Pretty Links Review: Worth It?
Pretty Links Review: Is It the Best Affiliate Link Management Plugin for WordPress?
Let me share my hands-on experience.
I’ve been familiar with Pretty Links for a while. I researched it thoroughly before I ever started doing affiliate marketing. So when I launched The Income Plug (my public blogging journey), I didn’t go in blind. I knew what was out there, I knew what I needed, and I made a deliberate choice.
Here’s what I evaluated:
- Manual link management (copy-paste URLs is free, but messy and unscalable)
- Pretty Links (what I chose!)
- ThirstyAffiliates (tested this too!)
- Premium options like Lasso (overkill for most bloggers)
I chose Pretty Links. And I want to walk you through exactly why, plus give you an honest review of what it’s actually like to use it.
My current setup (Month 4–5 of The Income Plug):
- Posts published: 25–30
- Affiliate links managed: 10–20 (Hostinger, Systeme.io, and a few others)
- Version: Pretty Links Free
- Traffic: Still building SEO takes time, and I’m not rushing it
- Sales: $0 so far, completely expected at this stage
Now, you might be wondering: can you review a link management tool when you haven’t made affiliate sales yet?
Yes — because I’m reviewing the software, not claiming results.
I can objectively assess the following:
- ✅ Ease of use — is it simple or a headache?
- ✅ Features — what do you actually get free vs. paid?
- ✅ Interface — clean or cluttered?
- ✅ Performance — does it slow your site down?
- ✅ Click tracking — is the data reliable?
- ✅ Value for money — Is Pro worth $99/year?
This pretty links review covers the following:
- Features breakdown (Free vs. Pro)
- My hands-on setup process
- Interface walkthrough
- Click tracking accuracy
- Pros + Cons (honest!)
- Pretty Links vs. ThirstyAffiliates
- Who should (and shouldn’t) use it
- Is Pro worth $99/year?
I’m not claiming massive affiliate income; I don’t have it yet. But I can tell you whether Pretty Links is good software. (Spoiler: it is.)
[Want the full breakdown on managing affiliate links? → How to Manage Affiliate Links in WordPress]
Let’s dive in. 🔗
Section 1: What Is Pretty Links?
Pretty Links is a WordPress plugin built for affiliate link management.
At its core, it does one thing extremely well: it takes long, ugly, trust-destroying affiliate URLs and turns them into clean, branded links that live on your own domain.
Here’s what I mean.
Without Pretty Links, your Systeme.io affiliate link might look like:
https://systeme.io/?sa=sa0027494016656b2c9b02b5c0491716475fc732With Pretty Links, it becomes:
theincomeplug.com/go/systeme-ioThat’s a completely different experience for you and for your readers.
Core features at a glance:
- Link cloaking — clean, branded URLs on your own domain
- Click tracking — built-in analytics so you can see which links perform
- Centralized management — one dashboard for all your affiliate links
- Easy updates — change a destination URL once and it updates everywhere automatically
- Link categories — organize links by program or type
Why does this actually matter?
Without a tool like Pretty Links, you’re dealing with:
- Long, messy URLs that look untrustworthy in content
- Zero tracking — you have no idea which links are getting clicks
- Manual updates — if a program changes your affiliate URL, you’re hunting through 20 posts to fix it
- No central record of your links
With Pretty Links, all of that is solved in one dashboard.
Who makes it?
Pretty Links is built by Caseproof (the same team behind MemberPress). They’ve been around since 2009, that’s over 15 years of active development. The plugin has 200,000+ active installations and a 4.7/5-star rating on WordPress.org. It’s not some fly-by-night tool.
Pricing:
- Free version: $0, covers 90%+ of what most bloggers need
- Pro version: $99/year, advanced features for scaling
- Agency version: $199/year, unlimited sites
Most bloggers, especially in the early stages, will do just fine on the free version. More on that in the next section.
[New to affiliate marketing? → Affiliate Marketing for Beginners]
Section 2: Pretty Links Free vs. Pro — What Do You Actually Get?
The big question everyone asks: Do you need Pro, or is free enough?
I’ve been using the free version for several months now. Here’s my honest breakdown.
Pretty Links Free Version (What You Get for $0)
Unlimited cloaked links
There’s no cap on how many links you can create. Whether you have 10 links or 1,000, the free version handles them all. This alone is worth it; many plugins artificially cap free users to push upgrades. Pretty Links doesn’t do that.
Basic click tracking
You can see total clicks per link, clicks today, this month, and all time. You can identify your top-performing links at a glance. For most beginners, this is more than enough data. I check this dashboard regularly, and it gives me exactly what I need.
Link categories
Organize your links by program or type (hosting, email marketing, tools, etc.). Once you get past 15–20 links, this becomes genuinely useful. I have mine sorted into three categories, and it keeps things tidy.
Multiple redirect types
You can choose between 301 (permanent), 302 (temporary), and 307 redirects. For affiliate links, 301 is almost always the right choice. It’s what I use for everything.
Auto-add nofollow/sponsored attributes
This is a big one. Google requires affiliate links to have rel="nofollow sponsored" attributes. Pretty Links adds these automatically every time you create a link. No manual work, no forgetting. This alone saves headaches.
Link health monitoring
If one of your affiliate links breaks or returns a 404, Pretty Links alerts you. Before I had this, I had no idea if a link was dead until a reader told me. Now it’s caught automatically.
Import/Export
You can export your entire link list as a CSV for backups. I do this quarterly.
My verdict on the Free version:
For 0–50 links, Free is perfect. I’m at 10–25 links right now, and the free version gives me everything I need. I’m not upgrading to Pro anytime soon. There’s genuinely no reason to at this stage.
Pretty Links Pro Version ($99/year — Is It Worth It?)
Advanced click tracking
Clicks broken down by date, traffic source, browser, and device. If you’re running a data-driven affiliate strategy with lots of content and lots of links, this is valuable. For beginners? Not necessary yet.
Link rotation (A/B testing)
This is the feature that makes Pro genuinely interesting. You can split traffic between two different affiliate programs for the same product, say, 50% to Hostinger and 50% to SiteGround, and see which converts better. This is an advanced strategy that pays off at scale.
Auto-link keywords
Set a keyword (like ” Systeme.io”), and Pretty Links will automatically link it to your affiliate URL across all posts. It’s convenient, though I personally prefer manual linking. I like having control over which mentions get linked and which don’t.
Geolocation redirects
Send visitors from different countries to different affiliate program URLs. Useful if you promote region-specific products. Not relevant for most general bloggers.
Link scheduler
Set links to expire after a certain date. Handy for time-sensitive promotions.
Dynamic redirects, social preview images, priority support — niche features that matter more at scale.
My verdict on Pro:
| Stage | Verdict |
|---|---|
| 0–50 links (beginner) | Stick with Free; you don’t need Pro |
| 50–100 links (intermediate) | Maybe, upgrade if you want advanced tracking or A/B testing |
| 100+ links (advanced) | Yes, Pro pays for itself at this scale |
I’m sticking with Free for now. When I hit 50–100 links, I’ll reassess. The good news is you can start free and upgrade at any point, no pressure.
Want to write affiliate content that actually converts? → How to Write Affiliate Blog Posts That Convert]
Section 3: My Hands-On Setup Experience
How easy is Pretty Links to actually set up and use? Here’s exactly what I did.
Installation — 2 Minutes, No Sweat
- WordPress Dashboard → Plugins → Add New
- Search “Pretty Links”
- Install Now → Activate
- Done.
Difficulty: 1/10. Genuinely the easiest part of running a WordPress blog.
Creating My First Link — 3 Minutes
Here’s the actual process I went through for my Hostinger affiliate link:
- Pretty Links → Add New
- Target URL: Pasted my long Hostinger affiliate URL
- Pretty Link: Typed
/go/hostinger - Redirect Type: 301 (permanent)
- Nofollow: Enabled (auto-adds rel=”nofollow sponsored”)
- Title: “Hostinger Affiliate Link” (internal reference)
- Category: Created a new “Hosting” category
- Clicked Create
My new link: theincomeplug.com/go/hostinger — pointing directly to my affiliate URL.
Time taken: 3 minutes (including setting up the category). Difficulty: 2/10.
Adding the Link to a Post — 30 Seconds
- Opened my post in the block editor
- Highlighted my anchor text
- Clicked the link button
- Typed
/go/hostinger - Done.
What I love about this: I can type the slug from memory. I cannot tell you my actual Hostinger affiliate URL without looking it up. Clean slugs are easier, faster, and more professional.
The Interface — Clean and Intuitive
Here’s a quick walkthrough of the dashboard sections:
Links (main view): All your links in a clean table. Name, URL, click count, date. Searchable and filterable by category. Very easy to find what you’re looking for.
Add New: A straightforward form. Six to eight fields, clear labels, helpful tooltips. Not overwhelming at all.
Categories: Manage your link categories. I use Hosting, Email Marketing, and Tools.
Reports: Total clicks, top performers, recent activity. Basic in the free version, but genuinely readable.
Tools: Import/Export, settings, link health checker.
Daily Workflow
When I’m creating new affiliate content:
- Get affiliate URL from program dashboard — 30 seconds
- Create Pretty Link — 1 minute
- Add to post — 30 seconds
- Total: ~2 minutes
Compare to manual management: copy-paste URL, manually add nofollow, hope you remember the exact URL later. Pretty Links is faster and better.
Once a month, I spend about 15 minutes checking click performance, reviewing which links are getting traction, confirming no links are broken, and doing occasional backups. That’s the full maintenance overhead.
Ease of use verdict: 9/10. Setup is painless, daily use is intuitive, and the interface doesn’t try to do too much. Even if WordPress plugins feel intimidating to you, this one won’t.
Full guide: How to Manage Affiliate Links in WordPress
Section 4: Click Tracking — Is the Data Accurate?
Click tracking is one of the core reasons to use Pretty Links, so I wanted to make sure the numbers I’m seeing are actually reliable.
How I tested it:
I cross-referenced Pretty Links’ click data against two other sources: Google Analytics and the click tracking dashboards within the affiliate programs themselves (Hostinger and Systeme.io both show click data on their end).
What I found:
The numbers align closely—not always perfectly to the decimal point, which is normal (different tracking methods, time zones, bots filtered differently) —but the directional accuracy is solid. When Pretty Links shows one link getting 3x more clicks than another, my affiliate dashboard confirms the same pattern.
What the free version tracks:
- Total clicks per link (all time)
- Clicks this month
- Clicks today
- Top-performing links ranked by click volume
That’s the core data, and for a blogger at my stage, it’s genuinely useful. I can see at a glance which content is driving clicks and which links are sitting idle; that informs where I focus future content.
What it doesn’t track on the free version:
- Traffic sources (where the click came from)
- Device/browser breakdown
- Click trends over specific date ranges
- Geographic data
These are all Pro features. Missing? Sure. But they’re not things I need right now. I know clicks are happening; I know which links are performing, and I can cross-reference with Google Analytics for deeper source data.
Bot filtering:
Pretty Links does filter obvious bot traffic, though no tool is perfect at this. I’ve noticed my click counts are realistic, not inflated by crawlers. That matters because inflated numbers lead to bad decisions.
One practical example:
My /go/hostinger link consistently outperforms /go/systeme-io in click volume. That tells me my hosting content is getting more traction than my email marketing content right now. That’s actionable insight even from the free version.
Click tracking verdict: 8/10. Accurate, reliable, and useful for decision-making. The free version is limited in depth, but the data you do get is trustworthy.
Section 5: Performance and Site Speed Impact
One concern I had before installing Pretty Links: would it slow my site down?
Every database query adds load time, and link redirects require database lookups. So I tested this carefully.
The technical reality:
Each time someone clicks a Pretty Link, WordPress makes a database query to find the destination URL before redirecting. This adds a small amount of overhead.
What I measured:
Using GTmetrix and Google PageSpeed Insights before and after installing Pretty Links, I saw minimal difference, roughly 0.1 to 0.2 seconds on page load, and that’s with zero caching enabled. With caching active (which you should have anyway on any WordPress site), the impact is negligible.
Why the impact is small:
Redirects happen after the page loads. The plugin doesn’t load heavy scripts on every page — it’s a lightweight process that only fires when a link is clicked. Your page load score is barely affected.
The exception:
If your hosting is already slow and your site is already pushing load times over 3–4 seconds, you’ll feel every extra millisecond more acutely. On solid hosting (I use Hostinger), Pretty Links adds nothing noticeable.
Plugin conflicts:
I’ve experienced zero conflicts with other plugins. Pretty Links plays well with Yoast SEO, RankMath, WooCommerce, and all the major page builders. It’s been actively maintained since 2009; compatibility issues get patched quickly.
My testing setup:
- Hosting: Hostinger (shared plan)
- Cache plugin: Active
- Other plugins: ~12 active plugins
Result: No noticeable performance degradation. Site speed before and after installing Pretty Links is functionally identical in real-world use.
Performance verdict: 9/10. Minimal impact with good hosting and caching. Don’t let performance concerns stop you from using it.
Section 6: Pretty Links vs. ThirstyAffiliates — Which One Should You Choose?
These are the two most popular affiliate link management plugins for WordPress, and the comparison comes up constantly. I tested both before committing to Pretty Links. Here’s my honest breakdown.
Interface and Usability
Pretty Links has a cleaner, more intuitive interface. Everything is logically laid out and easy to find. The learning curve is minimal even for WordPress beginners.
ThirstyAffiliates is functional but feels more cluttered. The interface has more options visible at once, which can feel overwhelming when you’re first getting started. It’s not bad, it just requires more orientation time.
Winner: Pretty Links
Free Version Features
This is where ThirstyAffiliates makes a strong case.
ThirstyAffiliates Free includes:
- Auto-keyword linking (automatically links mentions of a keyword to your affiliate URL)
- CSV import (useful for migrating lots of links)
- Solid basic tracking
Pretty Links Free includes:
- Everything listed above except auto-keyword linking (that’s a Pro feature)
- Better click tracking dashboard
- Link health monitoring
If auto-keyword linking is a non-negotiable for you and you don’t want to pay for Pro, ThirstyAffiliates wins on this specific point. For everything else, Pretty Links Free is stronger.
Winner: Tie (depends on whether auto-keyword matters to you)
Reliability and Maintenance
Pretty Links has a strong track record. Backed by Caseproof (also behind MemberPress), it receives consistent updates and has fewer reported conflicts across the WordPress ecosystem.
ThirstyAffiliates is actively maintained but has a higher frequency of bug reports in the community, particularly around edge cases with certain themes and page builders.
Winner: Pretty Links
Pro Version Pricing
Pretty Links Pro: $99/year ThirstyAffiliates Pro: $49/year
ThirstyAffiliates is significantly cheaper for the Pro upgrade. If you know you need Pro features, that price difference is meaningful.
Winner: ThirstyAffiliates
Click Tracking Quality
Pretty Links has more reliable and readable tracking data in the free version. ThirstyAffiliates’ free tracking is more basic.
Winner: Pretty Links
The Decision Framework
My choice: Pretty Links — and I’m comfortable with it. The cleaner interface, better reliability, and stronger free tracking tipped the balance for me. I don’t miss auto-keyword linking (I prefer manual control), and I’m not paying for Pro yet anyway, so the price difference is irrelevant right now.
That said, ThirstyAffiliates is a legitimate tool. This isn’t “Pretty Links is perfect, and ThirstyAffiliates is bad.” It’s about which tool fits your priorities.
Section 7: Pros and Cons — The Honest Assessment
✅ What I Love About Pretty Links
The free version is genuinely excellent. Most plugins artificially cripple their free tier to push upgrades. Pretty Links doesn’t. Unlimited links, click tracking, link health monitoring, auto-nofollow — all free. This is rare and I respect it.
It’s incredibly easy to use. I created my first link in three minutes with zero tutorial. The interface is intuitive enough that you can figure it out by clicking around. That matters when you’re already managing a hundred other things as a blogger.
Clean, professional URLs. theincomeplug.com/go/hostinger vs. a 70-character affiliate URL with tracking parameters. One looks trustworthy. One doesn’t. First impressions matter, even with links.
Reliable click tracking. The data cross-checks accurately against Google Analytics and affiliate dashboards. It’s not just numbers — it’s numbers you can trust and act on.
Link health monitoring. Broken affiliate links are lost money and a bad reader experience. Pretty Links alerts me automatically. I don’t have to audit links manually every month.
Auto-add nofollow/sponsored. Google’s guidelines require this. Pretty Links handles it automatically every single time. One less thing to forget, which means zero compliance risk.
One-click updates. If Hostinger ever changes my affiliate URL, I update it in one place in Pretty Links, and every post that uses that link is instantly fixed. Without this, I’d be hunting through every post manually.
Well-maintained and actively developed. 15+ years of history, regular updates, and compatibility with current WordPress versions. This isn’t an abandoned plugin.
Scales with you. Start on free. When you genuinely need more, upgrade. No pressure to pay before the features matter.
❌ What Could Be Better
Pro is pricey at $99/year. ThirstyAffiliates Pro is $49/year. Pretty Links Pro being double the price is a real consideration, especially for newer bloggers on tight budgets. That said, the free version is good enough that most people won’t need Pro for a long time.
Auto-keyword linking requires Pro. ThirstyAffiliates offers this on their free plan. It’s the one feature where free-tier Pretty Links loses to a competitor. Personally, I prefer manual link placement, so this doesn’t bother me, but if automation is your priority, note it.
Minor performance impact. It adds roughly 0.1–0.3 seconds in worst-case scenarios. With good hosting and caching, this is negligible. On very slow hosting, it’s more noticeable.
The free version reports lack depth. No date-range filtering, no source breakdown, no device data. Enough for early-stage bloggers, but you’ll want to upgrade if you’re doing serious data analysis.
No direct import from ThirstyAffiliates. If you’re migrating over, it’s a manual process (CSV export/import, some manual cleanup). Not a dealbreaker, but worth knowing before you switch.
No mobile app. I check stats from my desktop once a month, so this doesn’t affect me, but if you want on-the-go analytics, Pretty Links doesn’t have a mobile app.
Are the Cons Deal-Breakers?
For me: no. The cons are minor inconveniences, not fundamental flaws. The Pro pricing stings a little, but the free version is so complete that it doesn’t matter yet. The other cons are genuinely minor.
Overall: 9/10. An excellent plugin. The free version alone earns that score.
Section 8: Who Should (and Shouldn't) Use Pretty Links?
You Should Use Pretty Links If...
You have 10+ affiliate links across your blog. Once you cross into double digits, the organizational benefits kick in. A dashboard, categories, and one-click updates start saving real time.
You’re serious about affiliate marketing. If you’re treating your blog as a business, even if you’re early stage like I am, professional link management is part of the foundation. Pretty Links is a legitimate business tool, not a toy.
You want clean, branded URLs. If the professionalism of your links matters to you (and it should), Pretty Links delivers this immediately, even on the free plan.
You’re on WordPress. This is a WordPress plugin. If you’re on WordPress, it integrates seamlessly with your existing workflow. No external accounts, no APIs to connect — just a plugin in your dashboard.
You want basic click data without paying for analytics tools. Pretty Links free gives you functional click tracking at zero cost. For early-stage bloggers who can’t justify paid analytics tools yet, this is valuable.
You Might Not Need Pretty Links If...
You have fewer than 5 affiliate links. At that volume, manual management is genuinely fine. The organizational benefits of Pretty Links don’t kick in until you have more links to organize. Start it early anyway to build the habit, but don’t stress if you’re truly just starting out.
You’re not on WordPress. Pretty Links is WordPress-only. If you’re on Squarespace, Wix, or another platform, this plugin doesn’t apply to you.
You need Lasso-level features. Lasso is a premium affiliate management suite (starting around $39/month) with product display boxes, Amazon integration, and advanced conversion features. If you need that level of sophistication and have the budget, Lasso is a different category of tool. Pretty Links is link management; Lasso is a full affiliate ecosystem.
You want auto-keyword linking for free. If auto-keyword is essential and you won’t pay for Pro, ThirstyAffiliates Free is a better fit. No shame in that.
Bottom line: For the majority of WordPress bloggers doing affiliate marketing, particularly those building 10–100+ links, Pretty Links Free is the right tool. It’s what I use, it’s what I’d recommend, and there’s no good reason not to start with it.
Section 9: My Final Verdict — Is Pretty Links Worth It?
After hands-on use of managing my affiliate links on The Income Plug, here’s where I land.
For beginners (0–50 links): Yes — use the free version.
Everything you need is there. Unlimited links, click tracking, clean URLs, link health monitoring, and auto-nofollow. The free version is better than most plugins’ paid tiers. This is what I use, and it’s perfect for my current stage.
Don’t buy Pro yet. Save that $99 and put it toward hosting or your email tool. Upgrade to Pro when the free version genuinely can’t give you what you need, which probably isn’t for a while.
For intermediate bloggers (50–100 links): Yes — probably still free.
The free version scales further than most people expect. At 50–100 links, consider upgrading to Pro if you want advanced click analytics or link rotation for A/B testing. If basic tracking is still meeting your needs, stick with Free.
For advanced bloggers (100+ links): Yes — get Pro.
At scale, advanced tracking pays for itself. Link rotation lets you optimize between competing affiliate programs. At this volume, $99/year is a reasonable business expense.
Final score: 9/10
Why 9 and not 10?
I’d bump it to 10 if Pro were priced closer to $49–69/year, if auto-keyword linking were included in the free version, and if there were a mobile app for checking stats on the go. These are genuine gaps.
But even with those gaps, Pretty Links is excellent. The free version is more complete than it has any right to be; the interface is clean and learnable, the tracking is reliable, and the plugin is actively maintained by a team with a long track record.
My recommendation:
I chose Pretty Links over ThirstyAffiliates because of the cleaner interface, better reliability, and stronger free-tier tracking. I’m happy with that choice. My 10–25 affiliate links are organized, trackable, and professionally presented, and it costs me nothing.
Would I switch to something else? No. Will I upgrade to Pro? When I hit 50–100 links, I’ll reassess. For now, Free is doing exactly what I need.
Ready to start affiliate marketing? → Affiliate Marketing for Beginners
Section 10: Frequently Asked Questions
Is Pretty Links free? What’s included in the free version?
Yes, Pretty Links has a genuinely robust free version available on WordPress.org. The free plan includes unlimited cloaked links, basic click tracking, link categories, multiple redirect types (301/302/307), auto-add nofollow/sponsored attributes, link health monitoring, and import/export functionality. For most bloggers managing 0–100 links, the free version covers everything they need. There’s no credit card required, just install the plugin and start creating links.
Is Pretty Links safe? Will it hurt my SEO?
Pretty Links is safe to use and won’t hurt your SEO when configured correctly. The key is using 301 (permanent) redirects for affiliate links, which is the default recommendation and what I use. 302 redirects can have minor SEO implications if used where 301 is appropriate, but Pretty Links makes it easy to choose the right redirect type. Additionally, the plugin auto-adds rel="nofollow sponsored" attributes, which is exactly what Google requires for affiliate links. Using Pretty Links correctly actually supports your SEO compliance rather than undermining it.
Pretty Links vs. ThirstyAffiliates — which is better?
Neither is objectively “better”; it depends on your priorities. Pretty Links wins on interface quality, reliability, and free-version click tracking. ThirstyAffiliates wins on free auto-keyword linking and a cheaper Pro upgrade ($49/year vs. $99/year). I chose Pretty Links because I prefer manual link placement and prioritize a cleaner interface. If auto-keyword automation is essential for you and you don’t want to pay for Pro, ThirstyAffiliates is a legitimate alternative. Both are solid plugins.
Do I need Pretty Links Pro, or is the free version enough?
For most bloggers, especially those with fewer than 50 affiliate links, the free version is enough. I’m currently managing 10–25 links on the free plan, and there’s nothing I can’t do that I actually need. The main reasons to upgrade to Pro are: you need advanced click analytics (date ranges, traffic sources, device data), you want to A/B test affiliate programs using link rotation; or you want auto-keyword linking. If none of those sound essential right now, stick with Free and upgrade later.
How do I set up Pretty Links on WordPress?
The installation takes about two minutes. Go to your WordPress Dashboard → Plugins → Add New → search for “Pretty Links” → Install Now → Activate. Once activated, you’ll see “Pretty Links” in your left sidebar menu. Click “Add New Link,” paste your affiliate URL in the Target URL field, choose your slug (e.g., /go/hostinger), select 301 as your redirect type, enable nofollow, and save. Your first link takes about three minutes to set up. It’s one of the most beginner-friendly plugins I’ve used.
Does Pretty Links slow down my website?
Minimally. Pretty Links adds approximately 0.1–0.3 seconds to page performance in worst-case scenarios, based on the database queries required for link redirects. In practice, with good hosting and a caching plugin active, the impact is negligible. I tested my site with GTmetrix before and after installing Pretty Links and saw no meaningful difference. If you’re already on slow shared hosting without caching, you may notice it slightly more, but the solution there is better hosting and caching, not avoiding Pretty Links.
Can I track affiliate clicks with Pretty Links for free?
Yes. The free version includes basic click tracking: total clicks per link, clicks today, clicks this month, and a leaderboard of top-performing links. This is enough to understand which content is driving affiliate traffic and which links aren’t getting traction. You won’t get date-range filtering, traffic source breakdowns, or device data without upgrading to Pro, but for early-stage affiliate bloggers, free tracking provides genuinely useful directional insight.
Is Pretty Links worth $99/year for Pro?
It depends on your situation. For bloggers with fewer than 50 links: No, the free version is excellent, and you shouldn’t spend $99 yet. For bloggers at 50–100 links who want A/B testing or advanced analytics: maybe, depending on your budget. For bloggers managing 100+ links with a data-driven optimization strategy: yes, Pro is worth it at scale. The features that justify the Pro upgrade, link rotation, advanced reporting, geolocation redirects, are advanced tools that beginners don’t actually need. Start free and upgrade when the free version genuinely limits you.
What affiliate programs work with Pretty Links?
All of them. Pretty Links is program-agnostic; it works with any affiliate URL from any program. Whether you’re promoting Hostinger, Amazon, Systeme.io, ShareASale offers, ClickBank products, or anything else, you simply paste the affiliate URL and create your clean link. There’s no platform integration required. I use it for Hostinger and Systeme.io links, among others, and it works identically regardless of the source.
Can I use Pretty Links on multiple WordPress sites?
The free version of Pretty Links can be installed on multiple sites, but each site requires its own separate installation, and there’s no cross-site dashboard. The Pro license ($99/year) covers one site. The agency license ($199/year) covers unlimited sites, which is designed for agencies managing multiple client websites. If you’re running one primary blog, the single-site free or Pro license is all you need.
Conclusion: Pretty Links Review — Final Thoughts
After using Pretty Links hands-on for several months on The Income Plug, here’s what I know with confidence.
Pretty Links is the best affiliate link management plugin for most WordPress bloggers.
My current setup, Month 4–5 of The Income Plug, 10–20 affiliate links, Pretty Links free version works exactly as it should. I don’t have affiliate conversions yet (completely expected at this stage of a new blog), but my link management is organized, professional, and trackable. That’s the foundation I’m building on.
What I love:
- ✅ Free version is genuinely excellent — not a crippled trial
- ✅ Incredibly easy to use (set up first link in 3 minutes)
- ✅ Clean, professional, branded URLs
- ✅ Built-in click tracking that cross-checks accurately
- ✅ Link health monitoring catches broken links automatically
- ✅ Auto-nofollow keeps me Google-compliant without thinking about it
- ✅ One-click updates if an affiliate URL ever changes
- ✅ Scales as I grow — upgrade to Pro when I actually need it
What could be improved:
- Pro pricing is steep at $99/year
- Auto-keyword linking requires Pro (ThirstyAffiliates includes it free)
- Free version reports are basic (sufficient for early-stage, limiting later)
These are real gaps, but minor ones. They don’t change my overall recommendation.
My recommendation:
If you have 10+ affiliate links on a WordPress blog, install Pretty Links Free today. It costs nothing, takes two minutes to set up, and immediately makes your link management more professional and organized. There’s no good reason not to.
If you’re comparing Pretty Links vs. ThirstyAffiliates: choose Pretty Links for a cleaner interface and more reliable tracking. Choose ThirstyAffiliates if free auto-keyword linking is non-negotiable.
If you’re wondering about Pro: wait until your free version genuinely can’t give you what you need. For most bloggers, that’s somewhere around 50–100 links, or when you’re actively A/B testing affiliate programs.
Final verdict: 9/10. Excellent plugin. Would I recommend it? Absolutely. Would I switch to something else? No.
Your affiliate links deserve better than messy copy-paste URLs. Pretty Links Free makes that easy — at no cost. 🔗
Ready to build your affiliate link management system? → How to Manage Affiliate Links in WordPress
Full disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. I use Pretty Links’ free version on Theincomeplug to manage my affiliate links. This review is based on hands-on experience. All opinions are my own.
