Linktree vs Milkshake (2026): Phone-Only or Cross-Device?

The real Linktree vs Milkshake decision is not features, it is where you build. Milkshake is a phone-app-only builder with no desktop editor, in a card-style layout. Linktree works on web and app as a classic link list, free to $35/mo. Pick Milkshake if you live on your phone, Linktree for cross-device editing, or an owned page for a custom domain.

	Milkshake	Linktree
Where you build	iOS + Android app only	Web + app
Layout	Card / story style	Classic link list
Free plan	Yes (fully functional)	Yes
Entry paid price	$2.99/mo (Lite)	$8/mo (Starter)
Seller fee	12% to 7% by tier	12% Free, 9% paid
Custom domain	Pro+ only ($99.99/yr)	No, on any plan
Best for	Building fast on your phone	Cross-device, integrations

Linktree vs Milkshake: what's the core difference?

Milkshake builds and edits entirely inside a phone app. There is no desktop editor at all, so everything you do happens on iOS or Android, and the output is a card-style, swipeable site rather than a stacked link list. That is the whole product, and it is genuinely good at it: you can put a page together on your phone in minutes.

Linktree is the opposite shape. You build it on the web or in the app, edit from any device, and the result is the classic vertical list of link buttons under your bio. It is a link aggregator built to route followers outward, with a large integration library behind it.

So the honest split is not "which has more features." It is whether you want to build on your phone (Milkshake) or across devices with a link-list layout and integrations (Linktree). Get that right and the rest of the comparison falls into place.

How much does Milkshake cost vs Linktree in 2026?

Both have a real free plan, then diverge on price and what the paid tiers unlock.

Plan	Milkshake	Linktree
Free	$0 (12% fee)	$0 (12% fee)
Entry paid	Lite $2.99/mo (removes branding)	Starter $8/mo
Mid	Pro $6.99/mo ($5/mo annual)	Pro $15/mo
Top	Pro+ $10/mo ($8.33/mo annual)	Premium $35/mo

Milkshake is the cheaper ladder across the board. Its Lite tier removes branding for $2.99/mo, where Linktree makes you climb to Pro at $15/mo to drop its footer logo. Milkshake Pro+ tops out at $10/mo (or $8.33/mo billed annually), still under Linktree's Pro. Linktree's Premium at $35/mo buys 0% seller fees and team features that Milkshake does not match, but for a solo creator the price story favors Milkshake.

What are the seller fees on each?

Milkshake tapers its transaction fee by tier: 12% on Free and Lite, 9% on Pro, and 7% on Pro+, plus Stripe processing on every tier. Linktree charges 12% on Free and 9% on all paid plans, also plus Stripe, until you reach Premium at $35/mo where the platform fee drops to 0%.

If you sell regularly, the fee math matters more than the subscription. Milkshake's 7% floor beats Linktree's 9% on the paid tiers most creators actually use, but neither reaches the 0% that an owned page or a dedicated storefront gives you. Treat the fee as a running tax on every sale, not a one-time cost.

Can you use a custom domain on Milkshake or Linktree?

This is the cleanest differentiator, and most comparisons state it wrong. Milkshake supports a custom domain, but only on Pro+, its top tier at $99.99/yr. Free, Lite, and Pro all stay on the milkshake.app/username URL. Linktree offers no custom domain on any plan, at any price; its own help center says so and points to redirect links as the workaround.

So if owning your URL matters, Milkshake can do it, but you pay for the top annual plan to get there, and Linktree cannot do it at all. For many creators that single fact decides the comparison, which is why it belongs near the top rather than buried in a feature grid. For the Linktree side in detail, see Linktree vs Linkero.

Which is better for building on your phone?

Milkshake, without much argument. It was designed as a phone-first builder, and everything from the editor to the card templates assumes you are working on a screen you hold. If your whole workflow lives on your phone and you want a polished, story-style page fast, Milkshake fits the way you already work.

Which is better for cross-device editing and integrations?

Linktree. Because you build it on the web, you can edit from a laptop, hand access to a teammate, and lean on its integration library (analytics, email tools, pixels, scheduling). Milkshake's phone-only model is a hard stop here: there is no desktop editor to open. If you switch between devices or need a bio page a team maintains, Linktree is the safer pick. The best link in bio under $5 roundup covers cheaper cross-device options too.

Does anyone still use Linktree?

Yes, it is still the default many creators reach for. But its late-November 2025 price hikes (Starter $5 to $8, Pro $9 to $15, Premium $24 to $35) pushed a lot of people to shop alternatives, and the missing custom domain plus seller fees are common reasons they leave. The full breakdown is in Linktree pricing 2026, and Beacons vs Linktree covers another popular escape route.

When neither Linktree nor Milkshake fits

There is a third case both tools handle badly: you want an owned, design-first bio page with a real custom domain and no seller fee, but you do not want to be locked into a phone app or pay Milkshake's top annual tier just to use your own URL. Milkshake gives you the domain only at Pro+; Linktree never gives it at all.

That is the gap a dedicated link-in-bio tool fills. Linkero (our tool, so weigh that) is a design-first bio page with a custom domain and hide-branding on its lowest paid tier, 0% platform fees on all plans, and editing on desktop and mobile rather than one locked-in app. It is not the right call if you specifically want Milkshake's swipeable card format built on your phone; it is the right call if owning the page and the URL is the point. Pricing is on /pricing.

FAQ

What is better than Linktree?

It depends on the job. For a phone-first, card-style page, Milkshake. For cross-device editing with integrations, Linktree itself is fine unless the price or missing custom domain pushes you off. For an owned page with your own domain and 0% fees, a dedicated link-in-bio tool beats both.

Does anyone use Linktree anymore?

Yes, it is still widely used and remains the category's best-known name. But the late-2025 price increases and the lack of a custom domain on any plan have sent a steady stream of creators looking at alternatives like Milkshake and owned bio pages.

How much does the Milkshake website cost?

Milkshake is free to start. Paid tiers run Lite $2.99/mo, Pro $6.99/mo (or $5/mo annual), and Pro+ $10/mo (or $8.33/mo annual). The custom-domain feature is on Pro+ only.

Is Milkshake a good website builder?

For phone-first, card-style sites, yes, it is genuinely good and fast. Its limits show if you want to edit on a desktop, use a traditional link-list layout, or hand the page to a team, since the whole product is the phone app.

Bottom line

Milkshake to build on your phone, Linktree to route across devices. Milkshake is the cheaper ladder, taps out its seller fee at 7%, and can give you a custom domain, but only on its top annual tier and only inside a phone app. Linktree edits anywhere and integrates widely, but costs more to drop branding and never offers a custom domain. If you want an owned page with your own URL and 0% fees without either compromise, neither one is the answer.