Buy Me a Coffee vs Linktree (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Buy Me a Coffee grades higher than Linktree: 2.6 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Buy Me a Coffee grades higher on the free plan. Linktree grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Linktree
Link in bio pages with a store, email sign-ups and scheduling
Which one is for you
Pick Buy Me a Coffee if
- Fits if you want fans to support you without making an account
- Works for podcasters, writers and streamers selling a few ebooks, commissions or calls with no monthly fee
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you live outside the 44 countries it pays out to
- Too light for selling courses or running a full store, and there's no video hosting or podcasts
- Watch out: each payment costs 5% plus Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30 and a 0.5% payout fee
- Pricey if many fans pay from abroad or by subscription, which add 1% and 0.5% more
- Tight if you grow: there's one 5% fee for every creator, with no paid plan that lowers it
Pick Linktree if
- Fits if you need one link in your social profiles that points to a few places
- Works for creators who sell a few downloads and want it on the same page
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free, as Linktree branding stays on and sales fees only fall to 0% on Pro
- Pricey if you want the extras, since link rules, export and unlimited Instagram auto-replies are $30 a month on Premium
- Watch out: each payout is charged $0.25, and other transaction and processing fees may apply
- Watch out: the prices were read in US dollars from India, so a US visitor's view may differ
How we grade them
| 2.6GPABuy Me a CoffeeGood | 2.4GPALinktreeFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CGraded against its alternatives, tip and membership pages. 5% of $1,000 is $50 a month, with Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30 and 0.5% payout fee on top (not counted). The same as Ko-fi's 5% and half Patreon's 10%, with no plan that lowers it. | BStarter is $7 a month billed annually ($9 monthly), inside the category's cheapest quarter that starts at $10. Pro, where branding goes, is $14, and Premium is $30. |
| Free plan and trial | AEvery feature is free, including posts and emails to supporters, with no monthly fee and no cap. You pay 5% of each payment instead, and the value grade counts that. | CUnlimited basic links and email and phone sign-ups on the free plan, with restrictions. Branding stays and sales fees only reach 0% on Pro, so you will meet the caps. Paid plans have a 7-day trial. |
| Features | CGraded against its alternatives. One-tap support, monthly or yearly memberships, a shop for files, commissions and Zoom calls, posts, emails and stream alerts. It does that job fully, but it's a smaller kit than Patreon's, with no video hosting or podcasts in the listing. | CA link page, selling, sign-ups, scheduling, Instagram auto-replies and team spaces. Gaps are on the plan ladder: link rules, data export and unlimited auto-replies need Premium. |
| Ease of use | C4.4 from about 1,900 App Store ratings, just short of the 4.5 a B needs. Fans can pay without signing up. | CNo store rating on record. The page is quick to start, but a store, sign-ups and scheduling each need setting up. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with Stripe, Wise and Zoom, plus buttons, QR codes and stream alerts to point fans to your page. No desktop app, which an A needs. | BWeb, iOS and Android, with Shopify, Spotify and Instagram connections. There is no desktop program. |
| Best for | tips and memberships with no monthly bill | a link-in-bio page with a small store |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Buy Me a Coffee and Linktree. How we grade
Price against what you get
Buy Me a Coffee has no paid plan and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Linktree starts at $7 a month and scores 2.3.
They score the same, and Buy Me a Coffee starts $7 a month lower. Of the other tools for selling digital products on the chart, none scores higher than Buy Me a Coffee for less, and 6 score higher than Linktree for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Buy Me a Coffee also covers paid newsletters.
- Linktree also covers online courses and online store.
At a glance
| Buy Me a Coffee | Linktree | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | $7 per month, billed annually ($9 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | No monthly fee and every feature included. Buy Me a Coffee keeps 5% of each transaction, and Stripe charges 2.9% + $0.30 plus 0.5% for payouts. | Unlimited basic links and email and phone sign-ups, with restrictions. |
| Free trial | None listed | 7-day free trial on Pro and Premium |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Buy Me a Coffee | Linktree Pty Ltd |
| Price read from | help.buymeacoffee.com | linktr.ee |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Buy Me a Coffee
- Each payment costs 5% plus Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30 and 0.5% payout fee; international payments add 1% and subscription payments 0.5%.
- Payouts go straight to a bank account, but only for creators in the 44 countries Buy Me a Coffee supports.
- The help center describes one 5% platform fee for every creator, with no paid plan that lowers it.
Linktree
- The free plan carries restrictions, and Pro is where Linktree branding is removed and sales fees reach 0%.
- Payouts are charged $0.25 each, and other transaction and processing fees may apply.
- Link rules, data export and Instagram automation are limited to Premium at $30 per month billed annually.
- Prices were read in US dollars from a machine in India, so they may not match a US visitor's view.
Key features
Buy Me a Coffee
- One-off support
- Fans pay in a couple of taps without signing up, pick how many coffees to buy and leave a message on the creator's page.
- Memberships
- Monthly or yearly membership tiers with exclusive posts and messages, email alerts for new posts and perks such as discounts.
- Shop
- Sell ebooks and other files, art commissions or one-to-one Zoom calls, with one-tap checkout and buyer ratings.
- Posts and emails
- Publish posts and email supporters from the same account, with no extra charge for publishing or sending.
- Creator tools
- Stream alerts, QR codes and buttons for websites point fans to the page.
- Payment methods
- Supporters pay by card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Cash App or other global methods, processed by Stripe and Wise.
Linktree
- Link in bio page
- One link for a profile on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and other social platforms, with featured links on paid plans.
- Selling and earning
- Sell digital products and online courses, add sponsored links and affiliate commissions; Pro lists 0% fees on sales.
- Email and phone sign-ups
- Collects sign-ups on the page; Pro adds mailing list integrations so leads go to an email service.
- Social scheduling
- Premium includes scheduling social media posts to go live across platforms.
- Instagram auto-replies
- Automates replies to Instagram comments and triggers direct messages; unlimited on Premium.
- Team workspaces
- Growth and Scale plans manage 9 or 50 Linktrees in one workspace with roles; Enterprise is custom priced.
Plans
Buy Me a Coffee
Buy Me a Coffee$0
No monthly fee. A 5% platform fee per transaction, plus Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30; creators can choose to have supporters cover the card fee.
Linktree
Free$0
Unlimited basic links and email and phone sign-ups, with restrictions.
Starter$7
per month, billed annually ($9 billed monthly)
Personalized Linktree, unlimited featured links and basic analytics.
Pro$14
per month, billed annually ($17 billed monthly)
Removes Linktree branding, custom designs, 0% fees on sales and mailing list integrations.
Premium$30
per month, billed annually ($35 billed monthly)
Link rules and routing, AI integrations, all-time analytics, data export, social scheduling and unlimited Instagram auto-replies.
Ways to pay less
Buy Me a Coffee
No public discounts listed.
Linktree
- Annual discount
Annual billing lowers the monthly price
Starter is $7 a month billed annually against $9 billed monthly; Pro is $14 against $17 and Premium is $30 against $35.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Buy Me a Coffee or Linktree?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Buy Me a Coffee is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $7 a month for Linktree. Buy Me a Coffee is free, and Linktree starts at $7 per month, billed annually ($9 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Buy Me a Coffee or Linktree?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Buy Me a Coffee and Linktree have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.