15 Best WordPress Affiliate Plugins to Boost Your Sales
Affiliate marketing is an excellent business strategy for increasing online sales. It is also an income-generating opportunity for individuals who want to make money online.
Business owners and bloggers can use WordPress affiliate plugins to automate affiliate marketing tasks and track performance.
In this article, you will discover the best affiliate plugins for tracking performance and increasing sales conversion rates. You will be able to choose from a list of free and paid plugins suitable for all levels.
What Are Affiliate Plugins and Why Do You Need Them?
Affiliate marketing is a process where businesses or merchants encourage people to market their products or services online in exchange for a commission.
Each business establishes its promotion and payment rules, developing an affiliate program. The people participating in the program are called affiliates.
Usually, affiliates create content such as articles, videos, and product reviews to promote the business. To keep track of the traffic and sales generated, each affiliate receives a unique referral link.
Depending on the program, the affiliate marketer will earn a commission for every sale or click made through the referral link.
But, as the number of affiliates and products in your program grows, it will be more and more challenging to monitor them. If you are an affiliate, you might also need tools to keep up with your referral links and market different products.
That’s where affiliate plugins come in handy.
Businesses can use affiliate plugins to track referrals, link clicks, and sales conversion rates. They are also useful for analyzing data and automating commission payouts.
For affiliates, installing plugins can help monitor referrals and provide marketing collateral such as banners and coupon codes.
Top 8 Free Affiliate Plugins for WordPress
Here are the best affiliate plugins available for WordPress websites.
1. Thirsty Affiliates
Thirsty Affiliates is a popular WordPress plugin for managing affiliate links from different merchants.
Features and Pricing
- Link cloaking. Shorten affiliate links and make them look presentable with the Thirsty Affiliates plugin.
- Keyword linking. Reviews your content and automatically adds affiliate links to your specified keywords.
- Geolocation links. Checks visitor location and directs them to country-specific affiliate links.
- Automatic 404 checker. Ensures that all affiliate links work properly. Thirsty Affiliates automatically detects and fixes 404 errors.
- Event monitoring. Keeps track of traffic and link clicks through a Google Analytics integration.
A free version is available for anyone who wants a plugin for link cloaking and tracking.
For advanced features, users can upgrade to a premium version, starting at $49 per year. Premium plans come with a 14-day refund guarantee, WooCommerce integration, and advanced statistics reports.
This plugin is ideal for beginners with no coding experience and WordPress bloggers looking for an easy-to-use affiliate marketing tool.
2. Pretty Links
Pretty Links is an affiliate link management tool that is ideal for affiliate marketers and bloggers of all levels. It allows users to customize link settings and make them more presentable.
Features and Pricing
- User-friendly interface. This plugin offers one-click installation and an easy-to-use interface suitable for beginners.
- All-in-one link management. Manage affiliate links from different platforms such as blogs, email, and social channels from a single dashboard.
- Real-time reporting. Get detailed statistics on link views, clicks, and purchases.
- Multiple link redirection techniques. Use traditional or advanced link redirection methods to create a convenient user experience.
- Regular software updates. Pretty Links is regularly updated to fix issues and optimize performance.
One of the best WordPress affiliate plugins available, it is free to download with an option to upgrade to a Pro plan, starting at $49 per year.
With the Pro version, users can integrate Google Analytics, get sales reports, and customize link settings. It also includes content automation, which analyzes website content and automatically adds affiliate links to keywords, saving you time and effort.
3. Affiliates Manager
Affiliates Manager is a WordPress plugin that focuses on increasing sales through affiliate programs.
Features and Pricing
- Affiliates portal. A user-friendly affiliate dashboard for monitoring performance, commissions, and link events.
- Multiple language support. Available in languages such as German, French, Spanish, and Italian.
- Customizable affiliate registration. Decide which information to collect during the registration process and offer a seamless experience.
- Unlimited affiliates. Generate more sales by having more affiliates promote your products and services.
- Unlimited creatives. Create different types of marketing collateral such as ads, banners, or text links to help affiliates succeed in marketing your products and services.
You can download this tool for free. To access technical support and tutorials, you can upgrade to a premium plan, starting at $39 per year for a single site.
If you want to use this software for multiple WordPress websites, the Developer License is available for $97 per year.
This is one of the best WordPress plugins for beginners, as it is easy to set up and offers robust services at an affordable price.
4. Affiliates
Ideal for small to medium enterprises, the Affiliates plugin offers robust features to manage your affiliate program. It is also suitable for those who want a free WordPress affiliate plugin with upgradable resources.
Features and Pricing
- Intuitive dashboard. Access marketing materials, tracking tools, and data from any affiliate link.
- Automated registration process. Let affiliates sign up instantly and automatically accept applications that meet your requirements.
- Real-time reporting. Monitor performance of all affiliates, see link clicks and purchases as they happen.
- Unlimited affiliate management sections. Customize the affiliate dashboard without coding and add sections as needed.
- App integrations. Affiliates is one of the best WordPress affiliate plugins for seamless integration with eCommerce, lead generation, and membership sites.
This is a free WordPress affiliate plugin. However, users can upgrade to a premium version, which starts at $49 per year for a single site. It offers customizable commission rates, discount codes, and automated commission payouts.
5. YITH WooCommerce Affiliates
YITH WooCommerce Affiliates is one of the best affiliate plugins for eCommerce businesses. It is an excellent option for store owners looking for a user-friendly yet powerful affiliate management tool.
Features and Pricing
- Convenient affiliate registration. Let people register as affiliates directly from your website. Automatically approve requests and generate affiliate links.
- Real-time referral tracking. Monitor website traffic and purchases through this WordPress affiliate plugin.
- Data reporting. Access performance reports for all affiliates and uses that data to improve your affiliate marketing strategy.
- Event notification. Get email updates for affiliate registrations, commission payouts, and withdrawal requests.
- Automatic commission payouts. Automates payments to your affiliate partners once they reach the threshold.
YITH WooCommerce Affiliates is available for download at no cost, but it also offers a premium version, starting at $99.99 per year.
The premium plan includes custom commissions, social sharing of affiliate links, and coupon creation in addition to the free features. Moreover, affiliate managers can access detailed statistics such as page views, link clicks, and conversion data.
6. Auto Affiliate Links
Auto Affiliate Links is a plugin that lets users automatically add affiliate links to keywords of their choice.
It is one of the few WordPress plugins supporting affiliate networks like Amazon, Clickbank, ShareASale, and eBay.
Features and Pricing
- Easy WordPress installation. Download and activate the plugin with one click. No coding experience is required.
- Lifetime updates. Access regular plugin updates to boost performance.
- Keyword suggestions. Compiles 100 of the most used keywords from your content so you can use them as anchor text.
- Convenient navigation. Affiliates can manually add links to keywords or automate this process in their administration panel.
- Limit link visibility. Avoid overemphasizing products by limiting the number of links per article.
You can download Auto Affiliate Links for free, with an option to upgrade to Auto Affiliate Link Pro starting at $29 per year. The premium version provides affiliate link statistics and full control over link display settings.
This affiliate WordPress plugin is best for marketers who are part of multiple affiliate programs.
7. WordPress Affiliates Plugin by SliceWP
WordPress Affiliates by SliceWP is one of the best WordPress tools to help you manage your affiliate program.
Features and Pricing
- One-click installation. The WordPress Affiliates plugin is easy to use. Installing and configuring its settings only takes minutes.
- Custom commission rates. WordPress website owners decide whether their affiliates earn a percentage of the selling price or a fixed commission.
- Dedicated affiliate area. An exclusive dashboard where affiliates can get their links, manage their accounts, and monitor referrals.
- Unlimited affiliates. It helps business owners manage an unlimited number of affiliates.
- Custom links. You can personalize affiliate links to reflect your brand and products.
This plugin is free to download with an option to upgrade to a premium plan, starting at $99 per year.
Premium plans offer access to a dedicated support team and a 30-day refund guarantee. It also provides tools such as social share buttons for affiliate links, coupon creation, and real-time data reporting.
The Affiliates plugin by SliceWP is an efficient affiliate management system that will help small to medium enterprises grow their business. It is among the best WordPress affiliate plugins due to its comprehensive services.
8. Affiliate Coupons
Affiliates Coupons is a plugin suitable for users of all levels, especially for affiliates looking to increase their gains with coupon programs.
Features and Pricing
- Convenient navigation. The Affiliates Coupons plugin is compatible with any WordPress theme. No coding skills are required to get started.
- Powerful admin dashboard. Allows users to manage multiple vendors and create unique coupons.
- Dedicated support team. Get assistance via email support or access an extensive list of tutorials in the knowledge base.
- Coupon templates. Affiliate coupons offer different templates for you to choose from. You can display coupons using a list, banner, or widget.
- Regular updates. This plugin for WordPress is continuously updated to fix issues and improve its performance.
The plugin is free to download with an option to upgrade to premium plans, which start at $29 per year and can be canceled or upgraded at any time.
Premium plans come with automatic plugin updates, email support, and a 30-day money-back guarantee. You can also customize the coupon settings and access affiliate statistics.
Top 7 Premium Affiliate Plugins for WordPress
Users who require advanced features for their WordPress website might need to buy premium plugins. Here are some of the best paid WordPress affiliate plugins you can use to grow your business.
1. AffiliateWP
AffiliateWP offers a variety of tools to help increase sales through an affiliate marketing program.
Features and Pricing
- Affiliate coupon tracking. Offer discount codes to encourage customers to purchase.
- Referral link generator. Automatically creates a unique referral link per affiliate upon program approval.
- Real-time reporting. Gather data such as referred traffic, sales conversion rates, and commission payouts.
- Integrated payouts service. Process commission payments directly from the administration panel to the affiliate’s bank account.
- Easy affiliate management. View performance reports, manage affiliate accounts, and review applications in one dashboard.
Users can choose from three paid plans that come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Starting at $149 per year plans also include regular updates and email support. Besides, users can offer a registration bonus and pay affiliates with store credit.
AffiliateWP is ideal for agencies and businesses looking for a robust affiliate management system, as it also provides custom plans.
2. Amazon Auto Links
Amazon Auto Links helps marketers automatically place their Amazon affiliate links on their WordPress site.
Features and Pricing
- Auto-add links. Specify where you want the product links to appear on your site and let the plugin set it up for you.
- Automatic link conversion. Some page visitors leave their Amazon links as website comments. This plugin automatically converts them into your affiliate link.
- Filter unwanted products. This plugin enables users to select the Amazon product categories they want to display on their site.
- Supports all Amazon Associates locales. Amazon affiliates from different countries can use this plugin to promote affiliate products on their site.
Amazon Auto Links is free to download, but users can upgrade to Amazon Auto Links Pro. Starting at $57.98 per year, the plans give access to an unlimited number of categories and products.
The Pro version also comes with a multiple-column template, advanced search options, and one year of technical support and plugin updates.
This plugin is ideal for Amazon affiliate members looking for an easy way to add products to their WordPress site.
3. AdSanity
AdSanity is one of the best WordPress affiliate plugins for displaying ad banners on your WordPress site.
Features and Pricing
- Multiple display options. Get the audience’s attention by displaying ads on any part of your website.
- Real-time reporting. Monitor ad performance through Google Analytics and improve your affiliate marketing strategy based on real-time statistics.
- Top-notch support. Reach out to a dedicated customer support team or access comprehensive documentation on AdSanity’s website.
- Video intelligence integration. Create and display video ads on your site to attract more customers and increase conversion rates.
- Upgradable resources. Use basic functions and buy additional services as needed.
This plugin has three paid plans, with prices starting at $49 per year. Users can begin with the basic plan and upgrade to access all additional add-ons, such as ad-block detection, a rotating ad widget, custom ad sizes, and ad impressions.
AdSanity is best for individuals looking for a lightweight yet powerful ad management tool for affiliate marketing.
4. ReferralCandy for WooCommerce
ReferralCandy for WooCommerce is an affiliate plugin that allows customers to refer people to your store through social channels.
Features and Pricing
- Fraud protection. Protect your affiliate referral program by filtering suspicious activity.
- Real-time analytics. Keep track of social shares, referred traffic, and sales to measure your affiliate program’s effectiveness.
- App integration. Connect digital marketing apps such as Mailchimp, Google Analytics, Adroll, and Klaviyo to improve your store performance.
- Custom reward options. Get more referrals by offering cash rewards or discounts.
- Accessible resources. Referral Candy offers affiliate marketing webinars, ebooks, and courses to help you grow your business.
There are two paid plans available with a 30-day risk-free trial. Note that the rates start at $49 per month but do not include the plugin’s commission.
ReferralCandy is perfect for large eCommerce stores looking to reward their customers by offering referral incentives.
5. Post Affiliate Pro
Post Affiliate Pro is a WordPress affiliate plugin ideal for tracking and managing affiliate referrals.
Features and Pricing
- Currency conversion. Cater to a global audience and let this plugin automatically convert commissions into the affiliates’ preferred currency.
- Private campaigns. Create exclusive affiliate marketing campaigns for specific affiliates.
- Ad tracking. Affiliates can use this tracking tool to monitor performance and test ad placements on their WordPress website.
- Custom commissions. Decide if affiliates will earn through commission per action, multi-tier commissions, performance rewards, or split commissions.
- Unique banner types. Offer marketing collaterals such as animated banners, rotating banners, customizable HTML banners, and coupon banners.
Post Affiliate Pro plans start at $97 per month with a 14-day free trial. There are no set up fees and subscription plans can be canceled anytime. They all come with customer support and can accommodate unlimited affiliates.
Post Affiliate Pro is ideal for enterprises that need a robust affiliate manager plugin.
6. Affiliate Royale
Affiliate Royale is a popular WordPress tool for tracking affiliate performance.
Features and Pricing
- Easy setup. Install Affiliate Royale on your WordPress dashboard with one click.
- Dedicated affiliate area. A dashboard where affiliates can monitor their referral statistics and download marketing materials.
- Powerful admin panel. View all your affiliates’ performance, customize cookie expiration, manage payment methods, and add affiliate links for promotion.
- Shopping cart integration. Track referrals from shopping carts and payment gateways like PayPal, WooCommerce, MemberPress, and Volusion.
Users can choose between two paid plans starting at $85 per year, with no transaction or affiliate payment fees. The plans also come with one year of customer support and plugin updates.
This plugin is best for affiliate managers and eCommerce site builders.
7. Refer a Friend for WooCommerce
Refer a Friend for WooCommerce is an affiliate WordPress plugin that encourages customers to promote your website.
Features and Pricing
- Referral tracking. Monitor generated traffic, link clicks, and purchases through a powerful admin dashboard.
- Custom email templates. Change the logo, color, layout, and text of coupon emails for a personalized user experience.
- Easy installation. Users can install the plugin and activate it within minutes.
- Affiliate area. Affiliates can monitor their referral status and check coupon usage on their WooCommerce account page.
This plugin is available for free but with limited options. Users can upgrade to one of the premium plans to access more features, with prices starting at $47 per year.
The premium plans include customizable coupons, free plugin updates, one year of customer support, and advanced statistics reporting.
Refer a Friend for WooCommerce is ideal for eCommerce store owners looking to increase their sales and develop customer loyalty.
3 Easy Steps to Use WordPress Affiliate Plugins
To get started with affiliate plugins, here’s what you need to do.
1. Choose the Right Affiliate Plugin
The best WordPress affiliate plugin will depend on the objectives and requirements of your affiliate program. Some WordPress affiliate plugins offer a comprehensive affiliate manager system, while others focus on link management and marketing collaterals.
The main goal of affiliate marketing is to increase online visibility and generate revenue, so choose an affiliate plugin that provides real-time data analytics for tracking affiliate referrals and sales conversion rates.
Before committing to a yearly fee, it’s a good idea to explore what the free WordPress affiliate plugins have to offer.
2. Install and Configure the Plugin
Upload the affiliate plugin to your WordPress dashboard and activate it. Most WordPress affiliate plugins offer one-click installation to make this process more convenient.
Configure settings for affiliate registration, cookie duration, affiliate links, and commission payouts. Some plugins even allow you to customize the affiliate manager dashboard.
Depending on the plugin, remember to integrate tools such as Google Analytics for proper link monitoring.
3. Promote Your Affiliate Program
Build an affiliate network by asking previous customers to refer people to your website. Customers are ideal affiliates because they already have experience with your brand and can offer personal insights when promoting products.
Another way to find new affiliates is by partnering with social media influencers in your niche. Since the influencer’s audience trusts their opinion, they can also be effective marketers. Moreover, influencers create engaging content, which is useful for increasing brand reach.
What to Look for in an Affiliate Plugin?
There are many WordPress plugins available, but to narrow down your choices, here are some features to look for.
- Ease of use. Choose those WordPress plugins that offer a user-friendly interface with powerful features. Remember that the goal of affiliate plugins is to help you save time by automating admin tasks, so pick one easy to navigate.
- Central management dashboard. Find a plugin for WordPress to consolidate referral links in different platforms, like social media, blogs, and email messages. Managing an affiliate program from a single platform simplifies your work.
- Real-time analytics. Monitor referrals and performance using affiliate WordPress plugins that offer built-in data analytics or integration with third-party apps like Google Analytics. Keep track of your performance so that you know what to improve.
- Link creation. Save time and effort by choosing WordPress plugins that automatically create affiliate links upon registration.
- Flexible pricing. WordPress affiliate plugins that offer free features with upgradable resources are ideal, as they let you try the services before committing to a yearly fee. Moreover, it allows you to only pay for the features you need.
- Affiliate area. Choose WordPress plugins that provide a dedicated dashboard where affiliates can track their performance, earnings, and links. It’s also a good idea to pick an affiliate plugin that includes affiliate marketing materials.
Conclusion
We have learned about great WordPress affiliate plugins you can use for your business, ranging from management to tracking tools.
To recap, here are the best free affiliate plugins:
- Thirsty Affiliates. Consolidate links from different merchants.
- Pretty Links. Stress-free link customization.
- Affiliates Manager. For managing an affiliate program.
- Affiliates. Overseeing a website referral system.
- YITH WooCommerce Affiliates. Great for eCommerce websites.
- Auto Affiliate Links. Automatic keyword linking.
- WordPress Affiliates plugin. For managing affiliate performance.
- Affiliates Coupons. Excellent for coupon creation.
For premium services, here are the top seven affiliate plugins:
- Affiliate WP. Increase sales through affiliate marketing.
- Amazon Auto Links. Great for adding Amazon affiliate links.
- AdSanity. Manage ad banners.
- ReferralCandy for WooCommerce. Motivate customers to become affiliates.
- Post Affiliate Pro. Excellent for managing affiliates.
- Affiliate Royale. Useful for tracking affiliate performance.
- Refer a Friend for WooCommerce. Perfect for increasing customer loyalty.
We hope that this list will help you find the perfect plugin for your marketing strategy.
Klara is a digital content writer for Hostinger. She enjoys creating eCommerce sites and is always looking to expand her IT knowledge. During her free time, Klara likes to travel and experience different cultures.
Comments
June 30 2020
Can a single affiliate program plugin be used for different websites?
July 07 2020
Hey Dev! The capabilities of each plugins may differ a bit, so I'd recommend checking the details of each plugin you are interested in with the plugin creator :) All of the plugins have contact list which you can use for this purpose.