AffiliateWP
AffiliateWP is a bootstrapped, self-hosted WordPress affiliate management plugin that lets SMBs, course creators, and agencies run referral programs with 28+ native integrations. It is sold via annual license subscriptions under Sandhills Development, LLC and claims 30,000+ users.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersHutchinson, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What AffiliateWP does
AffiliateWP is a self-hosted WordPress affiliate management plugin that enables website owners to launch, run, and pay out affiliate programs directly inside their existing WordPress installation. The core product, operated under Sandhills Development, LLC, tracks referrals via first-party cookies (affwp_ref, affwp_ref_visit_id, affwp_campaign), supports referral links, coupon codes, direct-link tracking, cross-domain promotions, affiliate landing pages, and QR codes, and exposes its functionality through a REST API plus hooks, filters, and templates. The platform integrates natively with 28+ WordPress ecosystem plugins across eCommerce (WooCommerce, Easy Digital Downloads), memberships (MemberPress, MemberMouse, Restrict Content Pro, Paid Memberships Pro), forms (WPForms, Gravity Forms, Ninja Forms, Formidable Forms, Contact Form 7), LMS (LearnDash, LifterLMS, Tutor LMS), payments (Stripe, PayPal, WP Simple Pay), and page-building/security (Elementor, hCaptcha, Cloudflare Turnstile, Uncanny Automator).
The company sells tiered annual license subscriptions (Personal, Plus, Professional) priced by site count, with optional add-on modules for recurring referrals, tiered and multi-tier commissions, vanity coupon codes, affiliate landing pages, custom slugs, QR codes, direct-link tracking, an Affiliate Portal, and a Fraud Prevention add-on. A companion loyalty product, RewardsWP, extends the platform into points, refer-a-friend, branded rewards widgets, and member management. Distribution is entirely self-serve: customers purchase through affiliatewp.com or discover via the WordPress.org plugin directory, with marketing driven primarily through the WPBeginner content network, SEO, documentation, and social channels. Founded in 2013 by Andrew Munro and bootstrapped with no external institutional capital, the company claims 30,000+ users globally and relies on its placement inside the Sandhills Development / WPBeginner portfolio as a primary distribution and SEO asset.
AffiliateWP firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- AffiliateWP
- Legal name
- Sandhills Development, LLC
- Website
- https://affiliatewp.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- AffiliateWP is a bootstrapped, self-hosted WordPress affiliate management plugin that lets SMBs, course creators, and agencies run referral programs with 28+ native integrations. It is sold via annual license subscriptions under Sandhills Development, LLC and claims 30,000+ users.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
AffiliateWP industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Affiliate management software for WordPress
- NAICS
- Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Affiliate Marketing & Partner Program Management (MPAAACAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Affiliate Marketing & Partner Networks (BPAMALAI), Affiliate & Partner Marketing (Performance Partnerships) (BPAFACAE)
Keywords
Where AffiliateWP is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Hutchinson
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
AffiliateWP business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Plugin License Subscriptions: Annual subscription-based licensing model for the WordPress affiliate plugin. Licenses are tiered based on the number of sites (personal, plus, professional plans). Includes support, updates, and access to addons. Subscriptions auto-renew annually by default with 14-day refund guarantee.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Tiered annual license plans based on number of sites |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels7 records
AffiliateWP product offering
Product offeringCore offering
AffiliateWP is a self-hosted WordPress plugin that enables businesses running WordPress sites to launch, manage, and scale affiliate marketing programs. The plugin provides referral link tracking, commission management, fraud detection, customizable affiliate dashboards, 1-click Stripe/PayPal payouts, and integrates with WooCommerce, Easy Digital Downloads, membership, form, and LMS plugins. It is sold as an annual license subscription targeted at eCommerce store owners, course creators, and developers.
Product overview
AffiliateWP is a WordPress affiliate plugin ecosystem consisting of the core AffiliateWP plugin for affiliate tracking and management, complemented by the RewardsWP module for loyalty and points programs. The platform offers multiple add-on modules including fraud prevention, affiliate portal, recurring/tiered commissions, landing pages, vanity coupon codes, QR codes, and multi-tier commissions. These modules work together within WordPress to provide complete affiliate marketing functionality from tracking to payout.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- RewardsWP: Points & Loyalty Rewards plugin for WordPress, offering referral programs, branded rewards widget, reports & exports, fraud prevention & security, and member management.
Products and services
- AffiliateWP Self-hosted WordPress affiliate marketing plugin that enables businesses to create, manage, and scale affiliate programs. Provides affiliate tracking, commission management, 1-click payouts, fraud detection, and customizable affiliate dashboards, with native integrations across WordPress eCommerce, membership, form, and LMS plugins. Sold as an annual license subscription.
- RewardsWP Points and loyalty rewards plugin for WordPress that complements AffiliateWP, offering refer-a-friend programs, birthday rewards, branded rewards widgets, member management, and fraud prevention for businesses running customer loyalty programs on WordPress.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 80% of brands run affiliate programs
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use AffiliateWP
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
AffiliateWP technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration19 records
AI capability2 records
Feature14 records
AffiliateWP partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
21 partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.
- WooCommercecoreDeep native integration with WooCommerce for tracking affiliate referrals on WooCommerce store purchases. 1-click activation through AffiliateWP settings.
- Easy Digital DownloadscoreNative integration with Easy Digital Downloads for tracking digital product sales. 1-click activation through AffiliateWP settings.
- WPFormscoreIntegration for tracking affiliate referrals through WPForms submissions. Supports both lead generation and monetary referrals.
- Gravity FormscoreIntegration for tracking affiliate referrals through Gravity Forms submissions. Supports lead generation and recurring referrals.
- MemberPresscoreNative integration with MemberPress for tracking affiliate referrals on membership signups and subscriptions.
- LearnDashcoreIntegration with LearnDash LMS for tracking course sales and affiliate referrals. Easy setup wizard for quick integration.
- LifterLMScoreIntegration with LifterLMS for tracking course sales and affiliate referrals. Onboarding wizard syncs courses to AffiliateWP.
- Tutor LMScoreIntegration through Easy Digital Downloads or WooCommerce for tracking Tutor LMS course sales and affiliate referrals.
- PayPalcorePayPal integration for 1-click affiliate payouts. Supports PayPal as a payout method alongside Stripe and store credit.
- StripecoreStripe integration for 1-click affiliate payouts. Supports Stripe as a payout method alongside PayPal and store credit.
- ElementorsecondaryFeatured integration for Elementor page builder users. Compatible with Elementor-based sites.
- Formidable FormssecondaryIntegration for tracking affiliate referrals through Formidable Forms submissions.
- Ninja FormssecondaryIntegration for tracking affiliate referrals through Ninja Forms. Supports monetary referrals for opt-ins.
- Contact Form 7secondaryIntegration for tracking affiliate referrals through Contact Form 7 form submissions for lead generation.
- WP Simple PaysecondaryFeatured integration for WP Simple Pay Stripe payment forms. Tracks affiliate referrals on payment transactions.
- MemberMousesecondaryIntegration with MemberMouse membership plugin for tracking affiliate referrals on memberships.
- Restrict Content ProsecondaryIntegration with Restrict Content Pro for tracking affiliate referrals on restricted content memberships.
- Paid Memberships ProsecondaryIntegration with Paid Memberships Pro for tracking affiliate referrals on membership subscriptions.
- Uncanny AutomatorsecondaryIntegration through Uncanny Automator for connecting AffiliateWP with other apps and automations.
- hCaptchasecondaryCAPTCHA verification option for affiliate registration and login forms to prevent spam and bot abuse.
- Cloudflare TurnstilesecondaryCAPTCHA-free verification option for affiliate forms, providing automated bot protection.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
AffiliateWP competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
AffiliateWP social profiles
Digital presenceAffiliateWP financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
AffiliateWP leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
AffiliateWP funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
AffiliateWP M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about AffiliateWP
What does AffiliateWP do?
AffiliateWP is a self-hosted WordPress plugin that enables businesses running WordPress sites to launch, manage, and scale affiliate marketing programs. The plugin provides referral link tracking, commission management, fraud detection, customizable affiliate dashboards, 1-click Stripe/PayPal payouts, and integrates with WooCommerce, Easy Digital Downloads, membership, form, and LMS plugins. It is sold as an annual license subscription targeted at eCommerce store owners, course creators, and developers.
Is AffiliateWP a public or private company?
AffiliateWP is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was AffiliateWP founded?
AffiliateWP was founded in 2013. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is AffiliateWP based?
AffiliateWP is headquartered in Hutchinson, United States, in the North America region.
How does AffiliateWP make money?
One revenue line is on record: plugin License Subscriptions.
Does AffiliateWP have an API?
Yes. AffiliateWP is built to adapt to workflows with hooks, filters, templates, and REST API. The plugin provides a REST API that allows developers to programmatically interact with affiliate data including affiliates, referrals, visits, and payouts. The API supports custom integrations and automations. Developer documentation is at affiliatewp.com/docs.
What industry is AffiliateWP in?
AffiliateWP's product category is Affiliate management software for WordPress. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAAACAD, Affiliate Marketing & Partner Program Management, with a secondary code of BPAMALAI, Affiliate Marketing & Partner Networks. Its NAICS code is 5418 and its SIC code is 7370.