Why I priced my link-in-bio tool at $3/mo instead of $0-with-ads
Just shipped Link Leaf — the latest build in my 100-software-in-100-days run.
Every "free" link-in-bio tool makes money one of two ways: selling your data, or plastering ads/badges all over your page until you pay. I didn't want to build another one of those.
So I went with dead-simple, honest tiers instead:
Free — actually usable. 3 themes, 1 video embed, no ads, no nagging.
Starter — $3/mo billed yearly (or $4/mo month-to-month) — all 6 themes, unlimited embeds, email capture + CSV export, badge removed.
Pro — $6/mo (or $7.50/mo monthly) — adds full custom colors/background/CSS control.
Premium — $15/mo (or $17.50/mo monthly) — for power users pushing volume.
Founder Lifetime — $129 once, capped at the first 100 users — every future feature, forever, one payment.
The lifetime tier is the real test for me. If people will pay once for permanent access instead of waiting around for some "lifetime deal" flash sale, that tells me the product has real standalone value — not hype pricing.
Genuinely curious what other builders here think: does "generous free tier + honest paid tiers" beat "free with ads" in 2026? Feels like users are more fee-fatigued than ever, and I'd rather earn recurring revenue from people who get real value than squeeze pennies out of ad networks.

