Link Tracking for Affiliates: Short Links vs Click Trackers (ClickMagick, Voluum, RedTrack, Bitly, Linkly, Pretty Links)
"Link tracking" covers two very different jobs. A link shortener gives you a tidy, branded link and a click count. A click tracker follows the visitor through to the sale, filters out bots, and tells you which ad, email or page earned the commission. Paying for a tracker when you only need branded links wastes money; relying on click counts when you run paid traffic hides what is working.
Two kinds of tool
Bitly, Linkly, Pretty Links
Clean links, click counts, QR codes or retargeting pixels. Enough for organic content, social posts and print. They do not tell you which click led to a sale.
ClickMagick, Voluum, RedTrack
Conversion tracking through postbacks or pixels, bot filtering, split tests and rotators. Built for paid traffic and anyone who needs to know where sales come from.
Side by side
| Type | Try it | Conversion tracking | Bot filtering | Rotators / split tests | Custom domain | Works without WordPress | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ClickMagick | Click tracker | 14-day trial | Yes (postback URLs, conversion APIs) | Basic on entry plan; full fraud protection on higher plans | Yes, both | Yes | Yes |
| Voluum | Ad tracker for media buyers | 14-day platform preview (on request) | Yes (postback and pixel) | Anti-fraud kit on all plans | Not described on the pages checked | Yes | Yes |
| RedTrack | Ad tracker and attribution | 14-day trial | Yes (postback, conversion API, universal script) | Yes (bot blacklist) | Yes, both | Yes | Yes |
| Bitly | Link shortener | Free plan (5 links a month) | Not offered | Filters known bots; some may still show in reports | No | On higher plans | Yes |
| Linkly | Short links with pixels | Free plan (100 links, 500 clicks a month) | Removed in 2023; use pixels and analytics goals | Bot and crawler management from the entry plan | Rotators on Pro | Yes | Yes |
| Pretty Links | WordPress link plugin | Free "Lite" plugin | Pro: conversion pixel | Yes, in Lite | Pro: rotation and split tests | Uses your WordPress domain | No (WordPress only) |
Sources: official pricing pages for ClickMagick, Voluum, RedTrack, Bitly, Linkly and Pretty Links, plus each vendor's help docs; Linkly's conversion-tracking notice. Checked 20 October 2026.
Which one do you actually need?
- Organic content only (blog, Pinterest, YouTube)? Your affiliate network's own dashboard already counts sales. Add UTM tags for your analytics, and a short-link tool only if you want branded or memorable links.
- Running paid ads, even small tests? You need conversion tracking that sends sales back to the ad, so a click tracker (ClickMagick, Voluum or RedTrack) pays for itself faster than guessing.
- Static HTML site, not WordPress? Pretty Links is out; it is a WordPress plugin. The hosted tools all work, because the link lives on their servers or uses a small script on your page.
- Sending links by email? Check your email platform's link rules first. Systeme.io, for example, prohibits links that redirect to different pages depending on the click, which rules out rotators in its emails.
The tools one by one
ClickMagick
A hosted click tracker aimed at affiliates and small advertisers. The entry plan is sized by tracked visitors per month and includes basic bot filtering; full bot and click-fraud protection starts on the next plan. It supports postback URLs for conversions, split testing and rotators with up to 10,000 URLs each, and works with any site because links are hosted and on-page tracking is a small script.
- Affiliates starting small paid-traffic tests
- Static sites and funnels on any builder
- You only publish organic content and never run ads
- You need enterprise-scale event volumes
Visit ClickMagick ↗ · pricing ↗
Voluum
A tracker built for media buyers running large campaigns across many traffic sources. Plans are sized in events per month and include custom domains and an anti-fraud kit. There is no open free trial; a 14-day platform preview is offered through a form.
- High-volume paid traffic across several ad networks
- Teams that need detailed reporting
- You are testing your first small campaigns
RedTrack
An ad tracker and attribution tool for affiliates and online stores. Its entry affiliate plan includes millions of events and several custom domains, a bot blacklist (excluded clicks do not count toward your limit), rotation and split testing. A universal script lets it track on any HTML page.
- Affiliates scaling paid traffic who want a trial first
- Store owners who need ad-platform conversion APIs
- Your traffic is small and mostly organic
Bitly
The familiar link shortener, now with QR codes. The free plan allows 5 links a month; custom domains start on its Growth plan. Bitly counts clicks but does not offer conversion tracking, and its rules prohibit cloaking a destination through another redirect service, which matters if you chain it with other redirectors.
- Branded links and QR codes for social and print
- You need to know which clicks became sales
Linkly
Hosted short and branded links with a free plan (100 links, 500 clicks a month). Retargeting pixels and link rotators come with its Pro plan. Linkly removed its own conversion tracking in October 2023 and recommends analytics goals with UTM tags instead.
- Branded links with retargeting pixels for ad audiences
- You need built-in conversion tracking
- Your clicks could pass the plan limit (links pause when clicks run out)
Pretty Links
A WordPress plugin that turns long affiliate links into links on your own domain, with click tracking and bot filtering in the free Lite version. Pro adds a conversion pixel, rotation and split tests. It does not work on static HTML sites or other website builders.
- WordPress blogs with many affiliate links to manage
- Your site is not on WordPress
Visit Pretty Links ↗ · pricing ↗
Rules worth knowing before you track
- Check each affiliate program's terms. Some programs restrict link cloaking, redirects or direct linking from ads.
- Keep disclosures visible. A branded short link still needs an affiliate disclosure near it.
- Do not bid on brand names. Many software affiliate programs, including several in this space, ban paid ads on their brand keywords.
FAQ
Is Google Analytics enough for affiliate tracking?
For organic content, analytics plus UTM tags and your network's sales report usually is. It cannot see sales that happen on the merchant's site, which is why paid-traffic affiliates use postback-based trackers.
What is a postback?
A server-to-server message from the affiliate network to your tracker when a sale happens, carrying the click ID. It is how a tracker knows which click led to which sale without relying on browser cookies.
Do I need a custom tracking domain?
It helps. Links on your own subdomain look more trustworthy than generic short links, and first-party tracking is less affected by browser privacy features.
Last checked 20 October 2026. Corrections: hello@bazaargalore.com.