Bento.me Shut Down: Where to Move Your Bio Page (2026 Migration Guide)
August 15, 2026 · 5 min read
Bento.me shut down on Feb 13, 2026 and its links now redirect to Linktree. Here is how to rebuild your grid-style bio page elsewhere in about 10 minutes and get a clean URL you control.
Quick answer: Bento.me shut down on February 13, 2026, deleted user data (there was no documented export tool; users were told to save their own content), and its old links now redirect to Linktree, which had acquired it. If you loved the clean grid look, you can rebuild the same style on a free platform like lit.bio in about 10 minutes and get a URL you actually control, such as lit.bio/username. You do not have to move to Linktree just because your old link points there.
Why does my Bento.me link redirect to Linktree?
Because Linktree acquired Bento about two and a half years before the shutdown, and when Bento went offline on February 13, 2026, it pointed every old Bento URL at Linktree. That redirect is a business decision, not a recommendation. You are not required to sign up for Linktree, and your old visitors landing there does not move your account, your links, or your grid layout for you. The page you built is gone, and only the address you shared still exists, now pointing somewhere you did not choose.
How do I get my links back after Bento.me closed?
Honestly, there was no official export tool, so if you did not save your links before February 13, you cannot download them from Bento anymore. The good news: your links still live in the places they point to. Here is the fastest way to rebuild the list:
- Open any old screenshot of your Bento page, or check your browser history for the sites you linked.
- Pull your social handles straight from each app (Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, X).
- Grab your profile photo and bio text from one of your social accounts, since those rarely change.
- List your most important 5 to 10 destinations first. That covers what most people actually clicked.
Most creators recover everything from memory in a few minutes, because a bio page is usually a short, stable list.
What is the best Bento.me alternative with a grid layout in 2026?
The Bento look was really about a clean card grid, a photo gallery, and a simple URL. When you compare alternatives, check three things: whether it is free, whether it charges a fee on your sales, and whether the company has a history of buying and closing competitors. Here is a fact-based comparison, all figures as of 2026, and you should verify current pricing on each provider's own site before deciding.
| Platform | Free plan | Fee on your sales | Clean URL | Photo gallery |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| lit.bio | Yes, up to 10 links, all themes | 0% on links to your own shop; 10% on tips and locked content (Pro), 0% on paid subscriptions | lit.bio/username | Yes |
| Linktree | Yes, unlimited links | About 12% free, about 9% paid, 0% top tier | linktr.ee/username | Limited |
| Beacons | Yes, generous free tier | About 9% free and Pro, 0% higher tier | beacons.ai/username | Yes |
| Stan.store | No, about $29/mo from day one | 0% platform fee | stan.store/username | Limited |
Bento was owned by Linktree and then closed, and Koji went the same way about a year earlier. If avoiding another surprise shutdown matters to you, that ownership history is a fair thing to weigh.
How do I rebuild my Bento page in about 10 minutes?
The move is quicker than it sounds because you are recreating a short list, not migrating a website. On lit.bio the flow looks like this:
- Create a free account, no credit card needed. Start free and claim your lit.bio/username.
- Add your profile photo and bio text.
- Paste in your 10 links (free tier), pick a theme and font, and turn on social icons.
- Use the photo gallery to get back that Bento grid feel, showing your work or products as cards.
- Drop a Spotify or Apple Music URL into a music smart link if you share tracks, and it builds an all-platform block automatically.
- Grab your QR code, update the link in your Instagram, TikTok, and email signatures, and you are live.
You keep the clean, card-based aesthetic Bento was known for, plus 7-day analytics, no ads, and no fee on links to your own shop or products. There is a one-click Linktree importer too, which is handy if you already set up a placeholder there after the redirect and want to pull those links over instead of retyping them.
Should I just accept the redirect and use Linktree?
You can, and Linktree is a real, functional platform. Just make the choice on purpose rather than by default. Two facts worth knowing as of 2026: Linktree's free plan charges a commerce fee of about 12% on product sales, dropping to 0% only on its top paid tier, and it raised prices in November 2025 (roughly Starter $8, Pro $15, Premium $35 per month). It also has no one-click link-export button, so leaving later means manual copy-paste. If those tradeoffs are fine for you, staying is reasonable. If you would rather keep a free page with 0% on links to your own shop and the option of a $49 one-time lifetime upgrade instead of a monthly bill, that is where an alternative like lit.bio fits.
What should I do right now?
Pick your new home today, because every day your old link redirects is a day your audience lands somewhere you did not choose. Rebuild your list from a screenshot or memory, claim a clean username you control, recreate the grid with a photo gallery, and update your link everywhere you posted it. Ten minutes now saves you from losing traffic while your shared URL keeps pointing at a page that was never yours to keep.