AffiliateWP vs ThirstyAffiliates (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, AffiliateWP and ThirstyAffiliates share a 1.8 GPA, neither has a free plan, and ThirstyAffiliates starts cheaper, at $20.75 a month when paid by the year against $24.92 a month when paid by the year.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
AffiliateWP grades higher on platforms. ThirstyAffiliates grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan and features.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
AffiliateWP
WordPress plugin for running your own affiliate program
ThirstyAffiliates
WordPress plugin for cloaking and managing affiliate links
Which one is for you
Pick AffiliateWP if
- Fits if your store or site already runs on self-hosted WordPress
- Makes sense if you want to own your affiliate data and pay a flat yearly fee
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you're not on WordPress, as the plugin runs only there
- Not for you if you want a trial, since there is only a 14-day money-back guarantee
- Pricey if you want recurring or multi-tier commissions, which need Pro at $599 a year
- Watch out: the 50% prices are for the first year only, and renewals are at full price
Pick ThirstyAffiliates if
- Fits if you run a WordPress blog full of affiliate links and want them tidy
- Works for site owners who want click counts on each link
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if your site is not on WordPress, as the plugin runs only there
- Pricey if you renew, as the page says annual renewals are at full price, higher than the first year
- Not for you if you want a free plan or trial, as none is listed
- Watch out: product displays are on the Advanced plan only, at $499 renewal for 10 sites
How we grade them
| 1.8GPAAffiliateWPWeak | 1.8GPAThirstyAffiliatesWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | B$299 a year for 1 site at renewal, about $25 a month, inside the cheaper quarter ($39). The $149.50 first year is an introductory price. | B$249 a year for 1 site at renewal is about $21 a month, inside the cheapest quarter, which starts at $31. The first year is shown at $99.60. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan or trial, only a 14-day money-back guarantee. | FNo free plan or trial is listed. The page sells paid licences only. |
| Features | CReferral tracking, affiliate dashboard, Stripe and PayPal payouts. Recurring and multi-tier commissions and automatic payouts need Pro, and it runs only on WordPress. | CCloaking, auto-linking, click tracking, geolocation redirects and a broken link checker do the link job. It is a smaller job than running a program. |
| Ease of use | DNo store rating on record. It's a plugin for self-hosted WordPress, so you run the site it sits on. | CA plugin to install on each site and configure. No store rating is on record. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, as a WordPress plugin, with 6 integrations. | CWordPress only, with Amazon API import and 2 integrations. |
| Best for | affiliate programs on your own WordPress site | cloaking affiliate links on WordPress |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: AffiliateWP and ThirstyAffiliates. How we grade
Price against what you get
AffiliateWP starts at $24.92 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. ThirstyAffiliates starts at $20.75 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.0.
They score the same, and ThirstyAffiliates starts $4.17 a month lower. Of the other affiliate and referral tools on the chart, 7 score higher than AffiliateWP for less, and 5 score higher than ThirstyAffiliates for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- AffiliateWP also covers partner payouts.
- ThirstyAffiliates also covers internal linking.
At a glance
| AffiliateWP | ThirstyAffiliates | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starts at | $299 per year for 1 site at renewal, after a first year at $149.50 | $249 per year for 1 site at renewal, after a first year for $99.60 |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Sandhills Development, LLC | ThirstyAffiliates |
| Price read from | affiliatewp.com | thirstyaffiliates.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
AffiliateWP
- Runs only on self-hosted WordPress; on WordPress.com it needs a plan that allows plugins.
- The 50% prices are introductory and all renewals are at full price.
- There is no free trial, only a 14-day money-back guarantee.
- Recurring commissions, multi-tier commissions and automatic payouts need the Pro plan.
ThirstyAffiliates
- It runs only inside WordPress.
- The page states annual renewals are at full price, higher than the introductory first-year price.
- Product displays are listed on the Advanced plan only.
- It is a link manager for publishers, not software for running your own affiliate program.
Key features
AffiliateWP
- Referral tracking
- Tracks referrals with pretty permalink links and tracked affiliate coupons, and the vendor says its tracking is ad-block-proof.
- Affiliate dashboard
- Affiliates see their referrals and earnings in a self-service dashboard with real-time reporting.
- Payouts
- Stripe and PayPal payouts, international payouts and store credit; automatic payouts on Pro.
- Commission options
- Lifetime, recurring and multi-tier commissions plus tiered affiliate rates on the Pro plan.
- Fraud prevention
- A fraud prevention suite is included on Pro and the Growth Bundle.
- Integrations
- Works with WooCommerce and about 20 other plugins, with only the turned-on integrations loaded.
ThirstyAffiliates
- Link cloaking and branding
- Turns long affiliate URLs into short branded links on your own domain and sorts them into categories.
- Keyword autolinker
- Inserts affiliate links automatically wherever chosen keywords appear in past and future posts.
- Smart uncloaking
- Uncloaks Amazon links to stay within Amazon's rules without uncloaking the rest of the link library.
- Click tracking
- Shows click data for every affiliate URL inside the WordPress dashboard.
- Geolocation redirects
- Sends visitors from other countries to the right regional storefront.
- Broken link checker
- An automatic 404 checker flags dead affiliate links, and CSV import and export moves a link library in bulk.
Plans
AffiliateWP
Personal$299
per year for 1 site, at renewal
Unlimited affiliates and commissions, tracked coupons, self-service affiliate dashboard, Stripe and PayPal payouts. First year $149.50.
Plus$399
per year for 2 sites, at renewal
Adds multi-currency commissions, affiliate leaderboards and welcome bonuses, and commission on signups. First year $199.50.
Pro$599
per year for 5 sites, at renewal
Adds automatic payouts, recurring and lifetime commissions, multi-tier commissions, landing pages and the fraud prevention suite. First year $299.50.
Growth Bundle$699
per year for 10 sites, at renewal
AffiliateWP Pro plus RewardsWP Pro, a points-based loyalty and refer-a-friend plugin, with priority support. First year $349.50.
ThirstyAffiliates
Basic$249
per year for 1 site, at renewal
First year shown at $99.60. Keyword autolinking, Amazon API importing, geographic redirects, CSV import and export.
Plus$374
per year for 5 sites, at renewal
First year shown at $149.60. Same features as Basic across 5 sites.
Advanced$499
per year for 10 sites, at renewal
First year shown at $199.60. Adds product displays and covers 10 sites.
Ways to pay less
AffiliateWP
- Other savings
Introductory 50% off the first year
The pricing page shows each plan at half its regular price, with a note that all renewals are at full price. No end date is given.
ThirstyAffiliates
- Other savings
Introductory first-year prices
The pricing page shows $99.60 (Basic), $149.60 (Plus) and $199.60 (Advanced) as special introductory prices, with renewals at full price.
- Other savings
14-day money-back guarantee
The vendor offers a full refund within 14 days of purchase, no questions asked.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, AffiliateWP or ThirstyAffiliates?
As of Nov 13, 2026, ThirstyAffiliates is cheaper to start with: $20.75 a month when paid by the year, against $24.92 a month when paid by the year for AffiliateWP. AffiliateWP starts at $299 per year for 1 site at renewal, after a first year at $149.50, and ThirstyAffiliates starts at $249 per year for 1 site at renewal, after a first year for $99.60.
Which has a free plan, AffiliateWP or ThirstyAffiliates?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither AffiliateWP nor ThirstyAffiliates has a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.