Easy Affiliate vs Pretty Links

Easy Affiliate and Pretty Links often confuse new marketers. Easy Affiliate creates and manages your own self-hosted affiliate program. Pretty Links manages and optimizes existing affiliate links for conversions. You must choose if you need an affiliate manager or a link optimization expert.

Disclosure: This page may contain affiliate links for Easy Affiliate and Pretty Links. If you click these links and make a purchase, Ciroapp may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.
Easy Affiliate
Easy Affiliate
Ciroapp review
0.0
#4 in WordPress Affiliate Marketing Plugin

Pros

    Cons

      Pricing
      $99.6/month
      Free trial
      Money-back14 days
      Best for
      E-commerce businesses using WooCommerce, Membership sites using MemberPress or EDD, Businesses needing zero transaction fees for payouts
      Pretty Links
      Pretty Links

      Solid WordPress link toolkit

      Ciroapp review
      3.9
      #2 in WordPress Affiliate Marketing Plugin

      We see Pretty Links as a solid WordPress-based tool for managing and monetizing links, centralizing your affiliate strategy with auto-linking and branded cloaks. Overall, it offers strong value for content creators who want control and insight, though a limited public review base means some features require hands-on testing.

      Pros

      • Centralized dashboard to manage unlimited links
      • Auto-link product mentions to affiliate URLs
      • Cloak links into branded, professional URLs
      • Real-time tracking with custom reports and GA integrations

      Cons

      • Annual billing only (no monthly option)
      • Limited external review data (Trustpilot shows only 1 review, rating 3.7)
      • No Capterra data available in the provided inputs
      • Some features may require setup and hands-on testing to gauge value
      Pricing
      $99.6/month
      Free trial
      Money-back14 days
      Best for
      Content marketers with high link volume, Super affiliates managing multiple campaigns, Anyone needing link A/B split-testing
      Quick verdict
      Choose Easy Affiliate if you are a business owner selling products and need to recruit and pay an external sales team without transaction fees
      Choose Pretty Links if you are an affiliate marketer needing to brand, track, and split-test hundreds of links across multiple marketing channels

      AboutEasy Affiliate

      Easy Affiliate is the All-in-One Affiliate Program Plugin for WordPress ✨. It helps you create a completely self-hosted affiliate program for your WordPress membership site or ecommerce store within minutes. It integrates with MemberPress, WooCommerce, PayPal, and Easy Digital Downloads, plus email marketing services like Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, and ConvertKit, so you can run referrals on your own site with your branding.

      AboutPretty Links

      PrettyLinks is a WordPress plugin for link management. It centralizes your affiliate strategy in WordPress, so you can optimize URLs before sharing them across blogs, emails, podcasts, and social feeds to drive more earnings. 💡 It’s built for content creators who want control over their links, including affiliates, bloggers, podcasters, course creators, and YouTubers.

      Highlights

      Quick winners by category at a glance.
      Ease of Use
      Both are powerful WordPress plugins with solid dashboards. Pretty Links focuses on link speed; Easy Affiliate focuses on program setup flexibility.
      Tie
      Feature Set Depth
      Easy Affiliate is deeper in program management (payouts, fraud). Pretty Links is deeper in link optimization (A/B testing, auto-linking).
      Tie
      Affiliate Program Management
      Easy Affiliate is specifically built to manage the entire program lifecycle. Pretty Links does not offer team, application, or tax management tools.
      Link Optimization and Marketing
      Pretty Links excels at link branding, keyword automation, and conversion split-testing. Easy Affiliate lacks these marketing functions.
      Value for Money
      The introductory pricing is identical across both tools' tiers. Actual value depends entirely on your specific needs: merchant vs. marketer.
      Tie
      Tracking Technology
      Easy Affiliate uses first-party cookies, ensuring superior tracking reliability. This is vital as browsers phase out older tracking methods.

      Feature Comparison

      Compare key features side by side
      Primary Use Case
      Easy Affiliate:Run self-hosted affiliate program
      Pretty Links:Link branding and optimization
      Tie
      Affiliate Payout Management
      Easy Affiliate:PayPal 1-Click Payouts
      Pretty Links:No (Focus on link tracking)
      Easy Affiliate
      Automatic Fraud Detection
      Easy Affiliate:Yes (Plus+ required)
      Pretty Links:No
      Easy Affiliate
      Multi-Level Commissions (MLM) Tracking
      Easy Affiliate:Yes (Plus+)
      Pretty Links:No
      Easy Affiliate
      Affiliate Tax Reporting Tools
      Easy Affiliate:Yes (Pro/US W9)
      Pretty Links:No
      Easy Affiliate
      Tracking Technology
      Easy Affiliate:First-Party Cookies (Reliable)
      Pretty Links:Standard link tracking
      Tie
      Affiliate Application Manager
      Easy Affiliate:Yes
      Pretty Links:No
      Easy Affiliate
      Storefront Integration (WC, EDD)
      Easy Affiliate:Yes (Core necessity)
      Pretty Links:No (Link manager focus)
      Easy Affiliate
      Auto-Link Keywords on Content
      Easy Affiliate:No
      Pretty Links:Yes
      Pretty Links
      A/B Split-Test Links
      Easy Affiliate:No
      Pretty Links:Yes (Marketer+)
      Pretty Links
      Direct Sales Tool Integration
      Easy Affiliate:No
      Pretty Links:PrettyPay™ (Stripe integration)
      Pretty Links
      Automatic Link Disclosures
      Easy Affiliate:No
      Pretty Links:Yes (Marketer+)
      Pretty Links
      API/Developer Tools Access
      Easy Affiliate:Yes (Pro)
      Pretty Links:Yes (Super Affiliate)
      Tie
      Commission on Recurring Payments
      Easy Affiliate:Yes
      Pretty Links:N/A
      Easy Affiliate
      Unlimited Affiliates/Tracking
      Easy Affiliate:Yes
      Pretty Links:Unlimited links/clicks
      Pretty Links
      Generate QR Codes
      Easy Affiliate:No
      Pretty Links:Yes (Super Affiliate)
      Pretty Links
      Introductory Annual Price
      Easy Affiliate:$99.60 - $199.60
      Pretty Links:$99.60 - $199.60
      Tie
      Max Renewal Price
      Easy Affiliate:$499/year
      Pretty Links:$499/year
      Tie
      Feature Comparison Summary
      7
      Easy Affiliate
      5
      Ties
      6
      Pretty Links

      Features Overview

      We highlight the main differences and pick a winner for each feature.

      Core Functionality

      Easy Affiliate runs your entire affiliate infrastructure, not just the links. Pretty Links optimizes individual links for branding and performance.

      Tie

      Easy Affiliate is designed to be the all-in-one platform for merchants. It handles affiliate recruiting, tracking, and complex commission rules within WordPress. Easy Affiliate focuses on security, system maintenance, and ensuring your affiliates are managed properly. Pretty Links is a URL management tool for heavy affiliate users. It shortens, brands, and tracks link performance across all your channels. Pretty Links acts as mission control for maximizing click efficiency and brand trust. If you sell products and need a team, choose Easy Affiliate for program management. If you promote others’ products and need link power, use Pretty Links. The difference is managing people versus managing links.

      Affiliate Payouts

      Easy Affiliate manages all payouts internally with one click; Pretty Links offers no payment tools.

      Easy Affiliate

      Easy Affiliate streamlines the critical task of paying your external sales team. It includes PayPal 1-Click Payouts directly from the WordPress dashboard. This ensures your affiliates are paid quickly and efficiently every month. Pretty Links does not include any comprehensive affiliate payout management features. It is purely focused on shortening and tracking the links themselves. Pretty Links assumes you are using an external platform for commission payments. Easy Affiliate is the clear winner for merchants who want to reduce administrative burden. Pretty Links requires a separate solution for commission payment processing. This feature alone saves considerable time for business owners running high-volume programs every month.

      Link Automation & Branding

      Pretty Links automatically links keywords and provides custom branding; Easy Affiliate focuses on tracking accuracy.

      Pretty Links

      Pretty Links lets you automate affiliate link placement across your entire site. The Auto-Link Keywords feature replaces designated phrases with branded links instantly. Pretty Links makes long, messy URLs into short, professional, and memorable 'pretty links.' Easy Affiliate allows affiliates to create custom tracking links from their dashboard. Its primary focus is on reliable first-party tracking, not link shortening or keyword automation. Easy Affiliate ensures secure tracking back to the original affiliate. For high-volume content creators, Pretty Links’ automation saves immense manual time. Easy Affiliate is more focused on secure infrastructure than link marketing efficiency. Using Pretty Links, you ensure brand alignment and never miss a product mention earning commission.

      Conversion Optimization

      Only Pretty Links offers A/B split-testing and advanced conversion reports for links. Easy Affiliate offers high-level performance reporting.

      Pretty Links

      Pretty Links includes crucial strategic tools like Split-Test Links. Marketers can easily fine-tune their link strategy by testing different offers. Advanced Conversion Reports provide key data to maximize revenue per click. Easy Affiliate provides real-time reports on affiliate clicks and sales performance. Its main job is quantifying the commission, not optimizing the click path itself. Easy Affiliate reports help you track your affiliate team's success. If testing effectiveness is essential to your monetization strategy, Pretty Links is necessary. Easy Affiliate offers comprehensive reporting but lacks optimization features like link split-testing. Pretty Links allows savvy affiliates to continuously improve their conversion rates from the same traffic volume.

      Data Security & Reliability

      Easy Affiliate includes Fraud Detection and uses more reliable tracking technology. Pretty Links is focused on link health.

      Easy Affiliate

      Easy Affiliate proactively protects merchant revenue using Advanced Fraud Detection. It alerts you to suspicious activity before you pay invalid commissions. Easy Affiliate uses first-party cookies for tracking, which is more reliable today. Pretty Links offers a Broken Links Finder to help maintain website health. It helps streamline your link infrastructure, but it lacks fraud monitoring capabilities. Pretty Links is not designed to prevent commission cheating. For protecting your bottom line and ensuring tracking longevity, Easy Affiliate is the best choice. Pretty Links focuses on the external presentation and function of the URL. Easy Affiliate’s reliable tracking is crucial as third-party cookies globally disappear across browsers.

      Direct Selling Capability

      Pretty Links lets you sell your own products via Stripe integration; Easy Affiliate manages external sales teams.

      Pretty Links

      Pretty Links introduced PrettyPay™ Links with seamless Stripe integration. This allows users to sell digital products directly using short, branded payment links. You can turn clicks into sales by sharing custom payment links in emails. Easy Affiliate is designed exclusively for managing commissions for third-party affiliates. It does not contain any features intended for direct digital product sales. Its integration focus is on e-commerce platforms like WooCommerce. If you are an entrepreneur selling your own products, Pretty Links offers unique value. Easy Affiliate is built purely for running an affiliate rewards system. Pretty Links offers a lightweight method for monetization beyond simple link tracking or commission management.

      Compliance & Reporting

      Easy Affiliate handles US tax reports; Pretty Links includes automatic link disclosures.

      Tie

      Easy Affiliate (Pro plan) includes a Tax Reports Add-on for US compliance. This tool collects W9 information and helps generate necessary tax documents. This significantly simplifies end-of-year administrative tasks for the merchant. Pretty Links (Marketer plan) includes Automatic Link Disclosures for trust and clarity. This feature helps ensure your monetized content meets necessary compliance requirements. Pretty Links helps you transparently interact with your audience. Merchants worrying about affiliate taxes should choose Easy Affiliate for its specific add-on. Marketers needing better link transparency should consider Pretty Links. Both solve compliance problems, but at different regulatory points.

      Our Verdict

      Objective guidance based on features, pricing, and overall fit.

      Choosing between Easy Affiliate and Pretty Links is not a difficult comparison. They are built for two distinct audiences. Easy Affiliate is the definitive winner if you are running your own affiliate program. Easy Affiliate's superpower is infrastructure management and financial control. Its strength lies in PayPal 1-Click Payouts and advanced fraud detection. You get reliable first-party tracking plus the ability to manage affiliate taxes and applications. Pretty Links's specialty is optimizing clicks and link performance. Only Pretty Links offers crucial features like keyword auto-linking and link split-testing. It turns messy URLs into branded paths and even lets you sell products directly using PrettyPay™. The deciding factor is your role: merchant or marketer? If you are paying affiliates, you need Easy Affiliate to run the platform. If you are promoting products and optimizing affiliate links, Pretty Links is uniquely positioned. If you sell products like software or courses, go with Easy Affiliate immediately. If you are an experienced content marketer focused on high conversions, unlock the power of Pretty Links.

      Frequently Asked Questions

      Which is better for paying monthly commissions: Easy Affiliate or Pretty Links?

      Easy Affiliate is built for commission management and includes PayPal 1-Click Payouts. Pretty Links is a link management tool and requires an external system for affiliate payments. Easy Affiliate is the clear choice for merchant payout needs.

      Does Pretty Links offer fraud protection like Easy Affiliate?

      No, Pretty Links does not include built-in fraud detection or prevention features. Easy Affiliate offers Advanced Fraud Detection starting with its Plus plan. If security against false commissions is vital, choose Easy Affiliate.

      Can Easy Affiliate shorten branded links and auto-link keywords like Pretty Links?

      Easy Affiliate focuses on tracking integrity and does not feature link branding or shortening. Pretty Links excels at link optimization and provides the essential Auto-Link Keywords feature. Pretty Links is superior for high-volume link management automation.

      Which plugin includes A/B testing functions for affiliate links?

      Pretty Links provides Split-Test Links starting in its Marketer plan for conversion optimization. Easy Affiliate does not include any specific A/B testing capability for links. Pretty Links is necessary for fine-tuning your marketing performance.

      Are the steep renewal prices for Easy Affiliate and Pretty Links the same?

      Yes, both Easy Affiliate and Pretty Links increase their pricing substantially after the introductory year. The standard renewal rates for both plugins range from $249 up to $499 annually. Budget for the higher renewal fee regardless of your choice.

      Is Pretty Links suitable for managing my own first-party affiliate program?

      No, Pretty Links lacks core features needed to run a program, like affiliate application management and fraud detection. Easy Affiliate is specifically designed to handle the entire self-hosted first-party program, sign-ups to payouts.

      Ready to Choose?

      Both tools have their strengths. Choose based on your specific needs.