- Linktree is still the link in bio app
that everyone keeps using.
If you have Linktree Pro,
you're overpaying and may not even realize it.
I get it, I see it everywhere
and Linktree is popular, but why?
Here's why Linktree sucks
and here's some alternatives you can try.
Linktree is definitely the name brand link in bio app
that a lot of people use.
I think due to its popularity,
many users default to it
because they don't know what else to use.
For a while,
Linktree was pretty stale, offering not many advanced
or interactive features, but recently,
Linktree has stepped up their game
and implemented quite a few powerful features.
There's now an app marketplace with apps like a tip jar,
a store, requests, even third-party integrations
with platforms like Typeform and Spotify.
From a features perspective, Linktree is pretty competitive.
So what's my problem with Linktree? The price.
The free plan is very limited.
You can't schedule links,
you can't access most of the customization options.
You can't do email list opt-[Instructor],
you can't even use Facebook Pixel or Google Analytics.
I know Linktree has to make money somehow
but their cheapest plan starts at 5.49 a month
and this still doesn't give you access
to email or text list signups.
In order to do that, you would need their Pro plan,
which is 9.49 a month.
This is insanely overpriced and to make matters worse,
I noticed that Linktree recently raised their prices
by 49 cents a month.
Last year when I looked at Linktree,
their plans were an even price,
like $5 a month or $9 a month.
And now seeing that 5.49 and 9.49 a month price tag,
it leaves me scratching my head wondering
if that extra 49 cents a month is really necessary.
What is that really accomplishing?
I've always thought Linktree is squeezing people
for as much money as possible
and this is just another example of that.
One refreshing alternative to Linktree is Bitly.
Known for its link shortener service,
Bitly recently expanded
and started offering a link in bio app.
It's part of your normal Bitly account
and you can access all the features for free
with the exception of removing minimal Bitly branding
and being able to view click performance.
But I included in the free plan,
you can customize the layout a lot.
You can change the way the hero section is laid out.
You can change the background color, add a background image,
change the button styling and fonts,
and links are easy to add and manage.
You can even schedule links
with a start date and/or end date.
Sadly, there's no way to add a thumbnail
to a link and there's not really any interactive features
like a tip jar
or an email list opt-in or anything like that.
But overall, Bitly's link in bio app is simple, easy
and no nonsense.
My biggest problem with it
is that you're forced to use Bitly links
on your link in bio page.
And the reason this is a challenge is because you're limited
to creating 10 Bitly links in the free version of Bitly.
You can use as many existing Bitly links as you'd like
but chances are if you're adding a link to your page,
it's probably a new link
and that means you have to generate a new Bitly URL
for that to work.
So you're only allowed to create 10 of those a month
with the free plan,
and the paid plans of Bitly start at $96 a year.
Now, this is unified with the Bitly service,
so if you were already gonna pay
for the premium version anyway,
then I think this link in bio tool is a great option.
But if you don't need the link URL shortening service,
if you wouldn't use Bitly anyway,
then I don't think it's worth upgrading
just for the link in bio platform.
What if you're wanting a solution with a ton of flexibility?
Well, that's where I would recommend Carrd.
Carrd is a free landing page builder that I've looked at
in the past and they have a ton of link in bio templates.
It's highly customizable thanks
to the drag and drop page builder.
And this means you can change every aspect
of the page, all the colors, the fonts, the layout
but the downside is that it is a full-on page builder,
so it's gonna take more to maintain.
It's not quite as simple
as something like Bitly or a different alternative.
You can do almost everything in the free version
and you even get a custom subdomain
like craylor.carrd.co to host your landing page.
You can even add email list opt-ins, payment forms
or connect custom domains for $19 a year.
And that's for 10 websites.
So if you wanna have multiple landing pages
or multiple link in bio pages for different accounts,
you can do that for up to 10 websites for $19 a year.
I like Carrd because it is a page builder,
so you have full flexibility to do everything
that you would want.
You don't have the normal restrictions
or limitations of a link in bio app
but maybe that's not what you're looking for.
It definitely takes more time
and a bit more focus to get it right
and it's easy to break things or make your page
look a certain way that kind of breaks the flow
of the whole link in bio interface that people are used to.
If you pick a link in bio app with an email list opt-in,
you can start sending email updates to your audience
and increase your connection with your community.
But who wants to deal with the headache of trying
to create a nice looking email?
I don't have the time or patience to deal with coding
and that's where Mailjet,
the sponsor of today's video, can help.
Mailjet is an easy-to-use email marketing platform
for designing, sending and monitoring email campaigns.
Mailjet's editor makes it easy
to create engaging email campaigns,
newsletters and automated emails in minutes.
There's no coding.
Everything is drag and drop, and you can take advantage
of beautiful pre-designed email templates to save you time.
Mailjet has some amazing features,
like automated email workflows
so you can engage your customers
at just the right time without having to remember
when to send emails.
Mailjet also gives you a ton of statistics.
You can track email performance in real time
and get actionable insights
to create more engaging campaigns.
Mailjet is the best way to connect
with your customers, whether you're a solo entrepreneur
or a team.
Thanks to Mailjet for sponsoring this video.
Head to mailjet.com/craylormade to try Mailjet
for free today.
So another Linktree alternative
that caught my attention is Milkshake.
Milkshake is quite a bit different
from other platforms because it functions
with an iOS and Android app and there's no web app,
so everything you do is gonna be through your phone.
Some link in bio platforms like Linktree
and Bitly offer a mobile app, but many of them don't.
And come to think of it, most of your social media happens
on your phone anyway, so it does make sense
that you may wanna use a mobile app
to manage your link in bio page.
Milkshake is easy to use.
It's got this concept called cards.
Think of it like pages that you can add to your website.
You can choose to have a single card,
which could be your link in bio page
or if you have multiple cards,
users can easily swipe between them.
Milkshake gives you detailed analytics,
down to how many clicks each link has
but other than that, Milkshake is pretty basic.
Yeah, you can customize the colors
and the fonts and the layout
but there's no interactive features like a tip jar
or an email list opt-in or anything like that.
But thankfully, everything in Milkshake is free to use.
They do offer a paid plan for 2.99 a month
but this is just to remove the Milkshake ad card,
so if you choose to not pay for it, if a user swipes over,
they see an ad for milkshake,
but this is not really a big deal and I'm glad to see
that they're not restricting any features behind a paywall.
Overall, I think this is a cool option
for anyone who needs a free, easy-to-use solution
that they can manage from their phone.
I was curious to see
if I could find a link in bio system that would work
with existing websites.
I mean, why reinvent the wheel?
If you've already got a website,
why not just create your link in bio page on your website?
And since WordPress is so popular,
I started looking through WordPress plugins
and I found a good one called SocialWP.
SocialWP takes advantage of your existing site and domain
so you will need a WordPress site for this setup to work.
The plugin honestly impressed me.
The UI is similar to Linktree
and it takes away the complexity of WordPress.
You can schedule links, add thumbnails and embed a tip jar.
There's not even branding in the free version of SocialWP
but a lot of features are locked behind the paid plan.
For $50 a year, you can access the paid version of SocialWP.
It's definitely on the pricier side
and I wish it was a bit cheaper, but it's still cheaper
than Linktree and it's a way to have everything hosted
on your own site, which is something that may be attractive
if you're worried about another platform trying
to take down your page for any reason.
SocialWP is missing the email list opt-in feature,
especially at their higher price point.
So I definitely hope to see them add that in the future.
Another alternative I tested was bio.fm.
This is one I was really excited about
because the landing page made it look really powerful.
It seems like it has some awesome features
but it was a hot mess.
I tested it in multiple browsers, but I kept getting stuck
with loading spinners or pages would just freeze altogether.
Maybe their servers were just having a bad day.
But every time I've gone back to try again,
I have the same experience.
So unfortunately, I can't recommend bio.fm
because I've never been able to evaluate
if it's worth using.
If you're looking for a basic free alternative to Linktree,
I would definitely recommend
checking out Bitly or Milkshake.
Bitly has a great free version
but you are gonna be limited to creating 10 links per month.
Milkshake is exclusively used on the mobile app
but there's no features locked behind a paywall.
If you need ultimate flexibility, try Carrd.
Just be aware that it's gonna require more time
and effort to maintain than other platforms.
And if you want a link in bio that's hosted
on your own website, try SocialWP.
While it is on the pricey side, there's no denying
that the UI is simple and easy to use,
and the data will be kept within your own WordPress site.
Regardless of which link in bio app you use,
you should be taking advantage
of email marketing to stay connected with your audience.
You can use Mailjet to do this
and you can get started for free at mailjet.com/craylormade.
If you wanna see my personal favorite link in bio app,
check on my other video
looking at more Linktree alternatives here.