Pinli vs Beacons at a glance
Beacons is an all-in-one creator platform. It combines a link-in-bio page and website tools with a storefront, email marketing, media kit, analytics, creator outreach, and monetization features. Pinli focuses on the page: a visual grid of blocks that you can arrange for the work you want visitors to notice, with separate desktop and phone layouts and optional industry packs.
Beacons is the more complete creator-business toolkit if you want to sell and market products from one platform. Pinli is the more page-centered option for people who care about presentation, context, and flexible layout. Pinli does not currently provide native checkout for customer products, so its page-first focus is also a limit if selling directly is your main need.
| Pinli | Beacons | |
|---|---|---|
| Main focus | Visual page builder for creators and small businesses | Creator business suite with pages, selling, email and media kit tools |
| Free plan | No perpetual free plan. Solo starts at $3/month. Pro and Studio have a 7-day trial. | Free plan available, with feature and fee limits |
| Custom domain | Verified custom domains on Pro and Studio | Custom domains supported; Creator includes a first-year domain according to its Help Center |
| Page structure | Resizable blocks and distinct desktop/phone layouts | Link-in-bio pages plus a website builder with multiple subpages |
| Selling | Shop and payment-dependent blocks are marked coming soon | Store, products, appointments, memberships and courses, depending on plan and feature |
| Good fit when | The page should present work in a visual, organized way | You want a broader creator toolkit and built-in selling and email features |
What each platform is built to do
Beacons brings creator tools together
Beacons describes itself as a creator platform with link-in-bio, website, store, email marketing, media kit, affiliate links, and Instagram DM automation. Its current pricing page also lists digital products, courses, memberships, analytics, AI-assisted workflows, and plan-based email marketing. A website builder guide documents multiple pages, customizable sections, embeds, contact forms, email signups, and desktop/mobile previews.
That breadth can be useful if you want to run several creator workflows in the same service. It can also mean that plan selection matters: email sends are capped by tier, platform transaction fees apply on Free and Creator, and some selling or brand-removal features require Creator Plus or Max. The payment processor still charges its own fee even when Beacons advertises 0% seller fees.
Pinli gives the page more structure
Pinli is built around resizable blocks on a visual board. A page can combine standard links with media, posts, bookings, maps, contact and newsletter capture, reviews, events, and other blocks. Desktop and phone layouts can be arranged separately. Pro unlocks custom domains, advanced blocks, and longer analytics; Studio adds more pages, all industry packs, and custom CSS.
Industry packs tailor a page to particular work, such as music, creator media kits, restaurants, appointments, stays, or nonprofits. Packs cost extra on a compatible plan, while Studio includes them. The Shop pack is marked coming soon, as are its payment-dependent selling blocks. Pinli can present a product or service and link to an external checkout, but do not treat that as equivalent to Beacons' native store.
Explore Pinli for creators, Pinli for small business, creator storefront pages, and the visual link-in-bio overview to see the page-first use cases.
Feature comparison
| Need | Pinli | Beacons |
|---|---|---|
| Page design | Resizable visual blocks, block variants, themes and separate desktop/phone layouts. | Templates, multiple sections and subpages, palette, typography, button sizing, drag-and-drop, and desktop/mobile preview. See website builder help. |
| Custom domain | Verified custom domains on Pro and Studio. | Custom domains connect to Link in Bio or Website; Creator includes the first year according to plan help. Check renewal terms and current tier details. |
| Analytics | Views, clicks, referrers and campaign reports; 30, 365 or 730 days by Solo, Pro or Studio; CSV export on Pro and Studio. | Real-time analytics are advertised on Free; advanced traffic analytics and social-account insights are also documented. Retention and export limits were not verified. |
| Forms and email | Contact and newsletter capture blocks, with audience records. Pinli is not a full native email marketing platform. | Website contact forms and email signups, email marketing and automations. Current page lists 50 sends/month on Free, 500 on Creator, and unlimited on Creator Plus. |
| SEO | Page title and description, generated share image, optional noindex, and profile structured data. Indexing depends on publication and settings. | SEO settings allow a title and description preview; Creator advertises advanced SEO and marketing features. Specific technical controls such as canonicals or index directives were not verified. |
| Mobile editing | Separate phone layout in the page editor. Full mobile-app editing is unverified. | Website editor offers desktop/mobile preview. Beacons also describes a mobile product builder, but full website editing parity in a mobile app was not verified. |
| Integrations | Pro supports Google Analytics, Plausible and Meta analytics pixels. Some integrations depend on configuration or approval. | Official help cites Stripe and PayPal, Google Calendar and Zoom, Google/Pinterest tracking pixels, plus Spotify, Bandsintown, Seated, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok embeds. Details and tiers vary. |
| Payments and fees | Billing covers Pinli plans and packs. Native customer payments and product sales are marked coming soon. | Free and Creator plans have a 9% Beacons transaction fee; Creator Plus and Max have 0% Beacons fee. Stripe or PayPal processing fees still apply. See fee details. |
| Switching and exports | Pinli can import supported links from a public Linktree handle, but that is not a complete account migration. | A Beacons migration or full export from another service was not verified. Do not assume either is absent; confirm the current process with Beacons. |
Pricing and fees
Pinli plans
Pinli's current catalog has three paid tiers. Yearly prices are charged annually; monthly equivalents are arithmetic comparisons, not monthly billing.
| Plan | Monthly billing | Yearly charge | Pages and analytics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solo | $3/month | $30/year ($2.50/month equivalent) | 1 page, 30-day analytics history |
| Pro | $9/month | $90/year ($7.50/month equivalent) | 5 pages, 365-day analytics, custom domain, premium blocks |
| Studio | $36/month | $360/year ($30/month equivalent) | 50 pages, 730-day analytics, custom CSS, every industry pack |
There is no perpetual free Pinli plan. Pro and Studio can start with a 7-day trial; Solo is paid from day one. Optional packs cost $3/month or $30/year on a compatible plan; Studio includes every pack. The Shop pack is coming soon. Check Pinli pricing for current plan details.
Beacons plans
Beacons offers a $0 Free plan, Creator at $10/month or $100/year, and Creator Plus at $30/month or $300/year. The annual prices are billed upfront, equal to about $8.33 and $25 per month respectively. Free and Creator have a 9% Beacons transaction fee on sales; Creator Plus advertises a 0% Beacons fee. Stripe and PayPal still charge processing fees. The Beacons fee guide lists Stripe at 2.9% plus $0.30 per transaction, and PayPal at 3.49% plus a currency-dependent fixed fee.
| Beacons plan | Monthly billing | Annual billing | Relevant limit or fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | 50 email sends/month; 9% Beacons seller fee |
| Creator | $10/month | $100/year ($8.33/month equivalent) | 500 email sends/month; 9% fee on sales; custom domain for first year |
| Creator Plus | $30/month | $300/year ($25/month equivalent) | Unlimited email sends; 0% Beacons fee; courses and memberships |
| Creator Max | Pricing conflict | Pricing conflict | See note below before relying on a quoted price |
Beacons' pricing page and Help Center disagree about Creator Max. The Help Center lists $90/month or $900/year, while the current pricing page shows $100 monthly and $900 billed annually, alongside an $83.3 monthly equivalent that does not match the annual total. This page leaves the Max price unresolved rather than choosing one figure. Check Beacons' live checkout or ask its support team before comparing that tier.
Fees are not the only cost to compare. Beacons includes creator commerce and email tools, while Pinli's current price is for the page and its entitlements. Pinli's native Shop payments are not live. Conversely, Linktree and Beacons both take platform fees for some sales, and payment processing can still apply on top of a nominal 0% platform fee.
Who should choose which?
Beacons may suit you if
- You want one platform for your creator page, store, media kit, email marketing, and related tools.
- You need to sell products, appointments, courses, or memberships through integrated Beacons features.
- You value its creator-specific integrations, outreach, automation, or audience workflows.
- You accept plan limits, sales fees on lower tiers, and separate processor charges.
Pinli may suit you if
- You want the page itself to feel like a small, organized website rather than one stream of links.
- You need a custom domain, separate phone layout, or blocks suited to a particular industry.
- You prefer a focused page subscription instead of selecting a broader creator-business bundle.
- You do not need native product checkout from Pinli today and can use external destinations for payments.
Beacons has a broader documented creator-commerce and email feature set. Pinli offers a structured page builder with optional packs, but does not yet match Beacons' native store, course, membership, or email campaign scope. If those functions are central to your business, compare the exact Beacons tier and sales costs before switching.
Switching and migration
Beacons' public documentation reviewed for this comparison did not establish whether it can import pages or data from Pinli. Confirm directly with Beacons before assuming an import or full export workflow is available. Pinli's Linktree import does not imply that the same import exists for Beacons.
If switching to Pinli, start by rebuilding the parts that matter most: profile and visual identity, key links, contact route, and the blocks visitors need first. Add a custom domain if your plan supports it, test the page on desktop and phone, and check every external checkout and booking destination. Keep Beacons active until the new page is complete and linked from your social profiles. Beacons-specific products, email subscribers, media kit, and automation settings should be handled separately; a design rebuild does not transfer those business records or workflows.
Frequently asked questions
Is Pinli a free Beacons alternative?
No. Pinli does not have a perpetual free plan. Solo starts at $3/month, and Pro and Studio have a 7-day trial. Beacons offers a $0 Free plan with 50 monthly email sends and a 9% seller fee on sales.
Is Beacons cheaper than Pinli?
That depends on what you need. Beacons Free has no subscription cost, but sales carry its 9% platform fee and processing charges may apply. Creator and Creator Plus add monthly subscriptions and bundle more creator tools. Pinli's paid plans focus on the page, with optional paid industry packs, and its native product sales blocks are not live. Compare the costs against your actual email, storefront, and page requirements.
Does Beacons have a custom domain?
Yes. Beacons documents custom domains for Link in Bio and Website, and its Creator plan includes a first-year domain. Confirm renewal terms. Pinli custom domains are available on Pro and Studio.
Does Pinli replace Beacons' store or email marketing?
No. Pinli provides contact and newsletter capture blocks, but it is not a full email marketing suite. Its Shop pack and payment-dependent selling blocks are coming soon. Beacons currently documents native store and email tools, with feature availability based on plan.
What are Beacons' transaction fees?
Beacons lists a 9% platform transaction fee on Free and Creator, and 0% on Creator Plus and Creator Max. Payment processing fees from Stripe or PayPal still apply. The exact processor fee depends on the payment method and currency.
Which is better for a small business?
Choose based on the workflow. Beacons may suit a creator-led business that wants its store, email, and media kit together. Pinli may suit a local business that wants to arrange hours, location, bookings, services, menus, or contact information in a more visual page. See Pinli for small business and Pinli pricing for current capabilities and plan details.
A practical verdict
Beacons is the stronger fit when you want a creator business toolkit with store, email, media kit, and monetization features in one place. Pinli is the stronger fit when your priority is shaping a visual page around your work and adding focused page capabilities as needed. Beacons' breadth comes with plan-specific fees and limits, and its Creator Max price needs confirmation because current official pages conflict. Pinli's limitations are also material: no perpetual free plan and no live native product checkout.
If a page-first approach fits, explore Pinli for creators, Pinli for small business, creator storefront pages, or plans and pricing.