Why do affiliates not use apps to track their affiliate stats?

Here are some stats I have about the affiliates that is based on some of my research.

1. Less than 1% of affiliates track their affiliate stats with an app

2. About 50% of affiliates use adtech and link management tools

So why are affiliates either checking their affiliate stats manually with spreadsheets or simply not tracking anything at all?

BTW quick shoutout to our newsletter sponsors of StatsDrone and FTDx. 

I do think more affiliates should use affiliate stats tools like StatsDrone and that inclues other tools like Nifty Stats, Routy and even Voonix. Yes, the same Voonix that I found bidding on the ‘statsdrone’ keywords in Google. 

That’s ok, it was about time I started mastering the art of paid ads in B2B and that inspired me to write this article as well.

Let’s start with link management tools

My definition of link management tools are any means for an affiliate to manage their tracking links. That is, rather than copy and paste the tracking link given to them by the affiliate program, they use a link redirect.

My initial research in scanning tracking links pointing to iGaming operator brands tells me that about 50% of affiliates use these link redirects, or affiliate link cloaking as others would call them. Keep in mind that the biggest affiliates in the world own most of the traffic and almost all of them use link management tools. Kinda like that whole 80/20 rule that everyone talks about. 

Quick shoutout to Voluum and Keitaro Tracker.

So how many affiliates use an app to track their stats?

It is nearly that 80/20 rule happening all over again.

If we look at the EGR Power Affiliates 2025 of the top 25 affiliates, this list is comprised of the following:

• In-house affiliate stats systems

• StatsDrone

• Voonix

• Routy

At the time of publication, StatsDrone was powering 10% of this list and we have lofty goals to add 5 more customers by the end of this year. 

Let me estimate how many affiliates are using any apps

• Voonix: approx 100 users

• Routy: 50+

• StatsDrone: under 100 users

• Nifty Stats: perhaps 1000 to 2500 users

• In-house apps: 100+

So if we can all agree that there are millions of affiliates out there based on data from large affiliate networks and programs like Amazon Associates and Awin Global, then I think the following is true.

Also another shoutout to Odys Global and Alex Drew for awarding StatsDrone as the Best Stats Tracker 2025 from the Odys Global Awards. 

Back on topic, less than 1% of affiliates globally will track their stats using an app.

So why is that and what is stopping affiliates from using any of these tools?

Affiliate data privacy

One of the most common questions I get asked about StatsDrone is, how do we know you’re not looking at our data?

We answer that direct and tell affiliates that they can choose to store data on their own server and we also have built an on-prem version of our app. Simply put, we are not looking at customer data and the data we are tracking is the success or failure of connections of any affiliate program. 

Is that the only reason?

I think the other problem is this tool for affiliates to check their affiliate stats once a day, doesn’t have a big name behind it yet. We are trying to change that with StatsDrone but that is a big project to change the habits of affiliates. There are no major brands building these beyond companies like StatsDrone, Routy, Affcollect, CatStats (yo Cristian Florin Ionescu), Affilimate, CPV Lab (hey Julia Draghici), We Can Track and many more. 

The only exceptions to the major brands involve the following:

• wecantrack receiving investment from AWIN

• Impact.com acquiring Affluent.io and Trackonomics

This is where I'd like to interview and pick the brains of people like Adam Ross (CEO of AWIN) and Todd Crawford (Co-Founder of impact.com). PS the invites are still there for the Affiliate BI podcast!

When you go to affiliate conferences, you don’t really see booths for StatsDrone although we’ve had a few before. Our apps for some reason are not mainstream yet but that requires time. 

So how do we get more affiliates using affiliate stats trackers?

I think this takes a bit more time and more education in the market. By education, I don’t mean just having affiliates know what the apps do but it is just as important for affiliate managers to know these things too as they talk to affiliates day in and day out. 

In a perfect world, all the companies that operate in this space would get together to try to help each other but it is a big challenge. Affiliates typically need only one of us, not quite 2 or more so we are a little competitive when it comes to trying to win new business and keep it.

I mean I’m still checking VOONIX.NET to see if they are still bidding on the StatsDrone keywords.

But putting that aside, I think we could all get more market-share if we worked together.

Until then, if you’re an affiliate reading this, I’m not going to just say try StatsDrone but test us all out and stop tracking your data on spreadsheets. Or even worse, don’t be that affiliate that doesn’t record anything at all. This data is part of your digital assets and is what companies would want to be acquiring if you would indeed be wanting to sell your business.