If you're running an affiliate program, it's essential to have a system in place to track it so you can set up accurate attribution, understand how it performs, optimize your marketing strategy, monitor fraud, and manage payments.

That’s where an affiliate tracking software can support your affiliate marketing efforts. The right platform helps you:

• Attribute sales across channels with accuracy
• Block coupon leaks and fraud that cut into margins
• Automate payouts in bulk without spreadsheets
• Monitor affiliate performance in real time to see what’s driving revenue

This blog breaks down the top affiliate tracking software built for ecommerce brands. You’ll see how each tool handles tracking, reporting, automation, and scalability, so you can pick the one that actually fits your store’s needs and growth stage.

What is an affiliate tracking software?

Affiliate tracking software is a tool to monitor and manage your affiliate marketing programs, automating the process of tracking clicks, conversions, and sales generated by affiliates. that powers your affiliate program. It uses unique tracking links, cookies, or pixels to identify which affiliates drove specific actions. 

This way, you know how much sales you’ve generated from your affiliates and how each partner performed. Without it, you risk misattribution, messy payouts, and lost margins.

Here is what affiliate tracking helps you with:

• Track affiliate activity: See exactly who brought in sales, how many clicks they drove, and what products or orders they influenced.
• Collect campaign performance data: Capture details like order value, new vs. returning customer, and marketing channel source to evaluate the real impact of each affiliate.
• Report with accuracy: Access dashboards that break down ROI, conversion rates, and top-performing partners so you can make informed decisions based on numbers, not guesswork.
• Attribute sales correctly: Assign every order to the right affiliate through links, unique discount codes, or first-party tracking. This ensures you don’t underpay high performers or overpay low-value coupon sites.
• Automate commission management: Remove manual calculations. The software applies the right commission rules, moves affiliates into the right performance tiers, and triggers payouts on schedule.
• Prevent fraud and leakage: Block coupon abuse, detect fake traffic, and stop affiliates from gaming the system. This protects your margins and keeps your program trustworthy.

Features to look for in an affiliate tracking software

When you’re managing an affiliate program, you want to track results and run the program in the same place. The right software should include both performance tracking and program operations. Here’s what to look for in an affiliate management software:

• Platform compatibility and integration: Your software should connect directly with your ecommerce platform (Shopify, WooCommerce, etc.) and your marketing stack. Native integrations save you from messy workarounds and guarantee every order is tracked correctly, streamlining your marketing efforts.
• Real-time analytics: You need to know, instantly, which affiliates are driving clicks, conversions, and revenue. Real-time data helps you spot trends, double down on high performers, and catch fraud before it costs you.
• Flexibility in reporting: Look for customizable reports that let you segment by product, affiliate type (creators vs. coupon sites), or campaign. This way, you track results that actually align with your business goals.
• Scalability and affordability: As your program grows from a handful of affiliates to hundreds, the software should handle more data, higher payouts, and bigger campaigns without becoming cost-prohibitive. The right tool grows with you instead of penalizing you for scaling.
• Affiliate program management in one place: Tracking and management must live together. That means enrolling affiliates, setting commission rules, preventing coupon leaks, sending payouts, and pulling performance reports, all from one dashboard. If you’re forced to juggle spreadsheets or separate systems, you’ll waste time and risk errors.
• Reliable customer support: When something breaks, like tracking, payouts, or integrations, you can’t afford long downtimes. Strong support ensures issues are solved quickly so your program runs smoothly without interrupting affiliate trust.

Top affiliate tracking software for ecommerce brands

We reviewed a wide range of affiliate tracking tools to find the ones that drive the most valye for ecommerce brands. The options below stand out because they combine accurate tracking with features that make day-to-day affiliate management easier, like instant payouts, customizable commissions, fraud protection, and real-time performance insights.

1. Social Snowball

Ideal for: Medium to enterprise-level ecommerce brands on Shopify that want to run and track referral, affiliate, and influencer programs with full automation.

Social Snowball is a Shopify-native platform that streamlines your efforts by automating every part of affiliate program management. It turns customers into affiliates instantly after checkout, assigns unique tracking links or codes, and records every sale in real time. Beyond tracking, it manages payouts, fraud prevention, and influencer campaigns—all from one dashboard.

Pricing starts at $199/month + 3% of affiliate revenue, or $599/month flat with no commission fees.

Features

• Real-time performance tracking (clicks, orders, revenue).
• Accurate calculation and auto payout of commissions to affiliate’s preferred payout method (Tremendous, Trolley, PayPal). 
• Centralized analytics dashboard for unified tracking across affiliates, referrals, and influencers.
• Instant post-purchase affiliate activation with auto-generated links/codes.
• Affiliate fraud prevention links with Safelinks to prevent coupon leaks and track discount usage accurately.
• TikTok Shop integration to attribute sales directly from creator content.
• UGC tracking with a searchable media library linked to sales data.

Pros

• Built as an all-in-one tool—affiliate, referral, and influencer management in one place.
• Automated SMS and email marketing flows to keep affiliates updated.
• Accurate, automated tracking reduces manual errors.
• Shopify-native integration for faster setup and real-time sync.
• Bulk payouts in cash, gift cards, or donations through Tremendous or Trolley.

Leading brands like Buoy, a hydration brand, have streamlined their messy affiliate setup, cutting CPA under $20, and driving $400K+ in affiliate revenue in 12 months using Social Snowball.

Cons

• Shopify-exclusive and cannot be used on other ecommerce platforms.
• Higher entry price may not suit small stores with low sales volume.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars on G2

Learn How Ecommerce Brands Use Social Snowball to Run Affiliate Marketing and Customer Referrals.

2. Refersion

Ideal for: Small to mid-sized ecommerce brands looking for a straightforward affiliate tool that works across Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, and more.

Refersion is a plug-and-play affiliate marketing platform built for traditional programs. It lets you track clicks, conversions, and orders with first-party cookies, assign custom commission structures, and manage payouts from a central dashboard. While it covers the basics well, advanced automation and fraud protection are limited compared to newer affiliate marketing tools.

Pricing starts at $39/month + 3% of affiliate-attributed sales. Higher-tier plans go up to $599/month with lower revenue shares and more advanced features.

Explore a comparison of Refersion vs. Social Snowball and what each offers.

Features

• First-party tracking for clicks, conversions, and orders.
• SKU-level and email-level tracking for detailed attribution.
• Post-purchase sign-up widget to capture affiliates at checkout.
• Performance metric reporting by campaign, product, or affiliate.
• Affiliate portal with real-time access to links, sales, and earnings.
• Multi-store tracking support for merchants running multiple storefronts.

Pros

• Works across multiple ecommerce platforms (not limited to Shopify).
• Flexible commission options by SKU, product type, or customer.
• Built-in tax form collection simplifies U.S. payouts.
• Strong integration ecosystem with 30+ apps and API access.
• Simple setup and onboarding process for smaller teams.

Cons

• Limited reporting depth. Custom insights often require API or exports.
• Manual onboarding and outreach, with no affiliate recruitment tools.
• Outdated UI and less intuitive compared to modern dashboards.
• Affiliate marketplace quality is mixed, with many coupon-driven partners.
• Customer support can be inconsistent after initial setup.

Rating: 3.6 out of 5 stars on G2

3. Tapfiliate

Ideal for: Ecommerce brands, SaaS companies, and digital marketers that want a mid-range affiliate tracking tool with flexible commissions, international support, and quick setup.

Tapfiliate is an affiliate marketing software that integrates with Shopify and other ecommerce platforms. It helps you track affiliate-driven sales, manage commissions, and keep affiliates engaged with branded dashboards and built-in communication tools.

Pricing starts at $89/month (free 14-day trial available). Annual plans start at $74/month.

Features

• Real-time tracking of metrics like clicks, referrals, and conversions.
• Flexible commission structures, including lifetime and recurring commissions.
• Bonus rewards for top affiliates based on performance.
• Detailed analytics with filters, segmentation, and subID tracking.
• New affiliate onboarding via forms, CSV import, or automated invites.
• Multilingual affiliate dashboards (supports 6+ languages).
• Brand asset manager for consistent affiliate promotions (logos, banners, templates).

Pros

• User-friendly interface and fast setup (reported to save ~10 hours/week on manual management).
• Supports international growth with multi-language dashboards.
• Flexible commission rules (lifetime, recurring, product-specific, and bonuses).
• Strong reporting and analytics for data-driven decisions.
• Provides affiliates with branded assets and built-in communication tools to boost retention.

Cons

• Limited ability to manage very large affiliate programs, which means scalability can be an issue.
• Some features feel restricted without upgrading to higher plans.
• Documentation gaps, particularly with certain integrations (e.g., Stripe).
• Customer reviews note occasional issues with integrations and a lack of advanced automation.

Rating: 3.6 out of 5 stars on G2

4. UpPromote

Ideal for: Small to mid-sized Shopify stores that want an affordable, beginner-friendly way to run affiliate, referral, and influencer campaigns from one dashboard.

UpPromote is a Shopify-native referral and affiliate marketing tracking solution built for ease of use. It auto-generates affiliate links and discount codes, tracks performance in real time, and includes a built-in marketplace to recruit influencers and affiliate partners. While it’s a good entry-level tool for growing stores, scaling across multiple storefronts can feel manual and repetitive.

UpPromote has a free plan available with paid plans starting from $29 per month.

Features

• Real-time tracking for clicks, referrals, and sales.
• Auto-generated affiliate links and discount codes.
• Affiliate marketplace to recruit partners and influencers.
• Reporting dashboard to view commissions, orders, and revenue.
• Customizable referral widgets, landing pages, and pop-ups.
• Payout and commission tracking for both affiliates and referrals.

Pros

• Free plan makes it budget-friendly for early-stage brands.
• Direct Shopify integration keeps everything in one place.
• Supports affiliate, referral, and influencer campaigns in a single system.
• Rewards can be offered as store credit, encouraging repeat purchases.
• Real-time tracking ensures instant visibility into program performance.
• 24/7 customer support with fast response times.

Cons

• Each Shopify store requires its own subscription; there is no multi-store consolidation.
• Auto-generated coupon codes don’t work across multiple stores.
• Onboarding affiliates involves repetitive manual steps.
• Dashboard navigation can be clunky, requiring multiple clicks for details.
• Discount code setup is tedious, with limited automation.
• Occasional small bugs and typos affect the user experience.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars on G2

5. Shopify Collabs

Ideal for: Shopify merchants who want a free, built-in tool to run affiliate and influencer programs directly from their Shopify admin.

Shopify Collabs is Shopify’s native affiliate and influencer management tool. It allows you to recruit creators, generate affiliate links and codes, send gifts, and track sales, all without leaving your Shopify dashboard. While it offers strong creator recruitment functionality, tracking and reporting remain more basic compared to specialized affiliate platforms.

Pricing is free for all Shopify, Advanced, and Plus merchants. A 2.9% commission processing fee applies to automatic payouts through Shopify Billing.

Features

• Native Shopify attribution for orders and commissions.
• Custom affiliate links and discount code generation for creators.
• Collabs Network access with millions of pre-vetted creators.
• Automated affiliate commission tracking and payouts via Shopify Billing.
• Shopify Flow integration to automate repetitive affiliate workflows.
• Analytics dashboard to monitor sales, redemptions, and commissions in real time.

Pros

• Fully integrated with Shopify, there is no need for a third-party setup.
• Free to install, with costs tied only to successful affiliate sales.
• Simplifies creator recruitment with application pages and access to Collabs Network.
• Automated affiliate tracking and commission payouts save time.
• Ideal for small to medium brands testing influencer and affiliate marketing campaigns for the first time.

Cons

• Shopify-exclusive, not available to merchants on other platforms.
• Tracking and reporting features are more limited than dedicated affiliate software.
• Commission options are less flexible (tiered or performance-based rules are basic).
• Creator quality within the Collabs Network can be mixed, with limited vetting controls.

Rating: 3.7 out of 5 stars on Shopify App Store

6. Affise

Ideal for: Affiliate networks, agencies, and large-scale ecommerce brands that need advanced tracking, mobile attribution, and fraud prevention across multiple channels.

Affise is an enterprise-grade performance marketing platform designed for businesses running complex affiliate and partner programs. It offers three products—Affise Performance (affiliate networks), Affise Reach (brand affiliate marketing programs), and Affise Mobile Measurement Partner (mobile attribution). Its strengths lie in real-time analytics, customizable automation, and fraud detection, making it a strong choice for brands and networks managing high volumes of affiliates.

Pricing is customized. You need to reach out to them for an exact quote.

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Features

• Real-time tracking and analytics for clicks, conversions, and revenue.
• Advanced mobile attribution for app installs and in-app events.
• Customizable conversion tracking and offer scheduling.
• Fraud detection tools: click-level analysis, IP monitoring, VPN/proxy traffic blocking.
• Automated invoicing and partner payouts with built-in compliance.
• Multi-channel attribution (social media, search, display, mobile).
• Integration with Shopify, Google Analytics, AdWords, Facebook Ads, and more.

Pros

• Comprehensive, all-in-one solution covering affiliates, advertisers, and mobile app tracking.
• Strong fraud prevention system to protect against fake clicks and conversions.
• Highly customizable reporting dashboards and automated workflows.
• Real-time optimization with A/B testing and campaign adjustments.
• Scales well for networks and agencies managing thousands of affiliates.

Cons

• Not built specifically for small Shopify stores—overkill for beginners.
• Pricing is not transparent and may be high for smaller brands.
• Learning curve can be steep due to the platform’s complexity.
• Best suited for agencies or networks rather than lean in-house teams.

Rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars on G2

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Set up accurate tracking to run a high-performing affiliate program

Accurate tracking is what keeps your affiliate referral program profitable. Without it, sales get misattributed, commissions go to the wrong partners, and fraud eats into your margins. With the right software provider, you can see which affiliates drive revenue, automate payouts, and stop coupon abuse from a single, powerful dashboard.

If you want a platform that not only tracks every click and sale, but also auto-enrolls customers as affiliates, offers fraud protection, enables bulk payouts, Social Snowball is built for ecommerce stores.