PrettyLinks review (2026): is the free plan enough?
WordPress plugin for branded short links and affiliate link tracking
PrettyLinks report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Oct 23, 2026
Best for branded affiliate links on your own domain
PrettyLinks turns long links, such as affiliate links, into short ones on your own domain and counts every click, with a free Lite edition on WordPress.org. The paid prices on show are first-year deals: Beginner renews at $249 a year, and keyword auto-linking and split tests start on Marketer at $374.
Who PrettyLinks is for
- Fits if you share affiliate links and want them short and on your own domain
- Works for affiliate sites wanting old posts linked to products by keyword
Who PrettyLinks is not for
- Watch out: the prices shown are first-year deals, and renewals are $249, $374 or $499 a year
- Pricey if you want keyword auto-linking or split tests, which start on Marketer at $374 a year
- Tight if you want QR codes or product displays, which need Super Affiliate at $499 a year
- Not for you if you want a trial, as there isn't one, only a 14-day money-back guarantee
- Watch out: Lite takes a 3% fee on each PrettyPay sale, and it all runs only inside WordPress
Why PrettyLinks gets a 2.2
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- DValue for moneyBeginner renews at $249 a year for one site, $20.75 a month, the top of this category's dearer quarter, after a $99.60 first year. Keyword auto-linking, its main SEO feature, waits on Marketer at $374 a year.
- BFree plan and trialLite on WordPress.org does short links on your domain, 301, 302 and 307 redirects, click tracking, reports and CSV import, and one site could live on that. PrettyPay sales carry a 3% fee on Lite.
- CFeaturesBranded short links, click tracking, keyword auto-linking, targeted and split-test redirects, broken-link checks and Stripe checkout links. It does link management fully, but it isn't a full SEO plugin: no meta, sitemaps or schema.
- CEase of useNo rating on record. A short link takes a moment, but auto-linking keywords, redirect rules and split tests all take setting up.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWeb only, inside WordPress. It connects to MonsterInsights, Google Analytics, Stripe, Easy Affiliate, CookieYes and AnyTrack.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from PrettyLinks' own pages on 23 October 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/pretty-links#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/pretty-links.svg" alt="PrettyLinks: 2.2 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where PrettyLinks stands among SEO plugins and apps
PrettyLinks's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 18 of the 78 other SEO plugins and apps we grade, and level with 14.
It stands best on free plan and trial (B, above 47 of 78) and worst on value for money (D, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $20.75 a month when paid by the year, against a middle price of $9.99 for the category: 47 of the 58 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. 22 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 79 SEO plugins and apps we grade, cut by the letter each got. PrettyLinks’s own letter is outlined.
- DValue for moneyAbove 0 of 78, level with 14
- BFree plan and trialAbove 47 of 78, level with 15
- CFeaturesAbove 9 of 78, level with 43
- CEase of useAbove 0 of 78, level with 59
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 31 of 78, level with 47
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 70 SEO plugins and apps. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
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
Keep PrettyLinks, or make your own?
Keep it
The plain part of PrettyLinks you could make: reports and qR codes. What surrounds it you could not. The 2 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 46 of the 78 other SEO plugins and apps grade higher. It costs $249 a year.
What you could make
- Reports and qR codes: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- Splitting visitors between versions and telling you which won.
- It plugs into other products, MonsterInsights, Google Analytics and Stripe among them, and has an API.
What this rests on. PrettyLinks’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is PrettyLinks?
PrettyLinks is a WordPress plugin that turns long URLs, such as affiliate links, into short branded links on your own domain and logs every click. The paid plans add keyword auto-linking, cloaked and targeted redirects, split tests, broken-link checks, QR codes and add-ons such as Link in Bio pages and product displays. A free Lite edition is on WordPress.org.
Worth knowing
- Runs only inside WordPress.
- The prices shown are introductory: the page says every annual renewal is at the full price of $249, $374 or $499.
- Keyword auto-linking and split tests start at Marketer; QR codes and product displays need Super Affiliate.
- There is no free trial; paid plans have a 14-day money-back guarantee.
Key features
- Branded short links
- Turns any URL into a link on your own domain with a custom or generated slug; change the destination once and every shared link follows.
- Click tracking
- Logs each click with referrer, browser, OS and host, filters out bots and AI crawlers, and can anonymize IP addresses. Paid plans add conversion reports.
- Keyword auto-linking
- From Marketer up, map keywords to links and the plugin turns them into your links across posts, pages, custom post types and comments.
- Targeted and split-test redirects
- Paid plans add cloaked, JavaScript and meta-refresh redirects, routing by country, device or time, link rotation and A/B split tests.
- Broken link checks
- Paid plans scan link destinations on a schedule and email a digest of broken ones.
- PrettyPay checkout links
- Creates Stripe checkout links for e-books, courses and downloads that run on your domain. Free users pay a 3% fee per sale; paid plans pay none.
PrettyLinks pricing
As of Oct 23, 2026, PrettyLinks has a free plan, and paid plans start at $249 per year for 1 site at renewal, after a first year at $99.60.
- Starts at
- $249 per year for 1 site at renewal, after a first year at $99.60
- Free plan
- Lite on WordPress.org: branded short links, 301, 302 and 307 redirects, click tracking, reports and CSV import, with a 3% fee on PrettyPay sales.
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Lite | $0 | The free WordPress.org plugin: short links on your domain, click and unique-click tracking, bot filtering and CSV import and export. |
| Beginner | $249per year for 1 site at renewal, after a first year at $99.60 | Advanced redirect types, links created automatically for new posts, link import and export, and no PrettyPay fees. First year $99.60. |
| Marketer | $374per year for 2 sites at renewal, after a first year at $149.60 | Adds keyword auto-linking, split-test links, conversion reports, link disclosures, and the Link in Bio and Developer Tools add-ons. First year $149.60. |
| Super Affiliate | $499per year for 5 sites at renewal, after a first year at $199.60 | Adds QR codes and the Product Displays, Splash Pages, UTM Builder and User Links add-ons. First year $199.60. |
Read from prettylinks.com on Oct 23, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with PrettyLinks before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Other savingsIntroductory first-year prices
New customers pay $99.60, $149.60 or $199.60 for the first year of Beginner, Marketer or Super Affiliate; renewals are at $249, $374 or $499.
Stated on prettylinks.com
Works with
- MonsterInsights
- Google Analytics
- Stripe
- Easy Affiliate
- CookieYes
- AnyTrack
PrettyLinks alternatives
- PrettyLinks vs Link Whisper
Free plan · from $97/yr
- PrettyLinks vs Internal Link Juicer
Free plan · from $69.99/yr
- PrettyLinks vs Redirect.pizza
Free plan · from $14.95/mo
Common questions
Does PrettyLinks have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 23, 2026. PrettyLinks is listed for Web.
Does PrettyLinks have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 23, 2026. PrettyLinks is listed for Web.
Is PrettyLinks open source?
PrettyLinks is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 23, 2026.
Does PrettyLinks have an API?
Yes. PrettyLinks offers a public API, according to its own site.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 23, 2026.