Beacons alternative
Lootly vs Beacons: an honest comparison
Beacons is a link-in-bio tool with a free plan, a media kit and AI helpers. Lootly is a creator storefront with a free plan and 0% fee plans. Here is how they compare, including where Beacons comes out ahead.
Beacons facts checked November 3, 2026 from Beacons pricing (vendor page) (opens in a new tab). Lootly is not affiliated with Beacons.
Who Beacons is for
- Beginner to mid-size creators who want a free start, a media kit for brand deals and AI helpers.
- Creators who want email sends and Instagram auto-replies in their link-in-bio tool.
Who Lootly is for
- Creators who want a lower fee on a free plan, or 0% platform fees for $19.99/month.
- Creators who sell courses and 1:1 bookings without moving to a $30/month plan.
Side by side
Only facts we could check on each company's pricing page on November 3, 2026. “Not listed in our sources” means we could not confirm it either way.
| Feature | Beacons | Lootly |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Beacons: Yes, 9% fee | Lootly: Yes: Seed, 7% fee |
| Paid plans | Beacons: Creator $10/month ($100/year), 9% fee; Creator Plus $30/month ($300/year), 0%; Creator Max $100/month ($1,000/year), 0% | Lootly: Growth $19.99/month ($200/year), 0%; Scale $79.99/month ($900/year), 0% |
| Cheapest plan with 0% platform fee | Beacons: Creator Plus, $30/month | Lootly: Growth, $19.99/month |
| Card processing fees | Beacons: Charged on top | Lootly: Charged on top |
| Digital products | Beacons: Yes, unlimited | Lootly: Yes, unlimited |
| Courses | Beacons: Creator Plus and above, with video hosting | Lootly: Yes: modules, lessons, video uploads, free preview lessons and student progress, on every plan |
| Memberships | Beacons: Creator Plus and above | Lootly: Yes, on every plan |
| Media kit | Beacons: Yes | Lootly: Not yet |
| Email sends | Beacons: Yes | Lootly: Not yet |
| AI credits | Beacons: Yes | Lootly: Not yet |
| Affiliate links | Beacons: Yes | Lootly: Yes, with a disclosure shown to buyers |
Where Beacons is better
- A media kit for brand deals, email sends, AI credits and Instagram auto-replies (Smart Reply). Lootly has none of these yet.
- Buy-now-pay-later on Creator Plus. Lootly is card only on purpose, with no interest or late fees.
- A cheaper entry paid plan: Creator is $10/month (though it keeps the 9% fee).
When Lootly makes sense
- A lower fee on the free plan: 7% on Lootly Seed against 9% on Beacons Free. On a $29 product that is $2.03 against $2.61 per sale.
- A cheaper 0% plan: Lootly Growth is $19.99/month; the cheapest 0% Beacons plan is Creator Plus at $30/month.
- Courses and 1:1 bookings with Google Calendar on every Lootly plan, including the free one.
Break-even points
- Lootly Seed costs less than Beacons Free at every sales level.
- Beacons Creator Plus becomes cheaper than Lootly Seed above ~$429/month in sales.
- Lootly Growth costs less than Beacons Creator Plus at every sales level.
Monthly prices; card processing is the same on both sides, so it cancels out. Where a plan has a fixed fee per sale, the example assumes a $29 product. Try your own numbers in the calculator.
Start on Lootly for free
Seed is free with a 7% platform fee per sale. Growth ($19.99/month) and Scale ($79.99/month) have no platform fee. Card processing fees apply on every plan.
Sources
All competitor facts checked November 3, 2026. Prices change; check the vendor's page before you decide. Lootly is not affiliated with any company named here; names are used only to compare.
- Beacons pricing (vendor page) (opens in a new tab) checked November 3, 2026
- Lootly pricing checked November 3, 2026
Questions
Is Lootly cheaper than Beacons?
On the free plans, Lootly Seed charges 7% per sale and Beacons Free charges 9%. For 0% platform fees, Lootly Growth is $19.99/month and Beacons Creator Plus is $30/month. Beacons prices from its pricing page, checked November 3, 2026.
What does Beacons have that Lootly does not?
A media kit, email sends, AI credits and Instagram auto-replies, which Lootly does not offer yet, and buy-now-pay-later on higher plans, which Lootly leaves out on purpose (card only).