Pretty Links is an affiliate link management and URL shortening plugin that lets you take long, ugly affiliate URLs and turn them into clean, branded short links on your own domain. Instead of sharing an affiliate link full of tracking parameters, you create a link like yoursite.com/recommends/widget that redirects to the destination. Every click is logged with referrer, IP address, browser, operating system, and hostname data, giving you detailed analytics on which links perform best. The plugin supports 301, 302, and 307 redirects, auto-linking keywords in your content, and bulk URL replacement. For affiliate marketers, bloggers, and podcasters who share links regularly, Pretty Links is the industry standard tool for managing affiliate links at scale, competing with ThirstyAffiliates and Rank Math SEO’s built-in redirect manager.
Pretty Links stores click data in custom database tables with automated cleanup for old logs. The Pro version adds geographic and device targeting, A/B split testing, link health monitoring, and QR code generation.
Competitive Features
- Link cloaking — create clean branded short links on your own domain with 301/302/307 redirects
- Click tracking — detailed analytics with referrer, IP, browser, OS, and hostname data
- Auto-linking — automatically convert keywords to affiliate links throughout your content (Pro)
- Bulk URL replacement — update destination URLs across all links with a single edit
- Geographic targeting — redirect visitors by country to different offers (Pro)
- A/B split testing — rotate between multiple destination URLs by weight (Pro)
- Link health monitoring — scheduled scans check for broken destination URLs (Pro)
Key Features
- Link types — 301 (permanent), 302 (temporary), and 307 (temporary with method preservation) redirects
- Pretty Bar — branded top bar that frames third-party content on your domain (Pro)
- QR codes — auto-generated QR codes for every link with logo overlay (Pro)
- Link categories — organize links by campaign, product, or network with taxonomy-style grouping
- CSV import/export — bulk import links from a spreadsheet and export click data
- Auto-create — automatically create pretty links for new posts and pages (Pro)
- Redirect turbo mode — answer redirect requests before WordPress fully loads (Pro)
Comparison with Competitors
Pretty Links vs ThirstyAffiliates
| Aspect | Pretty Links | ThirstyAffiliates |
|---|---|---|
| Link cloaking | Yes | Yes |
| Click tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Auto-linking | Pro | Yes (free) |
| Geographic targeting | Pro | Pro |
| A/B split testing | Pro | No |
| Link health monitoring | Pro | No |
Bottom line: ThirstyAffiliates is more affordable and includes auto-linking in the free version. Pretty Links has more advanced features like geographic targeting, A/B testing, and link health monitoring in its Pro version.
Recommended Stack: Pretty Links manages affiliate links and track clicks. For comprehensive SEO optimization alongside link management, pair with Rank Math SEO for on-page SEO and redirect management.
Official Changelog
Version 4.0.15
Release Date: August 25, 2026
- Added an option to record clicks immediately rather than after the page finishes loading — useful if your click counts are stuck at zero because some security or optimization plugins end PHP early.
- Fixed the Pretty Links menu appearing for users who can’t actually open it.
- Fixed click times and report date ranges being worked out in UTC instead of your site’s timezone. The Clicks list, CSV exports, report totals, and chart days now agree with each other.
- Fixed the slug box being left blank when you create a Pretty Link from the post editor; it now suggests one automatically and honors your configured prefix.
- Fixed redirects being held up on links that use country targeting.
- Pro: Fixed a link’s categories and tags showing as empty in the link editor, and being wiped when you saved the link.
- Pro: Fixed keyword replacement never linking a keyword on posts that were already published.
- Pro: Fixed keywords not linking when the word only appears once the page is built — text coming from a shortcode, a block, or a page builder.
- Pro: Fixed your disclosure text showing up in post excerpts and archive listings.
Version 4.0.14
Release Date: July 27, 2026
- Fixed the redesigned admin interface still displaying in English even when a translation was installed — translations created with Loco Translate (or provided by WordPress.org) now load correctly on the new React-based screens.
Version 4.0.12
Release Date: July 26, 2026
- Fixed translations not applying to the redesigned admin interface — the new screens now display in your site’s language whenever a translation is available.
- Fixed add-on notices that kept showing after the problem they warned about had already been resolved.
- Pro: Fixed automatic link creation firing for your Alternate Domain — auto-created links now correctly skip the alternate shortlink domain.
- Pro: Fixed Link Health reporting working links as broken. Destinations that block automated checks (returning 403, 405, 429, and similar) are no longer flagged.
- Pro: Fixed link categories and tags still appearing blank after upgrading from 3.x on some sites; the upgrade now detects a failed migration and retries it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Pretty Links free?
The core plugin is free and includes link creation, cloaking, click tracking, and CSV import. The Pro version adds auto-linking, geographic targeting, A/B split testing, link health monitoring, and QR codes.
Do affiliate links hurt SEO?
No. Pretty Links uses 301 redirects which pass link equity to the destination. The links are on your own domain, which builds your site’s authority rather than leaking it.
How does Pretty Links track clicks?
Every click is logged with the visitor’s IP address, referrer URL, browser user agent, and operating system. The statistics are displayed as tables and charts in the Pretty Links dashboard.
Can I update all my links at once?
Yes. If you change the destination URL for a pretty link, all instances of that link across your site are automatically updated because the redirect is managed centrally.
Does Pretty Links support geo-targeting?
The Pro version supports geographic targeting, allowing you to send visitors from different countries to different destination URLs. This is useful for affiliate offers that vary by region.
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