AffiliateWP is the most complete self-hosted affiliate program plugin for WordPress. It handles the full affiliate lifecycle: registration, link generation, click and conversion tracking, commission calculation, and payouts – all within your WordPress dashboard without a third-party affiliate network taking a cut.
Step 1: Install and Enter Your License
AffiliateWP requires a paid license (from $149/year). After purchase, download from affiliatewp.com, install, and go to AffiliateWP -> Settings -> General. Enter your license key. Without an active license, tracking does not work correctly.
Step 2: Connect Your E-Commerce Integration
Go to AffiliateWP -> Settings -> Integrations. Enable the integration for your payment or e-commerce system. AffiliateWP integrates natively with:
- WooCommerce – commissions fire on purchase completion
- Easy Digital Downloads – for digital product sales
- MemberPress, Paid Memberships Pro – for membership commissions
- WPForms, Gravity Forms – for lead generation programs
- Stripe, PayPal – for direct payment integrations
For WooCommerce specifically: after enabling the integration, commissions are calculated when an order reaches “completed” status. Verify this aligns with your refund policy – if you process refunds within 30 days, consider delaying commission payouts by 30+ days to avoid paying commissions on refunded orders.
Step 3: Configure Commission Rates
Go to AffiliateWP -> Settings -> General -> Default Referral Rate. Set a percentage or flat amount. This global rate applies to all affiliates unless overridden.
Per-affiliate overrides: go to Affiliates -> Edit [affiliate] and set a custom rate. This is useful for top performers, influencers, or partners with negotiated rates.
Per-product overrides (requires the Product Rates addon): set different commission rates for specific WooCommerce products or EDD downloads. Essential for programs where margin varies significantly by product.
Need help setting this up? Describe your affiliate program and get a free estimate.
Step 4: Set Up Affiliate Registration
Go to AffiliateWP -> Settings -> General -> Affiliate Area Page. AffiliateWP creates an Affiliate Area page during setup – verify it is assigned here. This page has the affiliate registration form, login, dashboard, and referral link generator.
Configure registration settings:
- Allow affiliate registration – enable to let anyone apply
- Require approval – manual review before affiliate can start promoting (recommended)
- Auto-register users as affiliates – automatically creates affiliate accounts for new WordPress users (use carefully – only for private membership programs)
Step 5: Configure Payouts
AffiliateWP supports payouts via:
- PayPal Payouts (requires PayPal Business) – mass payouts directly from the AffiliateWP dashboard
- Stripe payouts – via addon
- Manual payouts – mark commissions as paid after processing externally
Set a minimum payout threshold in Settings -> Payouts. A $50 minimum reduces the overhead of processing many small payouts. Set a payout schedule – most programs pay monthly.
Cookie Duration and Attribution
Go to AffiliateWP -> Settings -> General -> Cookie Expiration. The default is 24 hours – a visitor who clicks an affiliate link must purchase within 24 hours for the affiliate to get credit. For products with longer consideration periods, increase this. 30 days is common for mid-ticket products; 90 days for higher-ticket items.
AffiliateWP uses first-click attribution by default – the first affiliate to refer a visitor gets credit regardless of subsequent referrals. This can be changed to last-click with a filter:
add_filter('affwp_referral_cookie_exists', '__return_false');