The best thing about digital marketing is the fact that you can target people in an advanced way. If you put up a billboard, you have no idea about its performance. You don’t know how many results you got from it.
John Wanamaker, the father of modern advertising, once said: “Half the money I spend on marketing is wasted. The trouble is, I don’t know which half.”
There is nothing more frustrating and discouraging than posting away, working really hard, and failing to get results without having the first clue as to why you are failing.
While most affiliate programs come with some sort of tracking or the other, they usually don’t give you any access to this data. That is, they might track your referrals, but you don’t know where they came from.
Third-party software that can track your links, help manage them, and enhance the performance of your marketing campaigns can make all the difference.
Once you know more about your traffic’s activities, you can make better, more informed decisions. Such decisions added up over time are the difference between massive success, underwhelming results, and crippling failure.
I have collected a healthy mix of free services and comprehensive solutions for beginner to advanced-level digital marketers. So let’s get right into it!
1. EngageBay
Starting off with one of the less popular options on the list, EngageBay is widely recommended as one of the best affordable CRM software out there. It offers all kinds of different marketing automation services.
Their free link tracker service can let beginners dip their toes into better tracking while they figure out how things like Urchin Tracking Module (UTM) work.
If you are unfamiliar, UTM is a simple code that can be attached to a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) to generate Google Analytics data for digital campaigns. EngageBay’s simple tool generates the code for you.
By inputting your source URL and the parameters of the campaign that you wish to track, the tool will generate a new link for you with the correct UTM. Share this new link and access all the info through Google Analytics.
Category: Free, Budget CRM
Company Page: https://www.engagebay.com/
Sign Up Page: https://www.engagebay.com/utm-builder
Price: Evergreen Free Tracking Tool
My Rating: 2.5/5
2. Odoo
A typical business has a multitude of needs these days. From HR and accounting to sales and marketing. SaaS solutions come in all shapes and sizes, but how many subscriptions can a person buy?
That’s why I like the idea of finding it all in one place. Odoo makes business software that fulfills complex needs without being complicated. In fact, they take this to the extreme.
You can access hundreds of different software and modules by buying a subscription. Also, the first app that you buy will be totally free for life. So if you only want their link tracking service, you can have access to that for free.
Odoo’s link tracker allows you to create, shorten, and modify your links with campaign, medium, and source tags. Then, you can access the data through your Analytics dashboard.
Category: Intuitive Software Solutions
Company Page: https://www.odoo.com/
Sign Up Page: https://www.odoo.com/page/link-tracker
Price: First app free, then $24.90 to $58.40 per month
My Rating: 2.5/5
3. BL.INK
This Texan company started in 2008 and has built quite an impressive portfolio of clients. They have worked with massive brands like Coca-Cola, Target, and Hilton. You could say that they have an impressive track record.
BLINK has a beautiful website with a brilliant sales funnel, and while it also has affordable plans for smaller businesses, it is really great for big brands.
That’s because clients can not only shorten their tracking links, but they can also go for branded links that really boost Click Through Rates.
You also get access to awesome features like:
- Attribution & Parameter Tracking.
- QR code generation.
- Multifaceted Analytics.
- SMS, Social & More Integrations.
- And systems for Team Collaboration.
The platform has unique advanced features, like dynamically routing clicks by time, locations, etc., and these services can scale according to your needs. Easily the best link-tracking software I’ve seen so far.
Category: Link Shortening, Tracking, & Analytics
Company Page: https://www.bl.ink/
Sign Up Page: https://www.bl.ink/pricing
Price: $48 to $599+ per month
My Rating: 4/5
4. Bitly
Bitly is one of the most popular link management apps out there, and for good reasons. The company has been around for over a decade, and they do all kinds of charitable work to create a positive social impact.
Their platform specializes in all things related to links. It allows users to create, modify, and track branded links, create QR codes, and Link In Bio hubs for all your online platforms.
With Bitly, you can:
- Turn your links into brand assets through custom links. People are more likely to click through a trustworthy and recognizable link.
- Aggregate, manage and track all your links in one place.
- Organize, configure, and edit your links to change them according to your every need.
- Understand your audience and get more engagement in the long term.
Having all your links in one place can save so much time and money. Plus, a Link In Bio page that comes with a plan can really drive retention and engagement.
There is a free plan that only allows ten links and 2 QR codes and still includes a Link In Bio page if you want to try before you buy, but tracking is rather limited in that one. It comes with a UTM builder.
The $96 a year is the most popular plan and allows for 30 days of click & scan data. The most expensive plan comes with mobile deep linking and a whole year of tracking data for each click & scan.
Category: Link Management
Company Page: https://bitly.com/
Sign Up Page: https://bitly.com/pages/products/link-management
Price: $0 to $300 per month
My Rating: 4/5
5. Wecantrack
All the link tracking apps we have seen have been for general digital marketing and promotions. But who can benefit more from link tracking than affiliate marketers or publishers?
This company understands it very well. Wecantrack was started in 2017 by two veteran affiliate marketers.
They managed to integrate over 95% of their Google Analytics data on affiliate conversion and match it with the correct users, landing pages, channels, and devices.
Now, you can benefit from their experience as well through their wecantrack system. It has integrations with over 350 of the top affiliate networks, Ad platforms, and analytics platforms.
That means you can integrate all your social media campaigns, including Snapchat and TikTok, Google Analytics, and more, with their platform.
After that, you can generate advanced performance reports, multi-channel conversion data, content, and traffic performance all in one place. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg!
Truly an awesome link tracking and analytics platform made especially for affiliates, by affiliates. What more could you want? Easy 5/5.
Category: Tracking Analytics for Affiliates
Company Page: https://wecantrack.com/
Sign Up Page: https://wecantrack.com/pricing/
Price: $65 to $307 per month, or $650 to $3065 per year
My Rating: 4.5/5
6. LinkTrackr
LinkTrackr is another tracking software that is also optimized for tracking the performance of advertising and PPC campaigns.
Advertising is a major affiliate marketing strategy, so ad network integrations are always welcome. The website might not have a face on it or a story behind it, but it builds trust in a different way.
They have a 30-day return policy, reliable servers, flexible billing, privacy, and disaster-proof assurance. The software itself has the following features:
- Shorten & cloak links easily. Rotate Links & Split Test landing pages or offers.
- Options to insert retargeting codes to any cloaked link.
- Redirecting traffic based on Geo, Click Limits, & Expiration Dates.
- SubID and PPC Tracking across multiple networks.
- Serverless and Cookie-less Postback Tracking that’s used by major affiliate networks.
LinkTrackr can hook you up with accurate conversion and ad performance data through all these features at a pretty affordable rate. Its other features can also allow you to customize your campaigns in many other ways.
Category: Link, Ad, & PPC Campaign Tracking
Company Page: https://www.linktrackr.com/
Sign Up Page: https://www.linktrackr.com/signup/
Price: $17 to $77 per month, or $84 to $94 paid yearly
My Rating: 3/5
7. AnyTrack
This company follows the philosophy if less is more and small is beautiful to allow for friction-free growth for their clients. AnyTrack does this by offering true redirectless tracking to its users.
It is the only company that offers truly redirectless tacking. The software’s AutoTrack feature tracks events like clicks, form submissions, and all other actions to ensure sales funnel tracking throughout the customer journey.
Using their AutoTag provides an easy and simple yet powerful way for marketers to get all their tracking data, attributions, and syncs across all their marketing tools automatically.
AnyTrack’s clients are mainly DTC (direct-to-consumer) companies, authority blogs, info businesses, comparison websites, and lead gen funnels.
They have three different plans based on the size of the organization, with differing features in each one. I’d say the price is fair and that you should definitely check out this one.
Category: Ad Tracking Software
Company Page: https://anytrack.io/
Sign Up Page: Click Here
Price: $50 to $300 per month, $42 to $250 for annual
My Rating: 4.3/5
8. ClickMagick
Most people spend a lot more time on their phones but tend to do their work on the computer. Hence the average consumer finds things on mobile but buys them on their desktop.
ClickMagik knows this well, which is why it provides tracking across platforms and devices. I really love their website as it transforms based on whether you run ads or do free affiliate marketing.
Their software is great for small businesses and allows you to generate unbiased, accurate, and actionable marketing insights. It even acts as a full-stack affiliate marketing platform with every required tool.
It’s integrated with over a hundred major affiliate networks and supports all ways to track your affiliate sales. They use “Postback” or server-to-server links to give you a massive competitive advantage.
These software can make or break your campaigns based on their features. Here are a few more features that ClickMagick offers:
- Geo & Mobile Tracking with custom redirection based on the user.
- Adding any type of pixel or retargeting code to your affiliate links.
- Dynamic affiliate links that give you more control of the sales process.
- Fraud Protection that filters out bots and unwanted clicks.
- Tools like auto currency conversion.
- Support and training.
The website is also easy to make sense of, and their payment structure is super straightforward and affordable: $49 for standard, $99 for Standard, and $199 for Pro (monthly plans).
Category: Cross-Device Tracking & Attribution
Company Page: https://www.clickmagick.com/
Sign Up Page: https://www.clickmagick.com/signup/
Price: $49 to $199 per month
My Rating: 4.8/5
9. CampaignTrackly
Free link trackers allow you to build custom links with UTM codes without knowing any coding. Paid software goes beyond UTM to give you a fuller picture of your performance.
CampaignTrackly meets you in the middle. It is an affordable UTM builder that comes with its own share of tools and integrations. You still need to learn the basics, but it does offer a degree of automation.
The company has a Chrome extension that lets you add multiple UTM_source codes to your blog easily. You can start creating accurate tracking links within 2 hours using this website.
That’s because CampaignTrackly offers a free On-Boarding checklist that you can go through and follow step by step as training on tracking links.
With affordable plans that start from $5 a month and an organized training procedure, at least a few people might like to use this popular UTM Tracking platform.
Category: UTM Link Builder
Company Page: https://www.campaigntrackly.com/
Sign Up Page: https://www.campaigntrackly.com/pricing-plans/
Price: $60 to $275.88 (annual plans)
My Rating: 3/5
10. Voluum
Voluum is easily the most recommended software for tracking affiliate marketing campaigns and digital marketing analysis in general.
It lets you track all your ads, whether you are running email, pop, native, display, push, social, or video campaigns. You can track it all in one place and get superfast reporting on over 30 metrics!
That’s over thirty different metrics about each click, visit, and conversion, and all of that in real-time. It allows you to automate all these through one platform without having to jump from one dashboard to another.
What’s more, Voluum even optimizes your campaigns for you. Using AI-powered traffic distribution, it can direct your traffic to the landing pages, offers, and campaign flows that perform the best.
It might be on the expensive side, with an individual monthly plan costing $179 per month, but it is a trusted platform that’s worth the extra cash. If you can afford it, Voluum is your best bet.
Category: Full-Stack Marketing Analytics Software
Company Page: https://voluum.com/
Sign Up Page: https://voluum.com/pricing/
Price: $199 to $4999 per month
My Rating: 5/5
11. ThriveTracker
Speaking of AI traffic distribution, here is a tracking software for performance marketers that’s entirely powered by AI. It is a campaign management solution for affiliates for both web and mobile.
ThriveTracker has a globally-distributed AWS infrastructure that ensures faster redirects and AI optimization of your campaigns. The company also provides world-class support on technicals and sales funnels.
The software allows you to place a click tracking pixel on your landing page and tracks everything without a redirect while still allowing you to split test offers.
It also offers multi-user access for separate logins by any of your team members. The reason I’ve rated it less is because of a lack of client feedback and unbiased reviews.
ThriveTracker’s most popular payment plan costs $425 per month, which drops down to $375 if billed annually. The most affordable plan also has decent features, but there’s not much else to go on.
Category: AI Tracker
Company Page: https://thrivetracker.com/
Sign Up Page: Click Here
Price: $44 to $799+ per month
My Rating: 3/5
12. ClicxTrac
Now all these different software are great for performance marketers with decent to huge budgets. Big brands and corporations are on a scale to spend thousands of dollars on just link tracking.
But for beginners, I often suggest that it’s better not to spend anything at all. If you can do something for free, you should go the extra mile to do it. That’s how you have to think before you start earning a steady income.
ClicxTrac is another free online program that you can make use of if you are on this level. If you learn the basics of tracking and what you can do with it, you are more likely to succeed with paid software when you can afford it.
It also has a premium version that you can buy for less than ten bucks. Check it out through the link below and see how useful it can be for you.
Category: Free Banner Tracker
Company Page: https://clixtrac.com/
Sign Up Page: https://www.clixtrac.com/index.php?p=banner&s=signup
Price: Free
My Rating: 2/5
13. Rebrandly
Unshrouded links can be really bad for engagement. Nobody would trust an unrecognizable link, let alone click on it. That’s why branded links have been proven to be very effective.
Rebrandly allows you to brand your links into recognizable ones with appropriate tags that accurately represent the contents of the webpage. It also allows you to track all kinds of different metrics and manage your campaigns.
We know the importance of data, but the customers don’t need to see our UTM codes, as it just creates confusion and miscommunication. You can even add emojis to your links to take them to the next level.
Rebrandly also comes with a UTM builder and presets. Other than that, it lets you edit destination URLs, generate QR codes, manage high-volume links, and more.
The links also come with mobile deep linking, GDPR privacy, and analytics. At the low price point, starting from just thirteen bucks a month, this one is another good option.
Category: URL Shortener & Link Manager
Company Page: https://www.rebrandly.com/
Sign Up Page: https://www.rebrandly.com/pricing
Price: $13 to $625 per month
My Rating: 3.5/5
Conclusion
All the ratings on this list are based on software features, ease of use, value for money, and client reviews. They are meant to help you differentiate between the programs and find the best overall option.
Even a simple free UTM extension can give you a little more data to work with than your affiliate network/program host.
But by using specialized software, you can track, record, and enhance the performance of every aspect of your online campaigns. I personally recommend Voluum and ClickMagick at #10 & 8.
I hope you were able to find the best software for your needs, and I wish you all the best for your digital marketing campaigns!
Anirudh Gitai
Writer from the heart – whether it is affiliate marketing or fiction – and a proud member of Shivansh’s team! Big fan of combat sports, reading non-fiction, and watching the best of everything from anime and movies to TV and video games.
