Honest comparison · updated July 2026
Stan Store vs Beacons: flat fee vs freemium
Two link-in-bio storefronts, two opposite pricing models. Stan Store bills monthly with no transaction fees; Beacons starts free but takes a cut. Here is how they actually compare — and when neither is the right tool.
No subscription. No monthly fee. 10% only when you sell.
The short answer
Beacons starts free with roughly a 9% transaction fee on store sales (paid plans from about $10/month reduce it), while Stan Store charges $29–$99/month with 0% transaction fees, as of July 2026. Low volume favors Beacons’ free tier; high volume favors Stan Store’s flat fee. But if you don’t need a storefront at all — you just want to charge for individual videos, files, or guides — HushLink is the simpler third option: no subscription, no storefront to build, a 10% fee only when you sell.
HushLink in under a minute
Sell digital content with a simple link.
How HushLink works
The entire flow. There is no step four.
STEP 1
Upload content
A file, video, image, audio, or written piece. That is the whole product setup.
STEP 2
Set a price
Or a password, if you just want it gated. No store, no theme, no product page builder.
STEP 3
Share the link
One short link, anywhere — bio, DMs, stories. Buyers pay and unlock instantly.
Stan Store vs Beacons vs HushLink
| Feature | Stan Store / Beacons | HushLink |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | Stan: $29–$99 · Beacons: $0–$30+ | $0 |
| Transaction fee | Stan: 0% · Beacons: ~9% on free tier | 10% per sale |
| Cost with zero sales | Stan: $29+ · Beacons: $0 | $0 |
| Storefront builder | Yes, both | No — one link per content piece |
| AI marketing tools | Beacons: yes · Stan: limited | No — nothing to configure |
| Time to first paid link | Build store → add product → publish | Upload → price → share |
| Password-gated drops | No | Yes, free |
Pricing as of July 2026; check each provider for current plans. Card processing (~2.9% + $0.30) is charged by the payment processor on most platforms, including HushLink.
Pick Stan Store / Beacons if…
- Beacons: you want a free all-in-one bio page with AI extras and light selling
- Stan Store: you sell consistently and want 0% fees with premium funnels
- You need email marketing, memberships, or bookings inside your bio page
Pick HushLink if…
- You sell individual content pieces, not a catalog
- You want the fastest possible path: upload → set price → share
- You want zero fixed costs and zero storefront maintenance
- You want to drop paid links into any bio tool you already use
Frequently asked questions
Get paid for your content today
Upload → set price → share. Keep 90% of every sale. No subscription, ever.