Beacons vs Fourthwall

Beacons is an all-in-one creator platform from a US startup that began as a link-in-bio tool and grew into a small business suite for social media creators. A single Beacons page sits behind the bio link on Instagram, TikTok or YouTube and can host a storefront for digital products, an email signup form, a media kit for brands and links to everything else a creator does.

Beyond the link page, Beacons includes a store for selling digital downloads, courses and coaching, an email marketing tool for building and messaging a list, a media kit that pulls in audience statistics, invoicing for brand deals and a set of AI tools for captions, pitches and product descriptions. The free plan lets creators start without paying but takes a fee on sales; Creator Pro adds tools but keeps the same fee, and Store Pro removes it while unlocking more customisation.

Beacons fits creators who want monetisation, email and brand partnership admin in one place without stitching together several apps. It is less suited to businesses that need a full website, detailed analytics or precise design control, and the number of features can feel sprawling for someone who only needs a link page. Linktree is the simpler and better-known link page, Stan Store focuses on selling products and courses from the bio link, and Kit (formerly ConvertKit) is stronger when email is the main channel.

Fourthwall is a creator commerce platform from Los Angeles, founded in 2019 by Will Baumann and Teespring co-founder Walker Williams. It gives YouTubers, streamers, podcasters and publishers a branded shop for print-on-demand merch, their own products, memberships and digital downloads, while Fourthwall handles production, global fulfillment and customer support for catalog orders.

The catalog has more than 200 print-on-demand items, and their base cost is deducted from each sale, so there is no inventory or upfront cost. Memberships support members-only videos, community features and a branded mobile app. The Free plan costs nothing but takes 5% on digital products and memberships. Pro costs $15 per month and removes the digital product fee, raises digital storage from 5 GB to 100 GB, adds a custom domain, unlimited team members and shop credit. Card processing is 2.9% plus $0.30 per US transaction on both plans.

Fourthwall fits creators who want merch and memberships under one brand without holding stock. Patreon has stronger membership habits but no real storefront, Stan Store is simpler for link-in-bio digital sales and coaching, and Gumroad suits pure digital products. Design freedom is narrower than a full Shopify store, and print-on-demand margins are thin on cheap items.

Fourthwall says more than 500,000 creators and companies use it, including MKBHD and Vox Media brands. Tip: if you sell more than about $300 a month in digital products, the 5% fee on Free already costs more than Pro, but memberships carry 5% on both plans.