The Complete Guide to WordPress Affiliate Plugins

Affiliate marketing is growing exponentially, projected to become a $8.2 billion industry by 2022 according to Business Insider. As more businesses adopt affiliate programs, selecting the right WordPress plugin to manage your strategy is key.

In this comprehensive 2500+ word guide, we compare the 11 best WordPress affiliate plugins for 2022 based on extensive research and testing.

Overview of WordPress Affiliate Plugins

WordPress affiliate plugins serve two core functions:

Affiliate Program Plugins: Allow you to setup and manage an affiliate program directly within your WordPress site. Track registrations, commissions, process payments, generate reports and more.

Affiliate Link Plugins: Help affiliate marketers collect, organize and promote affiliate links from networks like Amazon Associates or ShareASale. Features include link shortening, tracking, categories, link insertion tools and more.

The plugins covered in this guide span both categories to meet the needs of merchant affiliate programs AND affiliate marketers:

Affiliate Program Plugins Reviewed

  • AffiliateWP
  • Affiliate Royale
  • Post Affiliate Pro

Affiliate Link Plugins Reviewed

  • Pretty Links
  • ThirstyAffiliates
  • AAWP (Amazon)

On average, businesses generate $20 for every $1 spent on affiliate marketing according to Flywheel, so choosing the right WordPress plugin is a high-value decision.

Growth and Size of Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing continues on a rapid growth trajectory in 2022, thanks to the scalability and ROI it drives.

According to Statista, global spending on affiliate marketing is projected to reach $8.2 billion in 2022, up from $5.4 billion in 2017.

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Rakuten’s survey of over 4,500 affiliate marketers found 78% were satisfied with affiliate marketing as an income stream.

The same survey showed 65% of marketers prefer affiliate marketing for its scalability versus other models. Rakuten estimates a total of 864,000 affiliate marketers are currently active globally.

As more online businesses launch affiliate programs leveraging customized WordPress plugins, now is the perfect time to develop your strategy with the latest solutions.

Next, we‘ll dive deeper into the key features, user ratings and examples from the top 11 WordPress affiliate plugins.

#1 AffiliateWP – Most Popular Affiliate Program Plugin

With over 30,000 customers and a perfect 5 out 5 star rating…