Linktree vs Beacons: honest breakdown for 2026
Two of the biggest link-in-bio tools, compared feature by feature. We also cover what both of them miss and why creators are switching to something else entirely.
Feature comparison
How Linktree, Beacons, and Links compare side by side.
Free plan
Page load speed
Smart deep links
Shield protection
Built-in store
Customization
Analytics
Setup time
| Feature | Links | Linktree / Beacons |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Unlimited links, full analytics, no branding | Unlimited links, basic analytics, branding on both |
| Page load speed | Under 1 second | Linktree: 2-3s / Beacons: 3-5s |
| Smart deep links | Yes, opens real browser from Instagram | Neither has this |
| Shield protection | Yes, blocks risky crawlers | Neither has this |
| Built-in store | No (link to your own store) | Beacons: yes / Linktree: limited |
| Customization | Clean templates, fast to set up | Linktree: themes / Beacons: full page builder |
| Analytics | Full click tracking, free | Linktree: paid / Beacons: basic free |
| Setup time | 2 minutes | Linktree: 5 min / Beacons: 15 min |
Both are good. Neither solves the real problem.
Linktree is simple and widely used. Beacons has more features. But neither one fixes the biggest issue Instagram creators face: the broken webview. When a fan taps your bio link, Instagram opens it in a mini browser that breaks checkouts, slows load times, and kills conversions. Links is the only tool that bypasses this with smart deep links. It's also free, loads faster than both, and protects your account from risky crawlers. If clicks and conversions matter to you, try Links before picking between Linktree and Beacons.
No credit card required
Common questions
It depends on what you need. Linktree is simpler and faster to set up. Beacons has more built-in tools like a store, email capture, and media kit. But both share the same weakness: they don't fix the Instagram webview problem. Your fans still get a slow, broken experience when they tap from Instagram.
Linktree has a free plan with unlimited links, but it's limited. You get Linktree branding on your page, basic analytics only, and no custom domains. Their paid plans start at $9/month for Starter and go up to $24/month for Pro.
Beacons has a free plan, but it includes Beacons branding on your page and limited features. Their Creator Pro plan is $10/month and removes branding while adding more tools. If you want to sell products through the Beacons store on the free plan, they also take a percentage of your sales as a transaction fee. Links is completely free with no branding, no feature limits, and no transaction fees because you link to your own store instead of selling through the platform.
Links is a free link-in-bio tool built specifically for Instagram creators. We included it because it solves a problem neither Linktree nor Beacons addresses: the Instagram webview. Links uses smart deep links to open the real browser, which means faster loads and higher conversions. It also has shield protection to keep your account safe from crawlers.
Yes. It takes about 2 minutes to switch. Create a free Links account, add the same URLs you currently have on Linktree or Beacons, and update your Instagram bio with your new Links URL. You can keep your Linktree or Beacons page active while you test Links and compare the analytics. This way you can see the speed difference and how smart deep links improve your click-through rate before making the final switch.
“I spent a month going back and forth between Linktree and Beacons. Then a friend told me about Links. My page loaded twice as fast and my checkout links actually worked from Instagram for the first time.”
Nadia T.
Beauty creator, 85K followers
“Beacons had too many features I never used. Linktree was basic but locked analytics behind $9/month. Links gives me everything free and my conversion rate from Instagram went up 40%.”
Jason C.
E-commerce seller
“Tried all three. Links is the fastest. That's what matters on mobile.”
Amy L.
Fitness creator, 52K followers