Free Link in Bio Tools 2025: What's Actually Free vs Hidden Costs

Example: Linkstack

Annual Cost: $60-120/year for hosting + domain (not actually free)

What You Should Get for Free (vs What's Paywalled)

Reasonable Free Features

✓ You Should Get:

• Unlimited links
• Basic customization (colors, fonts)
• Mobile-optimized design
• Basic analytics (click counts)
• Profile picture and bio

Commonly Paywalled Features

✗ Often Locked Behind Payment:

• Custom domain (yourname.com)
• Advanced analytics
• Email capture forms
• Remove platform branding
• Priority support
• Scheduling
• Multiple pages/collections

The Trade-Off: Free plans display provider branding. This is the "payment"—free advertising for them.

The True Cost of "Free" Plans (Annual Breakdown)

Let's calculate what each "free" tool actually costs when you need professional features:

Shelfy: $0/year

What's Free:

• Everything (custom domains, analytics, API, no branding, multiple collections, team collaboration)

What's Paid:

• Nothing—no paid tiers exist

1-Year Cost: $0 3-Year Cost: $0 5-Year Cost: $0

Verdict: Only tool that's genuinely free forever with professional features.

Try Shelfy Free Forever →

Linktree: $0-288/year

Free Plan Gets You:

• Unlimited links
• Basic themes (can't change colors!)
• Basic analytics
• Linktree branding

To Remove Branding: $5/month (Starter) To Get Custom Domain: $9/month (Pro) To Get Advanced Analytics: $9/month (Pro) To Get Team Features: $24/month (Premium)

1-Year Cost (Pro): $108 3-Year Cost (Pro): $324 5-Year Cost (Pro): $540

Verdict: Free plan is too limited. You can't even change colors. Most users end up paying $9/month.

Beacons: $0-120/year (plus transaction fees)

Free Plan Gets You:

• Unlimited links
• Email marketing (500/month)
• Tip jar
• Basic analytics
• Beacons branding

Hidden Cost - Transaction Fees:

• 9% fee on all sales through free plan
• If you sell $500/month = $45/month in fees = $540/year

To Remove Branding: $10/month (Creator Pro) To Get Custom Domain: $10/month To Remove Transaction Fees: $30/month (Store Pro)

1-Year Cost (Creator Pro): $120 1-Year Cost (Store Pro): $360 Sales Fees on Free: Up to $1,080/year (if selling $1K/month)

Verdict: Great free features, but the 9% transaction fee destroys profits for sellers.

Campsite: $0-168/year

Free Plan Gets You:

• Unlimited links
• Custom colors
• Basic analytics
• Instagram feed
• Campsite branding

To Remove Branding: $7/month (Pro) To Get Custom Domain: $7/month To Get Advanced Analytics: $7/month To Get Team Features: $14/month (Pro+)

1-Year Cost (Pro): $84 3-Year Cost (Pro): $252 5-Year Cost (Pro): $420

Verdict: Decent free plan, but branding removal requires Pro.

Bio.link: $0-60/year

Free Plan Gets You:

• Unlimited links
• Good customization
• Social feeds
• Basic analytics
• Bio.link branding

To Remove Branding: $0.99/month To Get Custom Domain: $4.99/month

1-Year Cost (Custom Domain): $60 3-Year Cost: $180 5-Year Cost: $300

Verdict: Cheapest paid option, but free plan has branding.

Stan Store: $348-1,188/year (No Free Plan)

No Free Plan Available

Entry Price: $29/month (Creator) Pro Features: $99/month (Creator Pro)

1-Year Cost (Creator): $348 3-Year Cost (Creator): $1,044 5-Year Cost (Creator): $1,740

Verdict: No free option. Only makes sense if you're already making significant sales.

5-Year Cost Comparison

Shelfy saves you $540-1,740 over 5 years compared to paid alternatives.

Hidden Costs Most People Miss

1. Transaction Fees

The Trap: "Free plan with commerce!" But they take a cut of every sale.

• Beacons Free: 9% of all sales
• Gumroad: 10% + payment fees
• PayPal: 2.9% + $0.30

Example: Sell $1,000/month

• Beacons Free: $90/month lost = $1,080/year
• Shelfy: $0 (use your own payment processor)

2. Domain Costs (Elsewhere)

Most tools charge $5-10/month for custom domains.

Annual Cost: $60-120/year

Shelfy: Custom domains included free

3. Analytics Upsells

"Basic analytics" means click counts only. To see:

• Traffic sources
• Geographic data
• Conversion rates
• Time-based trends

You need to pay: Usually $9-24/month

Shelfy: Full analytics dashboard included free

4. Team Feature Premiums

Need collaborators? Most tools charge extra:

• Linktree: $24/month (Premium)
• Campsite: $14/month (Pro+)
• Beacons: Business tier

Shelfy: Team collaboration included free

5. The "Branding Tax"

Small "Made with Linktree" badge seems minor, but:

• Makes you look amateur
• Promotes competitor to your audience
• Signals you're on free/cheap plan

To remove: $5-10/month everywhere

Shelfy: No branding included free

Red Flags: Signs You're Being Manipulated

Artificial Scarcity

🚩 "Only 5 links on free plan"

• Unlimited links costs them nothing
• Pure psychological pressure to upgrade

🚩 "1,000 clicks per month limit"

• Arbitrary restriction
• Creates anxiety about going over

Essential Features Locked

🚩 Can't change colors without paying

• Basic customization should be free
• Linktree does this on free plan

🚩 Analytics completely hidden

• You can't improve what you can't measure
• Forces upgrade to see your own data

Intrusive Branding

🚩 Huge logo covering half your page 🚩 "Upgrade to remove" banners 🚩 Watermarks on images

Degraded Experience

🚩 Slow loading for free users 🚩 Ads injected into your page 🚩 No support (tool breaks, you're stuck)

Green Flags: Genuinely Free Tools

Functional Free Tier

✓ Core features work well ✓ Subtle branding (footer only, not banner) ✓ No artificial limits

Transparent Model

✓ Clear difference between free/paid ✓ Upgrade benefits are genuine (not ransom) ✓ No credit card required

Sustainable Business

✓ Company has viable revenue model ✓ Free users subsidized by power users ✓ Not just an extended trial

Shelfy passes all green flags: Everything free, no paid tiers to subsidize, sustainable through optional enterprise services.

When to Stay Free vs Upgrade

Stay Free If:

✓ Under 1,000 followers ✓ Not making money from links yet ✓ Testing or just starting out ✓ Basic analytics are sufficient ✓ Branding doesn't bother you

Rationale: Save money for content creation. Free tools are sufficient for growth phase.

Consider Upgrading When:

→ You're making money from your links

• If links generate $100+/month, $9/mo upgrade pays for itself

→ Professional image matters

• Landing corporate sponsors
• Building serious business
• Clients see your link page

→ You need specific features

• Email marketing with higher limits
• Advanced analytics for optimization
• Custom domain (looks professional)

The ROI Question

"If this tool helps me get ONE more client/sale/booking, does it pay for 6-12 months of the paid plan?"

If yes: Upgrade is smart investment If no: Stay free

The Shelfy Alternative

Before upgrading any tool, try Shelfy free. You might get everything you need without paying:

• Custom domain? Free on Shelfy
• Remove branding? Free on Shelfy
• Advanced analytics? Free on Shelfy
• Team collaboration? Free on Shelfy

Check What's Free on Shelfy →

Maximizing Free Plans (If You Must Use Freemium)

Strategy 1: Use Multiple Free Tools

Combine free tiers strategically:

• Primary links: Shelfy (everything free)
• Email capture: Beacons (500/month free)
• Custom landing: Carrd (3 sites free)

Cost: $0 Benefit: Best features from each

Strategy 2: Analytics Workarounds

Free plans have basic analytics. Supplement with:

• UTM parameters (track in Google Analytics)
• Bitly for individual link tracking
• Instagram Insights for profile visits

Strategy 3: Email List Without Forms

If free plan lacks email forms:

• Link to Mailchimp landing page (free)
• Use Google Forms (free, unlimited)
• Link to Carrd page with form (free)

Strategy 4: Custom Domain Hack

Get custom domain feel without paying:

1. Buy domain: yourbrand.com ($12/year)
2. Create subdomain: links.yourbrand.com
3. Redirect to your free tool page

Cost: $12/year vs $60-120/year

Or just use Shelfy: Custom domains included free

The Bottom Line: Most "Free" Tools Aren't Free

Here's the reality:

Linktree Free = No colors, branding, basic analytics → You'll pay $9/month Beacons Free = 9% transaction fees → You'll pay in sales Campsite Free = Branding, no custom domain → You'll pay $7/month Bio.link Free = Branding → You'll pay $5/month

Only Shelfy is actually free:

• No paid tiers exist
• Everything unlocked
• No branding
• Custom domains included
• Full analytics
• API access
• Team collaboration

Annual Savings with Shelfy

| vs Linktree Pro | $108/year saved | | vs Beacons Creator | $120/year saved | | vs Campsite Pro | $84/year saved | | Over 5 years | $420-600 saved |

FAQ: Free Link in Bio Tools

"Is free safe? Will my data be sold?"

Reputable free tools (Shelfy, Linktree, Beacons) have privacy policies and don't sell data. Revenue comes from paid upgrades (or in Shelfy's case, enterprise services), not data sales.

"Why is Shelfy actually free? What's the catch?"

No catch. Shelfy was built by founders frustrated paying $10/month for basic link tools. They made it free and sustainable through optional enterprise services (like white-label reselling) that individual creators never need.

"Can I switch tools without losing links?"

Yes. Your bio link is just a URL. Change it in your Instagram bio, and all your posts/stories immediately point to the new tool. Keep old tool active 30 days for cached links.

"Will using free tool hurt my professional image?"

Depends on the tool. Free plans with big branding look amateur. But Shelfy is free with zero branding—looks completely professional.

"What if the free tool shuts down?"

Use established platforms with funding. Export your links regularly. Keep a backup list of your URLs.

Final Recommendation

Stop paying for features that should be free.

Custom domains, analytics, no branding, team collaboration—these are basic features in 2025. You shouldn't pay $9-24/month for them.

Shelfy offers everything free forever. No catches, no credit card, no pressure to upgrade (there's nothing to upgrade to).

Before signing up for any "free" plan that will eventually cost you $60-288/year:

1. Try Shelfy first (genuinely free)
2. See if it meets your needs (it probably will)
3. Only pay elsewhere if you need something specific

The best free tool is the one that's actually free.

Try Shelfy Free Forever →

Related Reading

Tool Comparisons:

• Best Link in Bio Tools 2025: Complete Comparison Guide — Comprehensive feature comparison
• Beacons vs Linktree 2025 — Creator platform head-to-head comparison
• Switching from Linktree: Migration Guide — Step-by-step migration if you're currently on Linktree
• Shelfy vs Raindrop.io — Detailed head-to-head comparison

Niche Guides:

• Link in Bio for Coaches — Book more clients from Instagram
• Link in Bio for Musicians — Promote your music, tours, and merch
• Link in Bio for E-commerce — Turn followers into customers
• Instagram Link in Bio Guide — Complete Instagram bio optimization

Last updated: January 2025. Pricing verified as of publication date.