Growing an audience
Running the business
Both cover link in bio. Here is what separates them on price, billing, what you can take with you, and coverage.
| Beacons | Bitly | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | From $10 | From $10 |
| Pricing model | Free plan, paid tiers | Free plan, paid tiers |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Billing | Monthly or annual | Monthly or annual |
| Free trial | Not stated | None |
| API | Not stated | Yes |
| Data export | Not stated | Not stated |
| Their cut | 9% of what you earn | Not stated |
| Runs on | Not stated | Web |
| Covers | Link in Bio, Brand Deals & Sponsorships, Digital Products & Storefronts | Link in Bio, Analytics |
| Works with | YouTube, TikTok, Instagram | TikTok, Instagram |
| Founded | Not listed | Not listed |
| Reader rating | No reviews yet | No reviews yet |
| Live deals | None right now | None right now |
Link in bio that doubles as a store and a media kit
Beacons started as a link page and grew into email, a shop and a media kit for brand deals. Having the pitch deck and the store in the same place is genuinely useful. The free tier carries branding.
Our note
Good if the media kit is the reason you are here. If it is not, Beacons is a heavier link page than most people need, and the 9 percent on the cheap plans is easy to miss until a product sells well.
Only on this side
Short links, QR codes and a bio page
Bitly shortens and brands links, makes QR codes that stay editable after they have been printed, and builds a link-in-bio page from the same account, with click data under all three. The free plan is five links a month and carries advertising. What the money buys is the branded domain and the reporting behind it.
Our note
For a bio link alone this is expensive next to Linktree or Zaap. It earns the money when the same links are going onto packaging and into a campaign report, which is the job the cheaper ones do not do.
Only on this side
Ratings are the average of reviews readers left. The facts are stated by each tool’s own listing and are not verified by CloutStack. How we make money.