Faster than a mini-site, more useful too

For getting clicks and conversions, yes. Milkshake is better if you want a mini-website with swipeable pages and custom backgrounds. Links is better if you want your fans to quickly find and click your links without waiting for heavy pages to load. The speed difference is massive. Milkshake pages take 3-6 seconds to load on real phones, and Links loads in under a second. When someone taps your bio from Instagram, every second matters. Most people won't wait through a 5-second load.

Milkshake has basic page view counts. You see how many people viewed your page, but not which specific links they clicked. Links has full per-link click tracking, device breakdown, and traffic source data. You see exactly which links perform best, what devices your audience uses, and where your traffic comes from. That level of detail helps you make better decisions about what content to prioritize.

Milkshake is free to use. Links is also free. The difference is that Links includes smart deep links, shield protection, and detailed analytics that Milkshake doesn't offer at any price. Smart deep links bypass the Instagram webview so your links actually open in the real browser. Shield protection blocks crawlers that could trigger spam detection. These features help you convert more visitors and protect your account.

Links focuses on a clean, fast design rather than heavy customization. You can reorder links and add your content, but there are no swipeable templates or custom backgrounds. The tradeoff is a page that loads 5x faster. Milkshake gives you full design control, which is great for branding. But all that customization comes with weight. If you want visitors to actually click through rather than admire your design, speed wins. Links prioritizes conversion over decoration.