Linktree alternatives: Rateful vs Linktree for brand deals

Rateful runs the deal side and takes 0% of it; Linktree holds your links and sells digital products, and you can use both.

Short answer: Linktree holds your links, Rateful handles brand deals

Linktree's job is a public page with your links. Its Free plan includes unlimited basic links and email and phone sign-ups¹. Selling digital products through it needs a Pro or Premium plan, and Free and Starter can only share free products².

Rateful's job is brand deals. You get an inbox address, handle@rateful.ai, and an AI manager called Sam answers emails from brands sent there. Sam negotiates to the rate card you set, never goes below your minimum, and only accepts a deal with your OK.

The two work together: Linktree stays as your link page, and your Rateful page (rateful.ai/@handle) sits inside it as the link brands use to book you.

Rateful vs Linktree at a glance

Prices checked 2026-11-04 from the sources cited; Linktree pricing differs by region³.

What Linktree costs in 2026 (and where sources disagree)

Linktree's own pricing page, as retrieved, showed no price figures at all¹. Replug, checking on October 10, 2026, says the US prices on Linktree's pricing page are $8, $15 and $35 monthly for Starter, Pro and Premium, or $6, $12 and $30 billed annually⁷. CreatorStackClub's October 6, 2026 check gives the same annual figures, Starter $6, Pro $12 and Premium $30³.

A third-party check dated 6 October 2026 recorded Starter at $8, Pro at $15 and Premium at $35 a month, and noted prices vary by region³. Premium, at $35 monthly or $30 billed annually, matches across all of these checks. Check the price shown in your own region before paying.

Prices have moved recently, and a price tracker cited by Replug shows monthly prices of $5, $9 and $24 in August 2025 rising to $8, $15 and $35 by October 2025⁷.

Some ranking guides still quote about $5, $10 and $24⁸, which is out of date.

The seller fees also conflict. Linktree's older February 2026 blog post gives a transaction fee of 9% on Pro and 0% on Premium⁴, though on which plans can sell, the help center overrules it⁵. Linktree's pricing page lists "sell and earn with 0% fees" under Pro¹.

The two Linktree pages disagree on Pro, so confirm the figure inside your account before relying on either one.

Stripe processing is extra, typically 2.9% + $0.30 per sale⁵⁶. Payouts cost $0.25 each¹⁶. Digital product sales are paid out straight after purchase to Stripe⁵.

On one $20 template sale, using Linktree's blog figures (only Pro and Premium can sell paid products, so only they are shown):

Premium itself costs $35 monthly, or $30 with annual billing¹³. That's $420 a year paying month to month versus $360 when billed yearly, a $60 difference.

What Linktree does well

Linktree is good at its actual job. Pro removes Linktree branding, and it adds custom designs plus mailing list integrations. Premium adds link rules and routing, AI integrations, all-time analytics, data export, social media scheduling and unlimited Instagram auto-replies¹.

Selling works too on Pro and Premium plans, where you can price a digital product between $1.00 and $10,000 USD⁵.

The closest Linktree gets to brand money is partner earnings. They come from Linktree Shops, sponsored links and affiliate opportunities, and only US users can get them. Its fee there is a percentage of the commission you earn, not of the order value⁶. These are commission-based offers. Linktree doesn't negotiate flat-fee deals or answer brand emails for you.

Linktree is just one of many link-in-bio tools. For a side-by-side with Beacons, see the Linktree vs Beacons comparison with 2026 prices and fees.

Where Rateful fits: brand emails, rates and getting paid

Linktree doesn't reply to brand emails or negotiate for you. You get your own deals address, handle@rateful.ai. Brands email it, and Sam answers.

Sam works to the rates you set, never dips under your floor, and no deal is accepted without your sign-off. For more on how that works day to day, read how an AI manager handles your brand emails.

Sam sends the brand a written agreement. The brand pays through Rateful before you film. The deposit is released to you before filming, and only the rest is held until the posts are live, with the exact plan set out in the agreement. Payouts go to your Stripe account, US only at the moment.

Sam also pitches brands for you. Every creator gets 10 free brand pitches, and Scale includes unlimited pitching.

On cost: there is nothing to pay up front. After that you choose Pro at $49 a month, Scale at $149 a month, or stay on Free, where you approve each reply before it goes out.

Rateful takes 0% of your deals. Brands pay about 5% booking protection on top, shown before they pay. Every plan, Free included, checks brand emails for scams.

Your public page at rateful.ai/@handle shows your packages, recent videos and numbers, and brands can book you from it. It can sit as one link inside your Linktree.

A $1,000 deal, step by step:

1. A brand books your $1,000 package through your page or emails that address.
2. Sam negotiates to the rates you set and sends the agreement in writing. You approve the deal.
3. The brand pays about $1,050 in all.
4. You film and post. The deposit was already released before filming, and the held remainder is released once the posts are live.
5. Rateful takes 0%, so the full $1,000 lands in your Stripe account.

Plan cost is separate: Pro at $49 monthly is $588 a year, Scale at $149 monthly is $1,788. This is an illustration, not an earnings promise. What you make depends on your rates and which brands say yes.

One limit to note: you must be 18 or older. Sign-up takes about 60 seconds with a TikTok handle and an email.

Which one to use, or both

Match the tool to the problem:

• Linktree alone if you mainly need a link list, sign-ups or digital product sales.
• Rateful if brands email you, or you want to pitch them, and you want your rates held, an agreement in writing and payment before filming.
• Both if you do both. Put your booking page link inside your Linktree so brands can hire you from the same page your audience uses.

If you're weighing link-in-bio options with built-in stores, the head-to-heads are here: Rateful vs Beacons for brand deals and Rateful vs Stan Store in 2026.

Before switching anything, set your rate card so any manager, human or AI, has numbers to work from. Grab the influencer rate card template and fill in your prices first.