Buying guide
The best link in bio for YouTubers (2026)
Full disclosure: I build Pinned, one of the tools on this list, so I'm biased. This is the best link in bio for YouTubers as I'd actually choose it, and Pinned isn't at the top. For most channels the bio link has one main job: move people from Instagram, TikTok and Shorts to your newest long video. Of the tools here, Linktree's YouTube features fit that job best, so it's my first pick.
If you sell a course, or you run a Discord or also stream on Twitch or Kick, the answer changes, and I'll say who should pick what. You can see everything Pinned makes on our products page.
The best link in bio for YouTubers at a glance
| Product | Best for | Price | Collects emails | Sells products |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linktree | Newest video, playlists | Free; Pro $12/month billed yearly | Yes, free | Yes |
| Stan | Courses and digital products | $29/month or $300/year | Yes | Yes |
| Beacons | Free store and media kit | Free; from $8.33/month billed yearly | Yes | Yes, 9% fee on Free |
| Pinned (mine) | Discord, Twitch or Kick streams | Free; Creator $39/month | No | No |
| YouTube channel links | Viewers already on YouTube | Free | No | No |
| Carrd | Your own website | Free; Pro Standard $19/year | Forms on Pro Standard | Payment forms on Pro Plus |
Why YouTubers need something different
On YouTube, links are generous in some places and blocked in others. Your channel can show up to 14 links, with the first one next to the subscribe button. Links in long-form descriptions and comments are clickable once your channel has advanced features. But YouTube's own help center says URLs in Shorts descriptions and Shorts comments are not clickable.
So a YouTuber's link page works in two directions. Off YouTube, in your Instagram, TikTok or X (Twitter) bio, it pulls people toward the channel and the newest upload. On YouTube, as that first channel link, it holds the things that live off YouTube: your newsletter, your store, your Discord or sponsor info. The right tool depends on which direction matters more for you.
1. Linktree
- Best for
- YouTubers who want every bio tap to land on their newest upload
- Price
- Free; Starter $6/month billed yearly or $8 month to month; Pro $12/month billed yearly or $15 month to month, with a 7-day free trial
- Email and selling
- Email and phone sign-ups on the free plan; digital products and courses with fees that depend on your plan
Linktree's YouTube link is built for this job. Paste a video URL, and visitors can watch it right on your Linktree or jump to YouTube. On Pro or Premium you can tick "Always use channel's latest video", so the link updates itself every time you upload. Pro also lets one link show several videos from your channel, filtered to uploads, Shorts only or a playlist, sorted by most recent, most viewed or trending, with an optional prompt asking visitors to subscribe.
The catch: those YouTube extras need Pro, which is also the plan that removes Linktree branding. The image and player layouts start on Starter. Selling is there too, but a channel that mostly sells will find Stan more focused.
2. Stan
- Best for
- YouTubers who sell courses, digital products, coaching or memberships
- Price
- Creator $29/month or $300/year; Creator Pro $99/month or $948/year; 14-day free trial, no free plan
- Email and selling
- Both: a storefront, courses, bookings and email list building, with no Stan transaction fees
Stan turns your link in bio into a store. The Creator plan covers unlimited digital products, a course builder, calendar bookings, memberships, a community and lead magnets for growing an email list. Creator Pro adds email automation, discount codes, upsells, payment plans, affiliate management and pixel tracking. Stan says it takes no cut of your sales; you only pay Stripe or PayPal's processing fees.
The catch: there's no free plan, so you pay $29 a month whether or not anything sells. If your channel isn't selling yet, start somewhere free.
3. Beacons
- Best for
- YouTubers who want a store, emails and a media kit without paying up front
- Price
- Free with 9% seller fees; Creator $10/month or $100/year; Creator Plus $30/month or $300/year with 0% seller fees
- Email and selling
- Both on the free plan: digital products, affiliate links and 50 email sends a month
Beacons gives a small channel a lot for $0. The free plan includes a link in bio with YouTube video embeds, a store for unlimited digital products, 50 email sends a month, Instagram auto-DMs and a media kit that updates daily. Creator at $10/month adds a free custom domain and 500 email sends.
The catch: the 9% seller fee on Free and Creator adds up once you sell regularly, and the Beacons branding stays until Creator Plus at $30/month.
4. Pinned
Mine- Best for
- YouTubers who run a Discord or also stream on Twitch or Kick
- Price
- Free forever; Creator $39/month or $390/year, with a 14-day free trial
- Email and selling
- Neither: no store, no payments and no email signups, just a contact form
A Pinned page is built from sections you toggle and reorder: links, YouTube and Rumble embeds, clips and videos, a weekly schedule, a Discord invite card, an FAQ and a contact form. If you also stream on Twitch or Kick, a live badge turns on by itself when you go live there.
For sponsor work, Creator adds a media kit builder with six templates. Stats come from your connected accounts or you type them in, and the kit is shared as a link and shown on your page. Creator also brings a custom domain, no Pinned mark, analytics, and a scheduler for X, Instagram, Threads, Bluesky, LinkedIn, Facebook Pages and Discord.
The catch for a YouTuber: YouTube can't be connected to Pinned yet, so there's no live badge for YouTube streams, no synced subscriber count (you type your numbers into the media kit) and no YouTube posting. All three are coming soon; today you upload in YouTube Studio as usual. Pinned also doesn't collect emails or sell anything, so it can't be your newsletter or your store.
5. YouTube's own channel links
- Best for
- channels that just need viewers to find their other links
- Price
- Free, in YouTube Studio
- Email and selling
- Neither; they're plain links
Before paying for a link page, fill in the links YouTube already gives you. In YouTube Studio, under Customization and then Profile, you can add up to 14 links. The first shows near the subscribe button, and the rest appear when viewers click to see more links.
The catch: these links live on YouTube only, so they do nothing for your Instagram or TikTok bio, and Shorts viewers have to reach your channel page before they can tap one.
6. Carrd
- Best for
- YouTubers who want a simple website on their own domain for a few dollars a year
- Price
- Free for up to 3 sites with Carrd branding; Pro Standard $19/year; Pro Plus $49/year
- Email and selling
- On Pro Standard: signup forms for email tools and Stripe, PayPal or Gumroad widgets; payment forms on Pro Plus
A bigger channel eventually wants a home of its own: sponsors look you up, and a domain you own outlasts any platform's rules. Carrd is a cheap way there. Pro Standard is $19 a year for 10 sites with custom domains, forms that send signups to Mailchimp, Kit, Klaviyo and others, and site analytics.
The catch: you design and update it by hand, so it suits a stable home page better than a link you change every week.
My pick
For most YouTubers, I'd start with YouTube's free channel links plus Linktree, and pay for Linktree Pro once the latest-video link is worth $12 a month to you. That setup serves the main job best: getting people from other apps to your newest upload.
If you sell a course or digital products, go to Stan; to sell without a monthly bill, Beacons. Beacons also wins for sponsors, since its free media kit pulls your YouTube stats daily. If you run a Discord or also stream on Twitch or Kick, I'd pick Pinned, and its free plan is enough to try it. If you only stream on YouTube, its live badge won't help you yet. Pinned doesn't collect emails, so if a newsletter is your priority, look at Linktree, Beacons or Stan instead.
What I'd do today
- Open YouTube Studio, go to Customization, then Profile, and fill in your channel links with the most important one first.
- Decide the one action you want from a bio tap: watch, buy or join your email list.
- For watching, set up Linktree's free plan with your newest video, then test the latest-video option during Pro's 7-day trial.
- If you run a Discord or stream on Twitch or Kick, make a free Pinned page and connect Twitch or Kick for the live badge.
Frequently asked questions
Why aren't the links in my YouTube Shorts clickable?
YouTube made them non-clickable on purpose. Its help center says URLs in Shorts descriptions and Shorts comments can't be clicked, to fight spam and scams. Links in long-form video descriptions and comments still work if your channel has advanced features, and your channel page can show up to 14 links. That's why Shorts creators lean on channel links and a link in bio: viewers have to reach your profile to tap one.
Do I need a link in bio if YouTube already gives me 14 links?
On YouTube itself, maybe not: 14 channel links cover a lot, and the first one sits next to the subscribe button. You need a link page for everywhere else. Your Instagram, TikTok and X bios are where one page with your newest video, store and socials earns its place. Many YouTubers also use that page as their first channel link.
Can Pinned post my videos to YouTube?
Not yet. Pinned's scheduler publishes today to X, Instagram, Facebook Pages, Threads, LinkedIn, Bluesky, Discord and Shopify blog articles. YouTube publishing is coming, along with TikTok, Pinterest and Google Business Profile, but none of those work today. For now, upload and schedule your videos in YouTube Studio, and use Pinned to announce them on your other socials and in your Discord server.
Try Pinned free
A Pinned page costs nothing to start: YouTube embeds, the live badge for Twitch and Kick, your Discord invite and every theme are on the free plan. When you want the media kit, a custom domain and the scheduler, Creator comes with a 14-day free trial you can cancel at no cost during the trial. Start your free page or compare plans.
I checked prices and features for every product here on October 3, 2026. They change often, so double-check before you buy.