Easy Affiliate vs ThirstyAffiliates
Features, use cases, pros and cons, and pricing side by side — and which one to pick.
Quick verdict: Pick Easy Affiliate if you're running your own affiliate program; choose ThirstyAffiliates if you're a blogger who needs to cloak and manage affiliate links.
Best for: MemberPress membership site owners who want to turn existing subscribers into commission-based promoters with links, banners, and a branded dashboard., WooCommerce and Easy Digital Downloads store owners who prefer pay-per-sale marketing over ad spend and want to avoid network transaction fees.
Read the full Easy Affiliate reviewBest for: WordPress bloggers who monetize through affiliate programs and want a central dashboard to cloak, organize, and update all their links, Multi-site affiliate marketers (niche site portfolio owners) who need to manage links across up to 5 or 10 WordPress installations
Read the full ThirstyAffiliates reviewCommission may apply at no extra cost
Easy Affiliate vs ThirstyAffiliates: features compared
Compare key features side by side
Feature Comparison Summary
Which should you choose?
Choose Easy Affiliate if
- You want to run your own affiliate program with unlimited affiliates
- You need fraud detection and 1-click PayPal payouts
- You use MemberPress, WooCommerce, Mailchimp, or ActiveCampaign
Choose ThirstyAffiliates if
- You're a blogger who needs to cloak and organize links
- You want automatic keyword linking across your content
- You manage up to 10 sites and want geolocation redirects
Easy Affiliate vs ThirstyAffiliates: pros and cons
Easy Affiliate
Easy Affiliate gives WordPress store and membership owners a fully self-hosted affiliate program with zero transaction fees, 1-click PayPal payouts, fraud detection, and deep WooCommerce and MemberPress integration. The catch is annual-only billing at introductory first-year rates, no free trial, and key features gated behind higher tiers. Overall, it's a solid pick if you're committed to WordPress.
Pros
- Self-hosted program with zero transaction fees — commissions are tracked and paid from your own WordPress site, so no third-party network takes a cut of each payout.
- 1-click PayPal payouts let you settle every affiliate's approved commissions in a single action, and a PayPal Mass Payment File is generated for manual or offline payouts if preferred.
- Deep native integrations with MemberPress, WooCommerce, and Easy Digital Downloads, including recurring commission tracking for subscription payments made through those platforms.
Cons
- No free trial or free version — the only way to test it is to buy a plan and rely on the 14-day money-back guarantee.
- Annual billing only, with no monthly plan option, and the advertised prices ($99.60-$199.60) are introductory first-year rates, so renewals may cost more.
- WordPress-only — there is no version for Shopify, BigCommerce, custom stacks, or non-WordPress sites, and the plugin must be installed on the same site where the sales actually occur.
ThirstyAffiliates
ThirstyAffiliates gives WordPress bloggers one tidy dashboard to cloak, organize, and auto-link affiliate URLs, with extras like broken-link checks and Amazon-compliant uncloaking. It's WordPress-only and costs $99.60 to $199.60 per year with no trial or renewal discounts. Overall, it's a solid pick for committed WordPress affiliates, but casual bloggers may balk at the annual price.
Pros
- Cloaks long affiliate URLs into clean, branded links that hide your affiliate ID from common commission theft tactics
- Autolink Keywords automatically converts chosen phrases into affiliate links across your entire site, so evergreen posts keep monetizing without manual edits
- Smart Uncloaking lets you selectively unmask links for programs like Amazon that require it, keeping you compliant while cloaking everything else
Cons
- There is no free trial — you must purchase a plan (starting at $99.60/year) and rely on the 14-day money-back guarantee to evaluate it
- Pricing is annual and per-site, and the company explicitly does not offer renewal discounts, so costs repeat at full price every year
- There is no free version mentioned, so casual bloggers with only a handful of links may find the annual cost hard to justify
Easy Affiliate and ThirstyAffiliates in detail
Easy Affiliate
Easy Affiliate is a comprehensive WordPress plugin built for site owners who want to create and manage their own affiliate program. 💡 It’s perfect for ecommerce stores using WooCommerce or Easy Digital Downloads, and membership sites running on MemberPress. Think of it as your own private referral platform, right inside your WordPress dashboard.
Standout features
- Self-Hosted Control
- Seamless Ecommerce & Email Integration
- Real-Time Reporting & Fraud Detection
- Simple Management & Payouts
- Creative Control & Commission Rules
Use cases
- Launch a Membership Site Affiliate Program
- Grow a WooCommerce Store with Affiliate Sales
- Automate Monthly Affiliate Payments
- Keep Affiliates Informed and Motivated
ThirstyAffiliates
ThirstyAffiliates is a dedicated WordPress plugin for bloggers and affiliate marketers. It acts as a central hub to manage, organize, and cloak all your affiliate links. It’s designed to help you earn more without annoying your audience. 💡
Standout features
- Effortless Link Cloaking and Organization
- Protect Your Affiliate Commissions
- Automate Your Linking with Autolink Keywords
- Gain Powerful Insights from Your Clicks
- Keep All Your Links Working for You
Use cases
- Protecting Your Affiliate Commissions from Theft
- Saving Time with Automatic Keyword Linking
- Managing Links Across Multiple Blogs
- Ensuring Amazon Affiliate Compliance
Pricing compared
List prices from each vendor's pricing page, before taxes and add-ons. Costs are per month.
| Pricing compared | Easy Affiliate | ThirstyAffiliates |
|---|---|---|
| From (cheapest paid plan) | $8.30/mo Basic | $8.30/mo BASIC |
| Free plan | No | No |
| Free trial | Not stated | Not stated |
| Money-back guarantee | 14 days | 14 days |
| Annual billing savings | — | — |
| Pricing model | Flat price | Flat price |
| Cost for 1 user | $8.30/mo Basic plan, billed annually | $8.30/mo BASIC plan, billed annually |
| Cost for 5 users | $8.30/mo Basic plan, billed annually · price per account (user limit not stated) | $8.30/mo BASIC plan, billed annually · price per account (user limit not stated) |
| Cost for 10 users | $8.30/mo Basic plan, billed annually · price per account (user limit not stated) | $8.30/mo BASIC plan, billed annually · price per account (user limit not stated) |
| Cost for 25 users | $8.30/mo Basic plan, billed annually · price per account (user limit not stated) | $8.30/mo BASIC plan, billed annually · price per account (user limit not stated) |
| Plans | 3 | 3 |
| Prices checked | Checked Oct 13, 2026 | Checked Oct 12, 2026 |
| Price history | Tracking prices since Oct 1, 2026. No price change detected yet. | Tracking prices since Oct 1, 2026. No price change detected yet. |
- Cheapest plan that fits each team size. Per-user plans are multiplied by the number of users (respecting stated minimums and seat packs). Plans that include some users cost their base price plus the extra-user price for each user beyond those included. Flat-priced plans with no stated user limit are counted as one licence per user.
Cheaper for your team size
For 1 user (billed annually), Easy Affiliate and ThirstyAffiliates both cost $8.30/mo.
Computed from published list prices on the dates shown. Excludes taxes, add-ons and promotions.
More comparisons
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use both tools together?
It's unknown if they're designed to work together. Easy Affiliate runs your program and tracks sales; ThirstyAffiliates manages and cloaks outbound links. Some marketers could use both, but compatibility isn't documented.