{"category":{"slug":"open-source-affiliate-marketing-software","label":"Open-source affiliate marketing software"},"methodology_url":"https://www.orbator.io/ai-index/methodology","license":"Free to use with attribution to orbator.io","date":"2026-08-21","engine":null,"available_dates":["2026-08-21","2026-08-20","2026-08-15","2026-08-14","2026-07-28","2026-07-25","2026-07-22","2026-07-09","2026-07-08","2026-06-17"],"policy":{"quotable_engines":["anthropic","openai","gemini"],"max_excerpt_chars":400,"full_text_public":false,"customer_runs_public":false,"full_text_retention":"retained at least 24 months, then operator review","notes":["Only Index category runs are archived publicly — customer scans never appear.","The quotable unit is a short excerpt of at most 400 characters, never the full answer.","Engines outside the verbatim allowlist are recorded as having answered, with the excerpt withheld under their terms.","Prompt intent is published; the prompt text itself is not."]},"status":"ok","count":7,"limit":50,"truncated":false,"engines":[{"engine":"anthropic","count":7,"withheld":false,"answers":[{"engine":"anthropic","answered_on":"2026-08-21","prompt_intent":"best_in_category","excerpt":"## Best Open-Source, Self-Hostable Affiliate/Referral Software for SaaS\n\nBased on current options, here are the top self-hosted picks specifically suited for SaaS referral programs, ranging from most mature to newer/actively developing projects:\n\n### 1. **Raider**\nRaider is a simple, easy-to-integrate affiliate management system that lets affiliates generate tracking links, check their earnings, a","excerpt_withheld":false,"withheld_reason":null,"highlights":[{"start":256,"end":262,"name":"Raider"},{"start":265,"end":271,"name":"Raider"}]},{"engine":"anthropic","answered_on":"2026-08-21","prompt_intent":"best_in_category","excerpt":"Here's a breakdown of the top self-hosted affiliate tracking options for an ecommerce store that wants to keep full ownership of its data, organized by use case.\n\n## If you're on WordPress/WooCommerce\n\n**AffiliateWP** — As a WordPress plugin, AffiliateWP requires a self-hosted WordPress website, and it's recommended to have a compatible e-commerce plugin installed if you plan to use it for product","excerpt_withheld":false,"withheld_reason":null,"highlights":[{"start":179,"end":188,"name":"WordPress"},{"start":189,"end":200,"name":"WooCommerce"},{"start":204,"end":215,"name":"AffiliateWP"},{"start":225,"end":234,"name":"WordPress"},{"start":243,"end":254,"name":"AffiliateWP"},{"start":278,"end":287,"name":"WordPress"}]},{"engine":"anthropic","answered_on":"2026-08-21","prompt_intent":"recommendation","excerpt":"Based on the search results, **eLitius** stands out as a genuinely open-source affiliate tool that handles both coupon-based tracking and multi-level commissions:\n\n**eLitius** (available on GitHub as `intelliants/elitius`) is a free open source affiliate tracking software with lots of features and customizable templates using Smarty, built on PHP/MySQL. When paired with the Subrion CMS as a plugin","excerpt_withheld":false,"withheld_reason":null,"highlights":[{"start":31,"end":38,"name":"eLitius"},{"start":166,"end":173,"name":"eLitius"},{"start":213,"end":220,"name":"eLitius"},{"start":377,"end":388,"name":"Subrion CMS"}]},{"engine":"anthropic","answered_on":"2026-08-21","prompt_intent":"recommendation","excerpt":"For a program with **hundreds of affiliates**, you need something more robust than a basic PHP script — you'll want solid tracking accuracy, fraud protection, scalable reporting, and API access for integrations. Here's how the open-source landscape breaks down:\n\n## Strongest open-source options for scale\n\n**Refferq** – A modern, actively maintained option built on Next.js and PostgreSQL. It's a se","excerpt_withheld":false,"withheld_reason":null,"highlights":[{"start":309,"end":316,"name":"Refferq"},{"start":379,"end":389,"name":"PostgreSQL"}]},{"engine":"anthropic","answered_on":"2026-08-21","prompt_intent":"alternatives","excerpt":"Here's a breakdown of open-source and self-hosted affiliate software options that can serve as alternatives to pricier hosted affiliate network platforms (like Impact, PartnerStack, or Post Affiliate Pro), along with honest caveats about their limitations.\n\n## WordPress-Based Open Source Plugins\nIf you're already running WordPress/WooCommerce, these are the most mature options:\n- For WordPress, Af","excerpt_withheld":false,"withheld_reason":null,"highlights":[{"start":160,"end":166,"name":"Impact"},{"start":168,"end":180,"name":"PartnerStack"},{"start":185,"end":203,"name":"Post Affiliate Pro"},{"start":261,"end":270,"name":"WordPress"},{"start":323,"end":332,"name":"WordPress"},{"start":333,"end":344,"name":"WooCommerce"},{"start":387,"end":396,"name":"WordPress"}]},{"engine":"anthropic","answered_on":"2026-08-21","prompt_intent":"comparison","excerpt":"Great question — these two setups solve fundamentally different problems, even though both involve \"someone gets paid for bringing in someone else.\" Here's how they diverge across the dimensions that actually matter when building or choosing one.\n\n## 1. What's being tracked and rewarded\n\n**SaaS referral program**: Tracks a single, repeatable transaction type — usually a subscription signup or upgr","excerpt_withheld":false,"withheld_reason":null,"highlights":[]},{"engine":"anthropic","answered_on":"2026-08-21","prompt_intent":"problem_solving","excerpt":"# Self-Hosting an Affiliate Tracking System with Commission Tiers & Payout Management\n\nHere's a practical breakdown of your options and how to implement them.\n\n## Option 1: Use an Existing Self-Hosted Platform (Recommended for Most)\n\nBuilding from scratch is significant work — the most complete self-hosted options still require significant engineering work to reach production quality, and for most","excerpt_withheld":false,"withheld_reason":null,"highlights":[]}]}]}