8 Best WordPress Affiliate Marketing Plugins In 2023

The best affiliate marketing plugin for WordPress overall is Lasso. No other plugin has affiliate displays, link claoking, and advanced affiliate analytics like Lasso does.

The best free plugin for link cloaking is Simple URLs. There are also premium paid tools like Pretty Links and ThirstyAffiliates.

The best plugin for managing an affiliate program as a brand is AffiliateWP.

In this article, I’ll review the best WordPress affiliate plugins, and recommend each plugin based on your exact scenario.

Whether you're a beginner or an experienced affiliate marketer, these plugins will help you optimize your marketing efforts and increase your commissions.

1. Lasso

Pros:

• Best all-in-one affiliate marketing plugin

• Includes high-converting affiliate displays, affiliate analytics tools, and advanced affiliate link cloaking

• Compatible with every affiliate program in the world

Cons:

• Not free

Lasso is a powerful affiliate marketing plugin that has everything you need within one platform.

With Lasso, you can easily organize and display your affiliate links in a central dashboard. This means you can easily switch out out-of-stock links across 50+ locations on your website in one toggle, with central control from your dashboard.

Lasso’s intelligent link scanning features even alert you whenever your affiliate links go out of stock on Amazon, or when your links are broken, so you can plug your revenue leaks instantly.

Most notably, Lasso lets you create your own customized affiliate displays, which have been proven by case studies and tests to convert better than other plugins like AAWP and Affiliatable.

And, if you want an even more custom design, you can contact the Lasso support team and they’ll write you the custom CSS to make your displays look exactly as you want!

The Lasso team have also built a database of 10,000+ affiliate programs, and the plugin will automatically search your site for mentions of any brand that has an affiliate program, and show this in your Opportunities report.

You can then instantly toggle these to be affiliate links for this brand once you’ve applied for their affiliate program, monetizing any mentions on your site that you previously were not earning from.

With Lasso, you can cloak your affiliate links, making them more user-friendly and aesthetically pleasing. This gives you all the features available in link cloaking plugins like ThirstyAffiliates and Pretty Links, but in one plugin, saving you money and keeping your site clean with fewer plugins.

Price: $24/month for an annual plan.

Click HERE to start using Lasso.

2. Simple URLs

Pros:

• Best free affiliate link cloaking plugin

• Great affiliate plugin for beginners

Cons:

• Lacks more detailed affiliate display features, and so is mostly just useful for link cloaking

If you're looking for a lightweight and straightforward affiliate link management plugin, Simple URLs is an excellent choice. This plugin allows you to create and manage your affiliate links within your WordPress dashboard easily. With Simple URLs, you can track clicks, monitor performance, and use this data to optimize your affiliate pages.

Simple URLs is operated by the Lasso team, and is basically Lasso Lite. You get most of the link cloaking options, and it still features intelligent link cloaking features that will not cloak Amazon links as this breaks terms of service, for example.

But, you don’t get the same range of affiliate displays, or any customization in these displays, and you don’t get any of the premium analytics features that makes Lasso such a valuable affiliate marketing tool.

But, Simple URLs is free, so it’s a great option if you haven’t got the budget yet to upgrade to the full Lasso version. Even the free version is better than many paid cloaking and affiliate display plugins.

The plugin offers a user-friendly interface that allows you to add, edit, and organize your affiliate links effortlessly. You can categorize your links, add descriptions, and track clicks on each link. Simple URLs also provides detailed statistics, giving you insights into the performance of your affiliate links.

One of the standout features of Simple URLs is its ability to generate short and clean URLs for your affiliate links. This makes your links more user-friendly and enhances the overall user experience. Additionally, the plugin allows you to redirect your affiliate links, ensuring that visitors are directed to the appropriate landing pages.

Simple URLs seamlessly integrates with Google Analytics, allowing you to track the performance of your affiliate links within your existing analytics setup. You can monitor click-through rates, conversion rates, and other key metrics to optimize your affiliate marketing campaigns.

Price: Simple URLs is a free plugin available on the WordPress repository.

3. Lasso Performance

Pros:

• Best affiliate link tracking and analytics platform

• No other software shows you exactly how much revenue each page earns, and which links earn the most revenue, EPC, CTR, and more

• Cheaper than competing affiliate analytics platforms like Affilimate, Voluum, and Affluent

Cons:

• Free version only up until you earn $1000/month, and then you need to pay

Lasso Performance is the analytics engine of the Lasso affiliate plugin, and unlike the main Lasso plugin, has a free version.

You install Performance with a JavaScript snippet, and then it adds custom subIDs to each of your affiliate links so every click can be tracked and categorized to give you a new level of data.

With this, you can get the complete run-down of how your affiliate links, with a breakdown by:

• EPC (earnings per click)

• CTR (click through rate)

• Revenue

• Conversion rate

• And how this has increased or decreased over time

And Lasso Performance shows you exactly how much revenue each page on your site generates, as well as which links on that page lead to the lion’s share of conversions.

Armed with this data, you can prioritize your most valuable posts and optimize them for what the data shows you works.

Another great feature is once you’ve integrated all your affiliate programs, you can see all your earnings data in one dashboard, rather than having to log into dozens of affiliate programs every day. This is a huge time saver.

Lasso will even email you daily and weekly reports on how your affiliate earnings are trending, so you don’t even need to login to the dashboard to get updates!

Pricing: If you earn under $1000/month from affiliate revenue, Performance is free to try. Then above this threshold you’ll need to purchase the plugin, which starts at $24/month.

4. AAWP

Pros:

• Good for Amazon-only sites

Cons:

• Has proven in case studies not to convert as well as alternatives

• Only works with Amazon, not other affiliate programs

AAWP (Amazon Affiliate WordPress Plugin) is a popular choice for affiliate marketers who promote Amazon products. This plugin allows you to easily display Amazon product information and affiliate links on your website.

With AAWP, you can generate dynamic product boxes, comparison tables, bestseller lists, and more. The plugin offers various customization options, allowing you to match the design of your website and create engaging product displays. AAWP also ensures that your affiliate links are compliant with Amazon's terms of service, reducing the risk of account suspension.

One of the standout features of AAWP is its ability to automatically update product information. This means that if a product's price or availability changes on Amazon, your website will reflect the updated information automatically. This feature saves you time and ensures that your visitors always have access to the most accurate product details.

However, it only works with Amazon, which is a big problem if you promote other affiliate programs, such as those that are on marketplaces like Impact, CJ, Awin, or hosted via their own affiliate program.

Another big issue is the design does not look modern in the 2023 and future SEO and affiliate marketing landscape. The design looks outdated and tacky, and in case studies carried out by Jared Bauman, Lasso converted 106% better than AAWP across the exact same traffic.

Price: AAWP offers multiple pricing plans, starting at €39 for a single-site license.

5. AffiliateWP

Pros:

• Great for creating your own affiliate program on your WordPress store

• Works seamlessly with WooCommerce and other e-commerce plugins

Cons:

• Other specialist affiliate software offer more in-depth features and tools

AffiliateWP is a comprehensive affiliate marketing plugin that allows you to create and manage your own affiliate program within WordPress.

With AffiliateWP, you can recruit affiliates, provide them with unique referral links, track their performance, and manage commission payouts.

The plugin offers a user-friendly interface that allows you to set up your affiliate program quickly.

You can customize your commission structure, set cookie expiration periods, and manage affiliate applications seamlessly. AffiliateWP also integrates with popular eCommerce plugins like WooCommerce, making it easy to track affiliate sales and calculate commissions.

One of the standout features of AffiliateWP is its extensive reporting capabilities. You can access detailed analytics on affiliate performance, track clicks and conversions, and monitor commission payouts. This data empowers you to optimize your affiliate program and reward your affiliates based on their contributions.

AffiliateWP also provides a range of add-ons and integrations to enhance the functionality of your affiliate program. You can integrate with popular payment gateways, enable recurring referrals, and offer tiered commission structures.

Price: AffiliateWP offers multiple pricing plans, starting at $149.50 per year.

6. ThirstyAffiliates

Pros:

• Good plugin for cloaking affiliate links

Cons:

• Expensive for just link cloaking. Other plugins offer a wider range of tools for only slightly more money

ThirstyAffiliates is a popular choice for managing and optimizing your affiliate links in WordPress. The plugin offers a range of features that simplify the process of adding, organizing, and tracking your affiliate links.

The main feature of ThirstyAffiliates is shortening and cloaking your affiliate links. This makes your links more user-friendly and aesthetically pleasing, increasing CTR and conversions. The plugin also offers advanced link tracking capabilities, allowing you to monitor the clicks on your affiliate links.

ThirstyAffiliates provides an intuitive interface that allows you to easily add and categorize your affiliate links. You can create custom link prefixes, add notes to your links, and track clicks on each link. The plugin also offers a handy dropdown link inserter, allowing you to quickly add affiliate links to your posts and pages.

Another key feature of ThirstyAffiliates is its ability to update affiliate links globally. If you ever need to change an affiliate link, you only need to edit it once in the ThirstyAffiliates interface, saving you time and effort. This feature is particularly useful if you have multiple WordPress posts that use the same affiliate link.

Price: ThirstyAffiliates offers a free version with limited features. The premium version starts at $49 per year.

7. Pretty Links

Pros:

• Extensive cloaking features

• Decent free version

Cons:

• Paid version is expensive for just link cloaking features, and there are also other paid add-ons that you don’t get within this first upgrade

Pretty Links is a versatile affiliate link management plugin that allows you to create clean and user-friendly URLs for your affiliate links. With Pretty Links, you can easily cloak, track, and manage your affiliate links within your WordPress dashboard.

The plugin offers a user-friendly interface that allows you to create customized link structures for your affiliate URLs. You can choose your own domain, add parameters to your links, and redirect them via 301, 302, or 307 redirects. Pretty Links also provides detailed click tracking and performance analytics, allowing you to monitor the performance of your affiliate links.

Pretty Links also offers advanced targeting options, allowing you to display specific links based on factors like referring URL, device type, and logged-in status. This level of customization enables you to deliver targeted affiliate offers to your visitors, increasing the chances of conversions.

Price: Pretty Links offers a free version with limited features. The premium version starts at $49 per year.

8. EasyAzon

Pros:

• Free

Cons:

• Doesn’t create affiliate displays, and therefore will not convert well

• Outdated design

• No longer updated

EasyAzon is a powerful affiliate marketing plugin specifically designed for Amazon affiliates. This plugin allows you to easily create Amazon affiliate links, display product information, and monetize your website with Amazon's affiliate program.

With EasyAzon, you can search for Amazon products directly within your WordPress dashboard and generate affiliate links with just a few clicks. The plugin automatically adds your affiliate ID to the links, ensuring that you earn commissions for any sales generated through your website.

One of the standout features of EasyAzon is its ability to display product information boxes. These boxes include product images, descriptions, and pricing details, making it easy for your visitors to learn more about the products you recommend. The plugin also offers localization features, allowing you to display product prices in the visitor's local currency.

EasyAzon seamlessly integrates with Amazon's API, ensuring that your product information is always up-to-date. The plugin automatically updates product prices, availability, and customer reviews, ensuring that your visitors have access to the most accurate and relevant information.

Price: EasyAzon offers a single-site license for $47.

FAQs

Which plugin is best for affiliate marketing?

The best WordPress affiliate plugin depends on your specific needs and preferences. Lasso is the best all-in-one affiliate marketing plugin, and Lasso Performance is the best for tracking your affiliate links. If you're just using Amazon, consider AAWP or EasyAzon. If you want to create your own affiliate program, AffiliateWP is the go-to plugin.

Is Lasso better than AAWP and Affiliatable?

Lasso has been proven to convert better than AAWP and Affiliatable in case studies conducted by trusted website owners like Jared Bauman, Shawna Newman, and Jon Dykstra.

Though, the best plugin for you depends on your specific requirements and the nature of your affiliate marketing strategy.

Is WordPress the best platform for affiliate marketing?

WordPress is one of the most popular platforms for affiliate marketing due to its flexibility, scalability, and extensive plugin ecosystem. With the right combination of plugins, you can easily manage and optimize your affiliate links, track performance, and increase your commissions.

Is ThirstyAffiliates better than Pretty Links?

ThirstyAffiliates and Pretty Links are both excellent affiliate link management plugins with similar features. ThirstyAffiliates offers advanced link tracking and the ability to update affiliate links globally. Pretty Links excels in creating clean and user-friendly URLs for your affiliate links. Overall, it depends on your specific requirements and preferences.

How can I measure which of my affiliate links are converting?

There are several ways to measure the conversion rates of your affiliate links. Affiliate marketing plugins like Lasso, ThirstyAffiliates, and Pretty Links provide detailed analytics and reporting, allowing you to track the performance of your links. You can monitor click-through rates, conversion rates, and revenue generated from each link. For more advanced affiliate tracking, tools like Lasso Performance give you a complete page-level breakdown of which affiliate links on which page convert and gives you the exact revenue figures for each link and page.

Conclusion

Choosing the best WordPress affiliate plugin is essential for maximizing your affiliate marketing efforts. Whether you need link management, performance optimization, or the ability to create your own affiliate program, there is a plugin that suits your needs.

Consider plugins like Lasso, Simple URLs, ThirstyAffiliates, AAWP, AffiliateWP, Pretty Links, EasyAzon, and others to enhance your affiliate marketing strategy. With the right plugin, you can effectively manage your affiliate links, track performance, and increase your commissions.

Disclaimer: The above is a sponsored post, the views expressed are those of the sponsor/author and do not represent the stand and views of Outlook Editorial.