What is Linktree and how does it work?

In 2026, if you have ever seen “link in bio” on Instagram or TikTok and clicked through to a page listing multiple links, there is a strong chance that page was built with Linktree. The platform exists to solve a specific, real problem: most social networks only allow one clickable URL in your profile bio.

Linktree turns that single slot into a gateway – one URL that points visitors to a custom landing page housing all your links, whether that is your YouTube channel, your online store, your latest blog post, or a booking form.

Is Linktree legit? Yes. The platform is operated by Linktree Pty Ltd, an Australian company founded in 2016 by Alex Zaccaria, Anthony Zaccaria, Gilbert Campbell, and Nick Humphreys.

It has raised more than 165 million dollars across multiple funding rounds from investors including Index Ventures and Google, reached a 1.3 billion dollar valuation in its 2022 Series C round, and as of 2026 serves over 50 million users globally. That is not the profile of a scam – it is the profile of a sizeable, well-funded software business.

The platform works by giving you a custom URL – typically linktr.ee/yourname – which you drop into your social bio once. From there, you manage everything through a dashboard: add links, reorder them, track clicks, and (on paid plans) sell digital products or collect email addresses.

The core use case has not changed since 2016, but the platform has grown significantly, adding commerce tools, analytics integrations, and in November 2025, a new pricing structure that meaningfully raised the cost of all paid tiers.

Is Linktree legitimate? What the evidence shows

As of mid-2026, Linktree is unambiguously a legitimate operating business. It is not a money-making scheme, it does not promise unrealistic returns, and it does not charge hidden fees at signup. The free plan is genuinely free and permanent – no credit card required, no trial period. Revenue comes from paid subscriptions (Starter, Pro, and Premium tiers) and a percentage fee on digital product sales made through the platform.

The company publishes a biannual transparency report, is compliant with the EU Digital Services Act, and employs a mix of automated and human content moderation. Backed by Index Ventures, Google, and over 35 other institutional investors, it is a venture-funded software company with genuine operating infrastructure, not a fly-by-night service.

Its 2025 revenue was estimated at 61.6 million dollars – a company at that scale does not disappear without warning.

That said, a 3.9-star Trustpilot rating with over 7,000 reviews tells a more nuanced story than the headline legitimacy question. Positive reviewers consistently praise the simplicity and time-saving value of the free plan. Critical reviewers cluster around three specific issues: account suspensions, the 2025 price increase, and limitations in the free tier. Neither group is wrong. Both experiences are real and documented.

What are the most common Linktree complaints and red flags?

The most frequently raised issues with Linktree in creator communities and on Trustpilot in 2025 and 2026 are structural – not signs of fraud, but worth knowing before you build your audience-facing presence on the platform.

1. Account suspensions with little or no warning. This is the most emotionally charged complaint across Linktree’s Trustpilot page and affiliate forums. Linktree’s automated moderation systems can flag and suspend accounts for community standards violations – sometimes for content that the platform’s own interface suggested adding.

When a suspension hits, the public-facing page immediately shows a “THIS ACCOUNT HAS BEEN BANNED” message to every visitor, which creates serious reputational damage for creators and small businesses. Appeals exist, but Linktree’s own transparency report acknowledges the process can be slow, and support responses are often handled by AI initially.

2. The November 2025 price hike. In late 2025, Linktree raised its paid plan pricing significantly. The Starter plan went from 5 dollars to 8 dollars per month. The Pro plan went from 9 dollars to 15 dollars per month – a 67% increase. The Premium plan rose from 24 to 35 dollars per month.

Users who had purchased annual plans before the hike were not immediately affected, but those renewing in 2026 found their subscription costs meaningfully higher, with several Trustpilot reviewers noting they received no advance warning before being charged at the new rate.

3. The 12% seller fee on the free plan. Linktree allows free-plan users to sell digital products directly through their Linktree page – but takes a 12% commission on every sale. This is the highest seller fee across all Linktree tiers.

On the Premium plan (35 dollars/month), the seller fee drops to zero. For creators earning meaningful revenue through their links, the math often favours upgrading to a paid tier or moving to a platform where they own their store outright.

4. Key features locked behind paid tiers. The free plan provides unlimited links and basic click analytics, but meaningful marketing tools – email collection, link scheduling, branding removal, location and device analytics, and custom themes – require a paid subscription. Creators who want to build an audience rather than just list links will quickly hit the ceiling of the free tier.

What do real Linktree users say?

With over 7,000 reviews on Trustpilot and hundreds on G2, Capterra, and Product Hunt, there is a substantial volume of real user feedback to draw from. The pattern is consistent: creators who use Linktree purely to consolidate links tend to be satisfied. Those who rely on it for commerce, analytics depth, or as a primary business tool surface more friction.

How does Linktree compare to alternatives?

The link-in-bio category has become crowded since Linktree popularized the format. Several competitors now offer meaningful feature advantages – particularly around free-plan depth and branding control. Here is how the main options compare on the dimensions that matter most to creators in 2026.

The table above highlights a meaningful gap: Linktree’s free plan charges a higher seller fee than most direct competitors, and its paid plans became significantly more expensive after the November 2025 price hike. For creators who only need a basic link page, Linktree still works well. But for those who want to sell products or collect audience data without platform dependency, the alternatives column deserves serious attention.

Is Linktree worth it – honest verdict

For the majority of its 50 million users, Linktree does exactly what it promises: it turns one bio link into many. If you are a creator who just needs to centralize your links and are not selling through the page itself, the free plan is genuinely useful and costs nothing. The setup takes minutes and the URL never changes, which saves real time compared to updating bios manually across platforms.

The calculus changes once you start paying or selling. At 15 dollars per month for the Pro plan (post-November 2025 pricing), Linktree is competing with full website builders and ecommerce platforms that offer significantly more ownership and control.

The 12% seller fee on the free plan means any creator earning meaningful product revenue is effectively funding Linktree’s business at a steep rate. And the account-suspension risk – real, documented, and affecting both free and paid users – is a serious concern for anyone whose audience relationship depends on that single URL resolving correctly.

What should creators who want to sell online actually use?

Linktree’s core value is traffic direction – it moves visitors from your bio to wherever you want them. But for creators whose actual goal is to earn from that traffic, the platform becomes a middleman that takes a fee (on free accounts), raises its prices without warning, and can suspend your presence at short notice. The more revenue you generate through a Linktree page, the more exposed you are to those risks.

AliDropship is an ecommerce platform founded in 2015 and based in Irvine, California. It builds you a fully functioning online store – pre-loaded with products, professionally designed, and ready to sell from day one – plus a complete Amazon Seller Kit that lets you list products on Amazon’s 514 billion dollar marketplace at the same time.

Unlike a link page, the store is yours: you set the prices, keep the margins, and own the customer relationship. Over 1.5 million stores have launched on the platform, and store owners have collectively earned more than 1.5 billion dollars.