BetterLinks – Link Shortener, Link Cloaking, Redirects, Affiliate Link Manager & MCP

How well this listing is tuned to rank in WordPress.org search, on the factors an owner controls. Not popularity, optimization.

Directory searches this plugin turns up in, and which way each one is moving. WordPress.org publishes no history of search positions, so this starts the day we first tracked a keyword and never backfills.

wp.org is where the directory puts the plugin for that search. On merit is where it would sit if results were ranked on rating, support and updates, without the install boost. The last column is how far the wp.org position moved, from our first reading in the last 90 days to the latest.

290 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 20 listed. 187 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words).

Directory rank vs rivals

wp.org popularity rank over time · higher is better · when a rival's line climbs above yours, they've overtaken you

How often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.

Share of active installs on each version of this plugin. Green is the current release; a big slice on older versions is a user base that has stopped updating.

Crossed into this band 2.3 years ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 90% of the way through.

1. ★★★★★ the7thscroll

   5mo ago

   As a nonprofit, this has been an integral tool for serving our community more fully! Big thanks to the WPDeveloper Team for developing such a great software. And great support as well.

   Read on wp.org ↗
2. ★★★★★ sprucetreemedia

   8mo ago

   This plugin is exactly what we needed to help us share long links and track them. We had an issue and support didn’t rest until it was fully resolved. Best support I’ve ever received. This is a great team backing a great product. 100% recommend.

   Read on wp.org ↗
3. ★★★★★ uri25

   9mo ago

   It’s the easiest way to check your internal and external links or to keep an eye on your links

   Read on wp.org ↗
4. ★★★★★ lifeofvi

   11mo ago

   I use BetterLinks Pro across multiple client websites, and it has made managing and sharing links so much easier. Many of my clients book services through external platforms, and this plugin lets me create simple, branded redirects that are easy for customers to click and remember. It keeps everything organized in one place and saves me from dealing with long, messy URLs. Support has also been great when I needed guidance. Quick responses, clear help, and no runaround.

   Read on wp.org ↗
5. ★★★★★ userblah

   11mo ago

   I’ve been using BetterLinks Pro for a while now, and it’s been one of the easiest plugins to work with. It has made it simple for me to share links in ways people actually use, especially for promotions on places like Instagram where QR codes are not always practical or easy for people to understand. Being able to quickly create clean links and track how they perform has made a real difference in how I share things online. The support team has also been fantastic. Every time I had a question or ran into something I could not figure out, they responded quickly, helped me through it, and I never felt brushed off. That experience is a big part of why I liked it enough to upgrade my license from a single site to unlimited. Overall, it just does what it is supposed to do without being complicated, and it has genuinely helped me.

   Read on wp.org ↗
6. ★★★★★ lisalin2025

   12mo ago

   Great Plugin! Thanks for Tracy’s support!

   Read on wp.org ↗
7. ★★★★★ rune

   1.0y ago

   This plugin is so great for managing custom URLs and redirects while adding tracking. I use it for all my clients and it helps enforce domain authority and security. Also, I needed help from Support and they were very quick to response and resolve my issue.Thanks!

   Read on wp.org ↗
8. ★★★★★ eddysalomon

   1.1y ago

   I recently left another tool and decided for a self hosted option. Betterlinks is actually better than the tool I left. The redirects are fast and it was easy to set up. I love that you can transfer your existing links from another link service with a few clicks. Initially I had some issues doing this. But I reached out to support (Kathryn) and she sent me a video walking me the easy fix. I’m happy I invested in this plugin. It’s been great so far. I’ll finally be able to easily track all my internal and affiliate links with ease.

   Read on wp.org ↗

Recent releases and news for this plugin

1. — Version 2.4.13 Few minor bug fixes & improvements 2.4.13
2. — Version 2.4.12 Improvement: Redesigned Import/Export with improved field mapping and support for complex imports. Improvement: Resolved Plugin Check (PCP) warnings and errors. Few minor bug fixes & improvements 2.4.12
3. — Version 2.4.11 Few minor bug fixes & improvements 2.4.11
4. — Version 2.4.10 Improvement: WPML support for Affiliate Link Disclosure Notice translations. Fixed: Missing ABSPATH protection issue causing PHP fatal errors on direct file access. Fixed: CSV import issue stripping % characters from tar 2.4.10
5. — Version 2.4.9 Improvement: Added WPML-compatible translatable string support. Few minor bug fixes & improvements 2.4.9
6. — Version 2.4.8 Fixed: Resolved an issue where duplicating a BetterLinks URL caused the original Shortened URL to stop working Few minor bug fixes & improvements 2.4.8

All 4 disclosed vulnerabilities are patched in the current version (3.1.5). Sites still on an older version should update.

1. Patched Medium · 4.3 BetterLinks <= 3.1.0 - Missing Authorization to Authenticated (Subscriber+) Arbitrary Short URL Creation via create_fbs_link AJAX Action ↗
   2026-08-24 CVE-2026-19801 Missing Authorization Affects <= 3.1.0 Patched in 3.1.1
2. Patched Medium · 4.9 BetterLinks <= 2.1.7 - Authenticated (Administrator+) SQL Injection ↗
   2024-11-01 CVE-2024-51672 Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command Affects <= 2.1.7 Patched in 2.1.8
3. Patched Medium · 6.5 BetterLinks <= 1.6.0 - Improper Authorization to Data Import and Export ↗
   2023-10-18 CVE-2023-45104 Improper Authorization Affects <= 1.6.0 Patched in 1.6.1
4. Patched Medium · 5.4 BetterLinks – Shorten, Track and Manage any URL <= 1.2.5 - Stored Cross-Site Scripting ↗
   2021-10-20 CVE-2021-24812 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects < 1.2.6 Patched in 1.2.6

Automated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 7.0

Translated into 5 languages, 0 at 90% or more

Whether ChatGPT and Claude name this plugin when asked the category question, and whether the readme gives them something to quote.

Not measured yet for this plugin’s topics. Its tracked searches are not among the measured topics. See the topics measured so far.

Growth timeline

Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow

1. 2024-07-14 10K+ → 20K+ up after 1 days in tier
2. 2024-07-13 20K+ → 10K+ down after 3 days in tier
3. 2024-07-10 10K+ → 20K+ up after 651 days in tier
4. 2022-09-28 8K+ → 10K+ up after 93 days in tier
5. 2022-06-27 7K+ → 8K+ up after 36 days in tier
6. 2022-05-22 6K+ → 7K+ up after 25 days in tier
7. 2022-04-27 5K+ → 6K+ up after 38 days in tier
8. 2022-03-20 2K+ → 5K+ up after 107 days in tier

Competes with

The plugins that solve the same job, ranked by shared tags then reach, closest match first. The letter on the right is each plugin's health grade (A best, F worst).

Embed this report card

Drop a live Pulse card for BetterLinks – Link Shortener, Link Cloaking, Redirects, Affiliate Link Manager & MCP into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.

BetterLinks – Link Shortener, Link Cloaking, Redirects, Affiliate Link Manager & MCP: 20K+ active installs, 4.8★ (85 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/betterlinks