Linkhiver vs Beacons: which link in bio fits your business?
Beacons made its name on creator monetization — tips, paid pinned posts, fan subscriptions. Linkhiver is the SEO-first, analytics-included alternative. They optimize for different things, and the right pick depends on how you make money from your audience.
TL;DR
- Pick Linkhiver if you want full SEO controls, real analytics, and no transaction fees on monetization — and you already use your own storefronts (Shopify, Ko-fi, Gumroad) for payments.
- Pick Beacons if you want native, in-platform monetization (tips, paid posts, subscriptions) and are happy with the trade-off of platform transaction fees.
- Both publish in under 5 minutes. The differences are about what feels free and what feels paywalled.
Feature-by-feature comparison
| Feature | Linkhiver | Beacons |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Free forever during public beta | Free tier with branded footer |
| Unlimited links | No cap on free | No cap on free |
| Built-in monetization (tips, paid posts) | Link out to your own storefronts (Shopify, Ko-fi, Gumroad) | Native tips, paid pinned posts, fan subscriptions |
| Transaction fees on paid features | None — Linkhiver never touches checkout | Beacons takes a cut of monetization features |
| Click analytics | Per-link clicks, traffic sources, time-series | Basic on free; advanced on Pro |
| UTM tracking | Per-link UTM parameters supported | Available on higher tiers |
| Remove provider branding | No "Powered by" footer | Branded footer on free plan |
| SEO controls (title, description, OG image) | Editable per page | Limited controls on free plan |
| Setup time | Under 5 minutes to publish | Under 5 minutes to publish |
Feature claims about Beacons reflect their publicly documented plan structure. Tier names and limits change frequently — confirm on their site before switching.
When Beacons is the right choice
Beacons is a fine pick if any of these matter most:
- You want to accept tips, sell paid pinned posts, or run fan subscriptions directly from your bio page, without setting up an external payment tool.
- You do not already have a Shopify, Ko-fi, or Patreon account and want native infrastructure baked in.
- You are happy paying Beacons a percentage of monetization revenue in exchange for them handling checkout, taxes, and payouts.
When Linkhiver is the right choice
Linkhiver wins for creators who care about ownership, search, and keeping every dollar of revenue:
- You already have your own monetization stack. If your shop is on Shopify and your supporters use Ko-fi or Patreon, Beacons built-in tools duplicate what you already have — and add fees.
- You care about SEO. Linkhiver ships per-page title, description, and OG image controls plus structured data. Your bio page can rank for branded searches.
- You want no transaction fees. Linkhiver never touches checkout — 100% of revenue from your linked storefronts goes to you.
How to switch from Beacons to Linkhiver in 5 minutes
- Open your Beacons dashboard in one tab and copy your existing link list to a scratch doc.
- Sign up for Linkhiver free. No credit card required.
- Pick a template that matches your current look.
- Paste your links over. For any monetization that was native in Beacons (tips, paid posts), replace with a direct link to your Ko-fi or Patreon — you will keep 100% of revenue.
- Update the link in your Instagram, TikTok, and X bios to your new linkhiver.com/yourhandle URL. You're live.
Frequently asked questions
Is Beacons better for creator monetization?
For native monetization features — tips, paid pinned posts, fan subscriptions — yes. Beacons has built infrastructure for that out of the box. Linkhiver takes a different approach: link out to your own monetization tools (Shopify, Ko-fi, Patreon, Gumroad) so you keep 100% of revenue and avoid platform transaction fees.
Which is better for SEO?
Linkhiver. Every Linkhiver page ships with full SEO controls — per-page title, meta description, OG image, structured data — on the free plan. Beacons is more focused on creator monetization than search ranking.
Can I move my Beacons content to Linkhiver?
Yes, and it usually takes under five minutes. Sign up, pick a template, paste your existing links over, and publish. Your bio URL on Instagram and TikTok updates with one edit each.
Will I lose my Beacons URL?
Your beacons.ai/yourhandle URL is owned by Beacons. After switching, update the link in your social bios to your new linkhiver.com/yourhandle URL.
Does Linkhiver charge fees if I sell through my page?
No. Your monetization links point directly at your storefront (Shopify, Ko-fi, Gumroad, etc.). Linkhiver never sits between you and the buyer, and we take no percentage of revenue.
Is Beacons or Linkhiver bigger?
Beacons has been around longer and has more creators on it. Linkhiver is newer and growing. The right question is not who is bigger but which one gives you what you need on the free plan — for most creators, that is the differentiator.
Free, no transaction fees, real analytics
No credit card. No platform cut on monetization. Per-link analytics and full SEO controls on the free plan.