I've been testing both Milkshake and Linktree for months now, and let me tell you - choosing between them isn't as simple as you might think. 

Each has its own unique strengths, and the right choice really depends on what you need.

Let's break down exactly how these popular bio link tools stack up against each other so you can make the best choice for your specific situation.

What You Need to Know About Both Tools

Before we dive into the details, let's get straight to the point.

Milkshake is a free mobile app that creates a mini multi-page website for your bio link. It's visually rich with swipeable "cards" and is entirely managed through your phone.

Linktree is the original link-in-bio tool that creates a single-page list of all your important links. 

It offers both free and paid plans with increasing features and can be managed via web browser or mobile.

If you're in a hurry and just want the quick answer:

• Choose Milkshake if: You want a visually engaging, free solution that feels like a mini-website and don't mind managing everything from your phone.

• Choose Linktree if: You need powerful features like analytics, integrations, and payments, and prefer managing your links from a desktop.

Now let's look at the full comparison so you can decide which works better for you.

Overview of Milkshake: The Mobile-First Mini Website

Milkshake was launched by Envato in 2019 and quickly gained popularity for its unique approach to the bio link problem. 

Unlike traditional link lists, Milkshake turns your Instagram bio link into what feels like a complete mini-website.

How Milkshake Works

The platform operates exclusively through a mobile app (available on iOS and Android). 

This mobile-first approach means everything - from creation to updates - happens on your phone. 

You create "Cards" which are essentially individual pages that viewers can swipe through.

Each card can serve a different purpose:

• An "About" card to introduce yourself

• A "Links" card for your important URLs

• A "Top Picks" card to highlight favorite content

• A "YouTube" card to showcase videos

• And more specialized content cards

This multi-page structure is fundamentally different from Linktree's single-page approach. 

Followers can literally swipe through your content like they would through Instagram Stories, creating a more immersive experience.

Visual Style and Templates

Where Milkshake really shines is its visual appeal. 

The app offers 16-17 stylish templates completely free, with names like "Sea Shell" and "Sapphire Blue." 

These templates are designed to be eye-catching and customizable.

The templates let you customize colors, fonts, images, and more to match your personal brand. The result is a bio link that feels cohesive with your social media presence.

Notable Features

• Mobile Convenience: Build and update your site directly from your phone in minutes. No coding or desktop needed.

• Multiple Pages (Cards): Create a multi-page experience with different content on each card, all accessible through swipes.

• Easy Drag-and-Drop Editing: The intuitive interface makes it simple to add text, images, buttons, and rearrange cards.

• Unlimited Links: Add as many links as you want with no restrictions.

• Completely Free Core Features: All templates and functionality are available without paying anything. The only paid aspect is removing Milkshake branding.

The Mobile-Only Limitation

Milkshake's biggest limitation is also part of its design philosophy - it can only be managed via the mobile app. 

There is no web dashboard or desktop interface for editing your page. 

For Instagram-focused creators who do everything on their phones, this isn't an issue. 

But if you prefer desktop editing or need to update links from a computer, this could be a significant drawback.

Overview of Linktree: The Feature-Rich Original

Linktree is the pioneer of link-in-bio tools. Founded in 2016, it's grown into the market leader with over 30 million users as of 2024 and a valuation exceeding $1.3 billion.

What Linktree Does

Linktree provides a single-page hub for all your links. 

When you create a Linktree, you get a unique linktr.ee URL for your social media bio. 

When someone clicks it, they see a list of buttons linking to your website, blog, shop, other social profiles, or wherever else you want to send them.

It's essentially a simplified menu of links - think of it as a "tree" of links branching from one URL (hence the name). 

This solved the problem of having only one bio link by allowing multiple destinations from that single point.

Popularity and Recognition

Linktree's widespread adoption means many followers instinctively recognize a Linktree page, which can be a small advantage in terms of trust and familiarity. 

Linktree got 3,000 users overnight at launch and even got temporarily flagged as spam by Instagram due to its sudden popularity (an issue that was quickly resolved).

The platform's longevity, large user base, and continuous development make it a safe, reliable choice for creators and businesses alike.

Core Features

Linktree focuses on simplicity and functionality. 

Upon sign-up, you log in (via desktop or mobile browser) and add links through a straightforward admin interface. 

Key features include:

• Unlimited Links (Free): Even on the free plan, you can add as many link buttons as you need.

• Easy Setup and Interface: Set up your Linktree and start adding links in just minutes with an intuitive dashboard.

• Basic Customization: Choose from various themes on the free plan, with more design options (fonts, button styles, etc.) on paid plans.

• Integration Options: A major advantage is Linktree's array of integrations. It can embed content from YouTube, Spotify, TikTok, Shopify, Calendly, and more directly into your bio page. Visitors can preview content without leaving the page.

• Analytics: Linktree provides analytics dashboards to track link clicks, views, and audience insights (though detailed analytics require a paid plan).

Evolution and Business Focus

While Linktree started as a simple link list, it has evolved to include features targeted at businesses and monetization. 

These include e-commerce integrations, mailing list signups, and the ability to accept payments or donations directly on your Linktree.

This makes Linktree versatile not just for influencers but also for small businesses, entrepreneurs, and anyone who treats their bio link as part of a marketing funnel.

Feature-by-Feature Comparison

Now let's compare Milkshake and Linktree head-to-head in the areas that matter most.

1. Ease of Use & Setup

Milkshake: Designed for simplicity on mobile. If you're comfortable on your phone, setting up Milkshake is extremely easy - download the app, choose a template, and add your content in a guided process. 

The interface is intuitive and shows you exactly how your page will look as you build it.

The downside is the mobile-only nature. Some users have reported occasional app freezing or crashing, and typing or arranging lots of content might feel slower on a phone than on a computer.

Linktree: Very straightforward via its web interface. You log in to linktr.ee and start adding links and sections by basically filling out a form. 

Since it's web-based, you can use either a computer or phone browser. 

Many find Linktree slightly easier for initial setup because you can use a keyboard and have multiple tabs open for copying URLs.

Everything is drag-and-drop to reorder, and changes update instantly on your page.

Bottom line: Both are user-friendly for beginners, but Milkshake's app-only approach may have a learning curve if you're not used to creating content on your phone. Linktree offers more flexibility with cross-device management.

2. Design and Customization

Milkshake: Milkshake leads in visual customization right out of the box, especially on the free plan.

Its ~16 themed templates are modern, colorful, and aimed at a youthful, creative aesthetic. 

Each card can have a different look, and you can customize fonts, colors, images, and more to match your style.

The end result doesn't feel like a generic link list - it feels more like a personalized mini-website.

This appeals to creators who want their personality or brand to shine through. Milkshake's designs are "stylish and chic" compared to Linktree.

Importantly, all these design features are available on Milkshake's free plan; there's no paid tier that unlocks extra styles (paying only removes the tiny Milkshake logo).

The limitation is that Milkshake isn't a full-fledged website builder with endless templates - it has a fixed set of designs. 

If none of the templates fit your brand, your customization options are somewhat limited.

Linktree: Linktree's approach to design is more minimalistic. 

On the free plan, you get a handful of simple themes (solid background colors or basic gradients) and the ability to add a profile picture and icon buttons. 

It's clean but not very unique - many Linktree pages have that signature look of buttons on a solid background.

On paid plans, Linktree expands customization: you can use custom background images or animated backgrounds, pick different button styles, and access more fonts and colors. 

You can even use an NFT you own as a background or add a custom banner image.

Still, even with Pro features, Linktree remains essentially a vertically scrolling list of links - you're not changing that fundamental layout, so if you want something more than that, you should explore more Linktree alternatives. 

It's intentionally kept simple to ensure the page is always mobile-friendly and fast-loading.

Bottom line: If having a highly visual, multi-page experience is your priority, Milkshake offers more out-of-the-box. 

If you prefer a sleek, no-frills look or have brand guidelines that require consistency, Linktree can be styled to an extent (especially on paid plans), but it remains more utilitarian in design.

3. Features and Integrations

This is where the platforms diverge significantly. 

Milkshake extends into light "website" territory, whereas Linktree packs in special link types and integrations.

Milkshake Features: Milkshake keeps things straightforward with various card types:

• Links Card: A classic list of link buttons (similar to Linktree's core function)

• About Card: A page to introduce yourself or your brand with text and images

• Top Picks Card: A list or gallery of recommended items/content with links

• YouTube Card: Showcase your latest YouTube videos with thumbnails

• Splash Card: A full-page visual with a quote, promo, or eye-catching image and text

These cards allow creators to share more than just links - they can share snippets of content, personality, and multiple calls-to-action in one Milkshake site. 

This is why Milkshake markets itself with the slogan "Say more, sell more, share more".

However, Milkshake is intentionally simple. 

It doesn't have plug-and-play integrations with other apps; you can link out to any site, but it won't embed those services directly, unlike in an example of Stan Store, which might be a perfect service for creators who want all of the features of these two tools in one. 

Milkshake can link to a YouTube video or Spotify track, but it won't play them in-app (whereas Linktree can embed a playable widget).

Similarly, Milkshake has no built-in e-commerce or email capture forms - you'd have to link out to external pages for those actions.

Linktree Features: Linktree has evolved to offer a variety of specialized features:

• Special Link Types: Music links that integrate with Spotify/Apple Music, video links with YouTube/TikTok previews, event links with countdown timers, form links for email signup, and more. On higher plans, it offers gated links (requiring a code to access), scheduled links (appearing/disappearing on a schedule), and priority links (to highlight important destinations).

• Embeds and Widgets: Linktree can embed content so visitors can play a podcast episode, fill out a contact form, view an NFT, or even complete a purchase without leaving the page. This reduces friction and makes Linktree more interactive.

• Payments and Commerce: Linktree enables you to accept payments or donations directly on your link page using integrations with PayPal, Square, and others. This is valuable for creators monetizing their audience - they can sell digital products, accept tips, or charge for services via Linktree.

• Marketing Tool Integrations: Linktree integrates with email marketing platforms (Mailchimp, ConvertKit), analytics tools (Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel), and even Zapier for automation. These integrations position Linktree as a more business-friendly tool.

Bottom line: If you need advanced functionality and interactive elements in your bio link, Linktree is the stronger choice. 

It's designed for users who treat their bio link as a marketing funnel or business tool. 

Milkshake is geared toward users who want a mini personal website or portfolio - visually rich but with fewer technical features.

If you're specifically looking to sell products through your bio link, neither of these tools is a complete e-commerce solution. 

For selling digital products or courses, you might want to check out Stan Store vs Linktree to compare a commerce-focused bio tool against Linktree.

4. Analytics and Data

Milkshake: Offers very basic analytics in-app. 

Users can see the number of visits to their Milkshake site and the total number of link clicks. 

This is enough to gauge overall traffic, but it's minimal. 

There's no deeper insight like click-through rates, audience demographics, or integration with external analytics tools.

For casual creators, this might be sufficient, but for data-driven marketers, Milkshake's analytics will feel lacking. These basic stats are included in the free offering (there's no paid upgrade for analytics).

Linktree: Analytics is an area where Linktree excels, especially on paid plans. 

The Free plan gives you a simple dashboard of total views and clicks (similar to Milkshake). 

Upgrade to Starter or Pro plans, and you unlock more insights: breakdown of which links get the most clicks, click-through rates, referral sources, visitor locations, and more.

The Pro plan even integrates with Google Analytics and Facebook Pixel, so you can track conversions and build retargeting audiences from your Linktree traffic. 

This level of analytics is valuable for marketers or businesses who treat their link-in-bio as part of a sales funnel.

Linktree also tracks user interactions in ways Milkshake doesn't - for example, you can see if someone clicked on your YouTube embed or used your contact form.

Bottom line: If analytics are important to you, Linktree provides the tools you need, whereas Milkshake sticks to the basics.

5. Pricing and Plans

Milkshake Pricing: Milkshake keeps it incredibly simple. 

Everything is free - unlimited cards, all design templates, unlimited links, etc. 

The only upgrade Milkshake offers is a small monthly subscription ($2.99) to remove Milkshake's branding from your site.

On a free Milkshake site, there will be a Milkshake logo or a footer card saying "Made with Milkshake" along with a prompt for others to download the app. 

Paying removes this for a cleaner look.

Paying does not unlock any additional functionality - no extra templates, analytics, or integrations. 

The free version is fully featured; the subscription is purely for branding preference.

Milkshake's URL format is msha.ke/YourName, and you cannot customize this to a personal domain.

Linktree Pricing: Linktree operates on a freemium model with several tiers:

• Free: $0 forever. Unlimited links, basic themes, basic analytics (views/clicks), and some social icon integrations. Linktree branding will show and cannot be removed.

• Starter ($5/month): Unlocks additional customization (more themes, color/font options), scheduled links, priority links, and removes Linktree's logo (though you still use the linktr.ee URL). Also includes support for affiliate link monetization and some commerce features.

• Pro ($9/month): Unlocks all customization options (fully design the page, custom button styles, video backgrounds), advanced analytics with Google Analytics integration, email capture integrations, and no transaction fees on payments.

• Premium ($24/month): Primarily for businesses or high-profile creators. Includes everything in Pro plus priority support, a dedicated account manager, team collaboration, and data export capabilities.

Linktree's free and lower-tier plans take a 5% commission on payments collected through their built-in Commerce links. On Pro/Premium, that fee is waived.

Value for Money: Clearly, Milkshake is the more affordable option - it's essentially free unless the branding bothers you, in which case $2.99/month is still cheaper than Linktree's entry-level paid plan.

Linktree's paid plans, while pricier, offer additional value for those who need advanced features. At $9/mo for Pro, you get a robust marketing tool (far beyond what Milkshake can do).

Bottom line: If you need advanced features, be prepared for Linktree's monthly fee; if you just need a good-looking link page for free, Milkshake is extremely appealing.

Pros and Cons Summary

Milkshake Pros:

• Completely free features - full access to all templates and functions without paying

• Visually engaging pages with trendy, customizable templates and swipeable cards

• Easy mobile editing - build your page on the go without coding skills

• Multiple content types (About, Top Picks, YouTube cards, etc.) for a richer experience

• No feature paywalls - what you get on day one is what you get forever

Milkshake Cons:

• Mobile-only limitation - no desktop version for editing or preview

• Limited integrations - no embedding of third-party content or advanced features

• Milkshake branding on free version (though removal is cheap at $2.99/month)

• Limited template quantity (~16 templates total)

• Occasional app stability issues reported by some users

Linktree Pros:

• Widely recognized and trusted platform with millions of users

• Easy setup without requiring an app - accessible from any device

• Powerful features including embeds, payments, and integrations (especially on paid plans)

• Free basic plan available indefinitely

• Continuous innovation with regular feature updates

Linktree Cons:

• Limited customization on the free plan - pages look somewhat generic

• Many advanced features locked behind paid tiers

• No multi-page capability - everything must fit on a single scrolling page

• Linktree branding and URL cannot be fully customized (linktr.ee domain)

• Occasional performance concerns with feature-heavy pages

Which Tool Should You Choose?

After examining all the details, the final decision comes down to your specific needs and goals:

Choose Milkshake if: You're an individual creator or influencer who prioritizes design and storytelling over technical integrations. 

Milkshake is perfect if you want a mini-website feel without building an actual website. If you're on a tight budget and want maximum value for free, Milkshake delivers a beautiful result.

It's especially great for artists, photographers, fashion/beauty influencers, or anyone whose audience expects a visually cohesive brand experience. 

Also, if you primarily operate on mobile and like updating your bio on the fly from your phone, Milkshake fits seamlessly into your workflow.

Choose Linktree if: You need a more practical and feature-rich tool to consolidate your links and possibly do more (like collect emails, integrate with other services, or analyze traffic). 

Linktree is ideal if you treat your social media as part of a business funnel.

Small business owners, marketers, entrepreneurs, or creators focused on monetization will appreciate Linktree's extras.

If you value data and plan to optimize your link-in-bio performance, Linktree's analytics will be important.

Additionally, if you prefer managing things on desktop or want something straightforward that "just works" without an app, Linktree is the safer choice. 

It's also worth considering if you anticipate needing more capabilities in the future; you can start on the free plan and upgrade as you grow.

Remember also that It's not an either-or forever decision. 

Some creators start with Milkshake for the free creative freedom and then switch to Linktree or another advanced tool once they grow and need more features. 

Others might use Linktree's free plan and later realize they want more visual appeal, prompting a switch to Milkshake.

Both services are easy to sign up for and test, so you might try each to see which feels right for your specific needs.