Linktree vs Stan Store: which one actually converts?
Linktree keeps it simple. Stan Store sells products directly. We compared both side by side and tested a third option neither of them saw coming.
Feature comparison
How Linktree, Stan Store, and Links compare side by side.
Free plan
Built-in store
Page load speed
Smart deep links
Shield protection
Digital product sales
Analytics
Setup time
| Feature | Links | Linktree / Stan Store |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Unlimited links, full analytics, no branding | Linktree: free with branding / Stan Store: $99/year Creator plan |
| Built-in store | No (link out to your own store) | Linktree: no / Stan Store: yes, full checkout |
| Page load speed | Under 1 second | Linktree: 2-3s / Stan Store: 3-4s |
| Smart deep links | Yes, opens real browser from Instagram | Neither has this |
| Shield protection | Yes, blocks crawlers and bots | Neither has this |
| Digital product sales | No (link to Gumroad, Shopify, etc.) | Linktree: no / Stan Store: yes, courses + downloads |
| Analytics | Full click tracking, free | Linktree: paid tier / Stan Store: basic sales data |
| Setup time | 2 minutes | Linktree: 5 min / Stan Store: 30+ min (store setup) |
Different tools for different goals. One fixes what both miss.
Stan Store is built for selling courses, downloads, and digital products. If your business runs on direct sales, it does that well. Linktree is a simpler link page with no commerce built in. But here's the thing both overlook: when someone taps your bio link from Instagram, they land in a broken webview. Checkout flows fail. Pages load slow. Neither Linktree nor Stan Store fixes this. Links does. Smart deep links open your page in the real browser where payments actually work. If you sell through your own store and want your links to convert from Instagram, Links is the missing piece.
No credit card required
Common questions
Stan Store is better for selling digital products directly. It has built-in checkout, course hosting, and download delivery. Linktree does not sell products. It links out to external stores. If you already have a Shopify or Gumroad store, you don't need Stan Store's commerce features. You just need your links to work properly from Instagram.
Stan Store's Creator plan is $99 per year. They also take a transaction fee on sales made through their platform. Linktree is free with limited features, or $9-24/month for paid tiers. Links is completely free with no transaction fees because it links to your existing store instead of hosting one.
If you already sell on Shopify, Gumroad, Teachable, or your own website, yes. Links gives you a fast bio page that sends fans to your existing store in the real browser. You skip the $99/year Stan Store fee and keep your existing checkout flow. If you need built-in product hosting, Stan Store fills that gap.
Instagram opens bio links in a built-in webview instead of Safari or Chrome. This mini browser blocks cookies, breaks payment forms, and slows page loads. That's why your Shopify checkout or Stan Store payment page sometimes fails when fans tap from your feed. Smart deep links in Links bypass the webview and open your real browser.
Yes. Create a free Links account, add your URLs, and paste your new link in your Instagram bio. It takes about 2 minutes. If you use Stan Store for product sales, you can link to your Stan Store page from Links and get the deep link benefit on top of it.
“I was paying $99/year for Stan Store but 80% of my traffic comes from Instagram and half my checkouts were failing. Moved my product links to Links and point them to Gumroad. Conversions doubled because the checkout actually loads now.”
Marcus W.
Course creator, 120K followers
“Linktree was fine until I realized nobody was clicking through to my store. Switched to Links and saw a 35% jump in traffic to my Shopify page. The speed difference is real.”
Tanya R.
Small business owner
“I don't need a built-in store. I need my links to work from Instagram. Links does that better than anything else I've tried.”
Devon K.
Content creator, 45K followers