Optimizely Alternative 2020:
Fast, Affordable and Feature Rich.

Optimizely is an Enterprise tool.

Businesses that can commit upwards of USD 60,000 to an A/B testing solution in one go can consider Optimizely X.

However, with limits on integrations and key features like Multivariate tests and behavioral targeting, anything less than the Web Enterprise plan may in fact restrict innovative testing.

Optimizely limits integrations by plan.

The Optimizely X Essential & Business options have integrations with Google Analytics, Google Adwords, Clicktale and Adobe Analytics. The Enterprise variant supports integrations with solutions like BlueKai, Lotame, Demandbase and Lytics.

There are several integrations that are maintained by Optimizely technology partners. But these are limited to some 20 tools.

An integration with Shopify or Salesforce does not feature on the Optimizely site or in Optiverse (their learning hub).

Optimizely Classic was the original Optimizely platform, dedicated to A/B testing with some enhanced features that aided Conversion Rate Optimization.

Optimizely X takes the game to a whole new level. With modules like Optimizely X Web Experimentation, Optimizely X Web Personalization, Optimizely X Web Recommendation and Optimizely X Full Stack, you get the tools you need to run a highly advanced conversion rate optimization program, and conduct experiments on any code base you want (not just your website).

Optimizely has gone through multiple price revisions in the past couple of years. Optimizely X (the latest avatar of the solution) prices its plans based on the formula:

Cost of the Optimizely License ( this includes the cost of Impressions) + Cost of Services Rendered.

The license automatically renews every year. The impressions start at 10 million as a base and can go up to 25 million a year, beyond which increments come in blocks of at least 25 million impressions.

It is unclear what the “cost of services” covers.

Here are two reasons why Convert Experiences is a reliable Optimizely Alternative:

1. Commitment to your success: A/B testing is not about making a few front-end changes.As an Optimizely user you understand the true meaning of experimentation. It is making data backed decisions in all aspects of your business and your product development.

   This isn’t possible through a polished features set alone. This sort of commitment needs the support of your vendor and the experience of other CRO industry experts who are scaling best practices or re-inventing the wheel to innovate.

   Convert as a brand has evolved its A/B testing tool based on a decade of feedback from some of the best optimization agencies in the world. Our support is 4x faster and more thorough than our competitors. We have a network of experts and certified partners who truly believe in our vision and bring the same passion for putting your best interests first in all their interactions with clients. The bottom-line is – Optimizely is known for optimization maturity….Will other vendors also work with you to mature your testing program? Convert will.

2. Transparency: In today’s world your brand is every vendor and customer you’ve ever worked with. Think about that! If your vendors are involved in a data breach…or support divisive policies, then by association your brand image is bound to be tarnished. Can you afford a debacle?Convert has a legacy of being human and being transparent. Not only do we proudly live our Conscious Business ethics, we speak up about controversial matters that require a strong stance for the welfare of the world. We have never hesitated to turn down business that goes against our core values. And we have always communicated our wins and our failures to our users in a timely, open, and candid way.

The Optimizely X snippet loads on a site page and also runs the Project Javascript. The snippet is considered “activated” and triggers any time all the page targeting conditions (including the specified URL criteria) are met.

Upon this activation, Optimizely polls the experiments in the system using the specific page and evaluates whether an individual is qualified to enter the test and view the variants. Optimizely has claimed to reduce flickering in its testing solutions with the launch of Optimizely X. The verdict is still out on whether the performance has actually improved.

(— Want to see what a truly flicker free tool looks like? See how Convert Experience has beaten the blink, for good —)

No. All customers have to purchase annual plans.

Optimizely X Web Business plans come to approximately USD 63,700 for 10 million impressions, available up front. Whereas, the Optimizely X Web Enterprise variant can cost up to USD 113,100 for 10 million impressions, available up front. As is clear from the table above, all Optimizely products come with annual plans and have no monthly payment options.

Choosing an Optimizely Alternative is no different from choosing a good robust A/B testing tool to take care of optimization needs in these tumultuous times. We have created a blog on the process of choosing an A/B testing tool here.

But in general the following guidelines should point you in the right direction:

• What is the actual issue with your Optimizely deployment? A nebulous problem often leads to either no change or hasty, ill-planned change. Define where you are and where you would like to be and take it from there. For example, are you worried about poor visitor experience because of Flickering? Then where you would like to be is “Speedily served variations without Flickering”
• What are the Optimizely features you can’t do without? Optimizely has a plethora of sophisticated and high-end features. But if you think about it, 80% of your optimization program is reliant on 20% of the features. Identify what these key features are. And list the tools in the market that lead with these features. In case you are looking, we have created an easy manual to compare Optimizely with the most popular Optimizely competitors in the market. Get your free A/B Testing Tools Comparison.
• Do you want to save on Optimizely plans? You do get what you pay for. But there are affordable tools in the market that can offer an experience similar to Optimizely. If most of your non-negotiable features are included in a new tool, and you can save big with the shift, then plan to garner C-suite support. How will you re-invest the money in your business, especially in the post COVID-19 world where testing velocity should increase to eliminate uncertainty? That’s a key question. We have created a guide to help you re-negotiate or terminate your Enterprise contract.
• Does privacy figure on your list of concerns? Post GDPR, a keen interest in preserving user trust and supporting data privacy has shaped the optimization world. Do you want to ensure that A/B testing remains in the realm of “Essential” analytics with first party cookies and no PII saved in the default setting? Ask your potential vendors for specifics around their technical implementation and if they have a plan to comply with browsers and their possible vision of a cookie-less future.
• Get clear on your nice-to-haves. Some aspects are essential. But since migration already takes time & effort, what A/B testing roadblocks would you like to eliminate with the shift? What areas have been causing problems but have not come to the surface yet? Dig deep. Interview the people who actually use the tool and struggle with the glitches or celebrate the wins. More share-worthy reports? Better support? More integrations?
• Will you have vendor support during & after migration? Just sealing the deal on paper does not guarantee a successful shift. Ensure that your vendor has professional help to manage the process and can be proactive instead of a by-stander. For example, with Convert Experiences, you can migrate from Optimizely for free and be assisted by our agency partners with previous Optimizely experience. The post-deployment phase is when adoption happens. Thorough onboarding for all users and a support team that finds speedy, simple solutions can flatten the initial learning curve.