AffiliateWP - Direct Link Tracking vs Google for WooCommerce
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| Feature | AffiliateWP - Direct Link Tracking v1.3.3 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Paid Visit Details | Google for WooCommerce v3.10.0 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free · ★ 2.7/5 Visit Details |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Active installs | — | 800,000+ |
| Last updated | — | October 20, 2026 |
| Editions | AffiliateWP - Direct Link Tracking ($) | Google for WooCommerce |
| Pros | Affiliates can link with plain URLs, no referral parameter needed; Approval workflow with optional emails to managers and affiliates; Global and per-affiliate domain limits plus a domain blacklist | Syncs the WooCommerce product feed to Google Merchant Center; Sets up Google Ads campaigns from the store admin; Syncs coupons and shipping rates to Google |
| Cons | Requires AffiliateWP and an AffiliateWP licence; Depends on the HTTP referrer, which is often missing or trimmed; Updates are tied to the AffiliateWP add-on updater | Needs a Google account with Merchant Center and Ads access; Only works with WooCommerce; Connects to several Google services, so setup takes time |
| More features | ||
| Other features | Credits visits from approved affiliate domains via the referrer ($), 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 ($) | Product feed sync to Google Merchant Center, Google Ads account and campaign setup, Ads recommendations shown in the admin, Merchant Center policy compliance check, WooCommerce coupon sync to Google, Shipping rates sent to Google, Plugin event tracking through WooCommerce Tracks |
| Integrations | ||
| Marketing | — | Google Ads |
| E-commerce | — | Google Merchant Center, WooCommerce |
| Plugins | AffiliateWP ($) | — |
| Requires WordPress | — | 6.9 |
| Requires PHP | — | 7.4 |
| Tested up to | — | 7.1 |
| Phones home | No | Only if you agree |
| External services | — | ads-developers.googleblog.com, api.telegram.org, maker.ifttt.com, api.sendgrid.com, www.googleapis.com, www.gstatic.com, cloud.google.com, iamcredentials.googleapis.com, iamcredentials.universe, cloudresourcemanager.universe, api.pwnedpasswords.com |
| Shortcodes | 1 | — |
| Custom tables | 1 | — |