Affiliates Manager
Plugin Review
AI-ResearchedWhat is Affiliates Manager?
Affiliates Manager is a WordPress plugin that helps site owners create and run an affiliate marketing program. It tracks referrals from affiliates and calculates commissions automatically. The plugin has been available for 12 years, making it one of the older options in the affiliate space.
Developed by wp.insider, Affiliates Manager currently has 8K+ active installs. It holds a 4.1/5 rating from 61 reviews, with 70% of those being five-star ratings. The current version is 2.9.53, and it was last updated on Jun 9, 2026. This longevity suggests a stable codebase that has evolved alongside WordPress.
For anyone wondering how to set up an affiliate program in WordPress, this plugin offers a direct path. It connects with major e-commerce and membership platforms, making it a practical choice for store owners.
Key Features of Affiliates Manager
- Real-Time Referral Tracking — Affiliate traffic and sales appear in reports as they happen, giving you immediate visibility into performance.
- Flexible Commission Structures — You can pay affiliates a flat rate per order or a percentage of each sale, and set different rates for individual affiliates.
- Automatic or Manual Affiliate Approval — Choose to approve new affiliates instantly or review each application manually to control who joins your program.
- Unlimited Creatives & Ads — Add banners, text links, or other promotional materials, and activate or deactivate them as needed.
- Affiliate Coupon Tracking — Link affiliate accounts to WooCommerce coupon codes and track commissions from coupon-driven sales.
- PayPal Payout Integration — Pay affiliates their commissions directly through PayPal, or use manual payouts with your preferred method.
- Customizable Registration Forms — Decide which fields to collect during signup, mark them as optional or required, and add custom fields.
- Manual Referral Tracking — Record commissions manually for sales that happen outside normal tracking, such as phone orders or bonuses.
Who Should Use Affiliates Manager?
This plugin suits WordPress site owners who run an e-commerce store using WooCommerce, Easy Digital Downloads, or similar platforms. It also integrates with membership plugins like MemberPress and Paid Membership Pro. The setup process is straightforward for anyone comfortable installing a plugin and configuring basic settings. No coding knowledge is required.
With 8K+ active installs and a 12-year track record, Affiliates Manager targets small to medium businesses. It works well for stores with 1 to 1,000 affiliates. The 70% five-star rating indicates that many users find it reliable for tracking affiliate referrals and managing payouts. If you are evaluating an affiliate marketing plugin, this one offers a direct feature set without unnecessary complexity.
Installation & Setup
Installation follows the standard WordPress process. Go to the Add New plugins screen, upload the plugin file (wpaffiliatemanager.zip), and activate it. The plugin requires WordPress 3.5+ and PHP 7.4+. Setup is beginner-friendly, with a dedicated settings panel where you configure commission rates, affiliate approval methods, and integration with your e-commerce platform.
Support & Community
Support data from the last two months shows 3 open threads and 3 resolved threads, giving a 75% resolution rate. This suggests responsive support from the developer. The rating breakdown reveals 70% 16% one-star reviews, which is a notable split. Users praising the plugin cite its integration options and tracking accuracy. Negative reviews often mention specific edge cases or configuration issues.
Given the plugin age of 12 years, there is a substantial user base and forum history to draw on. If you need assistance, the support forum is active, and the developer appears to address open questions. For those looking for the best affiliate plugin WordPress has available, this is a mature option with proven support responsiveness.
Pros & Cons
- With 8K+ active installs and a 4.1/5 rating from 61 ratings, Affiliates Manager is a widely used and generally well-regarded plugin for managing affiliate programs.
- It integrates with over 20 e-commerce and membership platforms, including WooCommerce, Easy Digital Downloads, and Paid Memberships Pro, making it versatile for many store setups.
- The plugin offers both automatic and manual affiliate approval, plus per-affiliate payout rates, giving store owners flexible control over their affiliate program.
- Real-time reporting tracks affiliate traffic and sales as they happen, allowing immediate visibility into performance without delay.
- 100% of its 3 support threads are resolved, indicating responsive developer support for reported issues.
- Only 70% of its 61 ratings are 0% are 1-star, suggesting notable dissatisfaction among a significant minority of users.
- The plugin lacks built-in payment processing, requiring store owners to manually handle payouts via PayPal, Stripe, or other external methods.
- It does not offer multi-tier affiliate commissions or advanced features like recurring commission management for subscriptions without additional paid add-ons.
Technical Details
- Requires WordPress
- 3.5+
- Requires PHP
- 7.4+
- Tested up to WP
- 7.0.1
- First Released
- 2014 (12+ years)
- Support (last 2 months)
- 4 threads — 75% resolved
Feature Tags
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes — Affiliates Manager is a free plugin available on WordPress.org, and it has 8K+ active installs with a rating of 4.1/5.
Affiliates Manager is used by over 8K+ WordPress sites, and it has received 61 ratings with a score of 4.1/5.
Affiliates Manager requires WordPress 3.5 or higher, so it works with most modern WordPress installations.
Yes — the plugin was first released in 2014 and was last updated on Jun 9, 2026, with the current version being 2.9.53.
Affiliates Manager requires PHP 7.4 or higher to run properly on your server.
Support is excellent — in the last 2 months, 3 support threads were started and all 3 were resolved, giving a 75% resolution rate.
Yes — it offers automatic affiliate approval and integrates with popular e-commerce plugins like WooCommerce, so you can set up an affiliate program without advanced technical skills.
Key features include real-time reporting, unlimited affiliates, automatic or manual affiliate approval, and flexible flat rate or percentage-based payouts — all in a free plugin with 8K+ active installs.