Linktree's Commission Fee, Explained (and How to Avoid It) (2026)

If you sell through Linktree, or you're thinking about it, there's a fee worth understanding before you route money through the page. Linktree can take a commission on native sales and tips. This post explains how that fee works, what it actually costs, and the simple way to avoid it entirely. It's a spoke off our complete link-in-bio guide.

How Linktree's commission works

Linktree has features that let you sell products, take tips, or collect payments directly inside your Linktree page. When you use those, Linktree processes the transaction, and it keeps a percentage of each sale as a commission.

That commission is separate from:

• Your payment processor's fee (Stripe or PayPal take their own cut).
• Your Linktree subscription, if you're on a paid plan.

So a native sale through Linktree can be hit by up to three costs at once: the processor's fee, the platform commission, and (indirectly) your subscription. The exact commission percentage depends on your Linktree plan, higher on free, lower on paid, so free users pay the most per sale. Always check Linktree's current terms, because these numbers change, but the structure is the point: sell inside the page and there's a cut.

What it actually costs you

Small percentages feel harmless until they compound. A commission on a single low-value sale is a rounding error. Across a month of sales, or a launch, it becomes a real line item.

And it's a recurring cost. Every single sale gets clipped. Unlike a one-time setup cost, a per-sale commission never stops, it scales up exactly as you grow. The more successful you are, the more it takes. That's the part that stings: the fee punishes volume.

For a hobbyist making occasional sales, fine, ignore it. For anyone selling seriously, it's the single biggest hidden cost of using a bio tool to sell.

How to avoid it (the simple version)

Here's the good news: avoiding Linktree's commission is trivial. Don't sell inside Linktree. Link out to your own checkout.

Instead of using Linktree's native store or tip feature, add a plain button that points to your checkout, your Gumroad, your Shopify, your own payment page. When someone taps it, they leave Linktree and pay you directly through your own processor. Linktree never touches the money, so there's no commission to take.

You still use Linktree as a page of links. You just don't let it process your sales. That one change keeps 100% of every sale (minus your own processor's normal fee, which you'd pay anywhere).

The catch with Linktree specifically

Using Linktree purely as a link-out page works, but it means you're paying for Linktree and setting up your own checkout separately, and you lose the convenience of in-page selling that Linktree was nudging you toward. Some creators find that odd: pay for the tool, then route around its money features.

That's why some people switch to a tool that's commission-free by design, one that only ever links out and never tries to process your sales in the first place. heyy.to's bio page works this way: it's a menu of buttons pointing at your own checkout, and it never touches your money, because it's built to link out, not to sell in-page. We explained the philosophy in commission-free link-in-bio, and compared the switch-away options in Linktree alternatives.

Is Linktree still worth using?

Honestly, yes, if you don't sell through it. As a plain page of links, Linktree is fast, familiar, and fine. The commission only bites when you use its native selling features. So:

• You don't sell through your bio page: Linktree is fine, no commission applies.
• You sell and want convenience, and accept the fee: Linktree's native selling works, just know the cost.
• You sell and want to keep 100%: link out to your own checkout, from Linktree or a commission-free tool.

No drama, just do the math on your own sales volume and pick accordingly.

FAQ

Does Linktree take a commission on sales? Yes, on its native selling and tip features, Linktree keeps a percentage of each transaction. The exact rate depends on your plan (free users pay the most). It doesn't apply if you just link out to your own checkout.

How much is Linktree's commission? It varies by plan and changes over time, so check Linktree's current terms. The structure matters more than the number: sell inside the page and there's a cut, on top of your processor's fee and subscription.

How do I avoid Linktree's fee? Don't sell inside Linktree. Add a button that links out to your own checkout (Gumroad, Shopify, your payment page). Linktree never processes the sale, so there's no commission.

Is there a link-in-bio tool with no commission at all? Yes, tools that link out by design, like heyy.to, never process your sales and so never take a cut. See commission-free link-in-bio.

Does the commission apply if I just link out from Linktree? No. The fee only applies to sales processed inside Linktree. Link out and it doesn't touch those sales.

Should I stop using Linktree because of the fee? Not necessarily. If you don't sell through it, there's no fee. If you do, either link out to avoid it or consider a commission-free tool. See Linktree alternatives.

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Linktree's commission only applies when you sell inside the page, and you can dodge it entirely by linking out to your own checkout. If you'd rather use a tool that's commission-free by design (and also does comment-to-DM automation), that's what heyy.to is. Read the complete guide or see the pricing.