternative
Linklay gives you more features for free than both Linktree and Beacons.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Beacons better than Linktree?
It depends on your goals. Beacons leans more into creator commerce on its free tier (built-in store, email tools), while Linktree has broader integrations and a larger template library. Neither offers free retargeting pixels or video backgrounds — Linklay does.
Which is better for selling products, Linktree or Beacons?
Beacons typically wins for selling digital products on the free plan because it includes a built-in store. Linktree only drops its 9–12% seller fee on its $35/mo Premium plan. If 0% commerce fees matter, Linklay charges 0% on every plan.
Which tool has better analytics?
Both Linktree and Beacons gate their advanced analytics behind paid tiers — Linktree Pro at $15/mo, Beacons Creator at $10/mo. Linklay includes real-time visitor analytics, device breakdowns, and geographic data on its free plan.
Which link in bio tool is best for SEO?
Both Linktree and Beacons render pages with client-side JavaScript, so search engines see very little. Linklay edge-renders every profile with structured data and ships an SEO-Powered Link feature that passes ranking equity to your main site.