What is affiliate tracking software?
Quick answer
Affiliate tracking software helps businesses run their own affiliate programs. It handles link tracking, commission calculations, affiliate management, reporting, and payouts — without going through a third-party network.
Affiliate tracking software (also called affiliate management software) is a tool that enables businesses to create and manage their own in-house affiliate programs.
Instead of joining a third-party network like ShareASale or CJ, businesses use affiliate software to:
Track Referrals — Generate unique affiliate links and track clicks, conversions, and sales attributed to each affiliate.
Calculate Commissions — Automatically calculate commissions based on rules you set — percentage, fixed amount, tiered, or recurring.
Manage Affiliates — Approve/reject affiliate applications, communicate with partners, and provide them with marketing materials.
Report & Analyze — Get detailed analytics on affiliate performance, conversion rates, top performers, and revenue attribution.
Handle Payouts
Process affiliate payments on your schedule via your preferred methods.
Popular affiliate software includes Post Affiliate Pro, Refersion, Tapfiliate, PartnerStack, and FirstPromoter. Each varies in pricing, features, integrations, and the types of businesses they serve best.