Linktree vs Beacons vs Piku: who each one suits

We make Piku. So read this knowing we are a vendor, and that we put Linktree and Beacons first on purpose: they are older, bigger, and better than us at several things.

Most "Linktree vs Beacons" pages are written by a third company that ends by pitching itself. We will do a version of that too, but plainly: Piku is a third option for one kind of person, someone who sells a service and wants to quote, invoice and get paid from the same link.

We make Piku

That matters, so here it is up front:

• We built Piku, and we are paid when people join.
• We read Linktree's and Beacons' own pricing pages for every number below, and we link them.
• Where a rival does something better, we say so.
• Piku is newer and smaller. Fewer people know its name, and that counts when you share a link.

If you want the wider view first, our guide to what to put in your link in bio when you sell your time covers what any page should hold, whichever tool you use.

The short answer

• Pick Linktree if you want the name people already know, a lot of link apps (music, video, Calendly, contact forms), and a $0 plan to start.
• Pick Beacons if you sell digital products or courses and want a media kit, rate cards and invoices in the same place as your store.
• Pick Piku if you sell a service, such as posts, tours, design, code or sessions, and want clients to request a priced Rate, accept a quote and pay an invoice from one link.

You can also mix them. Plenty of people keep Linktree or Beacons as their main link and add one Rate Card link to it.

Prices and fees, dated

Prices and fees checked on 20 October 2026, from each company's own page. Prices change, and Linktree says its prices vary by region and show in local currency, so the numbers below are the US prices we were shown.

What the fees mean on one job, as an example:

• An invoice for USD 500: Piku's 1% is USD 5, paid by the client by default.
• An invoice for USD 3,000: 1% would be USD 30, so the cap applies and the fee is USD 10.
• On Beacons Creator, the same invoices carry no seller fee, but the plan costs more per year than Piku's.

Example amounts, for illustration only.

A fair reading of those tables:

• For low yearly cost, Linktree's $0 plan and Piku's $15 founding plan are the cheapest ways in.
• For many large invoices, Beacons Creator, with no fee on invoices, can cost you less than Piku's 1%, if you choose to cover the fee yourself. Do the sum with your own numbers.
• For digital products, Linktree Premium and Beacons Creator Plus take no seller fee. Piku does not sell them at all.

What each does best

Linktree

• Reach and trust. People recognise a Linktree link. That lowers the "is this safe to tap?" moment.
• Link apps. Its pricing page lists many: music pre-saves, YouTube and X embeds, Calendly, Typeform, contact forms, maps, discount codes.
• A $0 plan that does the basics well.
• Shops and courses on every plan, with the fee falling as the plan goes up.

Where it is thinner for service work: its pricing page lists no quotes, invoices or rate cards. You would link out to another tool for those.

Beacons

• A full creator store: digital products, courses with video hosting, memberships, affiliate links.
• A media kit that updates daily, with rate cards, past projects and a pricing calculator, listed on its pricing page.
• Invoices you generate, send, track and follow up, with no seller fee on Creator.
• Email sends included, and more on higher plans.

Beacons does more than Piku in one place. If you sell products and take brand deals, it covers both.

Piku

• Rate Cards for any service. Each Rate is a fixed price, a "from" price or a range, in your own currency, or "price on request". Clients tap Request, with no account needed.
• Deals end to end. You quote, the client accepts from an approval link, then pays. Quotes have a "valid until" date.
• Invoices that chase themselves. Deposits and splits, receipts that send on payment, and overdue reminders at 3, 7 and 14 days late.
• Card or mobile money at checkout, which matters if your clients are in places where cards are not the main way to pay.
• One yearly price with every feature, and a fee capped at $10 per invoice, paid by the client by default.
• Readable by agents. An MCP server and a plain /piku.md, so a brand's agent can find your Rates. A person still confirms each request by email, and you still quote.

What Piku does not do: digital products, courses, memberships or a store. The wallet is opening soon, not live. And a new page is open for its first 10 visits as a trial, then shows "Opening soon" until the plan is paid.

Who should pick which

Example: three people, three picks.

• Maya is a musician with merch and a newsletter. Linktree fits: the music link apps and the known name do the work.
• Leo sells presets and a photo course, and takes a few brand deals a year. Beacons fits: store, media kit and invoices in one place.
• Alex is a tour guide and a part-time designer who gets "how much?" in DMs every day. Piku fits: Rates for each tour and design job, a quote, a deposit, and a pay link.

Example people, for illustration only.

A few plain rules:

• If most of your income is products, pick Linktree or Beacons.
• If most of your income is your time, look at Piku, or at Beacons if you also sell products.
• If you want to try before you pay, Linktree and Beacons have $0 plans; Piku gives a new page 10 visits.
• If your clients pay by mobile money, check each tool's checkout for your country before you choose.

Two more reads help you decide: our best link in bio for freelancers comparison looks at six tools, and Stan Store alternatives for client work covers people moving off a digital-product store. If you go with any tool, how to make a rate card for any service shows how to set prices people can read in ten seconds.

Questions