Skimlinks vs ThirstyAffiliates (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Skimlinks grades higher than ThirstyAffiliates: 2.4 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Skimlinks grades higher on the free plan and platforms. ThirstyAffiliates grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Skimlinks
Affiliate link monetization for publishers, with paid merchant tiers
ThirstyAffiliates
WordPress plugin for cloaking and managing affiliate links
Which one is for you
Pick Skimlinks if
- Fits if you run a content site and want links monetised without hand-building them
- Works for merchants already on a major affiliate network
Look elsewhere if
- Watch out: what a publisher keeps from each sale isn't stated on the pages we read
- Pricey if you are a merchant, since tiers run $166 to $1,620 a month
- Tight if you choose Preferred, as it has a three-month minimum
- Watch out: Premium and VIP cost more by ACH ($1,100 and $1,900) than on a yearly contract
- Skip it if you need a standalone program, because merchants join inside an existing network
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
| 2.4GPASkimlinksFair | 1.8GPAThirstyAffiliatesWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CPreferred is $166 a month on annual billing ($200 monthly), at the top of what affiliate tools cost, and Premium is $900. | 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 | BPublishers join for free. The paid tiers are for merchants, so a publisher can use it without paying. | FNo free plan or trial is listed. The page sells paid licences only. |
| Features | CAutomatic links, one contract across networks, a reporting hub and merchant search. It isn't a program host, so merchants need an existing network. | 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 | CNo store rating on record. You set up accounts and programs before it does anything, so there is a learning curve. | CA plugin to install on each site and configure. No store rating is on record. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, with Awin, CJ, Impact, Rakuten, Partnerize, PartnerStack, Refersion and Tradedoubler. | CWordPress only, with Amazon API import and 2 integrations. |
| Best for | turning product links in articles into affiliate links | 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: Skimlinks and ThirstyAffiliates. How we grade
Price against what you get
Skimlinks starts at $166 a month and scores 2.3 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.
Skimlinks scores higher, and starts $145.25 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other affiliate and referral tools on the chart, 17 score higher than Skimlinks 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
- ThirstyAffiliates also covers internal linking.
At a glance
| Skimlinks | ThirstyAffiliates | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Paid |
| Starts at | $166 per month, billed annually ($200 billed monthly) | $249 per year for 1 site at renewal, after a first year for $99.60 |
| Free plan | Publishers join for free; the paid plans are the Preferred Partner tiers sold to merchants. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Skimlinks | ThirstyAffiliates |
| Price read from | skimlinks.com | thirstyaffiliates.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Skimlinks
- Merchants join by accepting Skimlinks inside their existing affiliate network; it is not a standalone program host.
- The Preferred tier has a three-month minimum, and Premium and VIP need a yearly contract for the lower rate.
- Premium and VIP are quoted at higher rates if paid by ACH ($1,100 and $1,900 a month) than on a yearly contract.
- The publisher revenue split is not stated on the pages we read, so what a publisher keeps is unconfirmed.
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
Skimlinks
- Automatic link monetization
- A piece of code on the site converts organic product links into affiliate links, so editors do not have to build each one by hand.
- One contract, many networks
- The site says one integration and one contract connect a publisher to 48,500 merchants across more than 50 affiliate networks.
- Publisher Hub and data tools
- Performance, merchant and product data are available in the Publisher Hub and through APIs, feeds and cloud-based tools.
- Merchant search
- Publishers browse merchants and their commission rates and cookie windows. Preferred Partners rank higher in those results.
- Preferred Partner program
- Merchants pay a monthly access fee for commission-rate benchmarking, weekly or 7-day reporting and promotion in publisher newsletters.
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
Skimlinks
Publisher access$0
Free for publishers, who join to monetize links and read reports in the Publisher Hub.
Preferred$166
per month, billed annually ($200 billed monthly)
Merchant tier: commission rate recommendation, 7-day performance reports and higher ranking in merchant search.
Premium$900
per month on a yearly contract ($1,100 by ACH)
Adds a dedicated growth manager, analytics help, twice-yearly competitor analysis and a program audit.
VIP$1,620
per month on a yearly contract ($1,900 by ACH)
Adds a newsletter placement, monthly check-ins, a featured guide listing and a backlink from Skimlinks.com.
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
Skimlinks
- Annual discount
Up to 17% off Preferred with annual billing
The Preferred tier is $200 a month billed monthly or $166 a month when paid annually, a saving of up to 17%.
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, Skimlinks or ThirstyAffiliates?
As of Nov 13, 2026, ThirstyAffiliates is cheaper to start with: $20.75 a month when paid by the year, against $166 a month for Skimlinks. Skimlinks starts at $166 per month, billed annually ($200 billed monthly), and ThirstyAffiliates starts at $249 per year for 1 site at renewal, after a first year for $99.60.
Which has a free plan, Skimlinks or ThirstyAffiliates?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Skimlinks has a free plan. ThirstyAffiliates does not.
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.