As Google’s long-standing A/B testing tool recently rode off into the sunset (9/30/23), the online marketing world is buzzing with activity as a multitude of marketers seek the Google Optimize alternative that’s right for them.
For many teams, such an unexpected and obligatory transition is bringing up a flurry of questions, such as:
The goal of this article is to provide a realistic and actionable discussion of how you can tackle these questions head-on. My goal is to equip you with the information you need to make the right decision for your company, as you navigate the uncharted waters of a post-Optimize world.
Before diving into some popular alternatives, their pros and cons, let’s outline some of the key factors that can serve as a roadmap guiding your evaluation.
You can think of these as your roadmap or compass to navigate the dynamic landscape of online marketing tools focused on A/B testing. This initial stage of setting criteria is crucial for making a swift, strategic, and ultimately effective decision, and to avoid floundering in choice anxiety.
One aspect of understanding your needs is understanding the minimum requirements you have, which will depend on what you’re hoping to achieve with A/B testing.
For instance, at the highest level, are your needs exclusively for a website, or do you also need A/B testing for emails and/or mobile apps? Do you need to keep track of each user profile across these multiple channels?
The answers to these questions can narrow your Google Optimize alternatives fairly quickly, since many solutions are only for specific channels.
Here are a few more common goals and essential features for A/B testing:
Making your primary needs explicit in relation to these and perhaps other features will help to guide your assessment process, and quickly eliminate tools that are less relevant, however popular they may be.
Let’s talk numbers. Of course, cost is a major factor for any company assessing alternatives to Google Optimize. We’ve just discussed what features are essential to you, but another consideration is the ratio of features to price, and what fits within your budget.
Generally speaking, you can expect a reasonable degree of correlation between features and return on investment (ROI), although a few other factors come into the mix (see learning curve below).
This is because more features means more capabilities, although these capabilities resulting in ROI will of course depend on your skillful use of them. Still, more features do maximize at least the ROI potential of any given solution.
So, you could think of it in terms of a set of filters to be applied:
Essential features → and are within budget → features to price ratio.
Initial filter → Second filter → Final sorting
Necessity →Necessity → Flexible
Although there are other factors to consider in ratio to features and price, which will be discussed shortly, this is a good general template for the process of choosing an A/B testing alternative that is feasible and likely to maximize your ROI.
Another important factor beyond budget and features is the ease of use or user experience (UX) of the software, and again this is something to consider as a kind of ratio. You can consider this as a factor in relation to the final sorting stage above; in other words, as you begin to prioritize those solutions which have the most features for the price, you can also weigh ease of use into that final ranking.
However, this factor should only be considered after the initial sorting stages; it doesn’t matter how intuitive the tool is, if it doesn’t have your essential features or is outside your price range.
To some extent, UX needs will be different from team to team. If your team is intimately familiar with martech software or more technically inclined, then maximizing capabilities may be more important than finding the easiest UX. On the other hand, if you’re fairly green to this domain and/or have very specific A/B testing needs, it may be worth sacrificing some extra features to have a simple and intuitive user interface.
Additionally, some platforms offer extra services such as training which reduces the learning curve, so it may be possible to have your cake and eat it too, when it comes to the UX: features ratio.
While the above are the most critical considerations, there are a few additional factors that may weigh into your final assessment after the initial filters have been applied.
So, from what has been described above, a fairly clear process is emerging. You first want to eliminate any options that have no-go limitations such as not having the most essential features for your goals and not being within your budget. From there, you have a more nuanced assessment of the finalists who’ve made it past these first hurdles, which will depend more on your team’s preferences and unique needs.
Company A may be a large enterprise with a highly technical team, who has the budget to expand their A/B testing capabilities beyond what they had with Google Optimize. In this case, a more robust solution, whose slightly more complex user interface they know they can handle, may win out.
Company B may be a smaller business, looking specifically to A/B test relatively small changes to landing pages, and don’t have much experience with advanced martech. In this case, a more niche, budget-friendly, easy to use option will make more sense.
However, in both cases, each company will need to go through the initial stages of sorting out any solution which doesn’t include the most essential features for their goals, and that aren’t within their budget.
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Of course, you will need to make your own detailed assessment of these and other solutions, in your search for a Google Optimize replacement. These summaries are meant as a starting point, to give you an idea of which solutions you might explore first, in your search. These are presented in no particular order, since any ranking would be specific to your company’s unique needs and goals.
Pros of Switching to Optimizely:
Cons of Switching to Optimizely:
Smaller companies using Google products and requiring basic A/B testing may find Optimizely cost-prohibitive and complex, but medium to large enterprises with a strong emphasis on optimization can benefit from Optimizely's advanced features, despite the higher cost.
Pros of switching to VWO:
Cons of switching to VWO:
VWO is a robust alternative to Google Optimize, catering to diverse user needs and budgets; however, users should carefully evaluate their requirements and budget due to the pricing complexity and type of statistics used.
Pros of switching to Personyze:
Cons of switching to Personyze:
Personyze is a feature-rich, cost-effective personalization platform, ideal for companies looking to elevate personalization efforts far beyond A/B testing without breaking their budget, but its features and UI may be a bit much for companies exclusively looking for simple A/B testing.
Pros of switching to Mutiny
Cons of switching to Mutiny:
Mutiny is a new AI-driven, user-friendly platform ideal for B2B companies seeking enhanced A/B testing and personalization, but with some growing pains and gaps in tracking/reporting.
Pros of switching to Adobe Target:
Cons of switching to Adobe Target:
Adobe Target is ideal for organizations deeply involved with Adobe's suite, with robust integration, personalization, and automation features, but users should be prepared for a learning curve and cost considerations.
Pros of switching to SiteSpect:
Cons of switching to SiteSpect:
SiteSpect offers advanced testing, precise targeting, and detailed analytics, with technical flexibility and a visual editor, but consider budget and technical resources when evaluating.
Pros of switching to Unbounce:
Cons of switching to Unbounce:
Unbounce specializes in AI-powered high-converting landing pages, offering ease of use and Smart Traffic for SMBs and agencies, but consider specific testing needs when evaluating.
Pros of switching to convert.com:
Cons of switching to convert.com:
Convert is a robust alternative to Google Optimize, with great features and integrations, but it may take some time to become fully proficient.
Cons of switching to Apptimize
Apptimize is ideal for companies seeking mobile and native app testing, offering an intuitive interface, integration capabilities, and full-stack support, but consider the learning curve and pricing details when evaluating.
Pros of switching to A/B Tasty
Cons of switching to A/B Tasty
A/B Tasty is a robust A/B testing and optimization tool, offering advanced features and customization, but it lacks a trial version and built-in behavioral analysis tools.
Pros of switching to Dynamic Yield
Cons of switching to Dynamic Yield
Dynamic Yield is a robust personalization and A/B testing platform suitable for marketers, offering advanced personalization and machine learning capabilities, but consider the lack of public pricing information and usability challenges when evaluating.
Amongst these 11 Optimize alternatives are a great number of different tools and techniques marketers can employ to improve their users' web experiences. Within the RACE Framework below,we can see Machine Learning, Propensity Modeling and AI all adding value across the customer journey.
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