Pick LTK for shoppable fashion, beauty and home content. Pick Linktree as your one link for everything else you want to share.
Linktree vs LTK: the short answer
Many creators run both at once. On Linktree you can add your own affiliate links or pick from its curated affiliate marketplace (US only)1.
The fit in one line: LTK suits approved lifestyle creators, from fashion to home, who want brand commissions and campaigns2, and an LTK shop link can sit on a Linktree page1. Linktree suits anyone who needs one link for everything, plus optional US-only affiliate earning3.
LTK and Linktree side by side
Checked 2026-11-05. Commission on both is set by each brand, and neither public site says whether the platform keeps a share of affiliate commission. For a deeper look at LTK, read the LTK review: pay, rules and fees.
| LTK | Linktree | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Creator-guided shopping platform4 | Link-in-bio page with over 70 million users1 |
| Who can join | Apply and be approved; public profile with consistent, quality original content42 | Open sign-up for anyone |
| Typical commission | Set by each brand, typically 10 to 25%4 | Set by each brand; tiles on the Shops page show up to 5.5% to up to 15%5 |
| Cost to creators | Free to download and use4 | Free plan, plus paid Starter, Pro and Premium plans1. Third-party figure $8 to $35 a month6; check linktr.ee/s/pricing |
| Payouts | Commission set by each brand, plus agreed rates for paid campaigns2 | Stripe to your connected bank351 |
| Where it works | Non-US brand collabs are managed4; 5,000 follower minimum only for non-US/CA applicants4 | Shops, sponsored links and affiliate tools are US only3 |
| Brand deals | Gifting and paid campaigns, plus managed LTK Campaigns27 | Agency or Enterprise plans1 |
How each one pays you
LTK pays commission set by each brand, typically 10 to 25%4. Creators can also work on gifting and paid campaigns, not only commission2.
What $1,000 in sales would pay at the rates each platform publishes: LTK says brands typically offer 10 to 25 percent, and Linktree Shops shows example brand tiles from up to 5.5 percent to up to 15 percent. Sources: 4, 5.
Linktree Shops pays commission on products from thousands of brands, with brand tiles on its page showing up to 5.5% to up to 15%. Payments go through Stripe to your connected bank account53. Linktree says it currently charges USD $0.25 per payout1.
Worked examples:
Example 1, commission range before returns and any platform share: $1,000 in attributed sales at LTK's typical 10% is $100; at 25% it's $2504. At the Linktree Shops tile rates, up to 5.5% is $55 and up to 15% is $1505. The brand sets the rate on both.
Example 2, an arithmetic illustration of what happens if returns are deducted: $600 in sales at 15% is $90 commission. If $150 of that is returned, commission is on $450, so $450 x 15% = $67.50.
Example 3, Linktree payout fee: 4 payouts in a month x $0.25 = $1.001.
One disagreement to flag. A top-ranking comparison, Shelfy, says LTK pays about 10 to 30% and needs roughly 5,000 followers6. LTK's own FAQ says 10 to 25% is typical, and the 5,000 minimum applies only to applicants outside the US and Canada4. Go with LTK's own page.
What each costs creators
The LTK app is free to download and use4. There is no subscription fee to compare.
Linktree has a Free plan plus paid Starter, Pro and Premium plans. The live pricing page fills in prices by region, and a third-party page puts paid plans at $8 to $35 a month after a November 2025 increase6. That figure is secondary. Check linktr.ee/s/pricing before you decide. For another angle on link-in-bio pricing, see Linktree vs Beacons: prices, fees and tools.
Linktree's pricing page lists "Sell and earn with 0% fees" as a Pro feature, and Premium includes everything in Pro1. Selling digital products needs Pro or Premium, while free digital products can be shared on any plan3. Linktree says transaction and processing fees may apply depending on plan13. Some third-party sites list different fee rates, so the live page is the one to trust.
For brands: what LTK and Linktree sell
LTK Campaigns is a managed, white-glove service sold through a contact form, with no published price7. Brand collaborations outside the US are run as a managed service4. An LTK self-serve page lists Launch at $99 a month and Pro at $999 a month. That page contains template placeholder text and may be a draft, so treat those numbers as unconfirmed. Ask LTK for a quote8.
Linktree's brand side is different. It offers Agency or Enterprise plans with custom contracts1. These manage many profiles at once, and they are not a way to commission a video from a specific creator.
If you want flat-fee TikTok Shop videos rather than commission, look at TikTok Shop brands that work with creators. On Rateful, brands book from a creator's public page at rateful.ai/@handle and pay through Rateful before filming. They see a booking protection fee of about 5% before they pay.
Example 4: a $400 video carries about $20 in booking protection, so the brand sees about $420 in total before paying, and Rateful takes 0% of the creator's $400. On a creator's own deals, the creator's deposit is released before filming, and Rateful holds only the rest until the posts are live.
Which to pick, and where paid TikTok videos fit
Pick LTK if you're approved (or can be) and your content is shoppable lifestyle content, including fashion and beauty42.
Pick Linktree if you need a link-in-bio page or sell digital products, or if you aren't approved for LTK yet1. Its Shops, sponsored links and affiliate tools only work for US-based creators3.
You can also use both, since Linktree lets you add your own affiliate links1.
If you want flat-fee TikTok video deals, where a brand pays you a set rate per video, that's where Rateful comes in. An AI manager named Sam answers brand emails sent to your deals address, handle@rateful.ai, negotiates to the rate card you set, never goes below your minimum, and needs your OK to accept any deal. Sam also pitches brands for you, and every creator gets 10 free brand pitches.
Sam sends the brand a written agreement, and the brand pays through Rateful before you film. Rateful takes 0% of your deals, and creators pay nothing until their first deal closes. After that you choose between Pro at $49 a month and Scale at $149 a month with unlimited pitches. You can also stay on the Free plan, where each reply waits for your approval.
Payouts go to your Stripe account. That is US only for now, and you must be 18 or older. Rateful can't promise earnings; what you make depends on your rates and which brands say yes. See what TikTok Shop creators on Rateful charge for one video and Rateful vs LTK for TikTok creators.
Questions people ask
can you use ltk and linktree together
Yes, and many creators do. Your LTK shop link can sit on your Linktree page1. LTK handles the brand commissions; Linktree handles the one link in your bio.
how many followers do you need for ltk
LTK's FAQ doesn't give a minimum for US and Canada applicants, but sets a 5,000 follower minimum for applicants outside the US and Canada4. LTK looks for a public social profile with consistent, quality original content2. A third-party comparison claims roughly 5,000 followers are needed across the board, but that differs from LTK's own page6.
does linktree pay commission like ltk
Yes, through Linktree Shops, where brand tiles show the commission rate for each brand. Stripe pays out to your bank, and the payout fee is USD $0.2551. The Shops program is US only31.
is ltk free for creators
Yes, the app costs nothing. There is no subscription fee. You do need approval before you can work with its brands4.
is linktree shops available outside the us
Linktree Shops, sponsored links, affiliate opportunities and Linktree Rewards are available only to US-based users3. Creators outside the US can still use Linktree as a link-in-bio page and add their own links.
which pays more ltk or linktree
Neither one pays more by default, because the brand sets the commission rate on both. LTK says brands typically offer 10 to 25%4, while Linktree Shops tiles show rates from up to 5.5% to up to 15%5. What you earn depends on which brands you link and how much your audience buys.