Heard of Beacons? In the last few years, Beacons has become one of the most popular creator monetization platforms, allowing creators to sell digital products and manage their business from a single platform.
While Beacons is a creator favorite and it claims to be an “all-in-one creator platform,” that doesn’t mean it’s a one-size-fits-all solution. The thing is that Beacons doesn’t cater to the needs of all creators. And even its free plan comes with a bit of a price tag.
Luckily, however, there are a plethora of alternatives out there that provide similar functionality and even additional features for less. Read on as we look into the 8 best Beacons alternatives currently on the market.
Build your link-in-bio creator store with The Leap today. It’s free!Beacons alternatives at a glance
| Best overall | The Leap This all-in-one creator store provides you with everything you need to start monetizing — including an AI-powered digital product builder and link-in-bio storefront — for free! |
| Best premium option | Payhip This platform arrives with tons of bells and whistles including a course builder and email marketing suite. However, its free plan arrives with a 5% transaction fee. |
| Best advanced option | LinkOne Because you’ll need to subscribe for Shopify to use LinkOne, you’ll also have the benefit of all Shopify’s auxiliary storefront and marketing features. |
| Best for creator entertainers | Ko-fi From cosplayers to guitarists, this platform is tailored to creator entertainers with its tipping, donation, and crowdfunding features. |
Launched in 2020, Beacons is an online platform that enables creators to monetize by selling digital products and services through a single link-in-bio landing page. The platform has become popular with creators mainly for its suite of all-inclusive features, some of which are equipped with productivity-boosting AI functionality.
First and foremost, Beacons provides users with a link-in-bio storefront where they can sell all kinds of digital products, along with an online course builder. In addition to those two key features, the platform provides tons of helpful extras, like its feature-rich email marketing tool, advanced audience analytics, an auto-updating media kit, an invoice generator, and a desktop website builder (currently in closed beta).
In terms of pricing, Beacons’ free plan and Creator plan ($10/month) both place a 9% transaction fee on each sale. If you want to waive those transaction fees, you’ll have to pay for its Creator Pro plan ($30/month) or VIP plan ($50/month).
Best Beacons alternatives
Beacons has become one of the most popular platforms for creators who want to monetize by selling digital products. That being said, there are other platforms on the market that offer features that Beacons doesn’t (like a more versatile digital product builder), or that offer Beacons’ tools without the transaction fees.
Whether you’ve already decided Beacons isn’t right for you or you’re just weighing your options, read on as we look into the best Beacons alternatives out there.
| Platform | Free plan | Paid plans | Transaction fees | Digital product builder | Email marketing | Audience analytics |
| Beacons | ✅ with 9% transaction fee | Creator plan: $10/month Creator Pro plan: $30/month VIP plan: $50/month | 0% – 9% | ✅ Course builder | ✅ | ✅ |
| The Leap | ✅ | Free! | 0% | ✅ AI-powered 🪄 | 🔜 | ✅ |
| Stan | ❌ | Creator plan: $29/month Creator Pro plan: $99/month | 0% | ✅ Course builder | ✅ | ✅ |
| Gumroad | ✅ with 10% transaction fee | Free! | 10% | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Linktree | ✅ | Starter plan: $5/month Pro plan: $9/month Premium plan: $24/month | 0% | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| LinkOne | ✅ with Shopify account | Pro plan: $5/month | 0.5% – 2% | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Sellfy | ❌ | Starter plan: $19/month Business plan: $49/month Premium plan: $99/month | 0% | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Payhip | ✅ with 5% transaction fee | Plus plan: $29/month Pro plan: $99/month | 0% – 5% | ✅ Course builder | ✅ | ✅ |
| Ko-fi | ✅ with 5% transaction fee | Ko-fi Gold: starting at $6/month | 0% – 5% | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
1. The Leap
Want the ultimate all-in-one creator store — for free? Then The Leap is the platform for you.
The Leap is the latest tool from creator tech company Thinkific. This creator monetization platform functions as a link-in-bio tool, an online storefront, and a versatile digital product builder, enabling creators to create and sell digital products all from one place. Designed with lead generation and sales in mind, The Leap helps creators transform their expertise into digital products and their followers into paying customers, quickly and easily.
The Leap’s AI-powered digital product builder can help you bring your digital product ideas to life in just a few minutes, whether it’s a mini-course, a guide, a tutorial, or a challenge. Because it’s so easy to use, The Leap’s zero-cost, user-friendly digital product builder empowers creators to turn their products into lead magnets, which helps them grow their email list — and their income.
The platform also provides creators with audience analytics, including sales and leads reports, giving you the insights you need to create the digital products your followers will love.
The Leap is designed to help creators jumpstart their monetization journey. And if you leverage all of its features in tandem, you’ll have yourself a veritable income engine that’ll power your business and earn you more money over time.
The best part about The Leap? It’s all free to use!
Key features
- Mobile-optimized link-in-bio storefront
- Payment processing via Stripe
- AI-powered digital product builder
- Email list builder
- Audience analytics
- Native email (soon!)
- Free!
Pricing
Free! Try The Leap today to build your creator store and sell your digital products in no time at all.
Start monetizing your audience with The Leap, your all-in-one creator store.
2. Stan
Launched in 2020, Stan Store has grown in popularity as a creator store in the last few years. This platform enables creators to sell their digital products and services via a mobile-optimized link-in-bio landing page.
On its homepage, Stan claims to be one of the fastest and easiest ways for creators to start earning money online, enabling creators to get their online storefronts up and running in just 10 minutes.
In addition to its link-in-bio storefront, Stan offers a course builder, which enables creators to build their own online courses within the platform. It also provides users with a host of marketing features: its most basic plan features an email list builder, while its paid Pro plan provides creators with email marketing functionality.
The platform’s advanced analytics dashboard lets users track their sales and engagement in real time, so they can stay up to date on which products are selling and stay ahead of the curve when it comes to which products to sell next.
Key features
- Link-in-bio storefront
- Payment processing via PayPal and Stripe
- Course builder
- Email marketing
- Email list builder
- Pixel tracking
- Audience analytics
Pricing
If you want to sell online using Stan Store, you’ll have to pay a monthly fee. The platform’s most basic Creator plan is $29/month, while its Pro plan will run you $99/month. If you’re unsure whether you want to drop that amount of cash right away, you can always sign up for a 14-day free trial.
3. Gumroad
For years, Gumroad has been many creators’ go-to platform for selling digital products to their following. This platform allows users to build a digital storefront and sell practically any digital product under the sun, from ebooks to templates and beyond. Want to sell memberships and subscriptions for recurring income? Well, Gumroad lets you do that too. All you need to do is upload your product, set a price, and Gumroad will take care of the rest.
Want to sell through your own website? That’s great, because Gumroad also allows creators to sell their products through their own channels by way of embeddable checkout buttons and widgets.
Through its email marketing functionality, Gumroad enables users to build their email list (i.e. their list of potential customers) and email their subscribers with workflows to drive sales.
While Gumroad doesn’t charge user a monthly fee, you’ll want to note that the platform charges a 10% transaction fee on every sale — that’s not a small cut.
Key features
- Online storefront
- Payment processing via PayPal and Stripe
- Embeddable checkout buttons
- Sell memberships and subscriptions
- Email marketing
- Email list builder
- Audience analytics
Pricing
Free with a 10% transaction fee per sale.
4. Linktree
Looking for a link-in-bio tool? Then why not try the OG? Linktree was the first-ever link-in-bio tool on the market. Today, with over 40 million users, it’s also one of the most popular.
Historically, Linktree has been the go-to for sharing links with your followers. But today, you can also use it to sell your digital products. Like many of its competitors, Linktree’s link-in-bio landing page boasts storefront functionality, thanks to its integrations with popular online payment platforms like PayPal.
This means followers can shop your digital products directly through your landing page. Simply upload your PDF files and place them under a Payment Lock, or upload your file to SendOwl via Linktree’s integration. If you want to use Linktree to sell digital products, it’s important to note that you’ll need to upgrade to a paid plan to use the platform’s Payment Lock feature.
Linktree also offers a range of customizable themes which can be easily personalized with your brand colors and fonts. And, for those wanting to supercharge their sales, Linktree offers an email list builder and integrations with email marketing apps (Mailchimp) and analytics software (Google Analytics).
Key features
- Link-in-bio storefront
- Payment processing via PayPal and Square
- Customize colors, fonts, and buttons
- Email collection
- Email marketing via Mailchimp integration
- In-app analytics plus Google Analytics integration
Pricing
Free plan available. Paid plans are $5/month (Starter), $9/month (Pro), and $24/month (Premium).
5. LinkOne
Available on the Shopify app store, LinkOne is one of the newest link-in-bio storefronts on the market. This platform allows creators to build their own customizable link-in-bio storefront hosting their digital products, links, and content together.
So, how does it work? In order to start selling your products through LinkOne, you’ll need to sign up for a Shopify account. LinkOne is one of Shopify’s many third-party apps and is, essentially, Shopify’s answer to a link-in-bio storefront.
To start selling, simply download the LinkOne app and connect it to your Shopify store. From there, you can start selling any and all of your Shopify products via your LinkOne storefront.
Because LinkOne is connected to Shopify, you’ll get to enjoy all of the e-comm platform’s many perks, including email marketing and advanced analytics to boost your sales.
Key features
- Link-in-bio storefront
- Payment processing via Shopify
- Customization features
- Email marketing (via Shopify, at additional cost depending on number of emails sent)
- Email list builder (via Shopify)
- Audience analytics
Pricing
LinkOne is free to use, and offers a Pro plan at $5/month. However, you’ll need to pay for a Shopify membership to use the platform.
Shopify offers its Basic plan starting at $29/month, its Shopify plan starting $79/month, and its Advanced plan starting at $298/month. You can choose to pay for your plan in monthly or yearly installments.
Shopify charges transaction fees when you sell using third-party payment gateways (2% for Basic plan, 1% for Shopify plan, and 0.5% for Advanced plan). However, it waives these fees if you sell using the Shopify Payments app, which you can find in the Shopify app store.
6. Sellfy
It doesn’t get much more intuitive than Sellfy when it comes to selling digital products. This e-commerce platform promises creators it’ll help them get their online storefronts up and running in just five minutes. Sure, it’s a bold claim, but it’s one that holds up thanks to Sellfy’s seamless sign-up process and its easy-to-use tools.
Sellfy’s user-friendly storefront builder allows you to create your own online store in just a few clicks, while its embeddable checkout buttons let you sell your products via your personal website, social channels, and anywhere else you live online.
From ebooks to templates, digital art and online courses, Sellfy enables users to sell pretty much any digital product their heart desires. Through the platform, you can also sell memberships, subscriptions, and even streaming video.
Even better? Sellfy offers built-in email marketing with even its lowest tier plans, so you can get those products really flying off the (digital) shelves.
Key features
- Mobile-optimized online storefront
- Embeddable checkout buttons
- Sell memberships, subscriptions, and streaming video
- Supports multiple third-party payment options
- Email marketing
- Audience analytics
Pricing
Starter plan at $19/month, Business plan at $49/month, or Premium plan at $99/plan, all with zero transaction fees.
7. Payhip
Payhip enables creators to sell “anything online anywhere,” including digital products. This all-in-one platform supports virtually every digital product you could dream up, including ebooks, online courses, stock music, templates, and more. In addition to supporting a wide variety of file types, Payhip also lets creators host as many products as they want with unlimited storage.
Payhip provides even its lowest tier plan subscribers with its email list builder and email marketing features, so that they can boost their subscriber base (read: potential customer base) and their cash easily.
On top of its storefront builder, the platform provides creators with an online course builder, allowing them to create lesson plans, and monetize their expertise through subscriptions and drip content.
Key features
- Online storefront and shopping cart
- Online course builder
- Email marketing
- Email list builder
- Sell memberships and subscriptions
- Payment processing via PayPal and Stripe
- Audience analytics
Pricing
Payhip offers three plans, which each offer the same features but charge a different percentage in transaction fees. Its Free plan charges a 5% transaction fee. Its Plus plan is $29/month (plus a 2% transaction fee), and its Pro plan is $99/month with 0% transaction fee.
8. Ko-fi
Ko-fi is a platform that enables creators to sell their entire digital product offering through a lightweight, link-in-bio storefront.
To start, simply open your Ko-fi store and upload your products. From there, you’ll be able to share links to your storefront or to individual products directly on your social channels, website, or wherever your followers are.
In addition to downloadables like online courses and templates, Ko-fi allows creators to sell memberships and subscriptions, paywalled content, and even commissions, all through their link-in-bio storefront.
Ko-fi offers a free plan and a paid plan, Ko-fi Gold (starting at $6/month). Both plans let you sell products, memberships, and commissions through your shop. Free account users should be prepared to lose 5% revenue from each sale due to the platform’s hefty transaction fees. With Ko-fi Gold, however, you get to kiss those transaction fees goodbye — and also say hello to audience analytics.
Key features
- Mobile-optimized link-in-bio storefront and online shopping cart
- Sell subscriptions, memberships, and commissions
- Payment processing via PayPal and Stripe
- Third-party integrations with Zapier, WordPress, and more
Pricing
Free plan available with 5% transaction fee on all sales. Switch to Ko-fi Gold (starting at $6/month) for 0% transaction fees on all sales (Ko-fi Shop, Memberships, and Commissions) as well as advanced features like audience analytics.
Choosing the best Beacons alternative
Choosing the Beacons alternative that’s right for you depends on a range of factors, including your businesss needs, your audience’s needs, and your budget.
Looking for a platform that lets you create, market, and sell your digital products — for free? Then you’ll want to try The Leap.
The Leap is an all-in-one creator store platform that gives you everything you need to start selling your digital products and earning money now, with no monthly subscription fee. On top of its link-in-bio storefront, The Leap provides you with tons of essential creator tools including an AI-powered digital product builder, an email list builder, and — soon — native email.
Our user-friendly storefront builder helps you set up shop in just a few minutes, so you can start selling your digital products ASAP. Because it’s powered by generative AI, our digital product builder saves you time and brain power, enabling you to create engaging digital products in literally minutes.
And did we mention The Leap is 100% free to use? Once you sign up for your free account, you’ll get access to all of our features, from our link-in-bio storefront builder to our supercharged digital product builder. Try The Leap for free today!
Build, market, and sell digital products all in one spot with The Leap!
Beacons alternatives FAQ
How much does Beacons cost?
Beacons offers a free plan and Creator plan ($10/month), both of which place a 9% transaction fee on each sale. Its Creator Pro plan ($30/month) and VIP plan ($50/month) come with 0% transaction fees.
Is there a free alternative to Beacons?
Yes, there are a few free alternatives to Beacons. The Leap is one of the best Beacons alternatives and it’s free to use with no platform transaction fees. Once you start making sales from your Leap store, you’ll only be charged a standard 2.9% Stripe fee for payment processing.
Other Beacons alternatives, including Gumroad, Ko-fi, and Payhip, offer free plans but do charge transaction fees on each sale (between 5% and 10%).
Is The Leap or Beacons better?
The Leap and Beacons offer similar functionality, including a link-in-bio storefront builder and digital product authoring tool. While the platforms are similar, The Leap has a leg up on Beacons for two main reasons.
First, The Leap is 100% free to use with no platform transaction fees, whereas Beacons’ free plan charges 9% transaction fees on each sale.
The second reason has to do with both platforms’ digital product builders. The Leap’s digital product builder is powered by generative AI (which allows users create digital products faster and with less effort), whereas Beacons’ online course builder isn’t assisted by AI. Additionally, The Leap’s versatile authoring tool helps you build a range of digital learning products, from mini-courses, to tutorials, to challenges. On the contrary, with Beacons, you’re limited to building online courses only.
Create and sell digital products in minutes using The Leap!
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