01
Stay on free if
- You run affiliate links + a few static banners
- AdSense or Google Ad Manager covers your monetization
- You manage every ad yourself and never sell to others
- Classifieds is a nice-to-have, not a revenue stream
WordPress · Cloaker + Ad Manager + Classifieds · Free forever
Run an ad rotator.an affiliate link cloaker.a classifieds board.an AdSense layer.an email capture wall. Three tools in one WordPress plugin. Cloaker, ad manager, classifieds. Free forever.
Stop installing three separate plugins. WB Ad Manager bundles an affiliate-link cloaker, a 5-type ad manager with 16+ placements, and a frontend classifieds marketplace into one free install. Click tracking, scheduling, frequency caps, AdSense + Google Ad Manager, BuddyPress + bbPress placements, full REST API. None of it locked behind Pro.
3 tools in 1 · Unlimited sites · BuddyPress + bbPress integration · No feature locks
For readers, advertisers, and the person running the site
Three tools, one install. Here is what each side does.
Readers experience
- Click affiliate links that look like /go/clean-slug instead of long URLs
- See ads that fit their device and the time of day they visit
- Browse classifieds posted by other members from the front end
- Sign up via newsletter ads embedded inline with content
- Get fewer ads thanks to frequency caps that stop hammering them
- Skip irrelevant ads thanks to category and post-tag targeting
You can
- Cloak hundreds of affiliate links and import them via CSV
- Drop 5 ad types in 16+ placements without editing theme files
- Show different ads on desktop, tablet, and mobile from one dashboard
- Schedule ads by date, day-of-week, and time-of-day window
- Pull AdSense + Google Ad Manager with one Publisher ID setting
- Add community ad placements to BuddyPress and bbPress automatically
The decision in 10 seconds
Most sites stay on free.
Pro pays off when one of these is true.
02
Move to Pro when
- You want advertisers to buy ad slots without you invoicing them
- You sell classifieds listings with featured + urgent upgrades
- You need A/B testing that auto-picks the winning creative
- You want geographic targeting and country-tiered pricing
- You charge for membership-gated submissions
Free, Personal, Agency
Use it free forever. Move to Pro when you sell ad slots.
Free is the complete 3-in-1 toolkit (cloaker + ad manager + classifieds) on unlimited sites. Pro adds the self-serve advertiser portal, A/B testing, geographic targeting, and revenue dashboards.
WB Ad Manager
Free forever
Free
Unlimited sites · no license key
- Affiliate link cloaker + CSV import
- 5 ad types · 16+ placements
- AdSense + Google Ad Manager
- Scheduling + frequency caps
- BuddyPress + bbPress placements
- Full REST API
Most popular
WB Ad Manager Pro
Personal
$59/yr
1 site · lifetime $199
- Everything in free
- Self-serve advertiser portal
- Wbcom Credits SDK (5 adapters)
- A/B testing with auto-winner
- Revenue dashboard
- 1 year of updates + priority support
WB Ad Manager Pro
Agency
$299/yr
Unlimited · lifetime $499
- Everything in Personal
- Unlimited client sites
- Classifieds Pro + membership gating
- Geographic targeting + premiums
- White-label admin
- Resell at your own rate
Other ad plugins exist
Honest comparison with the two big WordPress ad plugins.
Both are good at what they do. Neither bundles affiliate cloaking + classifieds. Neither has a self-serve advertiser portal. WB Ad Manager covers all three in one install.
vs Advanced Ads
What they get right
- Mature codebase
- Big community
- Many placements
What they leave on the table
- Pro adds quickly to $100s/yr
- No affiliate cloaker
- No classifieds
- No self-serve sales
WB Ad Manager: Same placement engine in free. Affiliate cloaking + classifieds bundled in. Pro adds the advertiser portal those plugins do not have.
vs Ad Inserter
What they get right
- Free tier exists
- Lightweight
- Code-block insertion
What they leave on the table
- No frontend submission
- No revenue dashboard
- No A/B testing
- No community placements
WB Ad Manager: WB Ad Manager free already covers Ad Inserter's feature set + adds cloaker + classifieds. Pro layers self-serve + A/B + analytics on top.
Before you install
Six questions, six straight answers.
- 01
Is WB Ad Manager really free?
Yes. The free version on wordpress.org and via direct download ships the affiliate link cloaker, the 5-type ad manager with 16+ placements, the classifieds marketplace, click tracking, AdSense + Google Ad Manager support, BuddyPress + bbPress placements, scheduling, frequency caps, and the full REST API. No feature locks.
- 02
How is this different from Pretty Links or ThirstyAffiliates?
Those plugins do affiliate-link cloaking only. WB Ad Manager free includes the cloaker plus an ad manager and a classifieds marketplace. If you only need link cloaking and nothing else, Pretty Links is fine. If you need ads or classifieds too, WB Ad Manager replaces two or three plugins.
- 03
How is this different from Advanced Ads or Ad Inserter?
Advanced Ads + Ad Inserter focus on ad rotation and placement. WB Ad Manager free has the same placement engine plus affiliate cloaking plus a classifieds marketplace. Pro adds the self-serve advertiser portal those plugins do not have - members buy credits and post their own ads.
- 04
Will it slow down my site?
No. Ad-delivery queries are indexed for milliseconds-scale lookups. AdSense + Google Ad Manager use Google's own delivery network. The plugin adds two small scripts and one CSS file - similar footprint to any modern WordPress plugin.
- 05
When is Pro worth it?
Move to Pro when you want advertisers to buy ad slots without writing invoices, you sell classifieds with featured upgrades, you need A/B testing, you charge by country or region, or you gate submissions by membership tier.
- 06
Does Pro ship Stripe, PayPal, or Razorpay directly?
No, and on purpose. Pro hooks into your existing checkout via 5 adapters: WooCommerce Products, WooCommerce Subscriptions, WooCommerce Memberships, Paid Memberships Pro, and a custom webhook. Whatever payment processor you already use, advertisers buy credits through that.
Three plugins worth of work. One free install.
Affiliate cloaker + 5-type ad manager + classifieds marketplace + AdSense + BuddyPress placements + REST API. None of it locked behind Pro. Under thirty minutes from install to first live ad.
Prefer to read first? Read the documentation
Forever free · Unlimited sites · 3 tools in 1 plugin · No feature locks