12 Best Affiliate Link Cloaking WordPress Plugins in 2025

Do you click on a link like this: example.com/xyz123? Probably not. Long, messy links look bad and seem untrustworthy. That’s a big problem for affiliate marketers.

Affiliate link cloaking fixes this. It changes ugly links into short, clean ones that look better and get more clicks. It also helps protect your commissions and track performance.

If you use WordPress, the right plugin can make this easy. But with so many choices, which one should you pick? Here are the best affiliate link-cloaking plugins for WordPress to help you get started.

What Is Affiliate Link Cloaking?

Affiliate Link Cloaking is the method of hiding or shortening an affiliate link to make it look clean and user-friendly. Instead of showing a long, complicated URL with tracking codes, the link is replaced with a shorter, branded URL (like yourwebsite.com/product instead of affiliate-site.com/ref1234?tracking=xyz).

This helps improve trust, increase clicks, and prevent link theft. Many marketers use link cloaking to make their links look professional while still earning commissions.

Best Affiliate Link Cloaking WordPress Plugins

#1 AAWP

AAWP is a popular affiliate marketing plugin for WordPress, but it’s often missing from lists of the “best affiliate link-cloaking plugins.”

That’s likely because AAWP is a feature-packed tool, and its strong URL-cloaking ability doesn’t always get the spotlight.

This premium plugin offers powerful geotargeting and customizable text links, setting it apart from many other options.

However, AAWP does much more than link cloaking. It’s specifically built for Amazon affiliates, allowing them to add comparison tables, product boxes, bestseller lists, and data fields to showcase products effectively.

The plugin also includes built-in click tracking, event tracking, and caching features to speed up redirects.

With customizable product display templates and several conversion-focused tools, AAWP is a worthwhile investment for serious Amazon affiliates.

#2 Pretty Links

Once you build a website that drives traffic consistently, managing content and links becomes a bigger problem than curating content and finding products.

Pretty Links is another super popular plugin that reduces the workload that comes with running a website – while also helping you make sure that you don’t leave any money on the table.

The plugin is easy to install and makes it simple for you to shrink, cloak, track, and share your links.

What I love about the plugin is that it gives you full control over how your links look and how they redirect.

With this one plugin, you can set links to make traditional server-site redirects, which include 301, 302, and 307 redirects.

You can also generate links that make JavaScript-based and meta-refresh redirects.

The plugin has equally powerful reporting and analytics features when compared to ThirstyAffiliates. It also has a similar automatic affiliate link addition feature. 

But some things set Pretty Links apart. 

It can automatically create short links for all of your pages and posts, and you can set it to tweet a custom message whenever you publish a post automatically.

I don’t want to add to the Pretty Links vs ThirstyAffiliates debate, but it is clear that Pretty Links is better suited for bloggers that focus more on publishing content than managing it. 

It’s difficult to pick a winner in the ThristyAffiliates vs Pretty Links matchup, but the bottom line is, Pretty Links is a feature-rich, flexible tool that makes link cloaking and management a breeze.

#3 ThirstyAffiliates

ThirstyAffiliates is a trusted affiliate link-cloaking plugin used by over 443,000 WordPress site owners. It simplifies link management and even allows automatic link insertion across your site.

The Autolink Keywords feature lets you add affiliate links sitewide by simply entering a keyword and link. You can also uncloak links if required by your affiliate network’s terms.

A key benefit is its front-end link-fixing script, which helps prevent broken links and lost commissions. Plus, it offers detailed reports, an automatic 404 checker, a geolocation link generator, and a third-party link importer, making it one of the best affiliate plugins available.

#4 Geniuslink

Geniuslink supports most major affiliate networks and also works with affiliate aggregators. Network support will never be an issue.

But what impresses me most is the tool’s auto-affiliation, auto-localization, and link health monitoring features.

Creating short links is easy, but Geniuslink also enables you to generate Choice Pages that let your visitors decide where they want to buy a product. Regardless of where they buy, though, you get paid.

It comes with a host of reporting features, and its retargeting and A/B testing features enable you to increase conversion rates without much hassle.

#5 Amazon Link Engine

Thousands of Amazon affiliates rely on the Amazon Link Engine for link cloaking—and for a good reason.

The plugin makes link-cloaking effortless by automatically localizing all Amazon affiliate links on your website as soon as it's installed. Any new links you add are also cloaked instantly, with no extra setup needed.

While it's a powerful free tool, there are some limitations. You can’t earn international affiliate commissions or track link performance unless you connect it to a Geniuslink account.

However, the plugin shines in its reporting features. It provides detailed insights into your affiliate link performance, showing which product types and referrers bring in the most commissions, as well as data on user location and device usage.

Best of all, you don’t need an Amazon Developer account or API access to use it.

#6 Simple URLs

There are many different tasks involved in running an affiliate website, and sometimes, getting a plugin that doesn't require much configuration can be a blessing.

Simple URLs’ ease of use is what makes it stand out. 

Developer Nathan Rice has an eye for simple and useful tools, which is one of the reasons why his Genesis Framework is so popular.

While the plugin is technically a URL management system, it is very barebones. You can use it to create, manage, and track affiliate links (or any other outbound links) using custom post types and 301 redirects.

The plugin stores click counts and avoids issues with permalink conflicts by ignoring page-based redirects in their entirety.

I like that the plugin enables you to customize URL structures with minimal tinkering despite the plugin’s barebones design.

What the plugin lacks in features, it makes up in simplicity and ease of use, which is why I can recommend it to anybody looking to uncomplicate their link-cloaking process. 

#7 EasyAzon

EasyAzon is similar to AAWP in that it’s more than just a basic plugin—it’s a complete toolkit for Amazon affiliates.

With EasyAzon, you can quickly add and cloak affiliate links, making the process much easier.

One of its standout features is the ability to insert image links, CTA buttons, and product info blocks directly from the WordPress post editor.

The Pro version unlocks even more powerful tools, including automatic link-cloaking, product pop-ups, and auto-link localization, making it one of the top affiliate link-cloaking plugins for WordPress.

#8 Auto Affiliate Links

If you’re looking to reduce your content maintenance workload but don’t want to hire an agency to manage your affiliate links and content, Auto Affiliate Links is right for you.

It will automatically add affiliate links to your content – you don’t even need to set keywords.

The plugin works with a host of affiliate networks, including Amazon, Clickbank, CJ, eBay, and ShareASale.

What I like about the plugin is that while link addition is automated, you do get control over the links on your website. You can set links and keywords manually from the “General Settings” tab of the plugin.

You can limit the frequency of affiliate links on individual posts, and cloaking all of your links is as simple as checking the right box. 

#9 WooCommerce Cloak Affiliate Links

The WooCommerce Cloak Affiliate Links plugin is developed and maintained by Datafeedr.com. The company is committed to providing WordPress users with the best affiliate shop plugins for their WooCommerce-based shop websites. 

Needless to say, this plugin works best with WooCommerce-based affiliate shop sites, but it can come in handy even if you run a blog.

Masking your external links is super easy with the plugin’s simple interface.

You can configure the plugin to set 301, 302, or 307 status codes to your redirect links. The plugin also enables you to add a “Disallow” to your robots.txt file, which prevents bots from following your affiliate links.

But what I like best about the plugin is that it allows you to set custom structures – categories, if you will – that help you generate cloaked links that complement the content on your website.

#10 ClickerVolt

The ClickerVolt plugin is unique – it allows you to track both affiliate links and ad links. This makes it perfect for affiliate marketers who want just one plugin that does all the tracking. 

The plugin gives you the details about individual visitors, and you can find out where the click came from, the device type, and also the language of the visitor.

Cloaking links is easy, and you can also split-test URLs, which comes in handy if you’re running paid ad campaigns to boost conversion.

It is free, and since it works with dozens of ad and affiliate networks, you cannot go wrong with ClickerVolt.

#11 Easy Affiliate Links

Easy Affiliate Links is super feature-rich for a freemium WordPress plugin. It enables you to manage both cloaked and non-cloaked links on your website, and the links are tracked for you automatically.

You can customize the short link slug, set the target, and also configure the redirect type with ease. The plugin also allows you to set no-follow rules in just one click.

But what I like most about the plugin is that you can add UGC and sponsored attributes to your links – the plugin is surprisingly up-to-date for a freemium plugin.

Importing and exporting links is easy, and you can assign categories to links quickly.

Monthly and lifetime click statistics are displayed right next to every link in the plugin’s settings, but if you want to unlock charts and statistics for better insights, you will need to purchase the premium version.

The premium version also unlocks the automatic broken links checker, which comes in very handy in the long run.

#12 URL Shortener Pro

Long loading times are a hurdle that every webmaster deals with. There is a direct link between loading times and engagement.

MyThemeShop’s URL Shortener Pro claims that it generates fast-loading links that help you improve conversion rates.

What I like most about the plugin is that it enables you to customize links fully. You can create links that both reflect your brand well and are also easy to remember.

It also includes bulk link replacement features and advanced reporting features that make tracking and gaining insight very convenient.

The six different redirect methods, coupled with several link attribute settings, make it one of the best affiliate link-cloaking WordPress plugins available.

Five Things To Remember While Cloaking Your Affiliate Links

#1 You Can Customize Your Links To Complement Your Content

Most WordPress plugins enable you to create fully-custom slugs for your links. So, if you’re selling mattresses, you can create links along the lines of www.example.com/recommends/best-mattress.

#2 Tracking Your Links Correctly Can Supply Actionable Insights

Learning which location and which device is most commonly used to make purchases via your website will enable you to tailor content and optimize your website, as well as increase income.

#3 Leaving Even A Single Link Uncloaked Exposes You To Hackers

Commission-hijacking malware needs to access your affiliate ID. Leaving a link uncloaked increases the risk of commission-hijacking.

#4 Cloaking Links Enable You To Beat Ad Blockers

Ad blockers detect and remove image affiliate links. But if you cloak your link, the image affiliate link will remain undetected and visible.

#5 Using The Do-Follow Tag May Reduce Your SERP Ranking

Try not to tag your affiliate links as “do-follow.” It affects your SEO and reduces your ranking. 

Check this: Top 30 High-Ticket Affiliate Programs

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