Link shorteners and link management plugins have become essential for anyone who wants more control over how their links behave, how they’re tracked, and how they integrate into workflows. WordPress users have plenty of options. In this article, we’ll explore four popular plugins: BetterLinks, Pretty Links, ThirstyAffiliates, and LinkCentral. Each one has a different focus, whether it’s detailed analytics, dynamic redirects, ease of use, or automation-ready marketing.
In this article, we’ll look at each plugin in depth, explore where they shine, and point out the trade-offs. The right choice ultimately depends on your situation, but we’ll compare features and include side-by-side tables to help you decide which one fits your workflow.
BetterLinks
BetterLinks is a newer but fast-growing link shortening plugin. Its main strengths are dynamic redirects (geo, device, browser, and time-based rules), a clean interface, and a solid lifetime license option. It also makes migration simple, with one-click tools to import links from competitors.
After installing BetterLinks, the interface is straightforward, though it feels slightly different from the regular WordPress UI. Creating a link is easy, and there are plenty of options, such as redirect types, categories, tags, and more. The premium version adds features like Auto-Link Keywords and advanced dynamic redirects. Global options, QR codes, and good documentation round out the package.
BetterLinks is also part of the WPDeveloper ecosystem, which includes popular plugins like Essential Addons and BetterDocs. That makes it attractive for agencies and teams who want consistency across multiple sites.
Pretty Links
Pretty Links has been around for over a decade and has built a strong reputation. The interface can feel a little dated and cluttered at first, with lots of labels and menu items, but the features make it worth exploring.
Among the highlights are QR codes, auto-keyword linking, and product displays. These are all useful if you want to present short, memorable, or speakable links across your website. It also supports split testing and conversion tracking on higher plans, making it a good fit for experimentation, as well as PrettyPay, a built-in payment solution with Stripe which might or might not be useful to you.
Reporting works well, though most features require a paid plan. One downside is that Pretty Links only offers annual subscriptions (no lifetime licenses). Still, its reliability, long track record, and wide feature set make it a safe choice for many bloggers.
ThirstyAffiliates
ThirstyAffiliates is designed with affiliate marketers in mind, especially those using Amazon’s program. It includes automatic uncloaking for Amazon links, an Amazon API importer, and link health checks.
Getting started is simple: after installing, you can create your first link quickly, though some options take a little time to fully understand. There’s a free version with useful tools (like the Link Fixer), and the premium plan adds more. ThirstyAffiliates also offers ThirstyPay for Stripe-based payments (similar to Pretty Links).
The downsides are fewer reporting options compared to competitors, no lifetime pricing, and occasional compatibility issues with newer WordPress versions. Still, if you’re heavily invested in Amazon, ThirstyAffiliates remains one of the most tailored solutions.
LinkCentral
LinkCentral is a newer entrant but already stands out with some unique features. Advanced redirect rules let you send users to different destinations based on date, time, country, device type, cookies, query parameters, or even user roles. This makes it especially useful for marketing campaigns, geo-targeted offers, or personalized user journeys.
Other strong points include split testing, detailed analytics and filters, QR codes, and webhooks that allow integration with tools like Zapier, Make, or Slack. The interface is clean and responsive, which makes it feel truly integrated with WordPress.
Unlike some competitors, LinkCentral avoids “feature bloat” by skipping eCommerce tools like product boxes or payment processors. That keeps it lightweight, fast, and focused.
Its main drawback is simply that it’s new. It doesn’t have the same ecosystem or name recognition as older plugins, and it lacks product display features. However, if you are looking for a high-quality and cost-effective solution, LinkCentral is a powerful choice.
Comparison: LinkCentral vs BetterLinks vs Pretty Links vs ThirstyAffiliates
| BetterLinks | Pretty Links | ThirstyAffiliates | LinkCentral | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Redirect types | Full, including uncloaking | Full, but no uncloaking | Full, including uncloaking | Full, but no uncloaking |
| Dynamic redirects | 👍👍 | 👍👍 | 👍 | 👍👍👍 |
| A/B testing / rotation | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Analytics depth | 👍👍👍 | 👍 | 👍 | 👍👍👍 |
| Automation hooks / webhooks | ❌ | ✅ (add-on) | ❌ | ✅ |
| UTM templates | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Auto keyword linking | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| QR codes | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Product displays | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Broken link checker | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Notes & categories | Tags, categories, notes | Tags, categories, notes | Categories | Categories, notes |
| Custom Post Type integration | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| UI/UX | 👍👍 | 👍👍 | 👍 | 👍👍👍 |
| Licensing | Annual + Lifetime | Annual only | Annual only | Annual + Lifetime |
Ease of Use
When using a link shortener plugin, it’s crucial to be able to quickly create and insert links into your website. While all plugins offer their own method of integration, some are a little easier to use than others.
All plugins add a toolbar option once you start writing content in Gutenberg or the Classic Editor. BetterLinks does this in a minimal way: you can search for a link and quickly insert one, but also create a new link directly from the toolbar, which is great. Pretty Links works in a similar way, and its insertion feels slightly more intuitive.
ThirstyAffiliates’ insertion is the simplest of all but lacks features. You can only search for links, nothing more. LinkCentral offers a simple integration too, with a few extras such as quick insertion of recent links, though it doesn’t allow you to create new ones on the fly. However, it is the only plugin that works with Elementor’s Dynamic Tags, so if you are using Elementor, LinkCentral will be a strong choice.
Some plugins offer other helpful features too. For example, BetterLinks offers a neat bookmark feature: drag and drop a link to your browser’s bookmarks bar, and it automatically adds it as a short link to your database.
Key Considerations for SEO & Marketing
Whether you are a marketer, affiliate, or content creator, some aspects are essential for URL shortener plugins. One key area is SEO, where link management plugins play a big role. Beyond cloaking long affiliate URLs, they help enforce consistent URL structures, preserve link equity during redirects, and provide a clear framework for applying UTM parameters.
Auto-keyword Linking
Another consideration for SEO is keyword auto-linking. This helps distribute short URLs throughout content. It is especially useful for internal link building, since search engines benefit from strong internal linking structures.
Fortunately, all four plugins provide keyword replacement functionality. Each handles it a little differently, but all give you enough flexibility to make it work for your setup.
Analytics
The real advantage for performance-conscious users lies in analytics and control. Without those, you’d have no idea how your links are performing. Let’s take a look at how each plugin handles analytics.
Pretty Links
Pretty Links offers analytics (called Reports) only in the paid version. You get basic reports such as the number of unique clicks on individual links and click events, and it integrates with Google Analytics 4. You can also connect Pretty Links with MonsterInsights for deeper tracking, but this feels clunky and doesn’t add much value compared to what other plugins already provide. Overall, reporting works fine with customization options, but it takes extra time to set things up properly.
BetterLinks
BetterLinks offers stronger analytics. Its dashboard shows an overview of recent clicks, top referrers, popular browsers and operating systems, and more. Filtering is intuitive, with simple options like “This Month” or “Last Week.” You can also filter individual clicks and view details. Analytics refresh every hour, but you can trigger a manual refresh from the settings page.
ThirstyAffiliates
ThirstyAffiliates provides basic analytics in a similar way to Pretty Links. It includes click tracking and geolocation reports. For more detailed insights, it’s best to integrate with GA4. Overall, it’s fine if you just want basic tracking, but you’ll need GA4—or another plugin—if you want advanced filtering.
LinkCentral
LinkCentral offers the most advanced analytics. You can track unique clicks per link or category, see geolocation data, referrers, user agents, and more. You can also dive into individual click details, and GA4 integration is available for further reporting. Like BetterLinks, it includes easy filtering, so you can quickly view stats from the last week, month, or since tracking began.
Overall, LinkCentral provides the most intuitive analytics, followed by BetterLinks, ThirstyAffiliates, and lastly Pretty Links.
Conclusion
Each of these plugins brings something valuable to the table, but they serve slightly different audiences:
| BetterLinks | Pretty Links | ThirstyAffiliates | LinkCentral |
|---|---|---|---|
| ✅ Modern feature-rich tool, and offers unlimited lifetime licenses. | ✅ Complete plugin with a strong user base and a focus around conversion. | ✅ Best suited for Amazon affiliates with uncloaking and API support. | ✅ Advanced redirects, detailed analytics, and modern interface. |
| ❌ Can feel bloated and less ‘natively’ integrated into the WP ecosystem. | ❌ Interface feels older and the analytics require more work to set up. | ❌ Less actively developed and lacks detailed reports or advanced redirects. | ❌ Still new, so it lacks the ecosystem and recognition of older plugins. |
Our recommendation:
Choose LinkCentral if you want the best overall URL shortener. It combines advanced features with ease of use, avoids unnecessary bloat, and delivers powerful analytics; all at a cost-effective price. If you want an established and feature-rich solution, go with Pretty Links or BetterLinks. Use ThirstyAffiliates only if you are a heavy Amazon affiliate who needs uncloaking functionality.