# Gumroad vs Beacons

The clearest difference is rating: Gumroad at 4.7 against Beacons's 3.2. Gumroad also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs monthly) and ratings volume (37K vs 98). Beacons's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 36) and review sentiment (37% vs 27%). On price, ads, monetization model and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Gumroad sells 31 one-off in-app purchases. Beacons asks for nothing beyond the download.

Gumroad holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Gumroad has 37K ratings behind it against 98, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 27% of Gumroad's written reviews are positive against 37% of Beacons's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Gumroad ships an update every 2 days, Beacons monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Gumroad | Beacons |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (37K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gumroad/id916819108/reviews)** | [3.2 (98 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/beacons-creator-tools/id6444589346/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **37K** | 98 |
| Positive reviews | 27.0% of reviews | **37.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 days** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 42 MB | 40 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.1** | 16.4 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Gumroad](https://appshunter.io/developer/916819107) | [Beacons AI](https://appshunter.io/developer/1481411021) |

## What reviewers say

### Gumroad

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gumroad/id916819108)

Access and enjoy all your purchased digital products from creators directly on your iOS device. Stream videos, listen to music, or read books on the go. Creators can also monitor their sales data and performance.

**Highlights:** Access purchased digital products, Stream videos, music, and books, View sales data and charts, Automatic library syncing, AirPlay support

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (31)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Gumroad Product | $1.00 | one-time |
| Gumroad Product | $2.00 | one-time |
| Gumroad Product | $3.00 | one-time |
| Gumroad Product | $4.00 | one-time |
| Gumroad Product | $5.00 | one-time |
| Gumroad Product | $6.00 | one-time |
| Gumroad Product | $7.00 | one-time |
| Gumroad Product | $8.00 | one-time |
| Gumroad Product | $10.00 | one-time |
| Gumroad Product | $12.00 | one-time |
| Gumroad Product | $13.00 | one-time |
| Gumroad Product | $14.00 | one-time |
| Gumroad Product | $15.00 | one-time |
| Gumroad Product | $16.00 | one-time |
| Gumroad Product | $20.00 | one-time |
| Gumroad Product | $25.00 | one-time |
| Gumroad Product | $26.00 | one-time |
| Gumroad Product | $30.00 | one-time |
| Gumroad Product | $35.00 | one-time |
| Gumroad Product | $40.00 | one-time |
| Gumroad Product | $50.00 | one-time |
| Gumroad Product | $90.00 | one-time |
| Gumroad Product | $91.00 | one-time |
| Gumroad Product | $92.00 | one-time |
| Gumroad Product | $93.00 | one-time |
| Gumroad Product | $94.00 | one-time |
| Gumroad Product | $95.00 | one-time |
| Gumroad Product | $96.00 | one-time |
| Gumroad Product | $97.00 | one-time |
| Gumroad Product | $98.00 | one-time |
| Gumroad Product | $99.00 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to use
- 👍 Helpful for finding digital content
- 🚀 Smooth video playback
- 🚀 Convenient access to purchased content

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Login issues
- 🐛 Crashes and freezes
- 🐛 Inconsistent download and playback functionality
- 🐛 Poor navigation and organization of content
- 🐛 Lack of search and filtering options

**Reported bugs**

- Inability to log in or create an account
- Purchased content not showing up in the app library
- Download and playback issues causing content to become inaccessible
- Orientation lock not respected, causing layout issues

**Requested features**

- Add ability to search and browse content within the app
- Implement better organization and sorting of purchased items
- Add option to save playback progress and resume from where you left off
- Improve audio and video player controls and functionality
- Introduce support for landscape mode and other device orientations


### Beacons

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/beacons-creator-tools/id6444589346)

Build a free, customizable link-in-bio website to connect fans to all your content. Monetize your creations by selling products, collecting tips, and promoting events. Analyze traffic insights to understand your audience and grow your creator business.

**Highlights:** Free link-in-bio website, Customizable templates and design, Monetize content (products, tips), Add multiple pages and content types, Traffic insights and analytics, WYSIWYG editor

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use for creators
- 💡 All-in-one platform
- 🚀 Streamlined workflow
- 👍 Good for beginners
- 💡 More customization than LinkTree

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 App is slow and laggy
- 🐛 Frequent bugs and glitches
- 🐛 Login issues and infinite loading
- 🐛 Difficulty with payments and subscriptions
- 🐛 Poor customer support

**Reported bugs**

- Infinite loading on sign-in/account creation
- No email reception for account verification
- App/link unreliable
- Increased reliance on AI makes app unusable
- Cannot cancel subscription

**Requested features**

- Ability to change language
- Dark mode option
- More control over carousel columns
- Ability to make multiple beacons link in bios on paid plans
- Discount for link in bio pro plans


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Gumroad free?

Gumroad is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Beacons free?

Beacons is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Gumroad or Beacons?

Gumroad is rated higher. Gumroad averages 4.7 out of 5 from 37K ratings, while Beacons averages 3.2 from 98 ratings.

### Do Gumroad or Beacons have ads?

Neither Gumroad nor Beacons shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Gumroad or Beacons?

Gumroad ships an update every 2 days, and Beacons monthly. Most recently, Gumroad was updated on October 29, 2026 and Beacons on October 27, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*