A single link — whether you’re writing your TikTok or Instagram bio, that’s all you get to promote yourself. And if you’re a content creator who have multiple income streams, or a presence on different social platforms, having one bio link just isn’t enough.
That’s where link in bio tools come in.
You might have already run into these tools when tapping the link in your favorite creator’s bio — a link that leads to a landing page populated with multiple links. Picture it: immediate access to all the important links from that creator, whether it’s their website, online store, or affiliate links.
Two of the most popular examples of such tools are Beacons and Linktree. So, what’s the difference between them? How do they size up? And most importantly, which one should you choose?
Below, we’re comparing Beacons vs. Linktree to help you get a sense of the platform that’s right for you.
What is a link in bio tool?
Link in bio tools essentially turn one link into many by letting you feature multiple links on a simple landing page. When people click on the link in a creator’s social bio, they reach a single source of truth for that creator’s content. It’s a clever, comprehensive solution that lets creators and businesses fast-track their audiences to their other social platforms, websites, or product pages.
In short, link in bio tools are great for helping creators organize and showcase their links in one place. These tools basically allow you customize your links, and to design your bio page so it fits your brand.
But if Beacons and Linktree are two of the most popular options out there, which one should you pick?
First, let’s get an overview of each tool.
Overview of Beacons
Beacons isn’t just a tool that helps you build a landing page for your social bio — it’s a full-fledged creator platform. Though it launched fairly recently, Beacons is quickly gaining popularity as a creator management platform.
What makes Beacons different
Beacons has a mission to help more creators make a living as they pursue their dreams. To that end, it has built a platform that’s part link in bio tool, part analysis toolkit, and part income dashboard. And thanks to its easy-to-use interface, your don’t need to have any technical or design skills to benefit from Beacons’ marketing automation suite. You also don’t have to build multiple pages, or worry about coding fully functioning websites.
Overview of Linktree
Linktree is the original link in bio tool. First built in 2016, Linktree got 3,000 users overnight. The tool was even momentarily banned by Instagram when the platform thought it was spam. Even with the amount of competitors out there, Linktree is still one of the most popular link in bio tools today with more than 30 million users.
What makes Linktree different
Linktree’s genius is its simplicity: the platform focuses on helping creators efficiently and effectively direct their followers to all their most important links.
Beacons vs. Linktree: Which one is better?
So who wins the Beacons vs. Linktree matchup? The newcomer or the old guard?
While these tools might seem pretty similar at first brush, there are some key differences content creators should consider. Here’s a look at each platform’s pricing, features, and levels of customization.
Pricing
Both apps have a free plan, but they’re not exactly built equal.
What does Beacons offer?
Beacons has only two plans: the free Creator plan and the paid Entrepreneur plan.
Creator: Beacons’ free plan is pretty robust. You get monetization tools like a digital store, a media kit, and invoice creation. You can build and design your landing page, promote your content through email campaigns, and analyze your content’s performance.
Entrepreneur: At $7 a month, you get everything in the Creator plan, plus the ability to use your own domain, remove the Beacons branding, and make sales without any commission.
What does Linktree offer?
With Linktree, you can choose from four plans.
Free: With Linktree’s free plan, you can build your own list of links, but you don’t have access to every type of link they offer. For example, you won’t have access to Linktree’s affiliate program integrations. You also don’t get data analytics, or some of Linktree’s more advanced customization options.
Starter: For $5/month, users can link affiliate programs to their Linktree page, lock certain links behind a paywall, and schedule links that disappear after a certain time.
Pro: This plan will set you back $9/month, but you’ll get access to features such as automation, detailed analytics tools, and some additional customization options.
Premium: At 24$/month, users get everything listed in the above plans, plus additional customer support. Premium subscribers get a dedicated customer success manager who’ll ensure you get the most out of your Linktree account, plus an onboarding call and exclusive content designed to help you move forward in your career.
While Beacons has the more robust free plan, Linktree has more flexibility and customization available across its multi-tiered pricing plan, offering more control to its users.
Of all the features listed, Linktree’s ability to schedule a disappearing link feels unique and creator-focused. It’s important for creators to maintain up-to-date profiles, and Linktree is uniquely built to serve that need.
Features
At their core, both Beacons and Linktree help you build a list of links. But each platform also offers tools to optimize creators’ online marketing and social media efforts with just a few clicks.
What does Beacons offer?
Beacons, for instance, bills itself as a one-stop shop for your creator business that also serves up multiple links.
In addition to hosting unlimited links, Beacons handles email marketing, helps creators manage their audience, generates QR codes, offers comparative industry data, and a lot more.
On the analytics side, Beacons helps you track the performance of posts across social media platforms, manage income, and leverage AI to get data insights that help you make better content and business decisions.
What does Linktree offer?
Meanwhile, Linktree is focused on creating a seamless journey for a creator’s audience from one platform to another.
Linktree offers a simple, fast way to add pretty much any link you can think of, from affiliate links to integrated storefronts.
Linktree doesn’t simply connect a creator’s social media presence. It behaves as a custom domain, no coding required. Followers can get access to a creator’s entire suite of content without leaving their Linktree page. You can even have your latest YouTube video embedded into your Linktree.
However, Linktree doesn’t offer the comprehensive reporting dashboard that Beacons does. That being said, with this tool, you can still review the performance of individual links, track referral traffic, analyze your list of contacts, and check the performance of your online store.
So when choosing a link in bio tool, ask yourself what kind of information you’re looking to glean from your tool. While it’s tempting to pick feature-extensive tools, the best pick is one that you understand how to use, and use well. Be truthful: do you need advanced features like analytics, email optimization, and marketing tutorials? Or do you simply need some link management?
Branding and design customization
Whether you pick Linktree or Beacons, your audience will see a logo for your chosen platform along with your links. That might not be an issue for some creators, but if you really value your personal brand, you can spring for a paid plan.
What does Beacons offer?
With a free Beacons plan, you get access to most customization options, like using custom domains, and more advanced customization like SSL certification and setting your own favicon.
What does Linktree offer?
Linktree has a paywall in front of many of these features. You can’t even pick a custom background image without a paid plan, and you need at least the Pro plan (at $9/month) to hide the Linktree logo.
So which platform is better for you?
Linktree is probably the best choice if you want a hyper-focused tool that you don’t mind paying a bit more for.
If you’ve already got your creator tool stack figured out — and you just need this tool to do one thing — Linktree is a solid option.
But what if this Beacons vs. Linktree quandary is just one of many you’re wrestling with? What other tools will you need to pay for?
Small businesses and creators that need to stretch their dollars may have better luck with Beacons. In addition to building a bio page, this tool helps with selling digital products and managing your income.
Ready to start earning money online?
Sign up to The Leap newsletter for useful tips, free resources, and insights from creators, delivered weekly right to your inbox.
Choose your link in bio tool!
Until Instagram and TikTok give you more than one bio link to work with, using tools like Beacons and Linktree are the best way to direct your audience to your various social media platforms and web pages.
Whichever you pick, these tools will help you build a network of interconnected platforms, and transform your content creator career.
Picking the right tool is just a matter of deciding how much you’re willing to pay, and whether you want a highly specialized tool or more of a jack-of-all-trades.
Follow The Leap on TikTok and Instagram for more creator tool and platform reviews. We also make a newsletter.
