Creators can make do with only a few tools at their disposal (a phone, Wi-Fi, a lav mic, etc.). But at a certain point, the scrappiness stops being beneficial and starts holding them back.
If you’re at that point (copying and pasting messages to people, sending emails around the clock, and beating your head against the wall over stalled subscriptions or sales), it’s time to call for back-up. More specifically, it’s time to invest in a tool that will help you keep growing without spending precious hours on repetitive work.
To help you take that next step, we’ve put together this guide of top-rated influencer marketing tools. We’ll talk about the primary uses and features of each tool, as well as the cost to sign up. Consider this your shortcut to a shortlist.
The Best Influencer Marketing Tools for Creators Ready to Monetize
Creators usually start posting because they like creating, but let’s be honest, the prospect of making money from content is usually part of the motivation as well. If you’re thinking of monetizing, whether through brand collabs, affiliate links, UGC, digital products, or otherwise, you’re going to need some tools to help you close the deal.
Note: This guide is for creators. If you’re an influencer marketing manager, check out Influencer Marketplaces: How They Work, Top Options, and More Things You Need to Know.
1. Manychat
Of course, we ranked ourselves first (mom would be proud). Real talk, though: Manychat is a must-have for creators. It helps you spend less time in your inbox and notifications tab and more time doing what you love, whether that’s filming mukbang videos or creating courses that help people learn how to invest their money.
Manychat is considered an automation tool. You can use it to create flows that:
- Deliver links
- Greet new followers
- Answer FAQs
- Collect email addresses
…and a whole lot more. (Try building a haunted house experience if you like to have fun.)
The beauty of Manychat is that it’s incredibly easy to use. There are always-on and quick automations that can be used to do most things, which means you don’t need a lot of experience building advanced flows. Manychat is also an official Meta and TikTok Business Partner, so if you use Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, or TikTok to do business, you can benefit from signing up for Manychat.
Starting price: Free, then $14/month
2. Stan
Creators use Stan Store to build a mobile-friendly landing page for digital products, courses, subscriptions, bookings, and more. Stan has grown over the years and now includes features that help you distribute your offerings, not just sell them.
Stan’s core features include:
- Mobile-optimized storefronts
- Digital product hosting
- One-tap mobile checkout
- Built-in email capture
Stan recently launched “Stanley” to expand from a creator storefront tool into an AI-powered creator growth platform. Instead of helping creators sell products (what Stan Store does), Stanley is meant to help creators grow an audience and create content consistently, especially on LinkedIn and Instagram.
Pricing: Starting at $29/month
3. Linktree
Linktree is one of the original “link in bio” tools. Linktree is still widely used by creators, influencers, artists, and small businesses today. It lets you create a customizable landing page where followers can quickly access all your important links in one place.
Over the years, Linktree has evolved from a simple link hub into more of a creator business platform. It now includes:
- Store links and product showcases
- Email and SMS signup forms
- Analytics and click tracking
- Social integrations
- Payment links
- Brand collaboration features
One of the biggest draws to Linktree is how simple and recognizable it is. Most scrollers already know how it works, which reduces friction for creators trying to drive traffic.
In reality, sending users to the link in your bio isn’t the best way to promote specific offerings, but it is the best way to set up a one-stop shop for everything you’ve got. For example, a lifestyle influencer could use a service like Stan Store or Linktree to promote a link to their Amazon affiliate storefront. Then, they’d use Manychat to deliver affiliate links for specific styles they wear in their posts.
Pricing: Free, then paid plans starting at $5/month
4. Gumroad
Gumroad is a creator commerce platform that helps people sell digital products directly to their audiences. It’s popular because it’s easy to set up and doesn’t require a full e-commerce website. Creators can use Gumroad to sell e-books, templates, courses, presets, memberships, art, and more (including physical products). The platform’s features include:
- Built-in checkout and payment processing
- Product delivery automation
- Membership and subscription options
- Affiliate program support
- Discount codes
- Inventy management for physical goods
- Audience analytics
Pricing: Free to start, with transaction fees on sales
5. Kajabi
Kajabi is an all-in-one platform built for course creators, entrepreneurs, coaches, and anyone else who wants to turn the knowledge they have to share into a serious digital business. While it’s commonly associated with online courses, creators also use Kajabi to offer coaching, memberships, newsletters, podcasts, and digital products.
Kajabi’s core features include:
- Course hosting
- Membership communities
- Website builder
- Email marketing
- Sales funnels
- Landing pages
- Coaching products
- Analytics and automations
Compared to tools like Gumroad or Stan, Kajabi is more robust and customizable, making it a strong option for creators building larger education or coaching businesses.
Pricing: Starting around $89/month
6. LinkDM
LinkDM is an automation tool designed for Instagram DMs (like Manychat). Instead of sending followers to a landing page, creators can communicate with scrollers via the comments section or inbox. The benefit of using a tool like LinkDM or Manychat is that it keeps engagement inside Instagram rather than immediately pushing users off-platform.
LinkDM features include:
- DM automation
- Lead capture forms
- Automated replies
- CRM integrations
- Email collection
- Funnel tracking
- Mobile-friendly experiences
- Instagram-focused conversion flows
LinkDM is especially useful for creators who rely heavily on Instagram and want to improve conversions through direct conversations.
Pricing: Free, then $19/month
We know what you’re thinking. We’ll just leave this right here: Manychat vs. The Competition: How We Stack Up to Other Automation Tools
7. Patreon
Patreon is one of the most well-known membership platforms for creators. It allows fans to support creators through recurring subscriptions in exchange for exclusive content, perks, or community access.
Patreon features include:
- Tiered memberships
- Subscriber billing
- Member-only posts
- Private communities
- Discord integrations
- Analytics and audience insights
- Livestream and exclusive content support
- CRM and audience management tools
Patreon is especially useful for creators with highly engaged audiences who want to build predictable, recurring revenue rather than relying entirely on sponsorships or algorithms.
Pricing: Free (Patreon will take at least 10% of your earnings)
8. Beacons
Beacons is a creator platform that combines link-in-bio functionality with monetization and audience management tools. It’s a popular alternative to Linktree used by TikTok creators and influencers.
Beacons features include:
- Customizable link-in-bio pages
- Digital product sales
- Email and SMS collection
- Media kit creation
- Audience analytics
- Brand deal management tools
- AI-powered page building
- Coaching and appointment booking
- Mobile-friendly storefronts
One of the standout features of Beacons is its media kit creation tool. If you’re a creator looking to pitch yourself to brands, this feature will help you create a custom kit you can use to establish your rates and start getting deals.
Pricing: Free, with paid plans starting around $10/month
9. Kit
Kit (formerly ConvertKit) is an email marketing and audience monetization platform built specifically for creators. It’s especially popular among coaches, writers, educators, and personal brands who want to build an audience they fully own outside of social media platforms.
Kit features include:
- Email newsletters
- Audience segmentation
- Automated email sequences
- Landing pages and forms
- Creator monetization tools
- Paid newsletter support
- Subscriber tagging
- Creator-focused analytics
- Digital product integrations
Kit is especially useful for creators who want to turn followers into long-term subscribers and customers without worrying about the whims of the algorithm. Plus, Kit directly integrates with Manychat, making it easy to move people from the DMs to your email list.
Pricing: Free for up to 10,000 subscribers, with paid plans available
10. Fourthwall
Fourthwall is a creator commerce platform designed for selling products, memberships, and fan experiences. Unlike traditional e-commerce tools, Fourthwall is built specifically for creators and influencers looking to monetize their audience without managing an online store.
Fourthwall features include:
- Custom storefronts
- Merchandise and print-on-demand products
- Memberships and subscriptions
- Digital product sales
- Mobile-friendly checkout
- Community and fan engagement tools
- Brand customization
- Customer analytics
- Website builder functionality
Fourthwall is a great choice for creators who want to combine physical products, memberships, and digital offerings into a single creator-focused storefront.
Pricing: Free to start (with transaction fees depending on the product type), then $19/month
11. Collabstr
Collabstr is a creator marketplace that helps influencers connect directly with brands for sponsorships and paid collaborations. It’s designed to simplify the brand deal process for creators across Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and other platforms.
Collabstr features include:
- Brand collaboration marketplace
- Creator profile and media kit tools
- Sponsorship listings
- Secure payments
- Direct messaging with brands
- Rate and package customization
- Campaign management tools
- Performance tracking
- Multi-platform creator support
If you’re looking to get into UGC (user-generated content) or land more brand deals, Collabstr is worth signing up for. It’s a great way to increase your visibility without having to pitch yourself. There are over 40,000 brands already using Collabstr, and it’s free for creators to join.
Pricing: Free to join, with platform fees applied to collaborations
Our Advice? Start with Manychat, Because It’s Free and Easy to Use
No matter how you’re monetizing (brand deal, affiliate marketing, digital products, coaching, subscriptions, merch, or something else entirely), Manychat can help you grow and sell without spending your entire day glued to your inbox.
That’s what makes it such a good place to start. It’s free, easy to use, and works with the platforms creators already rely on most, including Instagram, TikTok, Facebook Messenger, and WhatsApp. You don’t need to be especially tech-savvy or know how to build complicated automations to get value out of it, either. Most creators can set up their first automation in minutes.
After signing up for Manychat, your next step(s) depend on two things:
- How you make money
- Where your audience spends their time
If you’re selling courses, a tool like Kajabi or Stan Store might make sense. If you rely heavily on sponsorships, something like Collabstr could help you land more deals. If you’re focused on building a long-term relationship with your audience that you own, Kit might be the better investment.
The important thing is not to overwhelm yourself trying to use every tool on the market. The best tech stack is usually one with a few tools that each serve a clear purpose and work well together.
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