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Choosing between Stan Store and Beacons comes down to one question: Are you building a mobile checkout funnel for high-converting digital products, or do you need a customizable link-in-bio hub with built-in creator utilities?
Stan Store is built from the ground up as a frictionless, high-converting digital cash register. Beacons began as an all-in-one link aggregator and media kit builder that expanded into digital commerce.
The 30-Second Verdict
- Choose Stan Store if your traffic comes exclusively from TikTok, Instagram Reels, or Shorts and you want a single-tap, modal checkout for digital downloads, courses, and 1:1 coaching without sending buyers to external pages.
- Choose Beacons if you are just starting out with $0 revenue (leveraging the free plan), want complete visual customization, need a custom domain, or rely on brand sponsorships via media kits.
| Feature | Stan Store | Beacons |
| Primary Focus | Frictionless e-commerce checkout | Link-in-bio, branding & creator tools |
| Starting Price | $29/month | $0/month (Free tier) |
| 0% Transaction Fee Tier | From $29/mo (Creator Plan) | From $30/mo (Creator Plus Plan) |
| Transaction Fees on Base Plan | 0% (Payment processor fees only) | 9% on Free and Creator, 0% on Plus and Max (Payment processor fees apply on all) |
| Custom Domain Support | ❌ No (stan.store/username only) | ✅ Yes (Included from $10/mo Creator tier) |
| Native Calendar & Booking | ✅ Built-in (Google Meet/Zoom sync) | ⚠️ Basic (Requires setup or embeds) |
| Order Bumps & Upsells | ✅ Locked behind $99/mo Pro plan | ✅ Included in $30/mo Creator Plus |
| Media Kit Generator | ❌ No | ✅ Built-in auto-updating media kit |
| Free Trial | 14 days | Permanent free plan available |
| Direct Action | [Try Stan Store ↗] | [Try Beacons ↗] |
The Fee Break-Even Math: When “Free” Becomes Expensive
Beacons advertises a $0/month plan, but it charges a 9% seller fee on digital product sales. Stan Store charges a flat $29/month subscription with 0% platform fees.
(Note: Standard Stripe/PayPal processing fees of ~2.9% + $0.30 apply equally to both platforms).
Because of this structure, Beacons is cheaper when validating ideas, but quickly becomes more expensive as sales volume scales:
Revenue Required to Make Stan Store Better Value = $29/0.09 = $322.22
| Monthly Gross Sales Examples | Beacons Free (9% Fee on gross sales) | Stan Store Creator ($29/mo flat fee) | Most Cost-Effective Platform |
| $100 | $9.00 | $29.00 | Beacons Free |
| $250 | $22.50 | $29.00 | Beacons Free |
| $323 (Inflection Point) | $29.07 | $29.00 | Tie (Stan wins beyond this) |
| $1,000 | $90.00 | $29.00 | Stan Store (Saves $61/mo) |
| $2,500 | $225.00 | $29.00 | Stan Store (Saves $196/mo) |
| $5,000 | $450.00 | $29.00 | Stan Store (Saves $421/mo) |
The Takeaway: If you earn less than $323/month, stick with Beacons Free. The moment you clear $323/month, staying on Beacons Free is mathematically irrational: upgrade to Beacons Creator Plus ($30/mo) or migrate to Stan Store ($29/mo) to eliminate the 9% transaction cut.
In-Depth Feature Comparison
1. Checkout Experience & Conversion Rate
- Stan Store: Excels at mobile sales conversion. When an Instagram or TikTok follower taps your link, Stan opens a streamlined modal overlay directly inside the in-app browser. The customer enters an email and card detail (or Apple Pay) without reloading the page. It cuts cart abandonment by keeping the buying friction to an absolute minimum.
- Beacons: Operates more like a modular website. While clean and responsive, clicking a product opens a multi-step drawer or sub-page. It works well, but lacks the single-tap conversion speed Stan was built around.
2. Custom Domains & Branding Control
- Stan Store: Stan Store does not support custom domains on any plan. Your store URL will permanently be
stan.store/yourname. Stan also restricts layout adjustments to a single vertical column, standardized typography, and custom accent colors. - Beacons: Beacons provides full custom domain mapping starting on its $10/month Creator plan (e.g.,
shop.yourbrand.comoryourbrand.com). You also get deep visual control: modular card layouts, custom background videos, CSS adjustments, and font pairings.
3. Coaching, Consultations & Calendar Sync
- Stan Store: Includes a native booking engine that directly replaces tools like Calendly or Acuity. You configure your availability, sync your Google or Outlook calendar, set buffer times, and collect payments upfront. Stan automatically generates and emails unique Zoom/Google Meet links to the client.
- Beacons: Handles appointment requests and simple scheduling, but the calendar engine is basic compared to Stan’s dedicated booking workflow. Serious coaches often have to integrate third-party schedulers on Beacons.
4. Course Hosting & Digital Products
- Stan Store: The $29 Creator plan includes unlimited digital file downloads (PDFs, templates, presets) alongside an integrated video course builder. Students log in to a clean, mobile-first course interface to stream modules.
- Beacons: Allows unlimited digital product sales on the Free tier. Video course hosting and recurring membership clubs are supported, but video hosting is locked behind the $30/mo Creator Plus plan.
5. Email Marketing & Sales Funnels
- Stan Store: The entry-level $29/month plan only handles basic email collection and newsletter broadcasts. Automated multi-step email drip sequences, 1-click order bumps, and sales funnels are locked behind the $99/month Creator Pro plan.
- Beacons: The Free plan includes 50 email sends/month, expanding to 500 on the $10 tier, and unlimited automated sends on the $30/mo Creator Plus tier. If you want automated email sequences and order bumps without spending $100/month, Beacons offers lower barriers to entry.
Head-to-Head Pricing Breakdown
Stan Store Plans
- Creator Plan ($29/mo or $300/yr): Unlimited digital products, courses, calendar bookings, basic lead capture, 0% platform fees.
- Creator Pro Plan ($99/mo or $948/yr): Adds 1-click upsells, order bumps, dynamic payment plans (Klarna/Afterpay), automated email sequences, and ad tracking pixels.
Beacons Plans
- Free Plan ($0/mo): Bio link, basic digital products, media kit generator, 50 email sends/month, 9% seller fee.
- Creator Plan ($10/mo or $100/yr): Adds custom domain, removes Beacons branding, 500 email sends/month, 9% seller fee remains.
- Creator Plus ($30/mo or $300/yr): 0% seller fees, unlimited emails, video course hosting, recurring memberships, order bumps.
- Creator Max ($90/mo or $900/yr): Adds priority VIP support, Google Workspace, and white-glove onboarding.
Clear Decision Rules: Which Should You Pick?
Pick Stan Store If:
- You sell 1:1 coaching, consulting, or client audits and need seamless, automated calendar scheduling.
- 90%+ of your traffic arrives via short-form mobile video where every additional click causes checkout drop-off.
- You want a fixed, predictable $29/month operating cost with zero transaction cuts from day one.
- You prefer an intuitive, pre-built template that requires zero design effort to launch.
Sign up here: Stan Store
Pick Beacons If:
- You are starting with $0 capital and want to validate digital product demand before committing to a paid subscription.
- Owning your custom domain (e.g.,
links.yourname.com) is critical to your brand presence. - You monetize primarily through brand deals and sponsorships, requiring an automated, real-time media kit.
- You want order bumps, video courses, and automated email sequences at $30/month rather than jumping to Stan’s $99/month Pro tier.
Sign up here: Beacons
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use my own domain with Stan Store?
No. Stan Store does not support custom root domains or subdomains. All stores reside at stan.store/username. If custom domain ownership is a non-negotiable requirement, Beacons is the better alternative.
Does Beacons charge a fee if I don’t sell anything?
No. The Beacons Free plan has no monthly maintenance charge. The 9% platform cut is only deducted when you process a successful sale.
Do I still need Stripe or PayPal with both tools?
Yes. Both Stan Store and Beacons connect to Stripe or PayPal to deposit customer funds directly into your bank account. Standard merchant interchange processing fees (~2.9% + $0.30) apply on all transactions across both platforms.