BetterLinks is the complete link management plugin for WordPress. Turn long, ugly URLs into short, branded, memorable links — then cloak them, redirect them, organize them and track every single click, all from one dashboard inside WordPress. No third-party URL shortener. No monthly subscription for
PricingFree downloadThe WordPress.org download is free. Pro versions, add-ons or external services may cost extra.
CompatibilityRequires WordPress 6.2 and PHP 7.4.
SourceWordPress plugins · Oct 30, 2026
01 / Source details
Aboutthistool.
BetterLinks is the complete link management plugin for WordPress. Turn long, ugly URLs into short, branded, memorable links — then cloak them, redirect them, organize them and track every single click, all from one dashboard inside WordPress.
No third-party URL shortener. No monthly subscription for basic link tracking. Your links live on your own domain, and your click data stays in your own database.
👉 See All Features | Documentation | Live Demo | Upgrade to PRO
🤖 NEW: Manage Your Links With AI (MCP Connector)
BetterLinks now ships a built-in MCP (Model Context Protocol) server , so AI assistants like Claude , ChatGPT , Claude Code , Cursor and VS Code can work with your links directly — in plain English.
Ask your assistant to “create a short link for this affiliate offer” , “which links got the most clicks last month?” or “put every Black Friday link in its own category” , and it does the work inside your own dashboard.
Runs on your own site — no hosted broker in between; link and analytics data is only shared with the AI assistant you connect, when that assistant uses a tool
14 built-in tools — create, update and delete links, manage categories and tags, read click analytics, and read or update settings
Two ways to connect — a one-time OAuth approval for Claude and ChatGPT, or a copy-paste command for Claude Code, Cursor and VS Code
Off by default — nothing is exposed to anyone until you switch it on in BetterLinks → MCP
Scope-aware — apps that ask for read-only access are enforced as read-only and clearly labelled in your dashboard
Revocable any time — reset the connection token, or revoke a single connected app, with one click
Permission-aware — every action runs as the user who approved it and respects that account’s permissions; only administrators can connect by default
Built-in health check — a live “Test connection” round trip tells you exactly which step failed if a client can’t connect
Built on the WordPress Abilities API , bundled with the plugin — there are no companion plugins to install.
Paste a long URL, pick a slug, hit publish. BetterLinks generates clean short links like yoursite.com/go/deal that are easy to share, easy to remember and impossible to mistype.
Instant URL shortener — shorten any internal or external URL in a couple of clicks
Custom slugs — write your own, or auto-generate from the title, target URL, or a random string
One-click copy & share — grab any short link straight from the dashboard
Duplicate & bulk actions — clone links, bulk delete with undo, drag-and-drop to reorder
Quick Link Creation — create short links from outside the WordPress admin using an API key
Custom fields — attach your own metadata to any link
↪️ Powerful Redirects & Link Cloaking
Send visitors exactly where you want, with the redirect type that fits the job.
301, 302 & 307 redirects — permanent, temporary and method-preserving
Link cloaking (PRO) — keep your branded short URL in the address bar the whole visit
Wildcard redirects — match a whole path pattern with /folder/*
Parameter forwarding — pass query strings straight through to the destination
Case-sensitive slugs — treat /Deal and /deal as separate links when you need to
Nofollow & sponsored tags — mark affiliate links correctly for search engines
Force HTTPS (PRO) — every redirect goes out secure, whatever is stored on the link
📊 Real-Time Click Tracking & Link Analytics
Know which links actually work. BetterLinks records every click and turns it into reports you can act on — no external analytics account required.
Total & unique clicks for every link
Real-time analytics dashboard with an interactive date-range calendar
Traffic sources — top referrers, social clicks, campaign performance
Geographic reports (PRO) — see which countries your clicks come from
Browser, OS & device breakdown (PRO)
Per-link analytics (PRO) — a full report for any single link
Top & worst performers (PRO) — find your winners and your dead weight
Bot filtering — automated traffic is detected and kept out of your numbers
Exclude your own IP (PRO) — stop your team’s clicks from skewing the data
BetterLinks is a full affiliate link manager, not just a shortener.
Cloak affiliate links (PRO) so long tracking URLs never appear in your content
Auto-Link Keywords (PRO) — turn chosen keywords into affiliate links across your whole site automatically
Affiliate link disclosure (PRO) — FTC-friendly notices via block, shortcode, or site-wide rule
Uncloak per link or category (PRO) — stay compliant with Amazon Associates and similar programs
Sponsored & nofollow attributes built into every link
Broken link scanner (PRO) — catch dead affiliate links before they cost you commission
🗂️ Organize Hundreds Of Links Without The Mess
Categories & tags with bulk assignment and per-term click stats
List view & board view — pick the layout that suits how you work
Compact mode — a dense, single-line list when you want to scan everything at a glance
Search, filter & sort by category, tag, date, clicks or favorites
Favorites — pin the links you touch every day
Role-based permissions (PRO) — decide exactly who can create, edit, or view links and analytics
🚀 Marketing & Campaign Tools
UTM Builder — attach campaign parameters to any link
Global UTM templates (PRO) — save presets and apply them in bulk
Dynamic redirects (PRO) — A/B split testing, geo-targeting, device targeting and time-based rules on a single short URL
Link scheduling & expiration (PRO) — publish later, expire by date or click count, with a fallback URL
Password-protected links (PRO) — gate a short link behind a password
Custom link previews (PRO) — control the title, description and image when your link is shared on social
Custom domain (PRO) — serve short links from your own branded domain
AI Bulk Link Generator (PRO) — generate short links across many posts at once
⚡ Fast, Lightweight & Developer-Friendly
BetterLinks is engineered for speed. Redirects resolve from an optimized cache instead of hammering your database, so short links stay fast even with tens of thousands of them.
Optimized queries and a JSON-backed redirect cache
Works with any theme
Gutenberg block and Elementor integration for inserting links while you write
Fluent Boards integration — manage short links directly from your project tasks
Full REST API for developers
MCP server & WordPress Abilities API support — expose your links to AI agents and automations
Translation-ready and WPML-compatible
🔄 Switching From Another Plugin?
Move your existing links across in one click — no CSV wrangling, no lost redirects.
Pretty Links → BetterLinks
ThirstyAffiliates → BetterLinks
Simple 301 Redirects → BetterLinks
Plus CSV import/export for links and click history
🏆 Why Choose BetterLinks
Your data stays yours — links and analytics live in your own WordPress database
No per-click pricing — unlike hosted URL shorteners
Built for scale — thousands of links without slowing your site down
Actively maintained by WPDeveloper
Free forever core — shortening, redirects, categories, analytics and migration are all in the free plugin
🔥 Upgrade To BetterLinks PRO
Unlock the full toolkit: link cloaking, dynamic redirects with A/B split testing, geo & device targeting, individual link analytics, Google Analytics and Facebook Pixel integration, auto-link keywords, affiliate disclosures, password protection, link scheduling & expiry, the broken link and full-site scanners, custom domains, role management, email reporting and the AI Bulk Link Generator.
Get BetterLinks PRO →
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BetterLinks connects to the services below only in the cases described.
YouTube (youtube-nocookie.com)
The Quick Setup wizard embeds a getting-started video. When an administrator opens BetterLinks → Quick Setup, YouTube receives the viewer’s IP address and browser details. Terms · Privacy
WPDeveloper usage insights (send.wpinsight.com)
Only if an administrator opts in. Sends site details, WordPress and PHP versions, installed plugins and theme, the admin email and BetterLinks usage stats, daily and on deactivation. Turn it off in BetterLinks → Settings → Tracking. Terms · Privacy
ip-api.com
Only with the usage insights above: the administrator’s IP address is sent once, on opt-in, to look up the site’s country. Legal & privacy
AI assistants you connect over MCP
Off by default. A connected assistant receives only the link, category and analytics data returned by the tools it calls; the assistant provider’s own terms and privacy policy apply.
Source code
The readable source of every compiled file ships with the plugin:
dev_betterlinks/ holds the JavaScript (React) source of assets/js/ , and assets/scss/ the Sass source of assets/css/ .
package.json , webpack.config.js , babel.config.json and gulpfile.js are the build setup. Run npm install --legacy-peer-deps , then npm run build .
dependencies/ holds the bundled WordPress Abilities API 0.4.0 (GPL-2.0-or-later) and the Jetpack Autoloader 5.0.22, installed with Composer. The source of
See it in action
Screenshots & previews.
Link shortening & custom links — turn any long URL into a short, branded linkAdvanced redirects — 301, 302, 307 and cloaked redirects with full controlAuto-Link Keywords — turn chosen keywords into links across your whole siteLink analytics — clicks, unique visitors, referrers and campaign performanceFull Site Link Scanner — find and fix broken links across your contentAI Bulk Link Generator — create short links for many posts at once
02 / Source details
Gettingstarted.
From your WordPress dashboard
01Go to Plugins → Add New .
02Search for BetterLinks .
03Click Install Now , then Activate .
04Follow the Quick Setup wizard, or head straight to BetterLinks → Manage Links to create your first short link.
Manual installation
05Upload the betterlinks folder to /wp-content/plugins/ .
06Activate the plugin through the Plugins menu in WordPress.
07Open BetterLinks in your admin sidebar to get started.
Full setup guide: betterlinks.io/docs
03 / Source details
Frequently asked questions.
What is BetterLinks used for?
BetterLinks is a WordPress link management plugin for creating short links, branded links, affiliate links, redirects and trackable campaign URLs directly from your WordPress dashboard.
Who should use BetterLinks?
Affiliate marketers, bloggers, SEO professionals, agencies, content creators, ecommerce teams and any site owner who needs to shorten, cloak, organize, redirect and track links in WordPress.
Is BetterLinks free?
Yes. The free plugin includes unlimited short links, 301/302/307 redirects, categories and tags, click tracking and analytics, the UTM builder, CSV import/export and one-click migration from other plugins. BetterLinks PRO adds cloaking, dynamic redirects, advanced analytics and more.
Do I need a third-party URL shortener like Bitly?
No. BetterLinks creates short links on your own domain, so your branding stays intact and your click data stays in your own database — with no per-click pricing.
Can I create branded short links?
Yes. Every short link is served from your own site by default, and BetterLinks PRO adds full custom domain support if you want a separate short domain.
Does BetterLinks track link clicks and analytics?
Yes. BetterLinks records total and unique clicks and referrers, with a real-time dashboard and date-range filtering. Bot traffic is filtered out automatically. BetterLinks PRO adds country, browser and device reports.
Can I use BetterLinks for affiliate link management?
Yes — it is built for it. Shorten, cloak, organize and track affiliate URLs, add nofollow/sponsored attributes, automatically link keywords across your content, and display FTC-friendly affiliate disclosures.
Will BetterLinks slow down my website?
No. Redirects resolve from an optimized cache rather than repeated database queries, so performance stays consistent even with tens of thousands of links.
Can I migrate from Pretty Links or ThirstyAffiliates?
Yes. BetterLinks includes one-click migration for Pretty Links, ThirstyAffiliates and Simple 301 Redirects, plus CSV import. Keep the old plugin active until the migration finishes.
Does BetterLinks include a UTM builder?
Yes. Add UTM campaign parameters to any link. BetterLinks PRO adds saved UTM templates that you can apply across many links at once.
Can BetterLinks find broken links on my site?
Yes. BetterLinks PRO includes a broken link scanner for your short links and a full-site scanner that crawls your published content, both with scheduled scans and email reports.
Does BetterLinks work with Gutenberg and Elementor?
Yes. There is a Gutenberg block plus instant-redirect controls in both the block editor and Elementor, so you can create and insert short links while you write.
Is BetterLinks translation ready?
Yes. BetterLinks is fully translation-ready and compatible with WPML.
What is the MCP connector?
MCP (Model Context Protocol) is the open standard AI assistants use to work with outside tools. BetterLinks includes its own MCP server, so assistants like Claude, ChatGPT, Claude Code, Cursor and VS Code can create links, organise them and read your click analytics for you, in plain English.
Do I need another plugin or a paid service to use MCP?
No. The MCP server and the WordPress Abilities API runtime are bundled with BetterLinks and run on your own site. There is no companion plugin to install, no hosted broker in the middle, and no extra subscription.
Is the MCP connector safe to turn on?
It is off by default and nothing is exposed until you enable it in BetterLinks → MCP. Clients connect either through a one-time OAuth approval or a connection token, every request runs as the user who approved it and respects that account’s permissions (only administrators can connect by default), and an administrator can reset the token or revoke any connected app at any time.
Which AI assistants can connect to BetterLinks?
Any MCP-capable client. The setup screen has ready-made instructions for Claude and ChatGPT (via OAuth) and for Claude Code, Cursor and VS Code (via a copy-paste command). Other MCP clients can connect using the endpoint URL shown on the same screen.
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