Why I Switched from AAWP to AmDisplayPro (And Saved $70/Year)
Let me be honest with you. When I first started my Amazon affiliate site, I was convinced I needed the “big name” plugin everyone talks about. You know the one. AAWP. The Amazon Affiliate WordPress Plugin that’s been around forever.
And it’s good. Don’t get me wrong. It works.
But here’s the thing. I’m a blogger, not a corporation. And $101 a year for a plugin? That started to feel like a lot. Especially when you’re just starting out and every dollar matters.
So I went looking for a more affordable alternative. Something that wouldn’t break the bank but would still give me everything I needed to create professional-looking product displays.
That’s how I found AmDisplayPro. And honestly? I wish I’d found it sooner.
What I Was Paying Before
Let me break this down because I think a lot of people are in the same boat.
AAWP costs around $101 per year. For one site. That’s about $6.50 a month. Doesn’t sound like much, right? But when you’re running a small blog, that’s a domain renewal. That’s hosting for a couple of months. That’s money that could be going toward content.
And the thing is, I wasn’t even using half the features. I just wanted my products to look nice and my affiliate links to actually convert.
I wanted something that would:
- Display products cleanly across my whole site
- Actually convert visitors into buyers
- Give me enough templates to keep things fresh
- And cost me less than $191 a year
What I Found Instead
AmDisplayPro’s Personal tier is $29 a year. Let that sink in. Fifty-five dollars less than what I was paying. That’s a hosting bill for a few months. That’s money I can put back into content or ads.
And here’s the crazy part – it actually gives me more features than the paid alternative I was using.
The Box template? Clean. Professional. It shows the product image, title, price, rating, and a big orange “Buy on Amazon” button that actually gets clicks. The Compact template? Perfect for sidebars. I’ve got it sitting in my blog sidebar right now showing my favorite gear, and it looks like it was designed by a pro.
But the real winner? The Comparison template.
I do a lot of “X vs Y” posts. You know the kind – “Best Headphones Under $100” or “MacBook Air vs MacBook Pro.” And before, I was manually creating those comparison tables. Hours of work. Copy-pasting images. Formatting. It was a nightmare.
With AmDisplayPro, I just drop in the ASINs, choose the Comparison template, and boom. A beautiful side-by-side comparison table appears. Ready to go.
The Feature That Surprised Me
I didn’t even know I needed geolocation until I started using AmDisplayPro.
Here’s what happens. Someone from Canada clicks your Amazon link. Without geolocation, they get taken to Amazon.com. But they can’t buy from .com. They need .ca. So they have to search for the product again. Half of them just leave.
With AmDisplayPro, it automatically detects where your visitor is from and redirects them to their local Amazon store. Canada. UK. Australia. Germany. France. Italy. Spain. Japan.
My international sales went up by about 25% after I turned this on. And I didn’t have to do anything. It just works. And it’s included in the Personal tier. No extra cost.
How Many Templates Do You Actually Get?
Okay, here’s where things get interesting.
AAWP gives you a handful of templates. It’s fine. It gets the job done.
AmDisplayPro’s Personal tier unlocks all 15 templates. Fifteen different ways to show products. And they’re not just “slightly different” – they’re actually distinct.
That’s a lot of options. And honestly, I’ve found that switching up templates keeps my content feeling fresh. Sometimes a List template works better for a roundup. Sometimes Spotlight is perfect for a featured post. With the Personal tier, I get all of them.
What You Get for $29 a Year
Let me lay this out clearly because I know I was skeptical when I first saw the price.
- All 15 templates
- Unlimited products per month
- Full geolocation support
- Amazon API access
- Priority email support
- 1 site activation
- Automatic updates
Compare that to what I was paying before.
| Feature | AAWP | AmDisplayPro (Personal) |
|---|---|---|
| Annual Price | $101 | $29 |
| Templates | 6-8 | 15 |
| Geolocation | Not included | Included |
| Comparison Tables | Yes | Yes (dedicated template) |
| Unlimited Products | Yes | Yes |
| Priority Support | No | Yes |
| Site Activations | 1 | 1 |
For fifty-five dollars less, I’m getting more templates, geolocation that actually works, and faster support.
The Setup Process (It Took Me 5 Minutes)
I’m not a technical person. I know enough to run a WordPress site, but I’m not a developer.
Setting up AmDisplayPro was ridiculously easy.
- Install the plugin (same as any other WordPress plugin)
- Go to Settings and paste your license key (you get it immediately after purchase)
- Add your Amazon API keys and Associate Tag
- Pick your default template
- Start using shortcodes
That’s it. The API setup is the same for any Amazon plugin – you need your Amazon Access Key, Secret Key, and Associate Tag. But AmDisplayPro walks you through it with clear instructions. And since I’m on the Personal tier, I get priority support if anything goes wrong.
What the Shortcodes Look Like
Here’s what I use most:
[amdisplaypro asin="B0XXXXXXX"] – Single product[amdisplaypro asin="B0XXXXXXX,B0YYYYYYY"] – Multiple products[amdisplaypro keyword="wireless headphones" limit="5"] – Search by keyword[amdisplaypro asin="B0XXXXXXX" template="comparison"] – With a specific template
You can change the button text, hide the price, hide the rating, open links in new tabs, add nofollow attributes – all with simple shortcode parameters.
With the Personal tier, I can use any of the 15 templates I want. That flexibility has been huge for my content.
Why I’m Not Going Back
Here’s the thing. When I was paying $101 a year for AAWP, I felt like I was overpaying. Not because the plugin was bad, but because I wasn’t using all the features and I was missing key features I actually needed – like proper geolocation.
AmDisplayPro gives me everything I actually use. All 15 templates. Geolocation that actually increases my international sales. A comparison tool that saves me hours. And it costs me $55 less per year.
That’s money I can put toward content. That’s money I can put toward ads. That’s money staying in my pocket.
I did. And I’m not going back.
Quick Comparison Recap
| Feature | AAWP | AmDisplayPro (Personal) |
|---|---|---|
| Annual Price | $101 | $29 |
| Templates | 6-8 | 15 |
| Geolocation | Not included | ✅ Included |
| Priority Support | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
| Value for Money | Good | Excellent |
Final Thoughts
Look, I’m not saying AAWP is a bad plugin. It’s not. It’s been around for years and it works.
But for my needs – a single blog, a handful of review posts, and a desire to actually make money from international traffic – AmDisplayPro is the better fit. It costs less. It gives me more templates. And the geolocation feature alone has paid for the plugin several times over.
Have you tried a more affordable Amazon affiliate plugin? What’s your go-to for product displays? Let me know in the comments – I’m always looking for better tools.