AffiliateWP vs SliceWP: Which Affiliate Plugin Should You Use in 2026?
AffiliateWP vs SliceWP compared: the free version, prices and renewals, lifetime licences, integrations, and what we measured on the same test store.
AffiliateWP is the plugin most WordPress stores reach for when they want an affiliate program. SliceWP is the smaller rival that has made a point of being simpler and cheaper, and it even keeps a “vs AffiliateWP” page on its own site. We installed both on the same test store and read both developers’ pricing pages, so this comparison can say where the differences actually are.
One thing to be clear about first: AffiliateWP has no free version. SliceWP does, on WordPress.org. So part of the choice is whether you want to start for nothing.
The short answer
- Choose AffiliateWP if you need the widest range of integrations, or want direct link tracking, vanity coupon codes and a fraud prevention suite (all on its Pro plan).
- Choose SliceWP if you want to start free, prefer a smaller plugin, want a lifetime licence, or run up to ten sites on one plan.
Side by side
| AffiliateWP | SliceWP | |
|---|---|---|
| Free version | No | Yes, on WordPress.org (10,000+ active installations, 4.9 from 111 ratings) |
| Lowest paid plan | $149.50 first year, then $299 (1 site) | $169 first year, then $229 (1 site) |
| Larger plans | 2 sites $199.50 then $399; 5 sites $299.50 then $599; Growth Bundle (Pro plus RewardsWP Pro, 10 licences in total) $349.50 then $699 | 10 sites $259 then $349 |
| Lifetime licence | Not offered | $429 for 1 site, $649 for 10 (25% off sale; normally $589 and $899) |
| Integrations | WooCommerce plus 28 other eCommerce and form plugins on its features page (its pricing page says WooCommerce + 20) | 13+ eCommerce and membership plugins |
| Payouts | Stripe, PayPal, store credit | PayPal, Stripe, store credit, payout requests |
| Recurring and lifetime commissions | Pro plan | Premium add-ons |
| Multi-level affiliates | Pro plan | Premium add-on |
| Multi-currency and leaderboards | Plus plan | Premium add-ons |
| Fraud prevention | Pro plan | Not listed |
| Support | Standard; priority on Pro | Email on Pro; priority on Pro Plus |
| Refund | 14 days | 30 days |
| Users, as claimed by the developer | 30,000+ | 12,100+ |
Prices in US dollars from each developer’s pricing page on 3 October 2026; SliceWP adds that its prices exclude tax. Both state that the lower figure is a first-year price and that renewals are at full price.
What we found on the test store
We installed AffiliateWP Pro 2.37.0 and the free SliceWP 1.2.12 on the same clean WordPress site with WooCommerce. Both created the three pages an affiliate program needs (area, login, registration) by themselves. Neither broke anything. The measurable differences:
| AffiliateWP Pro 2.37.0 | SliceWP 1.2.12 (free) | |
|---|---|---|
| Size on disk | 37.2 MB | 8.5 MB |
| Database tables created | 23 | 16 |
| Scripts added to a public page | 0 | 1 |
| Stylesheets added | 1 | 1 |
| First screen after activation | Setup wizard | Setup wizard |
This is not a like-for-like weight test, because one file is a paid version with its add-ons and the other is the free plugin. It does tell you that neither plugin loads anything heavy on the public site: on our test page AffiliateWP added one stylesheet and no script, and SliceWP added one script and one stylesheet.
Free version: SliceWP has one, AffiliateWP does not
SliceWP’s free plugin covers the core job: unlimited affiliates, an affiliate area with registration, login and account pages, manual or automatic approval, percentage or fixed commissions, automatic tracking of visits and commissions, unlimited creatives, email notifications, and integrations with WooCommerce and Easy Digital Downloads. For a small store that pays affiliates by hand, that may be all you need.
What SliceWP keeps for its paid add-ons, according to its WordPress.org listing and features page: PayPal and Stripe payouts, store credit, affiliate coupons, multi-level affiliates, landing pages, custom registration fields, per-product and per-affiliate rates, reports, recurring and lifetime commissions, lead commissions and social share, plus multi-currency, cross-site tracking, performance bonuses, a leaderboard, CSV data export, a REST API and Mailchimp, MailerLite and ConvertKit integrations. Add-ons are not sold one by one.
AffiliateWP starts at its Personal plan. There is no trial; the developer offers a refund within 14 days.
Paid versions
AffiliateWP
Personal ($149.50 first year, $299 after) covers one site with unlimited affiliates, referral link and coupon tracking, the affiliate dashboard, real-time reports, Stripe or PayPal payouts, international payouts and store credit. Plus adds commissions on sign-ups, a welcome bonus, leaderboards, multi-currency, assigning affiliates at checkout and Gravity Forms or Ninja Forms registration, on two sites. Pro ($299.50, then $599) adds recurring and lifetime commissions, tiered rates, multi-tier commissions, direct link tracking, landing pages, vanity coupon codes, the affiliate portal, automatic payouts and the fraud prevention suite on five sites, with priority support. A Growth Bundle adds the RewardsWP Pro loyalty plugin for $349.50 the first year (normally $699), with ten site licences in total.
SliceWP
SliceWP sells two plans, and both include every feature and every add-on. Pro is $169 for the first year on one site and renews at $229. Pro Plus is $259 for the first year on ten sites and renews at $349. Both are also sold as lifetime licences: $429 and $649, paid once, during the current 25% off sale (normally $589 and $899). Pro comes with email support and Pro Plus with priority support. SliceWP says support and updates run only while a subscription is active, so ask how that applies to a lifetime licence before you buy one.
Three-year cost
| AffiliateWP | SliceWP | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 site, 3 years | $747.50 (Personal) | $627 (Pro), or $429 once (lifetime) |
| Recurring commissions, 1 site, 3 years | $1,497.50 (Pro, the cheapest plan with them) | $627 (included in Pro) |
| 5 to 10 sites, 3 years | $1,497.50 (Pro, 5 sites) | $957 (Pro Plus, 10 sites), or $649 once |
Calculated from the first-year sale price plus two renewals at full price, as listed on 3 October 2026, assuming prices do not change; the lifetime figures are sale prices. The gap is widest if you need recurring commissions: AffiliateWP keeps them for Pro and the Growth Bundle, SliceWP includes them in every paid plan.
Where AffiliateWP is ahead
- Integrations. 29 by AffiliateWP’s own count, against 13 or more. If you sell through a form plugin, a course plugin or a less common cart, check SliceWP’s integrations page before you buy.
- Direct link tracking on Pro, which credits an affiliate for traffic from their own site without a referral link. SliceWP does not list this.
- A fraud prevention suite on Pro. SliceWP does not list one.
- Vanity coupon codes and the affiliate portal on the Pro plan.
- Size. More users by each developer’s own count: 30,000+ against 12,100+.
Where SliceWP is ahead
- A free version that already runs a working program.
- Everything in every paid plan. No feature is held back for a higher tier, including multi-currency and leaderboards, which need AffiliateWP Plus.
- Lifetime licences. Pay once; AffiliateWP is subscription only.
- Ten sites on one plan at a lower price than AffiliateWP’s five-site Pro.
- A longer refund window: 30 days against 14.
- Payout requests from the affiliate’s own account are a listed feature.
Ease of use
Both open with a setup wizard and both create the affiliate pages for you. SliceWP’s admin has fewer screens: Dashboard, Affiliates, Commissions, Visits, Payouts, Creatives, Reports, Add-ons and Settings. AffiliateWP’s menu adds Tools, Addons and Rewards screens and a larger settings area. Neither needs code to run a standard program.
On PureGPL
AffiliateWP is in our catalogue at $3.49, version 2.37.0, along with many of its Pro add-ons as separate downloads. SliceWP’s free version is on WordPress.org; we do not carry its paid add-ons.
What a GPL copy does and does not include
AffiliateWP is licensed under the GPL, which is why we can distribute it. A copy from PureGPL is the developer’s original file. It is not a licence with the developer, so you do not get their support, and anything that runs through the developer’s own account or service is not part of it. Updates come from us. If you need the developer’s support, buy from the developer.
Sources
Prices, plan contents and installation figures were read from these pages on 3 October 2026. The measurements are our own.
Frequently asked questions
Is SliceWP better than AffiliateWP?
It is cheaper, has a free version and includes every feature in every paid plan. AffiliateWP has more integrations and some tracking features SliceWP does not list. Which is better depends on which of those you need.
Is SliceWP free?
Yes. The base plugin is free on WordPress.org and runs a working program. Payouts through PayPal or Stripe, coupons, multi-level and recurring commissions are paid add-ons.
Does SliceWP work with WooCommerce?
Yes. WooCommerce and Easy Digital Downloads are in the free version, and the developer lists 13 or more integrations in total.
Can I move from AffiliateWP to SliceWP?
Check whether SliceWP’s documentation offers an import from AffiliateWP before you commit, test on a staging copy, and keep the old referral links working, because affiliates have already shared them.
Which is lighter?
On our test site SliceWP’s free plugin was 8.5 MB with 16 database tables; AffiliateWP Pro was 37.2 MB with 23. Neither adds more than one small script and one stylesheet to the public site.
See also: best WordPress affiliate plugins, our AffiliateWP review, AffiliateWP vs Solid Affiliate, Solid Affiliate vs SliceWP, AffiliateWP vs Easy Affiliate, AffiliateWP vs Ultimate Affiliate Pro and AffiliateWP vs YITH WooCommerce Affiliates.
