Easy Affiliate and ThirstyAffiliates are often compared, but they fill completely different needs. Easy Affiliate is strictly for running your own affiliate program successfully. ThirstyAffiliates is the ultimate link management tool for active content affiliates.
Easy Affiliate is the powerful, all-in-one plugin designed specifically for WordPress. It lets you create a completely self-hosted affiliate program for your membership site or ecommerce store in just minutes. Built by the trusted MemberPress team, Easy Affiliate makes the process simple for any WordPress ecommerce entrepreneur. If you sell anything online, this tool is tailor-made to help others promote your products successfully. It seamlessly uses your site's existing look and feel for a polished, integrated experience. 💡
ThirstyAffiliates is a powerful tool designed specifically for bloggers and affiliate marketers. It is much more than a simple affiliate link cloaker. This plugin helps serious affiliates make money by turning blog visitors into affiliate income without annoying their audience. It's trusted by thousands worldwide and is compatible with all affiliate programs. 💡
We highlight the main differences and pick a winner for each feature.
Easy Affiliate helps you run your own sales program successfully. ThirstyAffiliates manages external affiliate links for publishers.
Easy Affiliate is a powerful merchant tool for hosting your own referral program. You recruit affiliates to sell your services or products. ThirstyAffiliates is a publisher tool used by bloggers to manage links from outside programs like Amazon or CJ Affiliate. It helps you organize, cloak, and automate link insertion. These tools serve two entirely different user bases with opposing goals. Easy Affiliate is a platform owner's solution; ThirstyAffiliates serves the content creator. Before choosing, determine if you are selling a product or writing content to monetize third-party links.
Easy Affiliate provides simplified payment processing for merchants. ThirstyAffiliates manages links and handles no direct payments.
Easy Affiliate streamlines payment processing for your marketing partners efficiently. It offers convenient PayPal 1-Click Payouts directly from the WordPress dashboard. This feature significantly reduces the monthly administrative burden for merchants. ThirstyAffiliates is not designed to function as an affiliate program manager whatsoever. Its core function is strictly link organization and smart redirection within your web content. If paying out commissions is a major administrative pain point, Easy Affiliate is the clear functional choice. ThirstyAffiliates offers zero features in this complex area. Easy Affiliate also offers tax reporting tools, essential for managing US-based affiliates accurately.
ThirstyAffiliates excels at automatically applying links across existing content. Easy Affiliate mostly provides tools for affiliates to create links.
Easy Affiliate offers a personalized dashboard where your affiliates grab custom links and marketing assets. The merchant sets the rules, but the affiliate generates the link. ThirstyAffiliates uses its powerful Autolink Keywords feature to monetize your entire site instantly. You define keywords, and the links are embedded throughout old and new posts automatically. ThirstyAffiliates saves immense time for content creators managing large content archives. Easy Affiliate focuses on program management, not bulk content link automation. If your business is content monetization, ThirstyAffiliates delivers a significant automation advantage right away.
ThirstyAffiliates proactively checks and fixes broken links sitewide. Easy Affiliate focuses on reliable commission tracking.
Easy Affiliate ensures commissions are tracked reliably, often using secure first-party cookies. Its priority is conversion tracking efficacy for the merchant. ThirstyAffiliates includes an Automatic 404 Checker, identifying broken links before they cost commissions. Smart Uncloaking ensures compliance with strict partners like Amazon TOS. For high-volume content publishers, ThirstyAffiliates offers essential link hygiene and protection features. Easy Affiliate lacks these proactive link maintenance tools entirely. Using ThirstyAffiliates guarantees your links are functional and compliant, maximizing earning potential.
Easy Affiliate prevents merchant loss via fraud detection. ThirstyAffiliates protects affiliate commissions via link cloaking.
Easy Affiliate includes Automatic Fraud Detection that flags questionable self-referrals instantly. Merchants can investigate and reject transactions before paying out commissions. ThirstyAffiliates uses robust link cloaking to protect your commissions from theft or modification. This ensures the integrity of your links across the web. Easy Affiliate protects the business owner from fraudulent payments and chargebacks. ThirstyAffiliates protects the publisher's income stream from loss and external errors. Both offer valuable security but address different risks inherent to their respective user roles.
ThirstyAffiliates offers explicit features for optimizing global traffic flow. Easy Affiliate focuses on domestic program management.
Easy Affiliate helps structure commission rules and manage critical tax reporting. It does not contain any specific features for geo-optimizing visitor clicks. ThirstyAffiliates features Geolocation Links for smart international redirection. Visitors from international regions are sent to the correct country-specific store landing page. This distinct feature in ThirstyAffiliates minimizes friction and significantly increases conversion rates globally. Easy Affiliate is location-agnostic in its internal program structure. If your audience spans multiple continents, ThirstyAffiliates gives you a key monetization tool.
Easy Affiliate offers API and webhooks for complex needs. ThirstyAffiliates scales automation using keyword linking and CSV processing.
The Easy Affiliate Pro plan unlocks a full REST API and webhooks immediately. This allows developers to integrate deeply with external CRM or bespoke internal systems. ThirstyAffiliates focuses on robust CSV Import/Export functionality for bulk management across sites. It integrates tightly with MonsterInsights for Google Analytics tracking data. Easy Affiliate provides advanced integration functionality for internal system administration. ThirstyAffiliates ensures ease of bulk link management for publishers. If system-level customization is mandatory, Easy Affiliate provides the superior developer tools access.
This comparison truly comes down to defining your business role accurately. You must decide if you are running an affiliate program or building an affiliate business. Easy Affiliate is the definite choice for running your own referral program. ThirstyAffiliates is exclusively built for professional affiliates managing external links. Easy Affiliate's superpower is zero-transaction-fee program management and strong security features. The Automatic Fraud Detection protects merchants from costly mistakes before payouts occur. Plus, Easy Affiliate’s 1-Click PayPal Payouts save massive administrative time every month. ThirstyAffiliates excels with unparalleled link organization and content automation. You can monetize your entire website archive instantly using Autolink Keywords. Features like Geolocation Links help global publishers maximize revenue effectively. The deciding factor is functionality: Easy Affiliate provides the dashboards, commissions tracking, and payment processing tools for ownership. ThirstyAffiliates provides the cloaking, compliance, and link health tools for publishing success. Both are leaders in their specific niche. Choose Easy Affiliate if you sell products and recruit affiliates to promote them. Select ThirstyAffiliates if you are an established content publisher utilizing third-party affiliate programs across multiple sites.
Easy Affiliate is specifically designed to run your own self-hosted program effortlessly. It includes affiliate applications, fraud detection, and a dashboard for your partners. ThirstyAffiliates only handles external affiliate links you use as a publisher.
Yes, ThirstyAffiliates is known for its powerful Autolink Keywords feature. This tool automatically inserts your affiliate links across your site's content based on defined keywords. Easy Affiliate does not offer this content automation feature.
No, Easy Affiliate is a self-hosted solution, ensuring you pay zero transaction fees. This allows you to retain substantial savings compared to using external affiliate networks. You save money on every payment processed.
ThirstyAffiliates includes Geolocation Links to optimize international traffic flow. This feature redirects visitors to the appropriate country-specific offer, increasing conversions. Easy Affiliate does not include this global targeting capability.
Yes, Easy Affiliate includes robust Automatic Fraud Detection within the Plus and Pro plans. This system alerts you to suspicious activity, helping you reject bad transactions before any payout is processed.
Absolutely. The ThirstyAffiliates ADVANCED plan allows usage on up to 10 separate sites. It is highly scalable and perfect for professionals managing a portfolio of affiliate websites efficiently.
Both tools have their strengths. Choose based on your specific needs.