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I've spent the last year building Linklay — a link-in-bio tool built for creators who actually care about SEO and pricing transparency. And the single most common thing I hear from creators switching over is some version of:
"Wait, I have to pay $15 a month just to get rid of the Linktree logo?"
Yes. You do.
Here's the full breakdown of what's actually going on with Linktree's pricing — and why so many creators are looking for alternatives.
Linktree's pricing structure is deliberately confusing
Linktree has four paid tiers. The one most creators sign up for first is the Starter plan at $8/month. It sounds reasonable. But here's what they don't tell you upfront:
Branding removal requires the Pro plan at $15/month.
That means every creator on the $8/month plan has "link.tree" or the Linktree logo visible on their page — advertising Linktree to every visitor — and the only way to remove it is to pay nearly double.
If you want a full breakdown of exactly what each Linktree tier includes versus what Linklay Pro offers at $9.99/month, the Linktree vs Linklay pricing comparison breaks it down feature by feature.
What $9.99/month actually gets you on Linklay
Linklay Pro is $9.99/month. That's less than Linktree's $15/month plan. Here's what's included:
- Branding removal — your page, your brand, no Linklay logo
- SEO-Powered Links — the only feature in the bio-link category that passes real Google ranking equity from your profile page to your most important destination URL
- Free retargeting pixel — retarget every visitor to your bio page across Facebook, TikTok, and Google Ads
- Free Facebook pixel — add your Facebook pixel to your bio page at no extra cost
- Apple Wallet passes — let visitors save your contact card directly to Apple Wallet
- Video backgrounds — animated backgrounds on your profile
- Verified badge — show visitors your profile is the real one
- Priority support
Linktree charges $15/month for branding removal alone. Linklay Pro gives you all of the above for $9.99/month. See the full Linklay pricing breakdown.
The SEO problem nobody talks about
Beyond pricing, there's a more fundamental issue with Linktree and most bio-link tools: their pages don't rank in Google.
When Googlebot visits a Linktree profile, it gets an empty JavaScript shell. The actual content — your name, your bio, your links — renders client-side after the page loads. Google struggles to index client-rendered pages reliably. The result: your Linktree page effectively doesn't exist to search engines.
Every outbound link is also wrapped in a tracking redirect with rel="nofollow" — explicitly telling Google not to pass any ranking signal to the destinations you're linking to.
Linklay solved this with edge-rendered profile pages — fully-formed HTML served on first request that Google can index immediately. Creator profiles rank in Google for their names and niche queries within days of signup.
The SEO-Powered Link feature takes this further — Pro users can mark one link on their page as SEO-Powered, which passes real Google ranking equity to that destination. Point it at your Shopify store, your portfolio, or your booking page and it gets a real backlink from an indexed, server-rendered domain.
No other tool in the category offers this. Not Linktree, not Beacons, not Stan Store, not Later.
How Linklay compares to the main alternatives
Linktree vs Beacons
Beacons positions itself as a creator monetization platform and is genuinely more commerce-forward than Linktree. But paid plans run $10-90/month and the underlying architecture has the same SEO problem — client-side rendered pages, nofollowed outbound links, no ranking signal passing to destinations. The Linktree vs Beacons comparison covers this in detail.
Linktree vs Stan Store
Stan Store is built for digital product sales and starts at $29/month. Strong commerce features but expensive for creators who primarily need a bio page rather than a full digital storefront. The Linktree vs Stan Store comparison breaks down which creators benefit from each.
Beacons vs Stan Store
Both are commerce-forward platforms at different price points. The Beacons vs Stan Store comparison covers monetization features, pricing, and who each tool serves best.
For a full side-by-side of every major tool including pricing, free plan features, and SEO capabilities, the link in bio comparison covers all of them.
Who should switch and who should stay
Stay on Linktree if:
- You're on the free plan and happy with it
- You don't care about branding removal
- SEO is not a consideration
Switch to Linklay if:
- You're paying $15/month on Linktree just for branding removal
- You want your bio page to rank in Google
- You want your links to pass SEO equity to your destinations
- You want retargeting pixels without paying extra
Switch to Beacons if:
- You're primarily selling digital products
- You need creator monetization infrastructure
- You can justify $10-90/month
Switch to Stan Store if:
- You're building a creator business around courses and digital products
- Revenue from products justifies $29-99/month
If you're still evaluating, the best Linktree alternative guide covers the full competitive landscape and the best Beacons alternative covers Beacons-specific alternatives. You can also explore the Stan Store alternative and Later alternative comparisons.
Niche-specific considerations
The right bio-link tool depends partly on your niche:
- Musicians — link in bio for musicians — need Spotify embeds, tour date links, and music streaming platform links. SEO matters for ranking your artist name in search.
- Artists — link in bio for artists — portfolio links, commission booking, and shop links. The SEO-Powered Link is ideal for pointing Google ranking equity at your portfolio domain.
- Realtors — link in bio for realtors — listing links, booking links, and Google Business profile. Local SEO makes the edge-rendering advantage particularly valuable.
The pricing bottom line
| Feature | Linklay Pro ($9.99/mo) | Linktree Starter ($8/mo) | Linktree Pro ($15/mo) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Branding removal | ✅ Included | ❌ Not included | ✅ Included |
| SEO-Powered Links | ✅ Included | ❌ Not available | ❌ Not available |
| Retargeting pixels | ✅ Included | ❌ Not included | ✅ Included |
| Facebook pixel | ✅ Included | ❌ Not included | ✅ Included |
| Server-rendered pages | ✅ Google-indexed | ❌ Client-rendered | ❌ Client-rendered |
| Apple Wallet passes | ✅ Included | ❌ Not available | ❌ Not available |
Linktree charges $15/month for features Linklay includes at $9.99/month — and Linklay adds SEO infrastructure and the SEO-Powered Link feature that Linktree can't offer on any plan.
See Linklay pricing for the full breakdown or create your free profile and upgrade to Pro any time.
Joseph Pugliese is the founder of Linklay — a link-in-bio platform built with edge-rendered profile pages, real SEO infrastructure, and transparent pricing. Free plan available. Pro at $9.99/month.`
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