After The Sunset: The Best Google Optimize Alternatives

Last updated Mar 27th, 2023 |

Important update: Google just announced they will sunset Google Optimize on Sept 30th 2023 but you can continue to use it until that date. Convert and VWO have both stepped up by offering lower cost and free plans as the best Google Optimize alternatives.

If you want to improve your website conversion rate and grow your business, you’ve probably heard of A/B testing. It’s an online tool for testing which version of your website converts more users into sales.

Choosing an A/B testing tool is essential for helping your business grow, but it can be difficult to know which one is right for you.

To help you decide what to do after Google Optimize has sunset on Sept 30th 2023, I created a guide comparing the best Google Optimize alternatives, VWO and Convert.

Not only will this guide provide you with a side-by-side comparison of each tool, but I will also take a closer look at each one’s pricing and features.

Don’t have time to read the details? See my expert opinion on which tool to choose

Comparing Google Optimize versus VWO and Convert

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


Cost rating	10/10 Free – but this tool is sunsetting on Sept 30th 2023 and can’t be used after then.	8/10 Free plan with limited targeting, and full features from $356 per month, starting with 50K users per month.	9/10 Plans start at $99 per month for their ‘Community Web’ plan with 50K users per month.
Test setup experience and usability	5/10 Good but only using Chrome plugin. Poor A/B test creation user experience.	9/10 Great A/B test creation process, with very good user experience including tips and onboarding.	7/10 Good enough, but the user experience is a bit basic. Onboarding and guidance in tool could also be improved.
Testing types available	7/10 A/B tests, MVT and redirect tests, but no multi-page tests.	6/10 A/B tests and split tests are included in all plans, but MVT and multi-page only in Growth plan and up.	9/10 A/B tests, split tests, MVT, and multi-page are included in all plans.
Test targeting options	6/10 Basic targeting. No ability to use Google Analytics segments (only in premium 360 version).	8/10 Good targeting behavioural options for paid plans, but only URL and device targeting in free plan.	9/10 The most advanced targeting options included even in lowest level plan.
Success metrics	7/10 Only 3 objectives can be used per test, with limited ways to customize them.	9/10 Great – good selection of goals and metrics, including revenue.	9/10 Great – good selection of goals and metrics, including revenue.
A/B test reporting	6/10 Standard reporting, but in-depth analysis can be done in Google Analytics.	9/10 Great reporting, and includes an A/B testing repository for managing insights.	8/10 Good results reporting and dashboard overview. Being updated soon.
Customer service	1/10 No support offered. Only included in premium version.	9/10 Email support included in all plans, and phone and live chat in higher level plans.	8/10 Phone and email support included in higher level plan, with none in lowest cost plan.
Overall rating	7/10 Good for beginners, but lacks advanced features and support options.	9/10 An excellent A/B testing tool with a good free plan, but plans with best features are more costly than Convert.	9/10 They offer the lowest cost plans, although the tool features and usability are not as good as VWO.
Free trial?	Try Google Optimize – free	Get a 30-day free trial of VWO	Get a 30-day free trial of Convert

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

Google Optimize Review

Update: As I had expected, Google recently announced that Google Optimize and Google Optimize 360 will be sunsetting on Sept 30th 2023. But you can still continue to use it until that date. They have also just clarified there will be no A/B testing options in GA4, only integrations with other A/B testing tools.

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.

Their recent announcement also mentioned they will adding A/B testing tool features into GA4, but 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 .

You can still use Google Optimize so let’s take a look at the notable pros and cons of it.

Google Optimize Pricing:

Google Optimize: Free until the tool is sunset

Google Optimize Pros:

Very good tool for free, and is ideal for businesses who only have basic A/B testing needs.
Excellent integration with Google Analytics to help improve A/B testing reporting.
Easy to analyze reports in greater depth using by Google Analytics alongside it.

Google Optimize Cons:

Can only be used until Sept 30th 2023
The usability of it is lacking compared to other tools, particularly the creation of A/B tests.
Only 5 tests can be run at the same time (unlimited when upgrading to 360 version).
No ability to use Google Analytics segments (only in 360 version).
Only 3 success metrics (objectives) can be used (unlimited in 360 version).
Multi-page testing is not included in the free version (only in 360 version).
Reporting is not real-time, with 6-8 hour delays in data coming through.
No ability to copy tests between containers for staging and live, so manual copying is needed.
No support included, only through forums or paid 3rd party consultants or agencies.

Google Optimize Rating on G2: 4.2/5 (as of March 2023)

VWO Review

Update: VWO launched a free version of their A/B testing tool after the Google Optimize sunset announcement. It includes 50K users per month which is great, but no segment targeting is included, only targeting by URL and device.

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.

In particular they recently expanded their offerings to include many different plans with additional tools.

VWO Pricing:

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

Starter: Free but only has URL or device targeting
Growth: $356 per month billed annually, with full segment targeting
Pro: $ 842 per month billed annually, includes multi-page campaigns
Enterprise: $1461 per month billed annually, with API and self hosting

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.

They also have these other plans for more advanced needs:

VWO Full Stack – for doing mobile app and server side testing
VWO Insights – includes CRO tools for session recordings, survey tools and form analysis
VWO Personalize – for doing advanced personalization campaigns
VWO Deploy – lets you deploy winning versions without needing development
VWO Services – their agency handles all the A/B testing strategy, design and dev for you

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

VWO Pros:

The free plan is great for replacing Google Optimize, and is ideal if you don’t need segment targeting.
Intuitive user interface with great A/B test design wizard to help you get better results.
Includes A/B test duration estimator tool which helps you see if you have enough traffic.
Includes their very good ‘VWO Plan’ for managing and recording insights from A/B tests.
Great integration between all the tools on their platform, including visitor recordings and surveys.

VWO Cons:

Pricing is not publicly available, and has increased after moving away from the low cost market.
While they now offer many CRO tools, the different plans and tools are confusing to understand.
Segment targeting like repeat users or geographic region is not included in the free plan.

VWO Rating on G2: 4.3/5 (as of March 2023)

Free trial details: 30 day free trial and no credit card required to sign up and use all the features.

Convert Review

Update: They have acted on Google Opimize sunsetting by offering a much lower cost plan for only $99 per month, called the ‘Community Web’. The only important limitation is that it only includes 50K of users tested per month, but you can upgrade to their ‘Community Full’ plan which includes 100K users tested per month.

The other leading Google Optimize alternative is Convert. They have evolved from being a great low cost A/B testing tool to one of the most advanced and complete tools available.

Convert Pricing:

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

Community Web: $99 per month (with 50K tested users)
Community Full: $199 per month (with 100K tested users)
Growth: $699 per month when paying annually (with 500K tested users)
Expert: $1,199 per when paying annually (with 1 million tested users)
Enterprise: You have to contact their sales team for customized pricing

Convert Pros:

Great for A/B testing pros, including a very good editor for CSS and Javascript.
Is one of the only GDPR compliant A/B testing tools.
The fastest loading tool for user experience, with no flicker experienced.
Offers the best support of all tools, including web chat support.
Their pricing is transparent and publically available, unlike other premium tools.

Convert Cons:

The user experience is a bit basic, and onboarding and help in the tool is limited.
Only 50K monthly users are included on their lowest cost plan, which is only enough for 1-2 tests per month.
No support is included their lowest cost plan, and email support only on their $199 per month plan.

Convert Rating on G2: 4.7/5 (as of March 2023)

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.

My Expert Opinion: The Best Google Optimize Alternative

Now that Google Optimize is sunsetting, my verdict on the best A/B tool has changed considerably. Now it really just depends on your needs.

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

1: 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?
2: 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.
3: How advanced are your needs for targeting segments in your A/B tests like for repeat customers or by geographic region?
4: 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?

Then review each of these statements to see which tool is best for your needs:

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).
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.
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.
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.

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.

Other Google Optimize Alternatives Worth Considering

There are other less popular A/B testing tools you may want to consider for the best Google Optimize alternatives. 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.

Conductrics – a very good enterprise tool that also offers a great survey tool for gaining feedback.
A/B Tasty – a good tool that also includes useful features for session recordings and heatmaps.
Optimizely – was the most popular low-cost testing tool, but is now enterprise market only.
Adobe Target – a very good A/B testing tool, but is very expensive and for enterprise only.
Omniconvert – a multi-purpose tool that also offers personalization, surveys, and website popups.

Get a Free CRO and A/B Testing Tool Consultation

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.

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 sales for 100’s of online businesses with my A/B testing services.

Get a free CRO consultation and CRO teardown