Last updated: May 2026. We retested every tool against the post-2025-hike Linktree pricing. The Premium tier increased from $24 to $35/month, the free plan still carries a 12 percent commerce fee, and Shopify Linkpop shut down in July 2025. The best Linktree alternatives have changed accordingly.
Linktree pioneered the link-in-bio space, but the math has shifted. Premium jumped from $24 to $35 per month in 2025, the free plan hits creators with a 12 percent commerce fee, and a generation of better-funded alternatives now match or beat Linktree without locking basics behind a paywall. This guide reviews the 8 best Linktree alternatives in 2026 and gives you a step-by-step migration playbook to switch without breaking links.
TL;DR
- Best free overall: Shelfy. Every paid Linktree feature, free, with no commerce fee and unlimited team members.
- Best for selling courses or digital products: Beacons (Store Pro at $30/mo for 0 percent fees) or Stan Store ($29/mo).
- Best truly-free polished page: Bio Sites by Squarespace.
- Cheapest paid tier: Bio.link or Lnk.bio at $0.99/month.
- Best for one-page solo creators: Carrd (~$19/year).
- Migration takes 75 minutes if you follow the 5-phase playbook below. Keep Linktree active for 30 days during the switch.
At-a-Glance: 8 Linktree Alternatives Compared (2026)
| # | Tool | Free tier | Cheapest paid | Commerce fee | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shelfy | Everything free | n/a (no paid tiers) | 0% | Power users wanting paid features free |
| 2 | Beacons | Generous, 9% fee | $10/mo Creator Pro | 0% on Store Pro ($30/mo) | Course and product sellers |
| 3 | Bio Sites by Squarespace | Truly free, no branding | n/a | n/a | Aesthetic-first, no commerce |
| 4 | Stan Store | None | $29/mo | Built-in low | Digital product sellers |
| 5 | Carrd | 3 sites free | ~$19/year Pro | n/a | One-page solo sites |
| 6 | Bento | Limited | $7/mo | n/a | Minimal personal brand |
| 7 | Bio.link | With branding | $0.99/mo | n/a | Cheapest paid tier |
| 8 | Lnk.bio | With branding | $0.99/mo | n/a | Simple link-only needs |
| ↓ | Linktree (for comparison) | 12% commerce fee, branding | $8/mo Starter | 0% on Premium ($35/mo) | Brand recognition |
The 8 Best Linktree Alternatives in 2026
1. Shelfy: Best free Linktree alternative overall
Best for: Anyone who wants Linktree Pro or Premium features without paying for them, plus multiple organized collections and team collaboration.
Pricing: Free forever. No paid tiers exist. No commerce fee.
Why it wins. Shelfy is the only mainstream tool in this list that does not have a paywall. Custom domains, advanced analytics, no branding, team collaboration, multiple organized collections, public sharing, and API access are all on the free plan. The business model is sustained through optional enterprise services that individual creators never need.
What you get on free:
- Unlimited collections (a real Linktree limitation: Linktree gives you one page)
- Custom domain (Linktree gates this at Pro, $15/mo)
- No "made with" branding (Linktree gates this at Starter, $8/mo)
- Team collaboration with no member cap (Linktree gates this at Premium, $35/mo)
- Full analytics dashboard (Linktree gates this at Pro, $15/mo)
- 1,000 API requests per hour (Linktree has no API at any tier)
Trade-offs: No native email marketing (use Mailchimp's free tier), no built-in digital store (link to Gumroad or Stripe). Web-based only.
2. Beacons: Best for creators selling courses or digital products
Best for: Influencers selling digital products, courses, or running an email list inside a single tool.
Pricing (2026):
- Free: 9 percent transaction fee, Beacons branding shown, 500 emails/month
- Creator Pro: $10/mo (no branding, 2,000 emails, custom domain)
- Store Pro: $30/mo (0 percent commerce fee, unlimited emails)
- Business Pro: $90/mo (team features, full white-label, NFC card)
Why pick Beacons over Linktree. Native email marketing (no Mailchimp needed), native digital product store, AI-generated media kit for brand pitches. The Store Pro tier zeroes the commerce fee at $30/mo, which is $5 cheaper than Linktree Premium with the same outcome.
Trade-offs: Steeper learning curve. Free tier's 9 percent commerce fee adds up fast for active sellers.
3. Bio Sites by Squarespace: Best truly-free polished page
Best for: Creators who want a clean, hosted page without paying and without a "made with" badge.
Pricing: Free.
Why pick Bio Sites. Squarespace's design polish on a free tier with no forced branding. Often beats Linktree's free plan for visual quality. Free hosting is fast.
Trade-offs: Tied to the Squarespace ecosystem. Fewer audience-engagement features than Shelfy or Beacons. Custom domain requires a Squarespace plan.
4. Stan Store: Best for digital product sales
Best for: Creators whose primary use is selling digital products, courses, or coaching directly from the bio link.
Pricing: No free tier. $29/mo Creator entry, $99/mo Pro.
Why pick Stan Store. Purpose-built for selling. Direct checkout, course delivery, booking, and digital product fulfillment built in. If you are already making meaningful sales through your bio link, the dedicated commerce features earn the subscription back fast.
Trade-offs: No free option, so it is a bigger commitment than the others. Overkill for creators not selling.
5. Carrd: Best for solo one-page sites
Best for: Solo creators who want a real one-page website rather than a stack of links.
Pricing: Free for up to 3 sites on carrd.co subdomain. Pro Standard at ~$19/year unlocks custom domains.
Why pick Carrd. Excellent design polish. Best price-to-quality ratio in this list. A Carrd site looks like a website, not a link-in-bio template.
Trade-offs: Not a true link-in-bio tool (it is a website builder). No native commerce. Analytics are limited.
6. Bento: Best for minimal personal-brand pages
Best for: Solo creators and personal brands wanting a minimal, scannable single page.
Pricing: Free with limits. Pro from $7/mo.
Why pick Bento. Clean visual identity, fast page weight, opinionated layout decisions that produce attractive results without much customization work.
Trade-offs: Smaller feature footprint than Shelfy or Beacons. Not the right pick if you need multiple collections or built-in commerce.
7. Bio.link: Cheapest paid tier
Best for: Creators who want zero branding for under a dollar a month and do not need advanced features.
Pricing: Free with branding. Paid from $0.99/mo (no branding) up to $4.99/mo (custom domain).
Why pick Bio.link. The cheapest path to a no-branding link-in-bio page in this list. Good fit if you want something that looks more polished than Linktree free without a real subscription commitment.
Trade-offs: Bare on features. Limited customization. Best treated as a budget pick rather than a long-term creator platform.
8. Lnk.bio: Best for simple link-only needs
Best for: Creators whose entire need is "show 5 to 10 links in a clean list."
Pricing: Free with branding. Paid from $0.99/mo for branding removal.
Why pick Lnk.bio. No-frills link list. Sets up in under two minutes. If your use case is purely "Linktree but cheaper," this is the most direct swap.
Trade-offs: Almost no features beyond the link list. No commerce, no email, no advanced analytics.
Linktree's 2026 Pricing (and the 2025 Hike Context)
Linktree's tier structure in 2026 (monthly, annual billing in parentheses):
- Free: branding shown, basic analytics, 12 percent commerce fee
- Starter: $8/mo ($6.42/mo annual), 9 percent commerce fee
- Pro: $15/mo ($12/mo annual), 9 percent commerce fee, custom domain
- Premium: $35/mo ($28/mo annual, raised from $24 in 2025), 0 percent commerce fee, team features
Annual cost at the new Premium rate: $420 monthly billing or $336 with annual billing. That is the kind of number that makes "free forever" elsewhere look very different. Custom domains, analytics, and team access are basic features in 2026: paying $15 to $35/mo for them is not justified by what's available elsewhere.
Should You Switch from Linktree?
Switch if:
- You are paying $8 to $35 per month for features you can get free elsewhere
- You sell digital products and the 9 to 12 percent commerce fee is eating margin
- You need multiple organized pages (Linktree gives you one)
- You want a custom domain without paying Pro prices
- You are tired of free-plan branding and color limits
- You collaborate with a team and resent paying $35/mo for team features
Stay with Linktree if:
- The Premium tier ($35/mo, 0 percent commerce fee) genuinely earns its keep through your sales volume
- Brand recognition with your specific audience matters more than features
- You value stability over innovation
Signs You've Outgrown Linktree
1. Free Plan Limits
Linktree Free restrictions:
- Cannot customize colors
- Basic analytics only (click counts)
- Linktree branding displayed
- No custom domain
- 12 percent commerce fee on any sales
If you have thought "I just want to change the button colors," you have outgrown Linktree Free.
2. Paying for Features That Should Be Free
Custom domains, analytics, no branding, team collaboration: these are basic features in 2026. Shelfy offers all of them free forever, no commerce fee, no seat caps.
Annual cost of Linktree Pro: $180 ($144 annual billing) Annual cost of Linktree Premium: $420 ($336 annual billing) Annual cost of Shelfy: $0
3. Need for Multiple Collections
Linktree gives you ONE page. Period. If you have different content types (podcast, courses, social), multiple brands, or content you want to organize separately, Linktree forces you to cram everything onto one page or create multiple accounts. Tools like Shelfy let you create unlimited collections, each with its own URL.
4. Generic Look
Every Linktree page looks like a Linktree page. The same layout, similar themes, predictable structure. Visitors can instantly tell.
5. API or Automation Needs
Linktree: No API access at any tier Shelfy: 1,000 API requests/hour, free
6. Team Collaboration
Linktree: Team features require Premium ($35/month after the 2025 hike) Shelfy: Team collaboration included free, with no member cap
Migration Playbook: 5-Phase Process
This is the part most listicles skip. The migration mechanics are where switches go wrong, so here is the full playbook with time estimates.
Phase 1: Preparation (30 minutes)
Step 1: Export your Linktree data.
- Log into Linktree
- Settings > Account
- Export data (download CSV)
If export is not available, manually copy each link URL and title into a spreadsheet.
Step 2: Screenshot your analytics. Capture total clicks, top performing links, click-through rates, and traffic sources. You want this baseline for comparison.
Step 3: Document your current setup. Note your Linktree URL, custom domain, integrations connected, and current link order.
Phase 2: Set up the new tool (20 to 60 minutes)
For Shelfy:
- Create account at shelfy.today. No credit card. Two minutes.
- Import your links. Add manually or use bulk import. Organize into collections by category.
- Customize. Set brand colors, upload profile image, write bio.
- Set up custom domain (free). Settings > Custom Domain. Add your domain (e.g., links.yourbrand.com). Update DNS as instructed.
- Configure analytics. Enable tracking. Connect Google Analytics if desired.
For other tools, the process is similar: account, links, design, domain, analytics. Plan 30 to 60 minutes.
Phase 3: Testing (15 minutes)
Before going live:
- Test every link (click each one)
- Check mobile display (90 percent of bio link traffic is mobile)
- Verify custom domain works
- Test analytics tracking
- Preview as a visitor
- Check loading speed
Phase 4: Go live (5 minutes)
Update your bio link in:
- Instagram (Edit profile > Website)
- TikTok (Edit profile > Website)
- Twitter/X (Edit profile > Website)
- YouTube (Channel customization > Links)
- LinkedIn (Contact info > Website)
- Facebook (About > Website)
Pro tip: Update all platforms within the same hour to minimize broken-link exposure.
Keep Linktree active for 30 days. Some links are cached. Posts and stories with the old link are still circulating. Give yourself a buffer for redirect setup.
Phase 5: Monitor (ongoing, 2 weeks)
- Click-through rates: compare to Linktree baseline
- User feedback: any complaints about finding links?
- Broken links: test periodically
- Analytics accuracy: ensure tracking works
Custom Domain Migration
If you use a custom domain with Linktree, the migration needs extra care.
Scenario A: Move the domain to the new tool
- In Linktree: remove the custom domain
- Wait 24 to 48 hours for DNS propagation
- In the new tool: add the custom domain
- Update DNS to point to the new tool's servers
- Wait 24 to 48 hours for propagation
- Test
Downtime: up to 96 hours total. Plan accordingly.
Scenario B: Use a new domain (zero downtime)
- Keep
links.yourbrand.compointing to Linktree - Add
bio.yourbrand.compointing to Shelfy - Test the new domain
- Update bio links across platforms to the new domain
- Later: 301-redirect the old domain to the new one
Downtime: zero (parallel setup).
DNS record (Shelfy custom domain example)
Type: CNAME Name: links (or @ for root) Value: custom.shelfy.today TTL: 3600
Common Migration Mistakes
Mistake 1: Deleting Linktree too soon. Old links break, traffic dies. Keep Linktree active 30+ days.
Mistake 2: Forgetting platforms. Make a checklist of every place your link appears: socials, email signatures, business cards, printed materials, other websites.
Mistake 3: Not testing mobile. 90 percent of bio link traffic is mobile. Test on actual phones.
Mistake 4: Losing analytics baseline. Screenshot Linktree analytics before switching.
Mistake 5: Over-organizing. Too many collections confuse visitors. Start with 2 to 3, expand later.
Migration Timelines
Quick (same day, ~75 minutes)
| Task | Time |
|---|---|
| Export Linktree data | 10 min |
| Set up new tool | 20 min |
| Add and organize links | 15 min |
| Customize design | 15 min |
| Test everything | 10 min |
| Update bio links across platforms | 5 min |
| Total | ~75 min |
Standard (1 to 2 days)
If using a custom domain, build in DNS propagation time. Day 1: setup, links, customization. Day 2: domain configuration, testing, bio updates. Days 3 to 30: monitor, keep old tool active.
Careful (1 week, for high-traffic creators)
Days 1 to 2: preparation. Days 3 to 4: setup and testing. Day 5: soft launch on one platform (e.g., TikTok only). Day 6: full launch across all platforms. Day 7+: monitoring.
SEO Considerations
Will switching hurt SEO? Minimal impact for most users. Link-in-bio pages rarely rank in Google. Traffic comes from social media, not search.
If you have built SEO value on a custom domain:
- Set up 301 redirects from old URLs to new
- Keep URL structure similar where possible
- Update any backlinks you control
For 99 percent of users, SEO is not a factor in switching.
Which Alternative Is Right for You?
Based on why you are leaving Linktree:
- "I want everything free forever": Shelfy (no paid tiers exist)
- "I need multiple collections/pages": Shelfy (unlimited collections free)
- "I want to build an email list": Beacons (500 emails/month free) or Shelfy + Mailchimp
- "I need beautiful visual layouts": Bio Sites by Squarespace (free) or Carrd
- "I'm selling digital products": Beacons Store Pro ($30/mo, 0% fees), Stan Store ($29/mo), Linktree Premium ($35/mo, 0% fees), or Pop.Store (the Linkpop successor after Shopify shut Linkpop down in July 2025)
- "I need API or automation": Shelfy (1,000 requests/hour free)
- "I just want something simpler or cheaper": Bio.link or Lnk.bio at $0.99/mo, or Shelfy free
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best Linktree alternative in 2026?
Shelfy is the strongest free Linktree alternative because it gives you everything Linktree Pro and Premium gate behind paywalls (custom domains, advanced analytics, no branding, team collaboration, unlimited collections) on a free plan with no commerce fee. For creators selling digital products natively, Beacons Store Pro at $30/mo or Stan Store at $29/mo are stronger picks. For aesthetic-first free pages, Bio Sites by Squarespace.
Is Linktree's $35/month Premium tier worth it in 2026?
Only if you process more than around $390/month in sales: that is the breakeven where the 0 percent commerce fee on Premium saves you more than the $35 subscription costs (versus the 9 percent fee on lower tiers). For everyone else, Beacons Store Pro at $30/mo or a free tool like Shelfy plus an external payment processor is more economical.
What is the cheapest Linktree alternative?
Shelfy is free with no paid tier and no commerce fee. Bio.link and Lnk.bio offer paid tiers from $0.99/month for branding removal. Carrd is around $19/year for custom domains. Bio Sites by Squarespace is genuinely free with no forced branding.
Can I import my Linktree links into a new tool automatically?
Most alternatives require manual setup: copy URLs from your Linktree dashboard and paste into the new tool. Manual setup typically takes 15 to 30 minutes for 20 to 30 links. Shelfy and Beacons offer bulk CSV import. Linktree itself supports a Settings > Account export that produces a CSV you can re-import elsewhere.
The Bottom Line
Linktree isn't bad. It's just no longer the best option for most creators in 2026. The 2025 Premium hike to $35/mo, the persistent 12 percent free-tier commerce fee, and the rise of genuinely-free alternatives like Shelfy and Bio Sites have shifted the math.
If you are paying for features that are free elsewhere, frustrated by limits, or want better organization: switching makes sense.
Shelfy is the easiest migration target: everything Linktree Pro offers, free forever, with bonus features (multiple collections, team collaboration, API access) Linktree does not offer at any price. Migration takes ~75 minutes. Annual savings range from $96 to $420, plus 9 to 12 percent of every transaction you would have lost to Linktree's commerce fee.
Ready to switch? Create your free Shelfy account →
Related Reading
Tool comparisons:
- The Best Link in Bio Tool: Complete Comparison Guide (2026)
- Shelfy vs Linktree: An Honest Comparison After the 2025 Price Hike (2026)
- Shelfy vs Beacons: An Honest Comparison for Creators (2026)
- Beacons vs Linktree (2026)
- What's Actually Free vs Hidden Costs
- Shelfy vs Raindrop.io
Niche guides: