Linktree publishes its prices in US dollars and bills globally in USD. For an American that is the end of the story. For you it is the beginning of one.
The advertised price
As of 2026 the tiers are roughly:
| Plan | USD / month | Roughly in rand |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | R0 |
| Starter | $8 | ~R150 |
| Pro | $15 | ~R280 |
| Premium | $35 | ~R650 |
Those rand figures assume about R18.50 to the dollar. Check today's rate before you rely on any of them — that is exactly the point of this post.
What actually leaves your account
Three things sit between the sticker price and your bank statement.
The rand moves. Your subscription is a dollar amount. If the rand weakens 10%, your bill rises 10% and nobody emails you about it. Budget R280 and you may pay R310 in a bad month.
Most South African cards charge an international transaction fee. Typically around 2–3% on a foreign-currency purchase. Check your specific card, because banks differ.
There is no rand invoice. If you are running this as a business expense, you are reconciling a foreign transaction every month.
None of that makes Linktree bad. It makes it *foreign*, and that has a cost most comparison posts never mention.
The fee people miss
If you sell anything through the page, Linktree also takes a commission: 12% on Free, 9% on Starter and Pro, 0% only on Premium — on top of normal card processing.
Sell R10,000 of merch on the free plan and R1,200 goes to Linktree. That is more than a year of Premium. The subscription is the number they advertise; the commission is the number that actually costs you.
How we price, and where we are more expensive
I am not going to pretend we undercut them on everything.
| Linktree Pro | octa.social Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $15/mo (~R280, moves) | R299/mo, fixed in rand |
| Billed in | USD | Rand |
| Commission on sales | 9% | We do not sell for you |
| Verified identity | No | Yes, via OAuth |
| Career record | You type it | Official competition data |
| Media kit for brands | No | Yes |
On sticker price we are slightly more than Linktree Pro today. If the rand strengthens, we would be more again. What you get for the difference is a rand price that does not move, and a page built to prove an athlete is who they say they are.
If all you need is a list of links, Linktree's free plan is genuinely fine and I would not try to talk you out of it.
The part that matters more than price
I spent a career watching sponsorship decisions get made. Nobody ever chose a player because of what their links page cost.
They chose the player whose numbers they could check. If your page cannot show a brand what your audience actually is — measured, not claimed — then you saved R20 a month and lost the deal.
Price the thing against what it is meant to win you, not against the other thing that also holds links.