The Best Google Optimize Alternatives From A CRO Expert

Google Optimize is the most used A/B testing tool. But Google announced they will sunset it and it can no longer be used after Sept 30th 2023. Many online businesses are therefore now asking which is the best Google Optimize alternative to switch to.

There are so many A/B testing tools to choose from, but many are either very expensive or not as good as Google Optimize. And unfortunately there are no good free options.

I’m here to help you decide which A/B testing tool to use, as I’ve got 15 years experience in A/B testing.

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That is why I have created this guide comparing the two leading Google Optimize alternatives, VWO and Convert.

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It provides you with a side-by-side comparison of each tool, and a closer look at each one’s pricing and features.

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And as I work so closely with both of these tools, you will also get exclusive deals for upgraded and longer free trials.

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Comparing Google Optimize versus VWO and Convert

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This comparison table will help you understand the best alternative for Google Optimize to consider.

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Cost rating n	۱۰/۱۰ Free  – but this tool is sunsetting on Sept 30th 2023 and can’t be used after then.	۸/۱۰ Free plan with limited targeting, and full features from $356 per month. Starts with 50K users per month.	۹/۱۰ Plans start at $99 per month for their ‘Community Web’ plan with 50K users per month.
Test setup experience and usability n	۵/۱۰ Good but only using Chrome plugin. Poor A/B test creation user experience.	۹/۱۰ Great A/B test creation process, with very good user experience and onboarding. Simple to use visual editor and advanced code editor.	۸/۱۰ Good, but the user experience is a bit basic.  Very good visual editor and code editor. Onboarding could be improved.
Testing types available n	۷/۱۰ A/B tests, MVT and redirect tests, but no multi-page tests.	۸/۱۰ A/B tests, split tests and multi-page are included in all plans, but MVT only in Growth plan and up.	۹/۱۰ A/B tests, split tests, MVT, and multi-page are included in all plans.
Test targeting options n	۶/۱۰ Basic targeting. No ability to use Google Analytics segments (only in premium 360 version).	۸/۱۰ Good targeting behavioural options for paid plans, but only URL and device targeting in free plan.	۹/۱۰ The most advanced targeting options are included even in lowest level plan.
Success metrics	۷/۱۰ Only 3 objectives can be used per test, with limited ways to customize them.	۹/۱۰ Great – good selection of goals and metrics, including revenue.	۹/۱۰ Great – good selection of goals and metrics, including revenue.
A/B test reporting n	۶/۱۰ Standard reporting, but in-depth analysis can be done in Google Analytics.	۸/۱۰ Good reporting, but results segmentation only in pro plan and up.	۹/۱۰ Very good real-time results reporting and segmentation on all plans.
Customer support n	۱/۱۰ No customer support offered, only guides and articles in their help center.	۹/۱۰ Email support included in all plans, and phone and live chat in higher level plans.	۸/۱۰ Phone and email support included in higher level plans, with none in lowest cost plan.
Overall rating	۷/۱۰ Good for beginners, but lacks advanced features and support options.	۹/۱۰ An excellent A/B testing tool with a good free plan, but plans with the best features are more costly than Convert.	۹/۱۰ They offer the lowest cost plans, although the tool usability is not as good as VWO.
Free trial?	Try Google Optimize – free until it sunsets	Get an upgraded 45-day free trial of VWO	Get a longer 30-day free trial of Convert

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Now let’s get more detailed, with an overview of each of these tools including pros and cons.

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Google Optimize Review

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In November 2022, there was some talk of the free Google Optimize version being removed, with only the paid Google Optimize 360 remaining. But both versions will now be sunset.

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On February 1st Google clarified that they will only be adding integrations with other A/B testing tools, and won’t be adding any A/B testing features into GA4 .

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Its important to realize you can still use Google Optimize until Sept 30th. So if you want to take advantage of it being free until it sunset, let’s take a look at the notable pros and cons of it.

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Google Optimize Pricing: 

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  • Google Optimize: Free until the tool is sunset

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Google Optimize Pros:

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  • Very good tool for free, and is ideal for businesses who only have basic A/B testing needs.

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• • Excellent integration with Google Analytics to help improve A/B testing reporting.

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• • Easy to analyze reports in greater depth using by Google Analytics alongside it.

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Google Optimize Cons:

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  • Can only be used until Sept 30th 2023

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• • The usability of is lacking and limited, particularly creating A/B tests.

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• • Only 5 tests can be run at the same time.

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• • No ability to use Google Analytics segments.

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• • Only 3 success metrics (objectives) can be used.

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• • Multi-page testing is not included in the free version.

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• • Reporting is not real-time, with 6-8 hour delays in data coming through.

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• • No support included, only through forums or paid 3rd party consultants or agencies.

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Google Optimize Rating on G2: ۴.۲/۵ (as of July 2023)

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VWO Review
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The first Google Optimize alternative for you to consider is VWO. They are one of the pioneering A/B testing tools who launched in 2010. They initially started off as a low cost A/B testing tool, but have recently added many excellent features for advanced users.

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In particular they recently expanded their offerings to include many different plans with additional CRO tools, like heat maps, session recordings and surveys. Those tools are very useful for doing conversion research to create better A/B testing ideas.

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VWO Pricing: 

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They have 4 different plans for their VWO testing tool. Here is the new pricing for 50K users per month:

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  • Starter: Free but only has URL or device targeting

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• • Growth: $356 per month billed annually, with full segment targeting

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• • Pro: $ 842 per month billed annually, includes multi-page campaigns

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• • Enterprise: $1461 per month billed annually, with API and self hosting

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These plan prices increase when you want more than 50K users per month. For example, the Growth plan increases to $550 per month if you want 100K users per month.

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They also have these other plans for more advanced needs:

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  • VWO Full Stack – for doing mobile app and server side testing

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• • VWO Insights – includes CRO tools for session recordings, survey tools and form analysis

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• • VWO Personalize – for doing advanced personalization campaigns

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• • VWO Deploy – lets you deploy winning versions without needing development

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• • VWO Services – their agency handles all the A/B testing strategy, design and dev for you

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Here are the pros and cons of the VWO Testing plan, which is the plan most of their clients choose.

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VWO Pros:

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  • The free plan is great for replacing Google Optimize, and is ideal if you don’t need segment targeting.

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• • Intuitive user interface with great A/B test design wizard to help you get better results.

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• • Includes A/B test duration estimator tool which helps you see if you have enough traffic.

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• • Includes their very good ‘VWO Plan’ for managing and recording insights from A/B tests.

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• • Great integration between all the tools on their platform, including visitor recordings and surveys.

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VWO Cons:

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  • Pricing is not publicly available, and has increased after moving away from the low cost market.

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• • While they now offer many CRO tools, the different plans and tools are confusing to understand.

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• • Segment targeting like repeat users or geographic region is not included in the free plan.

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• • Report segmentation (for example by device or traffic source), is only available in pro plan and up.

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VWO Rating on G2: ۴.۳/۵ (as of July 2023)

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Upgraded free trial details: I just arranged an deal with VWO to give you a 45 day free trial instead of 30 days, and you also get 50% more users to test on during the free trial. There is also no credit card needed to try all the features.

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Convert Review

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The other leading Google Optimize alternative to consider is Convert. They have evolved from being a great low cost A/B testing tool to become one most popular A/B testing tools over the last few years, with all the advanced features you need.

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Convert Pricing:

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They offer 5 plans, with more testers included and more features in their higher cost plans. Here are the prices as of July 2023.

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  • Community Web: $99 per month (with 50K tested users)

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• • Community Full: $199 per month (with 100K tested users)

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• • Growth: $699 per month when paying annually (with 500K tested users)

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• • Expert: $1,119 per when paying annually (with 1 million tested users)

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• • Enterprise: You have to contact their sales team for customized pricing

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Convert Pros:

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  • Great for A/B testing pros, including a very good code editor for CSS and Javascript.

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• • Has the best value A/B testing tool plan for those who need over 250K users per month.

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• • The real-time reporting is very good and has excellent interactive graphs.

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• • It is one of fastest loading tools for website user experience, with no flicker experienced.

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• • Their knowledge base and FAQ sections are very detailed, with good support too.

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• • For advanced users, you can switch between Frequentist and Bayesian stats engines.

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• • They just launched a helpful tool to import your A/B tests from Google Optimize.

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Convert Cons:

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  • The user experience is a bit basic, and onboarding and help in the tool is limited.

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• • Only 50K monthly users are included on their lowest cost plan, which is only enough for 1-2 tests per month.

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• • No support is included their lowest cost plan, and email support only on their $199 per month plan.

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Convert Rating on G2: ۴.۷/۵ (as of July 2023)

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Upgraded free trial details: I got their free trial extended from 14 days to 30 days for you – you won’t find this elsewhere. And no credit card is required to sign up and use all the features.

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۴ Questions To Find The Best Google Optimize Alternative

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So what is better VWO or Convert? As you can see from my comparison earlier, they are both very good, but each has its own advantages. The simple answer is that it really depends on your budget and your exact needs.

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When choosing a Google Optimize alternative, ask yourself these four important questions to determine which tool is best for you:

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۱: How much can you afford? Are you willing to spend at least $99-199 per month on an A/B testing tool, or will it be hard to get any budget for it?
n۲: How many users do you need per month? Check how many you need per A/B test using this calculator then estimate how many users per month you need based on how many tests per month you want to do. Bear in mind that often 100K users will only be enough for 1 or 2 tests per month.
n۳: How advanced are your needs for targeting segments in your A/B tests like for repeat customers or by geographic region?
n۴: Is cost your only consideration? How important to you is the best user experience, upgraded support, and better onboarding when using an A/B testing tool?

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Then review each of these statements to see which Google Optimize replacement is best for your needs:

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  • If you can’t get any budget for an A/B testing tool, and are okay with only doing 1 test per month, use the VWO free plan (unless you want to target advanced segments, as it only includes targeting by URL or device).

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• • If you are doing 2 or more tests per month (between 50K-100K of users per month), the VWO free plan will not include enough traffic for you. If you can afford to pay $199 per month, then use the Convert Community plan as it includes 100K users per month.

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• • If you are doing 4 or more tests per month, go with the Convert Growth plan of $699 per month which includes 500K users per month. The VWO cost for 500K users is much more expensive for similar features, at $1897 per month.

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• • If cost isn’t your only consideration, and you want the best A/B testing tool user experience, better onboarding and upgraded support, then go with a VWO plan, as they are better than Convert.

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You still have time to decide, so don’t rush into making a decision to replace Google Optimize. Both VWO and Convert don’t require credit details to sign up, so I suggest you check both out and see which of their limitations has the biggest impact on you.

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Other Google Optimize Alternatives Worth Considering
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There are other less popular A/B testing tools you may want to consider as a replacment for Google Optimize. Here are some of the best other ones, each with their own strengths, but none of these currently have a free plan or a low cost plan like VWO or Convert.

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  • Conductrics – a very good enterprise tool that also offers a great survey tool for gaining feedback.

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• • A/B Tasty – a good tool that also includes useful features for session recordings and heatmaps.

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• • Optimizely – was the most popular low-cost testing tool, but is now enterprise market only.

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• • Adobe Target – a very good A/B testing tool, but is very expensive and for enterprise only.

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• • Kameleoon – another enterprise tool that may be worth considering if you have a large budget.

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• • Omniconvert – a multi-purpose tool that also offers personalization, surveys, and website popups.

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Get a Free A/B Testing Tool Consultation

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Still unsure about which A/B testing tool is right for you instead of Google Optimize? I can help review your tool needs with a free CRO and A/B testing consultation, and give you a free CRO teardown with recommendations to improve any page on your website.

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I’m a CRO expert with over 15 years of experience. I work closely with Google Optimize alternatives like Convert and VWO, and have increased revenue for 100’s of online businesses with my A/B testing services.

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Get a free consultation about which A/B testing to use and a CRO teardown

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