Free Linktree Alternatives That Don't Feel Limited (2026)

Free Linktree alternatives compared for 2026: what each free plan includes, the fees it takes on sales, how much analytics it keeps and what branding costs.

The hoo.be team · Updated · 12 min read
Free Linktree Alternatives That Don't Feel Limited (2026)
In this article

The best free Linktree alternatives in 2026 are hoo.be for tips, affiliate links and embeds, Beacons for the most selling features at no cost, Milkshake for design, Lnk.Bio for clean basics with the cheapest upgrade, Campsite for a fee-free tip jar right now, and Carrd if you want a tiny website instead of a link list.

Here's the honest part most lists skip: no free plan is fully free. Every tool in this guide, Linktree included, shows its own branding on free pages. Several take a cut when you sell. And most keep only a few weeks of analytics. "Free" is a trade, and the right tool is the one whose trade costs you least.

This guide compares what each free plan actually includes, using each company's pricing page as of October 2026, so you can pick one you won't outgrow next month.

Key takeaways

  • Linktree's free plan gives unlimited links and email signups, but takes 12% of digital product sales and keeps only 28 days of insights.
  • Every free plan here shows the tool's branding. The cheapest ways to remove it are Carrd ($9 a year), Milkshake Lite ($2.99 a month) and Lnk.Bio Unique ($24.99 once).
  • Selling on a free plan costs between 0% and 12% in platform fees, before card processing. Campsite's tip jar is fee-free for a limited time.
  • hoo.be's free plan includes tips from $1 to $500 (9% fee), product links for 30 shopping platforms, embeds from 19 platforms and 7- and 30-day analytics.
  • Instagram gives you five free bio links. A link page still matters because it works across every platform and shows you what gets clicked.

What do you get on Linktree's free plan?

Start with the baseline, because it's better than its reputation. According to Linktree's plan comparison, the free plan includes:

  • Unlimited links and one featured link
  • Email and phone signups, a contact form and a QR code
  • Video embeds from YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Twitch, Vimeo and Facebook
  • Digital products, courses and a shop, with a 12% fee on digital products and courses
  • Insights for the last 28 days

What it doesn't include: per-link insights (Starter, $8 a month), hiding the Linktree logo (Pro, $15 a month), SEO settings and mailing list integrations (Pro), or 0% fees on digital products (Premium, $35 a month). Linktree itself labels the plan "free with restrictions".

If all you need is a list of links, that's plenty. You start looking elsewhere when you want to sell, keep more data, or make the page feel like yours.

Use this as your checklist. A free plan worth building on should give you:

  1. Enough links or blocks to cover your socials, your latest content and at least one way to earn.
  2. Click analytics for at least 28 to 30 days, so you can see a full month of behaviour.
  3. One way to earn or capture: a tip button, a product link or an email signup.
  4. Real design control: your colours, fonts and profile photo, not a stock theme.
  5. A clear, fair upgrade: you know exactly what the first paid tier costs and what it adds.

Then check the four hidden costs of free: the platform fee on sales, the branding on your page, the analytics window, and any caps, such as email sends or stored contacts.

A person holding a smartphone showing a social media profile beside an open laptop
Set up your page on a laptop, then check every block on your phone, where your followers will see it. Photo: Swello on Unsplash

How do the free Linktree alternatives compare?

Here is what each free plan includes, side by side. "Branding removal" shows the cheapest plan that hides the tool's logo.

ToolAnalytics on freeSelling on freeEmail capture on freeBranding removal from
Linktree28 daysDigital products, 12% feeYesPro, $15/mo
hoo.be7 and 30 daysTips (9% fee), product linksYes, contact and form blocks (unlimited contacts on Pro)Pro, see hoo.be/pricing
BeaconsReal-timeUnlimited digital products, 9% feeYes, 50 sends a monthCreator, $10/mo
Milkshake30 daysDigital files, 12% feeNo (Pro)Lite, $2.99/mo
Lnk.BioViews and per-link clicksDonation boxNo (Unique)Unique, $24.99 once
Campsite14 days of link clicksTip jar, 0% for a limited timeNo (Pro)Pro, $7/mo
CarrdNot included (Pro Standard)Payment embeds need ProNo (Pro Standard)Pro Lite, $9/yr

US prices billed monthly unless noted. Card processing, such as Stripe's fees, applies on top of every platform fee. Source: each company's pricing page, October 2026.

Platform fee on sales, free plan

Linktree (digital products)12%
Milkshake12%
Beacons9%
hoo.be (tips)9%
Campsite (tips, limited time)0%
Platform fee only; payment processing is extra. Sources: Linktree, Milkshake, Beacons and Campsite pricing pages, October 2026.

Which free Linktree alternatives are worth using?

1. hoo.be: best free plan for creators who earn

hoo.be's free plan is built from blocks rather than a plain list. You can add links, swipeable carousels, titles, products with a price and shop button, a tips block, upcoming events with tickets, and contact and signup forms with text, email, phone, select, yes/no and address fields. Embeds cover 19 platforms, including YouTube and Shorts, TikTok, Instagram, Spotify, Apple Music, SoundCloud, Substack and Twitch.

For earning, product links recognise 30 shopping platforms, such as Amazon, LTK, ShopMy, Etsy, Shopify, Sephora and Target. Tips run from $1 to $500 with presets of $5, $15 and $25, paid through Stripe, with a 9% hoo.be fee on Free. Analytics on Free cover the last 7 and 30 days, and contacts and form responses export to CSV.

Upgrade when: you want to remove branding, add custom SEO, schedule your page, see referrer, device and location data, or lower the tip fee to 5% (Pro) or 0% (Premium).

2. Beacons: most selling features for free

Beacons packs a lot into its free plan: a customisable link in bio, unlimited digital product sales, a media kit that updates daily, affiliate links, email collection with 50 email sends a month, Instagram auto-DM replies and real-time analytics. If you want a store, a media kit and a link page from one login, it's hard to beat on features.

Upgrade when: the 9% seller fee starts to sting. Note that Creator ($10 a month) removes branding but keeps the 9% fee. Only Creator Plus ($30 a month) drops it to 0%.

3. Milkshake: best-looking free page

Milkshake builds your page as swipeable cards from your phone, with professional templates and deep colour and font control. The free plan includes unlimited links and cards, social icons, a QR code, 30 days of insights and selling digital files through Stripe. Milkshake says the free plan is fully functional, with no credit card needed.

Upgrade when: you want to remove branding (Lite, $2.99 a month) or need a contact form, mailing list, Meta pixel and SEO tools (Pro, $59.99 a year). The sales fee is 12% on Free and Lite. More options in our Milkshake alternatives guide.

A woman sitting on her living room floor talking to a camera on a tripod
When you change tools, tell your audience in your next video so they know the new page is really you. Photo: Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash

4. Lnk.Bio: best free basics, cheapest upgrade

Lnk.Bio's free plan includes unlimited links, a donation box, a second page, and embeds for Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and many more. Free stats show views and per-link clicks. It has kept the same prices since 2016, and its paid tiers are some of the cheapest around: Mini at $0.99 a month, or Unique for a one-time $24.99.

Upgrade when: you need the built-in shop, newsletter and contact forms, custom colours or logo removal. All of those need Unique.

5. Campsite: best free tip jar right now

Campsite's free plan includes unlimited links, link locking, embeds, a tip jar and paid requests. Campsite lists its transaction fee as 0% "for a limited time" on every plan, including Free. Analytics on Free show link clicks for the last 14 days.

Upgrade when: you need email opt-in forms, tracking pixels, a custom domain, branding removal or 60 days of data. All arrive with Pro at $7 a month. See our Campsite alternatives guide for more.

6. Carrd: best if you want a tiny website

Carrd is a one-page website builder. Its free plan lets you publish up to three sites on a Carrd address, with "Made with Carrd" branding. You get far more layout freedom than a link page, but you have to design it yourself, and forms, embeds and analytics need Pro Standard ($19 a year).

Upgrade when: you want to remove branding (Pro Lite, $9 a year) or connect your own domain (Pro Standard).

For some people, yes. Instagram lets you add up to five links to your bio without paying. If you subscribe to a Meta One plan, you can add up to 20 links with images and titles, and share the link page with its own URL.

A dedicated link page still does three things the native feature can't:

  • One link everywhere. The same page works on TikTok, YouTube, X, Threads, your email signature and a printed QR code. TikTok only lets you add a profile link once you have 1,000 followers or a verified business account, so that one link needs to do a lot.
  • Analytics. You see which links get tapped, from where, and when.
  • Earning. Tips, products, signups and embeds live on the page itself.
  1. Pick your one goal. Sales, signups, streams or bookings. The block for that goal goes first.
  2. Claim your handle. Use the same handle you use on social, so the URL is easy to recognise.
  3. Add a clear photo and one-line bio. Say what you do and who it's for.
  4. Add three to seven links. Your latest content, your main way to earn, and your socials as icons. Cut everything else.
  5. Add one way to keep people. An email signup or contact form. Here's how to build an email list from your link in bio.
  6. Test it on your phone. Open it from Instagram and TikTok, tap every link, and check it loads fast.
  7. Paste it everywhere. Every social bio, your email signature and your YouTube channel links.

Pro tip

Check your analytics after 30 days and delete any link with almost no taps. A shorter page converts better. Our list of common link in bio mistakes covers the rest.

When is it worth upgrading from a free plan?

Stay free while your page is mostly a signpost. Upgrade when one of these becomes true:

  • Fees cost more than a plan. At a 9% fee, $200 a month in sales costs you $18. If a paid tier lowers the fee and costs less than that, upgrade.
  • You need more history. Comparing months or showing a brand a longer trend needs more than the 30 days or less most free plans keep.
  • Brands are looking. Removing a tool's branding and adding your own SEO title makes the page read as yours when you pitch.
  • You need your own domain. Campsite Pro, Carrd Pro Standard, Milkshake Pro+ and hoo.be Premium all support one.

For a wider ranking that includes Linktree itself and tools by creator type, see the best free link in bio tools in 2026. If you're open to paid plans too, read our full Linktree alternatives comparison.

A person tapping a smartphone on a wooden cafe table next to a red coffee cup
Most taps on your page happen on a phone, in a few seconds, so keep it short and fast. Photo: Marco Palumbo on Unsplash

Start free with hoo.be

Links, products, tips, events, forms and embeds from 19 platforms on one page, with 7- and 30-day analytics on the free plan. Upgrade only when your page is earning.

Claim your free hoo.be

Frequently asked questions

What is the best free alternative to Linktree?

For creators who earn from tips, affiliate links and embeds, hoo.be's free plan is a strong pick. Beacons offers the most selling features for free, with a 9% fee. Lnk.Bio is best if you just want clean, unlimited links with the cheapest upgrade.

Is Linktree free to use?

Yes. Linktree's free plan includes unlimited links, email and phone signups and 28 days of insights. It charges a 12% fee on digital product and course sales, and hiding the Linktree logo requires Pro at $15 a month.

Can I remove branding on a free link in bio plan?

Not on any of the tools in this guide. Branding removal is a paid feature everywhere. The cheapest options are Carrd Pro Lite at $9 a year, Milkshake Lite at $2.99 a month and Lnk.Bio Unique at a one-time $24.99.

Which free link in bio tool has no fees on sales?

Campsite lists a 0% transaction fee on its tip jar for a limited time, on all plans. Other free plans charge a platform fee: 9% on Beacons and on hoo.be tips, and 12% on Milkshake and on Linktree digital products. Card processing is always extra.

Do free link in bio pages show the tool's branding?

Yes. Every free plan in this guide shows the tool's own branding, such as a logo or a "made with" badge. Removing it is a paid feature, starting at $9 a year on Carrd and $2.99 a month on Milkshake.

How many links can you put in your Instagram bio for free?

Up to five. With a Meta One subscription, Instagram lets you add up to 20 links on a link page with images and titles. A link in bio tool lets you use one page across every platform.

Can I move from Linktree to a free alternative without losing my links?

Yes. Copy your links and titles across, export any email or phone signups first, then update your bio link on every platform on the same day. Keep your old page live for a few weeks with one link to the new one.

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