Your Best Affiliate Tracking Software Picks (2024 Overview)

Want to choose the right affiliate tracking software? Dive into the must-haves, special considerations, prices, reviews, comparisons, and much more.

There’s no doubt that affiliate marketing remains one of the most effective marketing strategies today, and the increasing affiliate marketing spending is proof of that. However, launching and running an affiliate marketing program is no walk in the park. There are countless moving parts and without the right affiliate software, you can have a costly and inefficient strategy in your hands.

Source: https://www.statista.com/statistics/693438/affiliate-marketing-spending/

trackdesk recognises the pivotal role of effective affiliate marketing software in ensuring a thriving affiliate program. We created this article as the best and most comprehensive guide to choosing the perfect affiliate tracking platform solution. What you’re about to read is based on insights from the entire trackdesk team, our extensive knowledge of the affiliate industry, and analysis of numerous customer feedback.

Let’s get started.

7 Essentials to Look for in Affiliate Tracking Software

There are plenty of affiliate software out on the market and before choosing one, you must familiarise yourself with the crucial features. Knowing them will help you decide whether a software is worth a trial or not.

Advanced Tracking Capabilities

Accurate tracking is the most crucial aspect of successful affiliate marketing software. Without precise tracking, you can have lost or missing clicks, which can impact your affiliate’s commissions.

A reliable affiliate tracking software should offer advanced tracking capabilities that accurately monitor clicks, conversions, and commissions. Doing so will help you optimise campaigns and ensure fairness and transparency in affiliate payouts.

Look for features like custom cookie time, device targeting, offline tracking, server-to-server tracking, redirect tracking, and direct linking.  The affiliate software should also guarantee 99.9% uptime. 

Seamless Integration

Affiliate marketing runs on a multifaceted ecosystem involving e-commerce websites, payment gateways, marketing tools, and more. Seamless integration with popular platforms ensures a smooth data exchange and automated processes that make tracking easy and efficient.

Without integrations, you have to manage campaigns across multiple platforms manually, which is time-consuming and prone to lots of errors.

Look for an affiliate software that offers one-click integrations without asking you to customise confusing lines of code. Some of the best software would also assist you with the integration process and accommodate requests for additional integrations.

Ease of Use

Complexity should never be a barrier to productivity. Most tools try to be everything at once and in the process miss out on creating an intuitive and easy-to-use interface. Users are left confused trying to figure out how to use the system instead of immediately getting the results the platform is supposed to provide.

 Look for features like customisable dashboards, drag-and-drop functionality, and clear navigation menus. It’s also a plus if the tool lets you tailor your affiliate program to match your brand’s identity. This is possible with custom landing pages, custom affiliate sign-up pages, and custom affiliate sign-up forms.   

Transparent Pricing

Nobody likes hidden costs and unexpected fees. Unclear pricing erodes trust and disrupts financial planning, and you want a tool that gives clear pricing right at the start. Pricing models should clearly outline what’s included in each package and if there are potential add-ons or upgrades.

While it’s true that there are multiple variables in affiliate marketing (such as the number of affiliates, clicks, or conversions), this is no excuse to create vague fees. Some software would charge a percentage fee, which makes monthly costs unpredictable and budgeting challenging.

Look for an affiliate tracking software with a simple but comprehensive price structure that guarantees no hidden fees. This will help you budget your marketing costs accordingly and analyse the financial impact of your campaigns better.

Real-Time Analytics

Timely insights are always valuable and real-time analytics provide up-to-the-minute data on affiliate performance, campaign effectiveness, and customer behaviour. Imagine launching a time-sensitive promotion and finding out days later that it’s not performing as intended. You’re left with very little time to change things and turn the campaign around.

But with real-time analytics, you can make quick adjustments and capitalise on any emerging opportunities. Seeing your campaign’s performance in real time also helps you detect fraud before it does any significant damage. You can immediately act on the issue and prevent it from getting out of hand.

Streamlined Affiliate Management

As you scale your affiliate marketing program, you want an efficient system to manage affiliates. This involves streamlined workflows, from onboarding new affiliates to tracking performance and issuing payouts.

Look for features like custom sign-up pages, automated affiliate approvals, clear affiliate details, automated onboarding, customisable commission structures, and performance-based incentives. When you automate tedious tasks, you can save up to 30 minutes daily, which adds to almost a monthly FTE salary in annual savings.

Good Support System

Responsive customer service often becomes a deal breaker when choosing the right affiliate tracking software. No matter how intuitive a platform may be, you’ll eventually have questions and issues that you want promptly answered.

Look for round-the-clock support availability, and evaluate response times. Read reviews about the quality of assistance provided so you know which software will be there when you find things challenging. If you’re migrating from another software, look for a platform that offers premium assistance so you can transition smoothly and experience zero downtime.

Factors to Consider for Different Use Cases

One size doesn’t fit all and depending on your industry, you want an affiliate tracking software that caters to your specific needs. Here are essential considerations for various use cases:

eCommerce

For eCommerce businesses, it’s important to look for seamless integration with popular platforms and effective product tracking capabilities. Advanced tracking features let you monitor sales, conversions, and affiliate performance in real time so you can optimise campaigns for maximum ROI and prevent any fraudulent attempts to game the system.

Choose an affiliate software that offers native integrations with giant eCommerce platforms like Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, and Magento. This ensures smooth data exchange between your store and affiliate software.

SaaS

Subscription-based pricing makes SaaS businesses different from other types of products and services. You need a way to accurately track revenues from recurring billings, one-time payments, and unavoidable cancellations.

Look for software with subscription management and recurring commission features. It should seamlessly integrate with payment services like PayPal or Stripe to enable automated commission payouts based on subscription renewals or recurring billing cycles. Robust reporting and analytics capabilities are also a plus since you can monitor the lifetime value of referred customers and use the data to optimise commission structures.

SMBs

For SMBs, scalability, affordability, and flexibility are the most important features an affiliate tracking software can offer. Prioritise affiliate software that offers flexible commission structures and accommodates different pricing models and incentive schemes. Automated and bulk payouts can help streamline operations and reduce administrative overhead.

You also want software that offers transparent pricing without hidden fees. Different subscription plans that scale as your business grows will also give you a more affordable option at the beginning. As you get more traffic and sales volumes, you can move to higher-tiered plans that offer the same performance and advanced features.

Enterprise

Enterprises require robust affiliate tracking software capable of managing large-scale affiliate networks and complex commission structures. Look for software that supports multi-tier affiliate networks, allowing you to reward affiliates for referring other affiliates.

Examine a software’s compliance with required certifications like ISO, GDPR, SOC, PCI DSS, and other relevant industry regulations. Check the platform’s cybersecurity features, as you want a partner committed to protecting your data and preventing unwanted security breaches.

Global management capabilities are essential for enterprises operating in multiple regions, enabling you to manage affiliates, track performance, and issue payments seamlessly across different territories. You can also look for advanced commission structures so you can incentivise desired behaviours like promoting high-margin products.

Nonprofits

Nonprofits usually work with volunteers of varying technical expertise and you want software that’s easy to learn and use. Comprehensive support and training resources will also help onboard users faster and troubleshoot issues effectively.

Since you rely on donations, you need donor-tracking functionalities that let you track donations and attribute them to specific affiliates or campaigns. Affordability is also a common concern but you should choose a software that balances price with functionality. You want a tool that can achieve your goals effectively and ensure long-term success.

7 Best Affiliate Tracking Software Picks in 2024

The following affiliate software were selected based on ease of use, number of available features, and affordability. We’ve also factored in review scores on G2, Capterra, and GetApp to arrive at the best affiliate tracking software you should consider:

Trackdesk

• Best Fit for: eCommerce, SaaS, SMBs, Lead Gen Agencies, Advertisers, and more

• Pricing: from $67/month

• Free plan: Yes

• Trial: Unlimited for up to $1,000 affiliate monthly revenue

• Reviews: 8 on G2, 4.9 on Capterra, 4.9 on GetApp

Trackdesk offers a robust affiliate marketing platform without the typical bloat associated with other software. The interface is modern and intuitive, which both first-time and seasoned affiliate marketers love to use.

Entrepreneurs can get started for free for up to $1,000 monthly affiliate revenue and enjoy unlimited affiliates, clicks, conversions, integrations, and bulk auto payouts. As your business grows, you can move to a paid monthly plan and get extra features like premium support, user seats, commission tiers, a native email platform, and more. You also enjoy transparent pricing without worrying about fees on top of fees. This applies to all types of businesses and makes it simple to predict costs.

Onboarding and setup are ridiculously easy with detailed guided tours that will walk you through the entire process. If anything is still unclear, trackdesk offers onboarding assistance so you can get that affiliate program up and running.

Trackdesk also helps you launch a global presence since it supports multiple locations, languages, and currencies. There’s a localisation setting for each offer, so you can target affiliates in different countries with a dedicated landing page.

Maria Gio, Head of Partnerships

“Trackdesk is an affiliate marketing platform that helps businesses create, manage, and track their affiliate programs with ease, allowing them to maximise sales and revenue. It is user-friendly affiliate management software that simplifies the complexities of managing affiliates while providing the necessary tools for a successful program.

It has been praised for its clean, minimalist interface, as well as for its guided tour, which helps users efficiently set up the system. The software is particularly noted for its flexibility in managing various aspects of affiliate marketing, such as recurring revenue, rewards for free trials, and sales leads. Users of trackdesk enjoy a range of features, including customisable commission groups, multi-currency, and segmented payouts. Additionally, the platform provides comprehensive reports and analytics, an intuitive user interface, and excellent customer support.

Trackdesk supports unlimited affiliates and team members. The platform offers a freemium plan that allows users to access all features until their monthly revenue reaches $1,000. After reaching this threshold, they can move to a paid plan starting from only $67/month.

The software integrates well with major e-commerce systems like Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento and payment processors like Stripe and PayPal.

Last but not least, the trackdesk team has recently launched the first Partnership Managers Marketplace, which allows trackdesk users to hire world-class partnership managers. This marketplace has over 500 top talents who can set up, manage, and scale users’ affiliate programs. The team can even help clients get matched with the perfect fit if they have no time to search for affiliates themselves. The only con I could find is some restrictions on certain features for users who aren’t on a paid plan. So, I definitely can say that trackdesk is the best affiliate management software on the market.”

 

PartnerStack

• Best Fit for: SaaS companies

• Pricing: Custom undisclosed pricing

• Free plan: No

• Trial: None, book a free demo instead.

• Reviews: 7 on G2, 4.8 on Capterra, 4.8 on GetApp

Source: https://www.g2.com/products/partnerstack/reviews

PartnerStack built its affiliate tracking software specifically for SaaS companies. While its features may be useful for other industries that use a subscription pricing model, SaaS companies will benefit more because of PartnerStack’s marketplace of B2B-focused affiliates.

PartnerStack also offers a very flexible system so you can configure a lot of triggers to cover different types of partnerships and run them automatically after the setup. You can create drip rewards and gamify them with challenges, so affiliates remain engaged beyond sending a prospect for the initial signup.

The downside to this flexibility is a complex onboarding process, which often feels complicated and time-consuming. PartnerStack’s pricing also becomes complicated since it’s customised to your specific objectives, needs, and usage. Aside from a monthly or annual fee, PartnerStack charges a “Take Fee” which is a percentage of what you pay your partners.

As an alternative, we recommend building your own proprietary affiliate network, which lets you create an infinite and risk-free program that doesn’t require significant upfront commitment. You can also work with experienced partnership managers who can deliver the same results in the same timeframe.)

Geri Mileva, Partnership Manager

PartnerStack is one of the most extensive and reputable affiliate platforms designed to enable SaaS companies to maximise their affiliate networks, partnerships, and programs.

Pros:

• Simple Interface: PartnerStack’s clean and intuitive design makes it easy to navigate and manage.

• Easy to Scale: The platform can be scaled for businesses of all sizes—from start-ups to big enterprises. It also lets companies adjust the scope of their affiliate programs so they can address different client needs.

• User Support: PartnerStack has a reliable customer service team that provides quick responses and solutions. Plus, tit has a lively community where users talk about ideas, ask questions, and share tips.

• Straightforward Payment Scheme: PartnerStack follows a simple affiliate partner payment process. This makes administrative business tasks easier to handle.

 

Cons:

• Limited Payment Options: According to its users, there are only two payment options available for clients—either PayPal or Stripe. This may make the platform inaccessible to businesses in countries where these payment channels are not available.

• Lack of Cost Transparency: Several users encountered unexpected additional fees after signing up. As such, businesses should register with caution and watch out for these fees.

• High Signup Fees: PartnerStack charges relatively higher platform fees, which may make it unsuitable for businesses with limited or rigid budgets.

• Technical Complexity: Using PartnerStack and maximising all its features may require some technical knowledge, so users with no prior experience with similar platforms may find it a bit difficult to understand right away.

FirstPromoter

Best Fit for: SaaS companies

• Pricing: from $49/month

• Free plan: No

• Trial: 14 days, no credit card required

• Reviews: 4 on G2, 4.9 on Capterra

Source: https://firstpromoter.com/

FirstPromoter lets you create a branded affiliate dashboard where partners can see their stats and unique referral links. You can reward affiliates with cash, discounts, and credits for referring sales and their friends. Payouts are also easy with one-click Paypal and Wise Bulk payouts right from your dashboard.

Since it’s built for SaaS companies, FirstPromoter understands subscription pricing models and will automatically adjust commissions for any billing event such as upgrades, cancellations, refunds, and recurring and one-time charges.

For up to $5,000 monthly sales generated by affiliates, FirstPromoter charges $49/month, making it affordable to start. However, the plan gets expensive the more you grow since they’ll charge $99/month for up to $15,000 monthly sales and $149/month if you go above $15,000. There’s no free plan and the free trial is only good for 14 days.

Rewardful

•  Best Fit for: SaaS companies

• Pricing: from $49/month

• Free plan: No

• Trial: 14 days, signup with credit card required

• Reviews: 1 on G2, 5.0 on Capterra, 4.8 on GetApp

Source: https://www.g2.com/products/rewardful/reviews

Rewardful is known for its deep integration with Stripe and Paddle, the two supported payment providers in the platform. If you’re already using these payment systems for your business, you just have to connect your account and Rewardful will track referrals, discounts, and commissions.

You can build an affiliate and a referral program and manage both from a single account. Affiliates get a separate login portal to access their links, performance stats, and commissions. Existing customers get a unique referral link that they share with friends for rewards like credits, new features, swag, or cash.

Users find the platform easy to implement. However, they wish there would be more supported payment providers. It’s also notable that while Rewardful boasts over 20,000+ SaaS customers on their website, there are only a handful of G2 and Capterra reviews.

Ilya Lubimov, Partnership Manager

This software is designed to be highly flexible, enabling businesses to create effective affiliate programs that align with their specific needs. This is particularly beneficial for companies that operate on a subscription model, as Rewardful allows for detailed customisation of affiliate rewards, especially for recurring charges.

Rewardful stands out for specialised features that cater to SaaS and subscription-based services, customisable commission structures, and user-friendly design. However, its cost and potential limitations in integrations and resources for affiliates could be drawbacks for some businesses.

 

LeadDyno

Best Fit for: SaaS, Health & Wellness, Fashion & Lifestyle

• Pricing: from $49/month

• Free plan: No

• Trial: 30 days, credit card required

• Reviews: 2 on G2, 4.4 on Capterra, 4.4 on GetApp

Source: https://www.g2.com/products/leaddyno/reviews

LeadDyno is built for businesses of any size and offers scalable plans depending on the number of unique visitors. There are no free plans, but you can start with the Lite Plan, which only supports 3,000 unique visitors monthly — a limit you’d quickly exhaust once your program gains traction. Plans also scale depending on the number of active affiliates, with the Lite Plan supporting up to 50 active affiliates only.

Since it caters to various industries, LeadDyno offers extensive customisable reward structures. You can set up one-time or recurring rewards for different types of referrals. You can choose when to release rewards and create different commission types. You can even offer different rewards for new customers and reward affiliates for recruiting other affiliates.

LeadDyno also has multiple payout options. You can pay affiliates in bulk or individually and offer payouts by check, wire, gift card, free service, and even cryptocurrencies.

Tapfiliate

Best Fit for: eCommerce, SaaS, Online Services

• Pricing: from $89/month

• Free plan: No

• Trial: 14 days, credit card required

• Reviews: 6 on G2, 4.5 on Capterra, 4.5 on GetApp

Source: https://www.g2.com/products/tapfiliate/reviews

Tapfiliate provides a quick start guide to get you through the onboarding process step-by-step, promising to set up your affiliate program in “minutes.” This is easier said than done since things get complicated as you go along and customise various features to match your affiliate program’s design.

Tapfiliate integrates with big eCommerce platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, Squarespace, Wix Stores, and more. You can also easily connect to PayPal or Stripe using their plug-and-play integration options. Users commend the intuitive interface and 0% transaction fees that make the platform cost-effective.

At the base plan, Tapfiliate is more expensive than the other options in this list but that already comes with unlimited affiliate programs and affiliates. Take note that clicks and conversions are limited depending on your plan, and there’s an overage fee for every excess.

Post Affiliate Pro

Best Fit for: Medium and large-sized businesses

• Pricing: from $129/month

• Free plan: No

• Trial: 7 or 30-day trial. No credit card required.

• Reviews: 5 on G2, 4.7 on Capterra, 4.6 on GetApp

Source: https://www.g2.com/products/post-affiliate-pro/reviews

Post Affiliate Pro is one of the longest-standing affiliate tracking software with over 17 years of experience. The platform has been extensively developed since then and users can now access a ton of features, often a notch higher than other platforms.

For instance, Post Affiliate Pro lets you completely customise tracking links so you can use old style redirect links, modern SEO-friendly links, or direct links. Affiliates can also customise their own links, subject to your approval.

Post Affiliate Pro has over 200 integrations with more than 100 eCommerce providers and over 70 payment providers. However, they lack integrations for HubSpot and Salesforce. The interface can also feel buggy and old. For example, affiliates can only copy-paste links to a post when they want to share content with social media followers.

Honourable Mentions

The following software didn’t make the top 7 list, but they are still notable ones you can consider.

Traffic Manager

Traffic Manager offers a Professional, Agency, and Enterprise plan starting at 399 EUR per month for unlimited offers and 3x custom tracking domains. They charge a 100 EUR one-time setup fee. There’s a fixed number of conversions and clicks allocated per plan with extra charges for overages. 

Everflow

Everflow requires a minimum 6-month contract commitment to any of their tiered plans, which is measured by the number of clicks. The starting plan costs $750 for up to 500,000 clicks. They offer assisted program migration and onboarding. However, there are no fully automated partner payouts.

Goaffpro

Goaffpro offers a Free plan that comes with unlimited affiliates, sales, and revenue but only if you have less than 100 daily orders. You also get a basic affiliate portal and you need a premium plan to access advanced features and accommodate more than 100 daily orders.

Cake

Cake offers user-friendly UX and a fully white label affiliate marketing platform with custom landing and sign-up pages. However, you have to request a demo to know its plans as the website doesn’t offer transparent pricing.

Refersion

Refersion costs $119 for a Professional Plan and comes with Shopify and WooCommerce integration. It offers unlimited affiliates and visits but limits conversions to only 50. Support is also lacking since there’s no live chat or guided onboarding support for this plan level. They also work exclusively with e-commerce clients.

Reditus

Reditus offers a free plan but only for up to $1,000 monthly affiliate revenue. You have to pay $59 for $1,000 - $5,000 revenue. They offer unlimited affiliate partners, clicks, visitors, and conversions but lack Stripe integration, PayPal and Wise Bulk Payments, fully automated payouts, and automated affiliate commission tiers.

Kübra Özübek, Partnership Manager

Reditus is an affiliate management software that's particularly tailored for B2B SaaS companies. It offers a range of features aimed at improving and managing affiliate relationships effectively.

In comparison to other affiliate management software, Reditus holds its own, with a strong focus on B2B SaaS companies, a user-friendly interface, and powerful analytics. However, for those outside the B2B SaaS sector or needing a more established customer base, alternatives might be more suitable.

Pros:

• User-Friendly Interface: Many users find Reditus easy to navigate and set up, enhancing user experience for businesses and their affiliates.

• Customisable Workflows: The platform allows for the creation of custom workflows and approval processes, giving businesses more control over their affiliate programs.

Cons:

• Steep Learning Curve: Despite its user-friendly nature, some users report that Reditus can be challenging to get used to, requiring time to adapt.

• Pricing Structure: While Reditus offers flexibility, its pricing can be high for larger businesses, making it a significant investment.

• Limited Customer Base: Being a newer player in the affiliate management space, Reditus may not have as large a customer base as more established platforms.

Tolt

Tolt’s Pro Plan costs $99 per month for up to $20,000 monthly affiliate revenue. You can enjoy unlimited branded affiliate portals, a full white label platform, and Stripe integration. It also supports PayPal and Wise Mass Payouts but lacks fully automated payouts.

Affise

Affise charges $500 for 40,000 conversions and 15 million impressions. This comes with 1 custom domain, advanced tracking and targeting, real-time statistics, and automation features.  However, you need higher-tiered plans to access commission tiers, short links, revenue prediction, and white label features.

TUNE

Tune starts at $599 per month paid annually for 500 monthly conversions and unlimited affiliate partners. However, you’re only allowed 1 million monthly clicks and are charged an extra fee for fully automated partner payments.

Scaleo

Scaleo begins at $500 for its Professional plan which comes with unlimited clicks and 30,000 conversions. It charges a $20 overage fee per 1,000 excess conversions. You can enjoy advanced features like custom roles and permissions, a full white label, and a customer success manager if you move to the higher-priced plans.

Bridgette Kgosana, Partnership Manager

Scaleo affiliate software is generally well-regarded for ease of use, good customer support, and value for money. Users appreciate its user-friendly design and robust functionality, with features including anti-fraud detection and mobile attribution tracking. However, there are mentions of a desire for more integrations and advanced reporting capabilities. The software is considered affordable and offers a sleek interface, making it a popular choice among smaller companies and start-ups.

Pros:

• User-friendly interface 24/7 customer support Affordable starting price Comprehensive functionality, including anti-fraud detection Flexible and customisable for various affiliate program needs

Cons:

• Occasional small bugs Lack of integrations with major ad networks Some users find the support articles could be more detailed Reporting could be more advanced, particularly for UTM performance

AffiliateWP

AffiliateWP charges $299 per month and works only on WordPress sites. You can’t use it on non-WordPress sites. However, you can use it for up to 10 websites. It comes with unlimited affiliates, visits, and affiliate payouts.

Are you ready to start your partner-led growth journey?

Running a successful affiliate program requires the right partner who can provide advanced features without hidden fees. Experience an affiliate tracking software with scalable features for every stage of your campaign growth.

Trackdesk offers a forever free plan for up to $1,000 monthly affiliate revenue with access to reliable tracking, bulk auto affiliate payouts, real-time analytics, and all the features you need to establish your affiliate marketing program. When it’s time to grow, you can sign up for any of our paid plans without long-term binding contracts and access advanced features to turbo-charge your program.

Migrating from another platform? No worries! Our hassle-free migration process comes with onboarding support so you can effortlessly migrate your program to trackdesk. You can also hire world-class partnership managers who can help set up and scale your affiliate program.

Sign up for free today, no credit card required, and experience the difference trackdesk makes.