AffiliateWP - Direct Link Tracking vs Astra
Compare WordPress plugins and tools side by side. Pick products with “Compare” in the software directory.
| Feature | AffiliateWP - Direct Link Tracking v1.3.3 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Paid Visit Details | Astra v4.14.1 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free + paid · ★ 4.9/5 Visit Details |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Active installs | — | 1M+ |
| Last updated | — | October 15, 2026 |
| Editions | AffiliateWP - Direct Link Tracking ($) | Astra · Astra Pro ($) |
| Pros | Affiliates can link with plain URLs, no referral parameter needed; Approval workflow with optional emails to managers and affiliates; Global and per-affiliate domain limits plus a domain blacklist | Header and footer builder with schema markup; Compatibility layers for WooCommerce, Elementor, LearnDash and Yoast SEO; Lightweight front end and RTL and translation support |
| Cons | Requires AffiliateWP and an AffiliateWP licence; Depends on the HTTP referrer, which is often missing or trimmed; Updates are tied to the AffiliateWP add-on updater | Astra Pro add-on and premium modules are sold separately; Free theme shows Pro upgrade notices in the admin; Optional usage tracking asks for consent first |
| Mentioned in our posts | — | 1 |
| More features | ||
| Other features | Credits visits from approved affiliate domains via the referrer ($), Admin screen to approve or reject affiliate domains ($), Direct Links tab in the Affiliate Area ($), Shortcode to show the direct links form ($), Global and per-affiliate limit on domains ($), Domain blacklist, Facebook and Google blocked by default ($), Emails on submission, approval and rejection ($), Enable direct link tracking per affiliate ($) | Header and footer builder, Schema.org markup, WooCommerce compatibility layer, Elementor compatibility layer, LearnDash compatibility layer, Google Fonts in the typography options, Pro upgrade notices |
| Integrations | ||
| E-commerce | — | WooCommerce |
| Plugins | AffiliateWP ($) | Elementor, LearnDash, Yoast SEO |
| Other | — | Google Fonts |
| Requires WordPress | — | 5.3 |
| Requires PHP | — | 5.3 |
| Tested up to | — | 7.1 |
| Phones home | No | Only if you agree |
| External services | — | fonts.googleapis.com, api.ipify.org |
| Shortcodes | 1 | — |
| Custom tables | 1 | — |