Affiliates Manager vs AffiliateWP
Updated 5 Oct 2026. 33 features compared side by side.
Free WordPress affiliate plugin with click tracking, creatives, PayPal payout files and many ecommerce/membership integrations, plus paid add-ons.
Premium self-hosted affiliate platform for WordPress with 20+ e-commerce integrations, built-in payouts and higher plans for recurring, lifetime and MLM rates.
Choose Affiliates Manager if…
- You need performance bonuses
- You want to start with a free version
Choose AffiliateWP if…
- You need auto-generated affiliate coupons and tiered commissions
- You also want affiliate landing pages and custom referral links
- You want the more complete feature set (98/100 vs 74/100)
- You prefer the more widely used option
Affiliates Manager includes 1 feature that AffiliateWP lacks, including Performance bonuses; AffiliateWP has 10 that Affiliates Manager lacks, including Affiliate landing pages, Custom referral links and Tiered commissions. Both include 20 of the 33 features we track. 2 features are not yet verified for one or both plugins.
At a glance
Feature comparison
Click a screenshot to see both plugins side by side.
Affiliates Manager AffiliateWPAffiliate Programs: Tracking4/66/6
Affiliates get links with a wpam_id parameter and can link to any page.
Referral links with pretty permalinks on all plans.
Paid WooCommerce Coupon Tracking add-on links existing coupons to affiliates.
Tracked affiliate coupons on all plans. Vanity coupon codes need Pro.
Only a site-wide default landing URL can be set, not per-affiliate pages.
Affiliate Landing Pages are included from the Pro plan.
Blocks earning on own purchases; free reCAPTCHA add-on for signups.
Smart affiliate review on all plans. The full Fraud Prevention Suite is Pro.
Logs referral clicks and creative impressions in real time.
Logs referral visits and conversions as part of core tracking.
Links use the numeric affiliate ID (wpam_id).
Pretty links can use the affiliate's username. Fully personalised referral URLs are Pro.
Affiliate Programs: Commissions4/76/7
Flat or percentage rates, overridable per affiliate.
Global and per-affiliate referral rates, percentage or flat.
Paid Product Specific Commission add-on for WooCommerce products.
Per-product, per-variation and per-category rates in the WooCommerce integration.
No performance-based rate tiers in features or add-on list.
Tiered Affiliate Rates are included from Pro.
Free WooCommerce Subscription integration add-on credits renewals.
Recurring Referrals for subscription payments.
No multi-level commissions; paid add-on only gives a one-off recruit bonus.
Multi-Tier Commissions add up to five commission levels.
No lifetime customer linking in the feature or add-on list.
Lifetime Commissions link customers to affiliates permanently.
Admins can add manual bonuses/adjustments; no automatic bonus rules.
Official sign-up/welcome bonus (Plus). Milestone bonuses need third-party Bonus Referrals for AffiliateWP.
Affiliate Programs: Payouts2/44/4
Generates PayPal Mass Pay / Payouts files to pay many affiliates at once.
PayPal Payouts built in, configured in the Payouts tab (since v2.29).
Payout methods are PayPal, bank transfer and manual.
Stripe payouts to affiliates' bank accounts on all plans.
Store credit is not among the payout methods.
Store credit is a built-in payout method. The separate add-on is no longer needed.
Payout file generation for paying multiple affiliates together.
Pay Affiliates screen pays many affiliates in one run. Automatic scheduled payouts are Pro.
Affiliate Programs: Affiliate tools5/66/6
Front-end area with stats, creatives, link generator and profile.
Self-service Affiliate Area. The upgraded Affiliate Portal is Pro.
Customisable signup form with custom fields and manual or auto approval.
Built-in registration with manual or auto approval. Gravity/Ninja Forms registration needs Plus.
Unlimited banners and text links with impression tracking.
Unlimited creatives (banners, text links) for affiliates.
Editable templates for approval, registration and commission emails.
Email notifications for affiliates and admins, with email marketing integrations.
Real-time stats for visits, purchases and commissions.
Real-time reports for affiliates, referrals, visits and payouts.
No importer from other affiliate plugins; data export only.
Migration Assistant (e.g. from Affiliates Pro) plus CSV import of affiliates.
Affiliate Programs: Compatibility3/33/3
Built-in WooCommerce integration records commission automatically.
Native WooCommerce integration.
Integrates with Easy Digital Downloads 3.0+.
Native Easy Digital Downloads integration.
Supports multi-currency payments made through WooPayments only.
Multi-Currency Commissions from the Plus plan.
WooCommerce Affiliate Plugins: WooCommerce3/77/7
Coupon add-on links coupons you create manually; no auto-generation.
Dynamic coupons generate a unique WooCommerce coupon per affiliate from a template.
Free WooCommerce Subscription integration add-on.
Recurring Referrals support subscription renewal payments, with product-level settings.
Reverses commission when a WooCommerce order is refunded (since 2.1.1).
Referrals can be rejected automatically when an order is refunded.
Affiliate area lives on plugin-created pages, not in My Account.
Adds an Affiliate Area link to the My Account menu. The dashboard itself stays on its own page.
Commission can be awarded manually to an affiliate, not by editing the order.
Assign or reassign WooCommerce orders to an affiliate from the order screen.
HPOS support added in v2.20.0.
WooCommerce Blocks checkout compatibility for referral tracking (v2.28.1).
Statuses: Yes Pro Add-on Partial 3rd-party No ?
Pricing compared
Affiliates Manager Freemium
| Free | $0 |
|---|---|
| Free core plugin | Free lifetime, Unlimited |
| WooCommerce Coupon Tracking add-on | $39 one-off, 1 site |
| Product Specific Commission add-on | $29.95 one-off, 1 site |
| Coupon Tracking + Product Commission bundle | $59.95 one-off, 1 site |
| Referral Bonus add-on | $29.95 one-off, 1 site |
AffiliateWP Premium
| Personal | $299 per year, 1 site |
|---|---|
| Plus | $399 per year, 2 sites |
| Pro | $599 per year, 5 sites |
| Growth Bundle | $699 per year, 10 sites |
Downloads trend
Affiliates Manager
1,304 downloads last week
AffiliateWP
No WordPress.org download data (premium-only plugin).
Verdict
AffiliateWP scores higher on our feature checklist (98/100 against 74/100) and includes auto-generated affiliate coupons, tiered commissions and affiliate landing pages that Affiliates Manager does not. Affiliates Manager still has the edge on performance bonuses. Only Affiliates Manager has a free version. Check the features you rely on in the table below before deciding.
Biggest differences
Affiliates Manager: not included. AffiliateWP: included. Dynamic coupons generate a unique WooCommerce coupon per affiliate from a template.
Affiliates Manager: not included. AffiliateWP: paid version (Pro). Tiered Affiliate Rates are included from Pro.
Affiliates Manager: not included. AffiliateWP: paid version (Pro). Affiliate Landing Pages are included from the Pro plan.
Affiliates Manager: not included. AffiliateWP: included. Pretty links can use the affiliate's username. Fully personalised referral URLs are Pro.
Affiliates Manager: not included. AffiliateWP: paid version (Pro). Multi-Tier Commissions add up to five commission levels.
Affiliates Manager: not included. AffiliateWP: paid version (Pro). Lifetime Commissions link customers to affiliates permanently.
Written from the feature, pricing and install data on this page, not from hands-on testing. How we compare.
Which would you choose?
0 votes so far. Vote to see the results.
Compare something else
FAQ
Which is better, Affiliates Manager or AffiliateWP?
AffiliateWP scores higher on our feature checklist (98/100 against 74/100) and includes auto-generated affiliate coupons, tiered commissions and affiliate landing pages that Affiliates Manager does not. Affiliates Manager still has the edge on performance bonuses. Only Affiliates Manager has a free version. Check the features you rely on in the table below before deciding.
Which has more features?
AffiliateWP includes 25 of the 26 features we track, against 18 for Affiliates Manager. Feature count is only part of the picture; check which of the differences matter to you.
Is Affiliates Manager free?
Affiliates Manager has a free version on WordPress.org. Paid plans start at $29.95.
Is AffiliateWP free?
AffiliateWP is premium only. Paid plans start at $299/yr.
Feature data last changed 5 Oct 2026. Spotted something wrong? Suggest an edit to Affiliates Manager or AffiliateWP. Some links are affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no cost to you; it never affects our data or rankings.