Earning affiliate commissions from your WordPress site can be a great way to monetize your content and earn passive income. But to be a successful affiliate marketer, you need the right plugins to help implement links, track sales, and grow your earnings.
In this article, we’ll look at the top 13 affiliate plugins for WordPress to supercharge your earnings in 2024.
Table of Contents
Why Use Affiliate Plugins for WordPress?
Affiliate plugins provide key features that can save you time and maximize your commissions:
- Easy link integration: Automatically insert affiliate links into your content or add affiliate link widgets.
- Link cloaking: Mask or shorten affiliate links so they are cleaner for users.
- Link tracking: See which links are driving the most clicks and conversions.
- Affiliate link management: Easily create, organize and manage all your affiliate links in one dashboard.
- Affiliate program management: Run your own affiliate program and recruit others to promote your products.
- Split testing: Test different versions of content and headlines to optimize affiliate performance.
- Reporting and analytics: Get actionable data on your affiliate links and sales.
Using dedicated affiliate plugins gives you all these key features easily in one place. This supercharges your affiliate earnings and saves tons of time.
Top 13 Affiliate Plugins for WordPress
Based on features, flexibility, and ease of use, here are the top 13 affiliate plugins we recommend for WordPress:
ThirstyAffiliates
ThirstyAffiliates is one of the most popular affiliate link plugins with over 300,000 installs.
Features:
- Automatic link insertion into content
- Affiliate link redirects and cloaking
- Link tracking and stats
- Category and taxonomies for links
- Link expiration dates
- Bulk import affiliate links
- Automatic link updates if URLs change
Pros:
- Very intuitive interface
- Solid features without complexity
- Active development and updates
Cons:
- Can’t run full affiliate programs
- No split testing
ThirstyAffiliates is likely the best all-around affiliate plugin for bloggers and affiliate marketers. It makes adding and managing affiliate links incredibly easy with powerful features.
AffiliateWP
AffiliateWP is a fully featured affiliate management platform for WordPress. It is one of the most popular affiliate link plugins with over 300,000 active installs.
Features:
- Affiliate link tracking
- Affiliate link cloaking
- Referral tracking dashboard
- Affiliate program management
- Customizable commissions
- Payout methods like PayPal
- Marketing tools for affiliates
- Affiliate Registration
- Customizable reports
Pros:
- Very extensive features
- Can run entire affiliate programs
- Great reporting
Cons:
- More complex setup and options
- Can be overwhelming for basic needs
If you want to run a full-blown affiliate program, AffiliateWP is likely the best choice with the most extensive features. Want to grow beyond a solo blogger and run a true affiliate program, AffiliateWP is likely the most powerful choice. But it requires an investment of time to learn and configure properly.
EasyAffiliate
EasyAffiliate is a lightweight affiliate plugin focused on simplicity.
Features:
- Affiliate link management
- Link tracking
- Affiliate dashboard
- Affiliate Registration
- Affiliate Reporting
Pros:
- Very easy to use
- Good basic features
- Free version available
Cons:
- Fairly basic compared to others
- Limited features
EasyAffiliate is a great choice for beginners who want a simple affiliate marketing plugin to get started. But advanced users may desire more customization and options.
SliceWP
SliceWP is a split testing and conversion optimization plugin.
Features:
- A/B content split testing
- Headline split testing
- Visual editor to create variations
- Detailed conversion analytics
- Heatmaps to see user clicks
Pros:
- Optimizes affiliate conversion rates
- Easy to create and run split tests
Cons:
- Only split testing
While SliceWP doesn’t directly insert or track affiliate links, it can massively grow your earnings by optimizing your site’s conversions. This makes it a fantastic complement.
Auto Amazon Links
Auto Amazon Links automatically link keywords to Amazon products.
Features:
- Auto links Amazon products
- Link product variations
- Country-specific links
- Link tracking and stats
Pros:
- Handy for Amazon-heavy sites
- Saves time linking products
Cons:
- Very limited to Amazon
- Risk of over-linking
If you operate an Amazon affiliate niche site, Auto Amazon Links can automate linking Amazon products to relevant keywords and phrases. This saves tons of manual linking work. But be wary of going overboard.
Ad Inserter
Ad Inserter allows you to insert affiliate links and ads into WordPress.
Features:
- Automatic ad and link insertion
- Ad blocking detection
- A/B testing
- Device targeting
- Link tracking
Pros:
- Very flexible placement options
- Lots of customization settings
Cons:
- Fairly technical setup
- Steep learning curve
Ad Inserter provides extremely fine-tuned control for placing affiliate links and ads anywhere on a site. But the extensive options require technical knowledge to configure and set up properly.
Pretty Links
Pretty Links offers advanced link cloaking and tracking.
Features:
- Link shortening and redirection
- URL cloaking
- Link tracking
- Tags for organization
- Link aliases
Pros:
- Super clean shareable links
- Flexible link management
Cons:
- Free version is limited
- Requires some tech skill
Pretty Links excels at hiding ugly affiliate links behind clean, custom-branded redirects. But the more powerful features require Pretty Links Pro.
ClickMagick
ClickMagick offers affiliate link tracking and analytics.
Features:
- Affiliate link tracking
- Conversion Analytics
- Split testing
- Custom dashboards
- Real-time alerts
Pros:
- In-depth analytics
- Useful conversion data
Cons:
- Focused only on stats
- Can be overwhelming
If you need robust in-depth tracking and analytics for affiliate links and conversions, ClickMagick is likely the best choice. But it provides almost too much data for some users.
Gauge Coupons & Affiliate WP
Gauge Coupons & Affiliate WP extends WooCommerce stores with coupons and affiliate marketing features.
Features:
- WooCommerce coupon management
- Affiliate link management
- Referral and affiliate registration
- Affiliate dashboard
- Commission rates
Pros:
- Affiliate features for WooCommerce
- Also helpful coupon tools
Cons:
- Only for WooCommerce sites
If you operate a WooCommerce store, Gauge Coupons & Affiliate WP can integrate solid affiliate marketing functionality.
Rakuten LinkShare
Rakuten LinkShare helps create affiliate links for thousands of advertisers.
Features:
- Find advertisers and programs
- Generate affiliate links
- Affiliate Registration
- Link and sales tracking
Pros:
- Huge range of affiliate programs
- Reputable service
Cons:
- More limited features
- Commission rates not as high
Rakuten LinkShare makes it super easy to become an affiliate for thousands of brands in their massive marketplace. But the tracking and payouts may be less than direct programs.
Affiliates Manager
Affiliates Manager provides robust affiliate program management for WordPress.
Features:
- Affiliate link tracking
- Referral and conversion tracking
- Affiliate registration and management
- Commission plans and payouts
- Coupon code generation
- Affiliate dashboard and reporting
Pros:
- Full affiliate program functionality
- User-friendly setup and interface
- Active development and support
Cons:
- Potentially more features than needed for basic users
- Smaller user base than some competitors
Affiliates Manager enables you to run a complete affiliate program within WordPress. From referral tracking to commission payouts, it provides end-to-end affiliate management capabilities.
YITH WooCommerce Affiliates
YITH WooCommerce Affiliates integrates affiliate marketing features into WooCommerce stores.
Features:
- Affiliate link management
- Referral tracking and reporting
- Affiliate coupon codes
- Commission rates by product/category
- Affiliate dashboard
- WooCommerce integration
Pros:
- Seamless WooCommerce integration
- Made specifically for e-commerce sites
Cons:
- Only beneficial for WooCommerce users
- Less flexible than standalone affiliate plugins
YITH WooCommerce Affiliates provides built-in affiliate management capabilities tailored specifically for WooCommerce stores. From affiliate coupons to product tracking, it integrates tightly with WooCommerce.
Solid Affiliate
Solid Affiliate is a suite of affiliate marketing tools for WordPress.
Features:
- Affiliate link management
- Referral link tracking
- Affiliate Registration
- Commission management
- Payout methods like PayPal
- Affiliate Portal
- Custom bonus rules
Pros:
- All-in-one affiliate solution
- Good documentation
- Active customer support
Cons:
- Can be overwhelming for basic needs
- More limited market share
Solid Affiliate provides a wide range of affiliate and referral program features. From promo tools to compliance monitoring, it aims to be an end-to-end affiliate platform.
How to Choose the Best Affiliate Plugin?
When picking the right affiliate plugin for your WordPress site, consider a few key factors:
Your Primary Affiliate Programs
If you primarily promote Amazon as an affiliate, the dedicated Auto Amazon plugins make sense to save time. For Walmart or other brands, choose a plugin that supports cloaking and tracking their links.
Your Current WordPress Site Type
If you have a WooCommerce store, choose an affiliate plugin with tight Woo integration like Gauge Coupons & Affiliate WP.
Your Affiliate Experience Level
Beginners may want a simple easy plugin like EasyAffiliate or Pretty Links Lite. Advanced affiliate marketers need more customization from Pretty Links Pro or ThirstyAffiliates.
Your Desired Features
Review the feature list for each plugin. Do you just need link cloaking? Or full affiliate program management? This determines which plugin matches your needs.
For most bloggers, a combination of ThirstyAffiliates, Pretty Links, and SliceWP or ClickMagick provides the essential affiliate plugin toolkit.
Supercharge Your Affiliate Revenue in 2024!
Earning commissions through affiliate marketing is an excellent way to monetize your WordPress site.
But you need the right set of plugins to unleash the full potential of affiliate earnings.
The plugins in this guide provide all the essential features you need:
- Easy affiliate link integration
- Cloaking and shortening ugly links
- Conversion tracking and analytics
- Automation to save hours of time
With the recommendations in this post, you can determine the best affiliate plugins for your specific site and goals in 2024.
Then by tapping into the expertise of a WordPress development company to implement and optimize the plugins, you can spend more time promoting and make more in commissions!
What affiliate plugin are you most interested in trying on your WordPress site? Let us know in the comments!
