9 Best Google Optimize Alternatives (Free and Paid)

As a seasoned digital marketer with 15 years of experience under my belt, I’ve seen my fair share of website optimization tools come and go. But few departures have been as impactful as the sunsetting of Google Optimize in September 2023. This left many of us scrambling for a suitable replacement, and that’s where this comprehensive guide comes in.

Don’t worry, you’re not alone. In this article, I’ll be sharing the 9 best Google Optimize alternatives—both free and paid—that can help you effectively conduct A/B testing on your website. I’ve personally tested each of these tools and I’m excited to share my insights and recommendations.

But before we dive into the alternatives, let’s take a quick look at what Google Optimize was and why it’s important to find a suitable replacement.

What Is Google Optimize and Why Use an Alternative?

Google Optimize was a free tool from Google that allowed you to conduct A/B testing on your website. In essence, it let you run experiments on various elements of your website—like headlines, call-to-actions, images, and even entire page layouts—to see which version performs best in terms of conversions.

A/B testing is a crucial aspect of conversion rate optimization (CRO), helping you understand what resonates with your audience and ultimately drive more conversions (whether it’s sales, leads, subscriptions, or any other goal you’re aiming for).

But sadly, Google decided to discontinue Google Optimize. This left many website owners and marketers in a bit of a predicament, as they needed a reliable A/B testing solution to continue their optimization efforts.

Thankfully, there are a plethora of great alternatives available, offering a range of features and pricing options to suit different needs.

Best Google Optimize Alternatives

Let’s explore the best Google Optimize alternatives that I’ve found to be effective and user-friendly:

1. Thrive Optimize

For WordPress users, Thrive Optimize is an absolute game-changer. It’s part of the Thrive Themes suite, a collection of conversion-focused plugins designed to make your website work harder for you.

With Thrive Optimize, you can create A/B tests without needing to touch any code. Simply design your landing pages using the visual builder, create variations, define your conversion goal (e.g., page visits, form submissions, revenue), and launch your test.

One of the things I love about Thrive Optimize is its intuitive reporting system. Unlike Google Optimize, where you had to switch between tabs to view results, Thrive Optimize conveniently displays the reports within your WordPress dashboard. You can easily see which variant is performing best and make data-driven decisions.

Thrive Optimize also allows you to create multiple variations of a landing page for testing, making it easier to explore different options and identify the top performer. The plugin even automates the process of selecting a winner based on the gathered data.

Why I Choose Thrive Optimize:

• Beginner-friendly: No coding required, making it accessible for everyone.
• Seamless WordPress integration: Works seamlessly within your WordPress dashboard.
• Powerful features: Allows for multiple variations, conversion goal tracking, and easy reporting.

Pricing:

Thrive Optimize is part of the Thrive Themes suite, which costs $299 per year and includes 9 other powerful conversion tools. You can also purchase the Thrive Optimize bundle for $199/year.

For a more in-depth look, check out my detailed Thrive Themes review: https://www.naveedahmed.me/thrive-themes-review/

2. OptinMonster

OptinMonster is a powerhouse in the world of WordPress popup plugins and lead generation. It’s renowned for its ability to create highly engaging campaigns, including popups, floating bars, and welcome mats, to grow your email list, boost conversions, and generate more leads.

But OptinMonster also packs a punch in the A/B testing arena. Its built-in A/B testing tool lets you test different popup campaigns to see which design and messaging resonate best with your audience.

The intuitive drag-and-drop campaign builder makes it easy to create variations of your popups. OptinMonster then randomly displays these variations to your website visitors, gathering data and automatically selecting the winner based on conversion rates.

The comprehensive stats within your WordPress dashboard provide valuable insights into the performance of your campaigns, helping you refine your strategies and maximize your conversion rates.

Why I Choose OptinMonster:

• Focus on popups: Ideal for optimizing popups, a critical element for many websites.
• Easy-to-use interface: Intuitive drag-and-drop builder makes it simple to create variations.
• In-depth analytics: Provides detailed insights into the performance of your campaigns.

Pricing:

The A/B testing feature is available on OptinMonster’s Plus plan and higher, with pricing starting at $19 per month.

3. VWO Testing

VWO Testing is a popular A/B testing solution that goes beyond basic testing. It allows you to run experiments on your website, products, apps, and even on the server side.

VWO Testing offers a visual builder that simplifies the process of making changes to your webpages. You can edit text, images, shapes, backgrounds, and more, creating variations for testing. Once you’ve made your changes, you can run split tests and see which version outperforms the others.

VWO Testing also includes an AI-powered copywriting tool that can help you automatically generate different headlines, call-to-action copies, and product descriptions for testing. This can be a real time-saver, especially if you’re struggling to come up with compelling copy.

Another impressive feature is its ability to run tests based on user segments and behavior. You can target specific groups of visitors based on their time spent on a page, scroll depth, exit intent, or even their clicking patterns. This level of segmentation allows you to tailor your experiments to different user segments and get more precise results.

Why I Choose VWO:

• Comprehensive features: Offers a wide range of testing options, including website, product, app, and server-side experiments.
• Powerful targeting options: Allows you to run tests on specific user segments based on their behavior.
• AI-powered copywriting: Helps you generate variations for testing with AI-driven copy suggestions.

Pricing:

VWO Testing offers a free plan that allows you to test up to 50,000 users per month. For larger websites or more advanced needs, you can upgrade to premium plans.

4. FunnelKit

FunnelKit (formerly WooFunnels) is a top choice for WordPress and WooCommerce users seeking to build high-converting sales funnels.

FunnelKit is another Google Optimize alternative that comes with an A/B testing feature, particularly well-suited for WooCommerce stores. You can easily split-test your product prices, page layouts, messages, designs, and even entire funnels without needing to code.

FunnelKit also includes other powerful features, such as FunnelKit Automations, which allows you to set up automated email and SMS campaigns to nurture leads and drive conversions.

I’ve found FunnelKit to be incredibly user-friendly. You can set up A/B tests in minutes, testing different elements like headings, images, prices, product descriptions, and more. FunnelKit also helps you determine a winner once enough data has been collected, making it easy to identify the best-performing funnel.

Why I Choose FunnelKit:

• WooCommerce integration: Designed specifically for WooCommerce stores, offering deep integration.
• Beginner-friendly: Easy to set up and run A/B tests.
• Sales funnel creation: Enables you to create complete sales funnels, optimizing every step.

Pricing:

FunnelKit offers several pricing plans. To access the A/B testing feature, you’ll need the Plus plan, which costs $179.5 per year.

5. Convert.com

Convert.com is a well-respected A/B testing tool known for its speed and ease of use. It’s a strong Google Optimize alternative, providing many of the features you’re accustomed to, plus some additional advantages.

Convert.com focuses on delivering a fast and flicker-free A/B testing experience, ensuring that your tests don’t negatively impact your website’s performance. They achieve this through the use of Akamai CDNs, which minimize load times and provide accurate results.

Convert.com also makes it easy to integrate your tests with Google Analytics and other tools like Hotjar, Heap, Segment, HubSpot, and more. This allows you to gain a more comprehensive understanding of your users’ behavior and get a clearer picture of how your A/B tests are impacting your overall website performance.

While their onboarding process can be a bit slow, once you’re up and running, you can create unlimited tests and quickly deploy changes.

Why I Choose Convert.com:

• Fast and flicker-free testing: Ensures a seamless user experience while minimizing performance impact.
• Unlimited tests: Allows you to conduct as many tests as you need.
• Integration with other tools: Enables seamless data flow between Convert.com and other marketing tools.

Pricing:

Convert.com’s pricing starts at $99 per month, and they offer a 15-day free trial.

6. Crazy Egg

Crazy Egg is widely known for its heatmap tool. Heatmaps provide visual representations of user behavior on your website, showing you where people click, how they move their mouse, and how they scroll through pages.

But Crazy Egg also offers an A/B testing tool to help you optimize your website and boost conversions. What makes it a compelling Google Optimize alternative is the combination of A/B testing with the additional features it offers.

Along with A/B testing, you get access to heatmaps, visitor recordings, error tracking, surveys, and traffic analytics. This comprehensive toolkit gives you a deep understanding of your website’s performance and helps you identify areas for improvement.

Crazy Egg also includes a multivariate engine that automates the testing process. You simply choose the elements you want to test and provide your ideas, and the engine takes care of running the tests and analyzing the results.

Moreover, it seamlessly integrates with popular website builders like WordPress, Shopify, Squarespace, Wix, and more.

Why I Choose Crazy Egg:

• Heatmaps and user recordings: Provides visual insights into user behavior, going beyond basic analytics.
• Multivariate engine: Automates the testing process, saving you time and effort.
• Wide compatibility: Integrates with various website builders.

Pricing:

Crazy Egg offers several pricing plans starting at $29 per month. You get unlimited A/B tests on all plans, and they also offer a 30-day free trial.

7. Adobe Target

Adobe Target is a robust enterprise-level solution designed for A/B testing and personalization. It’s part of the Adobe Marketing Cloud, offering a comprehensive marketing suite.

Adobe Target goes beyond basic A/B testing, offering an omnichannel approach. This means that instead of running isolated experiments on your website, you can run tests across various channels, including social media, organic traffic, paid search, and more. This omnichannel perspective allows you to get a more holistic view of your users’ journey and optimize their experience across all touchpoints.

Adobe Target is also known for its user-friendliness. It’s easy to set up and use, and its AI-powered automation helps you test multiple experiences and personalize them for each visitor.

One potential downside is that Adobe Target is primarily intended for users who already have Adobe Analytics. If you’re looking for a complete marketing solution with an A/B testing feature, Thrive Optimize might be a better fit.

Why I Choose Adobe Analytics:

• Enterprise-level solution: Provides a robust platform for complex A/B testing and personalization needs.
• Omnichannel approach: Allows you to run tests across different marketing channels.
• AI-powered automation: Simplifies the testing process and enables personalized experiences.

Pricing:

You’ll need to request a quote for Adobe Target pricing, as it varies based on your business requirements.

8. Optimizely

Optimizely is one of the most well-known Google Optimize alternatives on the market. Their digital experience platform allows you to run A/B tests on your website, with advanced targeting features to personalize your experiments.

Optimizely’s visual editor makes it easy to make changes to your website and create variations for testing. It works seamlessly across all website platforms, making it a popular choice for large brands.

I’ve personally used Optimizely in the past when they offered a free plan, and it’s an incredibly powerful tool. However, their pricing is no longer as budget-friendly for small businesses.

Why I Choose Optimizely:

• Widely recognized: A well-established and trusted A/B testing platform.
• Advanced targeting: Enables precise targeting of specific user segments.
• Cross-platform compatibility: Works across all website platforms.

Pricing:

Optimizely doesn’t publicly disclose their pricing anymore. You’ll need to submit a form to request a quote.

9. Kameleoon

Kameleoon is another powerful Google Optimize alternative, offering comprehensive A/B testing solutions for websites and mobile apps.

You can run web experiments and A/B tests on both your website and mobile apps. Kameleoon lets you set specific business goals for your tests, making it easy to track which variant is driving the most conversions, retention, or engagement.

For advanced users and developers, Kameleoon offers server-side A/B testing capabilities. This allows you to run experiments on the server-side of your application, improving your product’s performance and user experience. Kameleoon supports a variety of development languages and frameworks, including PHP, Java, Ruby, Flutter, and more.

Kameleoon also incorporates AI-powered personalization, allowing you to create unique experiences for each visitor and target specific segments for testing. It also complies with important privacy regulations like GDPR and CCPA.

Why I Choose Kameleoon:

• Server-side testing: Provides advanced testing capabilities for developers.
• AI-powered personalization: Enables personalized experiences for individual users.
• Compliance with privacy regulations: Ensures adherence to GDPR and CCPA.

Pricing:

To get a quote for Kameleoon pricing, you’ll need to request a demo.

Bonus: UserFeedback

UserFeedback is a valuable tool that goes beyond A/B testing. It allows you to collect real-time feedback from your website visitors. This direct feedback can provide insights that you might not get from analytics alone, helping you understand your users’ intent and make impactful website improvements.

You can ask users specific questions, such as what information is missing on your website, why they didn’t purchase a product, or what kind of content they’d like to see more of.

UserFeedback is incredibly easy to use, with pre-made templates to help you create popup feedback surveys. You can ask open-ended questions, multiple choice questions, and even collect emails and star ratings. It also includes features like built-in reporting, page-level targeting, and integration with Google Analytics and MonsterInsights.

UserFeedback offers a free version that you can use to get started.

Which Is the Best Google Optimize Alternative? (Expert Pick)

Based on my extensive experience, the best Google Optimize alternatives are Thrive Optimize, OptinMonster, VWO Testing, and FunnelKit.

• Thrive Optimize: My top pick for WordPress users. It’s affordable, user-friendly, and packed with powerful features. As part of the Thrive Suite, you also get access to other tools like a quiz builder, popup form builder, WordPress page builder, and more.
• OptinMonster: Another great option for optimizing your website and running A/B tests. It excels at A/B testing different campaigns, creating variations, and determining the top performer.
• VWO Testing: If you’re looking for a comprehensive SaaS solution that works across all platforms, VWO Testing is an excellent choice. Their generous free plan makes it accessible to many small business owners.
• FunnelKit: For WooCommerce store owners, FunnelKit is a great option. It offers deep WooCommerce integration and allows you to customize every step of your sales funnels, including adding upsells, order bumps, and more to boost your average order value.

FAQs About Google Optimize Alternatives

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Google Optimize Free?

Google Optimize was a free tool offered by Google that allowed you to run experiments on your website. It enabled you to A/B test landing pages and make changes to see which version performed best.

What is replacing Google Optimize?

Google Optimize has been replaced with a Google Analytics 4 integration with popular A/B testing tools.

Why did Google sunset Optimize?

Google Optimize and Optimize 360 lacked several features and services that users requested for experimentation testing. Instead of investing in offering more effective solutions and integrations, Google decided to sunset Optimize.

Can I still use Google Optimize?

No, Google Optimize is no longer available for use. Google discontinued it in September 2023.

What are the benefits of using an A/B testing tool?

A/B testing tools provide numerous benefits for website owners and marketers, including:

• Data-driven decision-making: A/B testing provides objective data to guide your website optimization efforts.
• Increased conversions: By identifying what resonates best with your audience, you can improve your conversion rates.
• Reduced risk: A/B testing allows you to test changes before implementing them on a large scale, minimizing potential negative impact.
• Improved user experience: By understanding what works best for your users, you can create a more engaging and enjoyable website experience.

What should I consider when choosing an A/B testing tool?

Here are some key factors to consider:

• Ease of use: Choose a tool with a user-friendly interface and intuitive features.
• Features: Consider the specific A/B testing capabilities, such as the ability to create variations, set conversion goals, and generate reports.
• Integrations: Look for tools that integrate with other marketing platforms and analytics tools.
• Pricing: Choose a plan that fits your budget and needs.
• Customer support: Ensure that the tool provides reliable customer support in case you need assistance.

What are some best practices for A/B testing?

Here are some best practices for getting the most out of A/B testing:

• Focus on one element at a time: Avoid testing multiple changes simultaneously to isolate the impact of each modification.
• Use a clear hypothesis: Define what you expect to achieve with each test.
• Set realistic goals: Don’t expect drastic changes overnight. A/B testing is a gradual process.
• Test for sufficient time: Ensure enough data has been collected before declaring a winner.
• Continuously iterate: Don’t stop testing once you’ve found a winner. Continuously experiment to identify even better solutions.

How can I improve my website’s conversion rate?

Here are some general tips for improving your website’s conversion rate:

• Optimize your landing pages: Ensure your landing pages are clear, concise, and focused on driving conversions.
• Improve your calls to action (CTAs): Use compelling language and clear visuals to encourage visitors to take action.
• Personalize the user experience: Use data to tailor your website content and messaging to individual users.
• Simplify your website navigation: Make it easy for visitors to find what they’re looking for.
• Offer excellent customer service: Be responsive and helpful to your visitors.
• Build trust and credibility: Use social proof, testimonials, and other signals to build confidence in your brand.

What are some common A/B testing mistakes to avoid?

Here are some common mistakes to avoid:

• Testing too many changes at once: Focus on testing one element at a time.
• Not testing for long enough: Ensure sufficient data has been collected to draw meaningful conclusions.
• Ignoring the results: Analyze the data carefully and make adjustments based on the findings.
• Not continuously testing: A/B testing is an ongoing process. Keep experimenting and iterating.

Conclusion

The discontinuation of Google Optimize may have initially felt like a setback, but it’s actually presented an opportunity to explore a wider range of powerful A/B testing tools. Whether you’re a seasoned marketer or just starting out, there’s an alternative on this list that’s perfect for your website’s needs and budget.

Remember, A/B testing is a crucial aspect of website optimization, helping you make data-driven decisions and improve your website’s performance. So, choose the right tool, get testing, and watch your website flourish!

If you’re interested in learning more about tech news, feel free to visit my website: www.naveedahmed.me.