MeUp Alternatives: 6 Options Compared on Price, Refunds and Niches
MeUp sells links from 180,000+ publishers, paid for in prepaid credits that cannot be refunded, plus a managed service from $3,000 a month. Here are 6 alternatives, checked 27 to 28 September 2026.
Six alternatives, matched to why you are leaving MeUp. Every price was checked on each vendor's own site.
Earn editorial mentions instead of buying: MentionAgent, $99/mo flat.
Same marketplace model, casino and CBD included: PressWhizz.
Lowest price per link: Serpzilla.
A quality floor applied for you: Icopify.
Traffic you can verify: Collaborator.
Managed, without a $3,000 minimum: Rhino Rank.
Publishers who quoted MentionAgent directly charged a median 33% more for casino, crypto and CBD links than for general ones.
Quick comparison
What each vendor states on its own site. DR is the Ahrefs Domain Rating of the vendor's own domain on 28 September 2026.
| Option | DR | Best for | Starting price | If it goes wrong |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MeUp (baseline) | 60 | Big catalogue, restricted verticals | Set per listing, seen after sign-up; $50 single placements stated | Case by case, as credits |
| MentionAgent | 37 | Earning mentions without a per-link bill | $99/mo flat, 50 free credits | Not a per-link purchase |
| PressWhizz | 47 | Marketplace buying, including iGaming and CBD | $35 guest post, $40 niche edit | Account credit, cash on request |
| Serpzilla | 53 | The lowest entry price | $5 guest post; rentals from 1 cent a month | Full refund if not indexed within 90 days |
| Icopify | 73 | A stated floor under every listing | $9.99, $25 minimum top-up | Credit if the link goes within 180 days |
| Collaborator | 70 | Checking real traffic before you pay | Set by publisher | Could not check |
| Rhino Rank | 50 | Managed links without a $3,000 minimum | $60 curated link, $75 guest post | First order refundable, up to $550 |
MeUp was checked on 28 September 2026. PressWhizz, Serpzilla and Rhino Rank were checked on 28 September 2026 and Icopify and Collaborator on 27 September 2026 for our Serpzilla alternatives page.
1. MentionAgent: stop paying per link
Best for: brands that blogs would mention if someone asked. Software, not a marketplace.
MeUp sells you access to publishers who already set a price. MentionAgent goes to blogs that are writing about your topic and asks for an editorial mention instead. It qualifies each domain, finds and verifies the editor's email, writes a pitch against the specific post and sends it from a warmed inbox on a sending domain set up for you. You approve every draft and reply in the dashboard or Telegram, or from Claude Code, Cursor or any MCP agent.
- Price: $99/mo flat, 50 free credits to start, no per-link fees and no prepaid balance to lose.
- The deal: a contextual mention exchange. They mention you in a relevant post, you mention them in one of yours.
- The catch: sites that ask for a fee are turned down, not paid. If most of your budget goes to casino, betting or crypto, keep a marketplace for that part: those are the topics publishers charge extra for (see the data below).
Pick it if prepaid credits and per-link prices are why you are leaving MeUp. See MentionAgent pricing and white hat link building.
2. PressWhizz: the closest like-for-like marketplace
Best for: MeUp buyers in restricted niches who want to keep buying per placement.
- Price (28 Sep 2026): guest posts from $35, niche edits from $40, no minimum spend, 72,000+ sites stated.
- Niches: a "special category" filter for iGaming, casino, gambling, CBD and similar topics, which covers most of what MeUp's vertical pages promise.
- Refunds: account credit if an order cannot be placed, withdrawable or returned to your card on request. MeUp's credits cannot be withdrawn at all.
- Watch out: it also sells tier-2 packages that include PBNs and web 2.0s. You do the vetting.
Pick it if you want the same model with a way to get unspent money back. More on our PressWhizz alternatives page.
3. Serpzilla: the lowest entry price
Best for: testing cheaply, and buyers who already rent links.
- Price (28 Sep 2026): guest posts from $5, permanent niche edits from $15 with a 1-year guarantee, rented links from 1 cent a month.
- Like MeUp: it sells both temporary and permanent links, so read which one a listing is before you order.
- Refunds: a full refund if a link is not indexed within 90 days.
Pick it if price per link is the main thing you are comparing. Full price table on our Serpzilla alternatives page.
4. Icopify: a floor under every listing
Best for: buyers who want a minimum standard applied before they browse.
- Price (27 Sep 2026): listings from $9.99, $25 minimum top-up by card, PayPal or crypto.
- Floor: DR over 20, Moz DA over 20, 500+ monthly visitors, domain at least six months old.
- Refunds: balance credit if a link is deleted within 180 days.
MeUp screens publishers but does not publish a floor; Icopify does. See our Icopify alternatives.
5. Collaborator: traffic you can verify
Best for: buyers who distrust estimated traffic numbers.
- Catalogue (27 Sep 2026): 45,109 sites in its public preview, 8,500+ with Google Analytics data and 7,000+ verified through Search Console.
- Filters: 70+ parameters, publisher reviews on each listing, plus 3K+ Telegram channels.
- Refunds: could not find its terms on the pages we loaded.
Pick it if MeUp's 18 filters are not enough to tell a real site from a link farm. Compared in more detail on our Adsy alternatives page.
6. Rhino Rank: managed, without the $3,000 minimum
Best for: teams looking at MeUp Managed who do not spend $3,000 a month on links.
- Price (28 Sep 2026): curated links from $60, guest posts from $75, listicle placements from $135.
- Guarantee: your first order, on any service, is refundable for any reason up to $550.
- Method: outreach-built links, no PBNs stated.
Pick it if you want someone else to pick the sites. Our Rhino Rank alternatives page covers its limits.
Why people switch from MeUp
- Money goes in and cannot come out. Deposits become credits at $1 each. Its terms say credits are non-refundable, cannot be withdrawn and expire 12 months after purchase.
- Refunds are case by case, and paid back as credits. A refund, when granted, lands in your MeUp balance, not on your card.
- You cannot talk to the publisher. Contact outside the platform is forbidden, and the terms allow MeUp to close the account and keep the balance if you do.
- Prices are hidden until you sign up. Listing prices are confidential to users, so you cannot compare them with a publisher's direct rate before depositing.
- Managed starts at $3,000 a month. Below that, you run the self-serve marketplace yourself.
In MeUp's favour: every live link is monitored, managed clients get a contractual replacement if a link cannot be restored, and it covers casino, betting, crypto, forex, CBD and dating, which many vendors refuse.
What publishers charge for casino, crypto and CBD links
MeUp's pitch is access to publishers in the niches other vendors reject. MentionAgent's own outreach records show what those niches cost when you ask the site directly. MentionAgent emails the people who run blogs to ask for an editorial mention; some reply with a price list instead. Between 4 June and 28 September 2026, 272 sites replied with a price, and 27 of them listed a separate rate for casino, betting, crypto, forex, CBD or "sensitive" topics.
| Sites with both a general and a restricted price | Median general post | Median restricted post | Median surcharge | Charged double or more |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All 24 | $85 | $110 | +33% | 5 |
| 11 with their own price sheet | $140 | $275 | +54% | 5 |
Thirteen of the 24 sent one of two identical price sheets ("Standard guest post", "Sensitive-topic guest post"), which looks like a couple of sellers managing several sites each, so the second row leaves them out. The steepest asks were a flat $600 for "grey niche" against $140 for a normal sponsored post, and $450 for casino against $225 for a general post. Three of the 27 are not in the table: two because the stored price text cuts off before the restricted rate, one because it gave no general post price.
Two things follow. A marketplace price for a casino link is not inflated by the platform alone: the publisher's own ask is already higher. And a restricted niche is the hardest place to get a free mention, which is why MentionAgent is the wrong replacement for that part of a MeUp budget. More per-type prices on how much backlinks cost; for the vertical itself, see SEO for iGaming sites.
Method: conversations with at least one inbound reply carrying a quoted price, one row per replying site; the stored price text is capped at 120 characters. Mixed currencies are compared within each site only.
For the wider picture, see buying backlinks, Loganix alternatives, our outreach agent and outsource link building.
MeUp review: pricing, refunds and who it suits
MeUp is a large pay-per-placement catalogue with every live link monitored, and it covers casino, betting, crypto, forex, CBD and dating, which many vendors refuse. The trade-offs sit in its terms: deposits turn into credits that cannot be withdrawn and expire after 12 months, listing prices stay hidden until you sign up, and you may not contact a publisher directly. It suits buyers in restricted niches with a steady monthly spend. It suits someone testing link buying with a one-off budget less well, because unspent money stays in the account.
The details, from meup.com and its terms and conditions on 28 September 2026:
| Item | What MeUp states |
|---|---|
| Self-serve marketplace | 180,000+ publishers, no subscription, no minimums, pay per placement; single placements from $50 |
| Managed accounts | From $3,000 a month, all of it link budget, no service fee; dedicated account manager; contractual replacement guarantee |
| Link types | Guest posts, homepage, inner-page and sitewide links, each listing either permanent or temporary |
| Credits | 1 credit = $1; non-refundable, cannot be withdrawn, expire 12 months after purchase |
| Refunds | Case by case, returned to the account as credits |
| Payment | 6+ methods stated, including cards and crypto; prices exclude VAT |
The company is MeUp Ltd, run by a Bulgarian team, and says it has placed 20,000+ links and handled $5M+ in managed budgets.
Stop prepaying for links
MentionAgent finds the blogs in your niche, emails the person who runs each one and brings back their answer. From $99/mo flat, no per-link fees, no balance that expires.
See how MentionAgent worksFrequently asked questions
What is the best MeUp alternative?
It depends on why you are leaving. For a similar marketplace that also serves iGaming and CBD, PressWhizz, from $35 a guest post. For the lowest price per link, Serpzilla, from $5. For a managed service without a $3,000 monthly minimum, Rhino Rank, from $60 a link with a refundable first order. For earning mentions without paying per link, MentionAgent, from $99/mo. Checked 27 to 28 September 2026.
How much does MeUp cost?
MeUp does not publish listing prices outside the platform; you see them after signing up. Its site states single placements from $50 on the self-serve marketplace and a managed service from $3,000 a month, all of it spent on links with no service fee. You pay with prepaid credits worth $1 each.
Can I get a refund from MeUp?
Only case by case, and as credits. MeUp's terms, read on 28 September 2026, say credits are non-refundable, cannot be exchanged back for money or withdrawn, and expire 12 months after purchase. Refund requests go to [email protected], and an approved refund is returned to your MeUp balance.
Is MeUp legit?
Yes, MeUp Ltd is an established link-building marketplace and managed service with 180,000+ publishers listed, and it says it has placed 20,000+ links. The fit questions are about money and control: your deposit cannot be withdrawn, and you are not allowed to contact publishers outside the platform.
Do casino and crypto links cost more?
Yes, when you ask publishers directly too. Of 272 sites that quoted MentionAgent a price between June and September 2026, 27 listed a separate rate for casino, crypto, CBD or similar topics, and the restricted rate was a median 33% higher than the same site's general rate.