Link-in-bio with store, email marketing, media kit and brand-deal tools.
Head-to-head
Beacons vs Stan Store (2026): which creator store should you use?
Link-in-bio storefront for selling digital products, courses and bookings.
Beacons lets you start selling for free and pay a 9% fee per sale, then drop to 0% for $30/mo with unlimited marketing emails. Stan Store has no free plan. It costs $29/mo after a 14-day free trial, with 0% transaction fees. If you're testing your first product, Beacons Free costs nothing up front.
Quick verdict
- Pick Beacons if you want to start at $0, need email marketing included, or want a media kit for brand deals.
- Pick Stan Store if you prefer its simple store layout for courses, calls and downloads, and you already sell enough to justify a monthly fee.
Side-by-side comparison
| Beacons | Stan Store | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes: unlimited links, media kit, store, 50 emails/mo, 5 pages | No |
| Plans | Free $0, Creator $10/mo, Creator Plus $30/mo, Creator Max $90/mo (yearly $100/$300/$900) | Creator $29/mo ($300/yr), Creator Pro $99/mo ($948/yr); 14-day free trial, no free plan |
| Transaction fee | 9% on Free and Creator; 0% on Creator Plus and Max | 0% on both plans (processing fees only) |
| 50/mo Free, 500/mo Creator, unlimited marketing emails from Creator Plus | Not stated on Stan's pricing page | |
| Courses and memberships | Creator Plus and up | Yes (core feature) |
| Extras | Media kit, AI brand outreach (Creator), custom domain | Creator: AutoDM, courses, bookings. Creator Pro adds upsells, payment plans, affiliates, email flows |
Beacons fee math
On Beacons' Free or Creator plan you pay 9% per sale. Creator Plus at $30/mo cuts that to 0%. So the switch pays off once you sell about $333 a month ($30 ÷ 0.09):
| Monthly sales | Beacons Free (9%) | Beacons Creator Plus ($30, 0%) |
|---|---|---|
| $100 | $9 | $30 |
| $1,000 | $90 | $30 |
| $5,000 | $450 | $30 |
Payment processing (Stripe or PayPal) is extra on every platform. Stan's Creator plan is $29/mo with 0% transaction fees, close to Beacons Creator Plus at $30/mo, so the choice comes down to features.
Yearly cost compared
Billed yearly, Beacons Creator Plus is $300 and Stan Creator is $300, so the base price is a tie. The gap opens one tier up: Beacons Creator Max is $900 a year and Stan Creator Pro is $948. Below $333 a month in sales, Beacons Free (9%) costs less than either paid plan.
How to choose
- Estimate monthly sales. Under about $333, start on Beacons Free.
- Decide if you need email. Beacons includes marketing emails from Creator Plus; Stan puts email broadcasts and flows on Creator Pro.
- Check Instagram. Stan Creator includes AutoDM for automated replies.
- Use the trial. Stan gives 14 days, so set up your real product before you start it.
Which should you pick?
- Testing a first product: Beacons Free. Pay only when you sell.
- Selling over about $333/mo and emailing your list: Beacons Creator Plus or Stan; compare the stores side by side.
- Brand deals matter as much as products: Beacons, for the media kit and outreach tools.
Also see Linktree vs Stan Store.
Questions
Is Beacons better than Stan Store?
Beacons is better for starting free and for email. Stan is a pure paid store; which is better past $333/mo depends on the store features you need.
Does Beacons take a cut of sales?
Yes, 9% on Free and Creator. It's 0% on Creator Plus ($30/mo) and Creator Max ($90/mo).
Is Stan Store free?
No. There's a 14-day free trial, then $29/mo or $300/yr.
Sources: Stan Store pricing (Stan, updated 22 Jul 2026); Beacons pricing plans (help center). Stan figures are from Stan's own pricing page. Checked on 13 October 2026. Based on published plans, not a hands-on test.