ShopMy vs LTK: which should you join?

ShopMy vs LTK comes down to entry and payouts: ShopMy usually wants 1,000 or more followers and pays weekly from $11, while LTK's UK pages ask for 5,000 outside the US and Canada and its US page names no number. Both pay a share of each retailer's rate. Read from each company's own pages, 14 October 2026.

How do ShopMy and LTK compare?

ShopMy and LTK are both platforms where creators turn product recommendations into commission links, and they differ most on entry, published payout rules and Instagram tools. This table holds only what each company states publicly:

ShopMy vs LTK for creators: who gets in?

ShopMy publishes the clearer entry rules, and LTK's depend on where you live. ShopMy's help center says accounts usually need at least 1,000 followers to activate and set up a shop, that every application is reviewed case by case, and that it looks for evidence you share products, an engaged audience and ideally work with brands. A referral link from a current creator adds context but does not guarantee approval.

LTK's UK FAQ says applicants outside the US and Canada need at least 5,000 followers, with regular, high-quality content and an engaged audience, and its UK how-it-works page asks for a public profile and at least two posts a week that tag products. LTK's US creator page lists what it looks for, a public profile with consistent original content, products you use and a growing, engaged audience, without a number. Both companies decide each application themselves.

ShopMy vs LTK commission: what does each pay?

Both pay a share of what the retailer pays, and neither publishes one rate. ShopMy's help center says commission usually runs from 10% to 30% depending on the brand or retailer. LTK's UK pages say the usual range is 10% to 25%, can reach 30%, and that retailers set their own rates.

The details differ in how much each explains:

• What you keep. ShopMy's help article, updated 6 October 2026, says it either keeps 18% of the commission, with the displayed rate already reflecting that split, or charges the brand, in which case you keep the full rate. It says the rate shown is the rate you earn. LTK's public pages do not describe a split.
• How long a click counts. ShopMy says each brand sets its own window, from a single browsing session up to 30 days for many brands, with 7 days common, and that the last eligible click usually wins. LTK publishes no window.
• What can change. ShopMy's Terms, last revised 16 September 2026, call rates estimates that can change, and let retailers reverse a commission for returns, cancellations, incompatible discount codes or a purchase tracked through another platform.
• Where to compare. LTK's creator page lists product search across retailers with rate comparison. ShopMy shows category rates behind an info icon next to each rate.

Because rates are set retailer by retailer, there is no reason to assume the same retailer pays the same through both. Check the rate each app shows for the retailer you are linking before you choose which link to post.

How do ShopMy and LTK get you paid?

ShopMy publishes its payout rules, and LTK publishes less. On ShopMy a purchase starts as pending while the retailer's return window closes, the sale is verified and the retailer pays ShopMy, which ShopMy says usually takes 30 to 120 days. It then moves to locked, and ShopMy pays weekly on Fridays to Stripe or PayPal once at least $11 is under Next Payment. Flat-fee Opportunities skip the pending step.

LTK's newsroom announced weekly payouts on 20 August 2024, and its UK page says creators are paid regularly once commissions build up, with the return period taken into account. LTK's payment help sits behind its creator login, so we could not read its minimum or its exact wait.

What do ShopMy and LTK offer on Instagram?

Both work with Instagram, and they differ on direct messages. ShopMy's help center, updated 13 October 2026, says connecting needs a Business or Creator Instagram account with a linked Facebook Page, done from a web browser. Its Instagram advice is to post a product Story whenever you mention a product, use a Q&A sticker and answer with a Story that carries the link, save category Highlights, answer "what is that?" comments with the specific link, and set up a ManyChat keyword trigger so a comment gets the link by DM.

LTK built its own tool. A newsroom release of 20 August 2024 describes LTK DM as a free, automatic direct message tool, and says creators can set up to 10 trigger words per post, 20 characters each, and write the message. LTK's creator page still lists LTK DM among its conversion tools.

Either platform's links can also go out through comment-to-DM tools. The DM sections of what ShopMy is and how it pays cover the questions to settle first.

ShopMy or LTK: how do you choose?

Choose by what you can meet today and what you need from the platform, since neither publishes a rate that beats the other.

• If you are under 5,000 followers, ShopMy's published guide of 1,000 is the lower bar, though it is a guide, not a promise.
• If you want a built-in DM tool, LTK has one and ShopMy points to ManyChat.
• If you want payout rules in writing, ShopMy states its schedule, minimum and wait. LTK's are behind a login.
• If you want the best rate, compare the same retailer in both apps, then post the better link. Platforms and retailers change rates, so repeat the check.

Using both is not barred by anything we could read in ShopMy's Terms, but one rule applies: ShopMy lets a retailer reverse a commission when a purchase is tracked through another platform and the two claims conflict. If a link goes to Amazon, Amazon's policies say it may act against attempts to claim commission from both Associates and another program on the same traffic. Amazon Associates vs Influencer Program explains Amazon's side, and Instagram affiliate marketing covers promotion more widely. Creators who run affiliate links as a main income can also see how affiliate creators use Instagram automation.

Where this stops working

• LTK's creator agreement is not public. It appears after you apply, so we could not read what it says about using other platforms.
• No LTK payout figures. LTK's payment help needs a login. The only dated payout fact on its public pages is the 2024 move to weekly payouts.
• Two LTK follower numbers. The UK pages give 5,000 and the US page gives none, so a US applicant has no published floor.
• Rates are ranges. Each retailer sets them, both companies say they change, and neither publishes a per-retailer table without an account.
• ShopMy's pages move. Its help articles were updated between 6 and 13 October 2026, so a figure here may already differ.

Check your follower count against both floors and the rate each app shows for your top three retailers, then apply to the one that fits.