Linktree is the default bio link on the internet, and as of 2026 it runs four published tiers: Free, Starter at $8/month, Pro at $15/month, and Premium at $35/month (annual billing brings those to roughly $5, $12, and $24). It also takes commerce fees when you sell through its built-in monetization blocks — published at around 12% on the Free plan, 9% on Starter and Pro, and 0% only on Premium — after a price increase in late 2025. None of that is a scandal; Linktree is a router, and routing is worth something. But it surfaces the real question behind every "Linktree alternative" search: the link page itself earns nothing — what matters is whether the destinations inside it convert. Here are the alternatives, judged on what actually pays.
1. Cheddify — the bio link that sells your time directly
Best for: creators whose most valuable product is live access to them. Cheddify is a link-in-bio seller tool: your page shows your rates and availability, and from that one link a follower can start a per-minute video or audio call while you are available, book a session for later, or send a paid DM. Buyers pay as guests in the browser — no account, no app download — which is exactly what impulse bio-link traffic needs; you take calls on the Cheddify iOS or Android app. The pricing is the inverse of Linktree's: no monthly fee ever, free to claim, and Cheddify earns only when you do — 20% plus $2 per paid call, with a roughly 3% processing fee billed to the buyer on top; paid DMs pay you about 77% of the price; payouts via Stripe. The honest limitation: Cheddify is a destination, not a router. It will not organize your YouTube, podcast, and merch links — it is the one link on that list that produces revenue by itself. Everything on the platform is PG-13. See what Cheddify is and how it works.
2. Linktree itself — still the best pure router
For organizing many destinations under one URL, Linktree remains the simplest, most recognized option, and the Free plan does that job fine. Where the value gets thinner is monetization: selling through Linktree's own commerce blocks costs the published 12% on Free or 9% on Starter/Pro (0% only at $35/month Premium, as of 2026) — often more than dedicated storefronts charge, for a weaker checkout. Use Linktree to route; be skeptical of it as a store.
3. Beacons — router plus store with a real free tier
Beacons folds link-in-bio, a digital-product store, email marketing, and media-kit tools into one page, with a usable free tier (transaction fees on free, reduced on paid plans). It is the strongest free-first alternative for creators who want light commerce without committing to a monthly fee. Checkout polish trails Stan Store's.
4. Stan Store — the commerce-first bio page
Stan Store ($29/month Creator, $99/month Pro as of 2026, 0% platform transaction fees with Stripe processing on top) replaces the link list with a storefront: digital products, courses, and calendar-booked coaching. For product sellers doing real volume, its flat fee beats any commission. It does not run live calls — coaching bookings hand off to Zoom — and there are no paid DMs. Full breakdown in Stan Store alternatives.
5. Snipfeed — casual monetization, minimal setup
Tips, digital downloads, and paid requests on a simple page, commission-based. A fit for creators who monetize occasionally and do not want to build out a product line or pay a subscription.
6. Pensight — for coaches consolidating calls and courses
Pensight combines scheduled 1-on-1 video sessions, courses, and digital products in one storefront. Sessions are calendar-booked (no live per-minute option), but coaches who sell packages alongside content can run everything from one page. A quick note on Koji, which used to appear on lists like this: Linktree acquired it and shut it down in early 2024, so it is no longer an option.
Pricing and earning comparison
| Platform | Published cost (as of 2026) | Commerce/transaction fees | Live paid calls | Paid DMs | Role in your bio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheddify | $0/mo, free to claim | 20% + $2 per paid call (buyer pays ~3% processing); DMs ~77% to seller | Yes — per-minute, runs the call | Yes | Earning destination |
| Linktree | Free / $8 / $15 / $35 per mo | ~12% Free, ~9% Starter+Pro, 0% Premium | No | No | Router |
| Beacons | Free tier; paid plans available | Fees on free tier, lower on paid | No | No | Router + store |
| Stan Store | $29–$99/mo | 0% platform + Stripe processing | No — booking hands off to Zoom | No | Storefront |
| Snipfeed | Commission based | Per-sale commission | No | Paid requests | Light store |
| Pensight | Plan or commission based | Varies by plan | Scheduled only | No | Coaching storefront |
Payout math: what the link actually earns
Concrete numbers beat adjectives. Suppose 30 minutes of your time is worth $90 at $3 per minute. A follower taps your Cheddify link and takes the full 30 minutes: $90 billed, buyer pays about $92.70 with the ~3% processing fee, and you keep 80% minus $2 — $70. A $25 paid DM from the same link pays you about $19.25 (roughly 77%). Compare selling a $90 digital product through Linktree's own commerce on the Free plan at the published ~12%: about $79 to you, but only if you had a product built — and note the honest counterpoint that Linktree Premium at $35/month drops that commerce fee to 0%, which beats everyone's take rate if you already sell serious product volume. The structural difference stands, though: every alternative on this list except Cheddify monetizes things you make — files, courses, bookings that hand off elsewhere. Cheddify monetizes your presence itself, with nothing to produce first. For the DM side specifically, see how to get paid for DMs.
The router-plus-destination setup
The framing that resolves most of these comparisons: routers and destinations are different species, and the bio-link argument conflates them. A router (Linktree, Beacons) organizes many links and earns nothing by itself. A destination (a storefront, a call page, a newsletter signup) is where money changes hands. Judging Linktree for not earning is judging a road for not being a shop — but paying $35/month for a road, or 12% commerce fees for a shop bolted onto one, deserves scrutiny. The setup that wins for most creators is deliberately boring: a free router at the top, and inside it, one or two destinations chosen for what you actually sell. If that is products, the destination is a Stan or Beacons store. If it is your time and attention, the destination is a Cheddify page, where a follower can go from tapping your bio to paying for a live call in under a minute without ever creating an account. The order matters too — put the earning link first in the list, because bio-link taps decay fast down the page. And revisit the stack quarterly: the right destination changes as your audience and offers do, while the router almost never needs to change.
Which one should you pick?
Pure routing: Linktree Free. Routing plus light product sales: Beacons. Product business at volume: Stan Store (or Linktree Premium if you insist on one tool). Coaching packages: Pensight. Selling live access — calls, sessions, and a paid inbox: Cheddify. And these are not exclusive: the most common setup we see is Linktree as the router with a Cheddify link as the earning destination inside it. See the best link-in-bio for monetization for the full decision tree.