BetterLinks – Link Shortener, Link Cloaking, Redirects, Affiliate Link Manager & MCP vs Pretty Links
Two WordPress plugins head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
These aren’t all alternatives to each other — they do different jobs — so this page compares popularity only, not features.
At a glance
Pretty Links leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #226, ahead of BetterLinks – Link Shortener, Link Cloaking, Redirects, Affiliate Link Manager & MCP at #1,299. Over the last 7 days Pretty Links slipped 1 place and BetterLinks – Link Shortener, Link Cloaking, Redirects, Affiliate Link Manager & MCP slipped 1 place. Pretty Links has the largest install base, roughly 10× the next: 200K+ active installs against 20K+ for BetterLinks – Link Shortener, Link Cloaking, Redirects, Affiliate Link Manager & MCP. Downloads this week: Pretty Links 66,964 and BetterLinks – Link Shortener, Link Cloaking, Redirects, Affiliate Link Manager & MCP 8,724. Ratings: BetterLinks – Link Shortener, Link Cloaking, Redirects, Affiliate Link Manager & MCP 4.8★ from 85 and Pretty Links 4.8★ from 1,321 reviews.
| Metric | BetterLinks – Link Shortener, Link Cloaking, Redirects, Affiliate Link Manager & MCP | Pretty Links |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #1,299 ▼ 1 | #226 ▼ 1 |
| Active installs | 20K+ | 200K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 8,724 | 66,964 |
| Rating | 4.8★ (85) | 4.8★ (1,321) |
| Last updated | Oct 14, 2026 | Oct 15, 2026 |
| Current version | 3.1.5 | 4.0.17 |
| Best rank on record | #1,289 | #209 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Jan 2021 | Mar 2009 |
Highlighted cells mark the strongest figure in each row. Rank and installs are from the latest WordPress.org capture; downloads are the last seven captured days.
Ranking history Lower is better
Active installs
Downloads per day
More comparisons
- BetterLinks – Link Shortener, Link Cloaking, Redirects, Affiliate Link Manager & MCP vs URL Shortify – Simple and Easy URL Shortener
- BetterLinks – Link Shortener, Link Cloaking, Redirects, Affiliate Link Manager & MCP vs Content Egg – Affiliate Product Importer & Price Comparison
- BetterLinks – Link Shortener, Link Cloaking, Redirects, Affiliate Link Manager & MCP vs 301 Redirects & 404 Error Log
- BetterLinks – Link Shortener, Link Cloaking, Redirects, Affiliate Link Manager & MCP vs Redirection
- Pretty Links vs URL Shortify – Simple and Easy URL Shortener
- Pretty Links vs Content Egg – Affiliate Product Importer & Price Comparison
Frequently asked questions
Which is more popular, BetterLinks – Link Shortener, Link Cloaking, Redirects, Affiliate Link Manager & MCP or Pretty Links?
By active installs, Pretty Links: 200K+ sites run it against 20K+ for BetterLinks – Link Shortener, Link Cloaking, Redirects, Affiliate Link Manager & MCP, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 18, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, BetterLinks – Link Shortener, Link Cloaking, Redirects, Affiliate Link Manager & MCP or Pretty Links?
Pretty Links, at #226 on the WordPress.org popular plugins list today, with BetterLinks – Link Shortener, Link Cloaking, Redirects, Affiliate Link Manager & MCP at #1,299. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Are BetterLinks – Link Shortener, Link Cloaking, Redirects, Affiliate Link Manager & MCP or Pretty Links alternatives to each other?
Not all of them. Some of these plugins do different jobs and many sites run more than one. This page compares their popularity, not their features.
Where do these numbers come from?
WordPress.org publishes each plugin’s active install count and its position on the popular list. This site records both every day, along with per-day downloads and ratings, so the charts above show how the plugins have moved over time rather than a single day.