VWO Versus Convert: The Best Google Optimize Alternatives From A CRO Expert

Google Optimize was the most used A/B testing tool, but Google sunset it and it can’t be used as of Sept 2023.

There are now so many A/B testing tools to choose from, but many are either very expensive or not as good as Google Optimize was. And unfortunately there are no good free options. The best two are VWO versus Convert.

I created this guide to help you decide which of them to use, as I’ve got 15 years experience in A/B testing.

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

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

VWO versus Convert and Google Optimize

This table will help you understand how VWO compares against Convert, and also how Google Optimize compared.

Cost rating	10/10 This tool was free but  has been sunset and can no longer be used.	8/10 Free plan with no targeting, and full features from $424 per month. Starts with 50K users per month.	9/10 Plans start at $299 per month for their growth plan, including 100K users per month.
Test setup experience and usability	5/10 Was good but needed Chrome plugin, and had a poor A/B test creation user experience.	9/10 Great A/B test creation process, with very good user experience and onboarding. Simple to use visual editor and advanced code editor.	7/10 Good, but the user experience for the new visual editor needs improving, along with their onboarding. Code editor is great though.
Testing types available	7/10 Included A/B tests, MVT and redirect tests, but no multi-page tests.	8/10 A/B tests, split tests and multi-page are included in all plans, but MVT only in Growth plan and up.	8/10 A/B tests, split tests, and multi-page are included in all plans. MVT not included in growth plan.
Test targeting and triggers	6/10 It was basic. No ability to use Google Analytics segments (only in premium 360 version).	6/10 Good, but full and customized options for targeting and triggers only in their most expensive plan.	9/10 The most advanced and customizable targeting and triggers are included even in their lowest level plan.
Success metrics	7/10 Only 3 objectives could 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 Had standard reporting, but in-depth analysis could be done in Google Analytics.	8/10 Good reporting, but results segmentation only in pro plan and up.	9/10 Very good real-time results reporting and segmentation on all plans.
Customer support	1/10 No customer support was offered, only guides and articles in their help center.	7/10 Email support included in all plans, and phone and live chat in higher level plans. Account manager included in the enterprise plan.	9/10 Email and in-app messaging support included in all plans. Phone support and account manager in the growth plan and up.
Overall rating	7/10 Was good for beginners, but lacked advanced features and had no support.	8/10 An excellent tool with a basic free plan, but plans with the best features are more costly than Convert.	9/10 They offer the lowest cost plans, although their onboarding and visual editor is not as good as VWO.
Free trial?	Has been sunset and can’t be used anymore	Get an upgraded 45-day free trial of VWO	Get a longer 30-day free trial of Convert

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

VWO Review

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 also expanded their offerings to include 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.

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: $424 per month billed annually, with full segment targeting
• Pro: $ 976 per month billed annually, includes multi-page campaigns
• Enterprise: $1708 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 $652 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:

• Their free plan is fine for replacing Google Optimize if you only have basic A/B testing needs.
• 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.
• Advanced and customizatable targeting and triggers are only available in their most expensive plan.
• Report segmentation (for example by device or traffic source), is only available in pro plan and up.

VWO Rating on G2: 4.3/5 (as of Mar 2025)

Get an Upgraded Free Trial of VWO Plus 5 A/B Test Ideas

I arranged a deal with VWO to give you a 45 day free trial instead of 30 days, and you get 50% more users to test on during the free trial, and no credit card is needed to try all the features. And when you sign up and contact me to let me know you used my link, I will send you a video with 5 personalized A/B test ideas for your website that will increase your conversion rate and revenue.

Convert Review

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

Convert Pricing:

They offer 3 plans, with additional features included in their higher cost plans. Here are the prices as of Mar 2025.

• Growth: $299 per month, only paying monthly (with 100K tested users)
• Pro: $499 per month, only paying annually (with 250K 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 code editor for CSS and Javascript.
• Has the best value A/B testing tool plan for those who need over 200K users per month.
• The real-time reporting is very good and has excellent interactive graphs.
• It is one of fastest loading tools for website user experience, with no flicker experienced.
• Their knowledge base and FAQ sections are very detailed, with good support too.
• For advanced users, you can switch between Frequentist and Bayesian stats engines.
• They have a helpful tool to import your A/B test history from other tools.

Convert Cons:

• The new visual editor is a bit too different and has some user experience issues.
• Their onboarding could be much better. That is being improved soon though.
• MVT is not included in the Entry plan, and only available in the higher plans.

Convert Rating on G2: 4.7/5 (as of Mar 2025)

Get a Longer Free Trial of Convert Plus 5 A/B Test Ideas

I have partnered with Convert to get their free trial extended from 14 days to 30 days, and no credit card is required to try all the features. You won’t find this deal anywhere else. And when you sign up and contact me to let me know you used my link, I will send you a video with 5 personalized A/B test ideas for your website that will increase your conversion rate and revenue.

4 Questions To Find The Best Google Optimize Alternative

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

To find out which tool is best for you, ask yourself these 4 important questions:

1: How much can you afford? Are you willing to spend at least $299 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 and triggers? For example, you may often need to set up A/B tests to target only repeat customers, or to trigger them to start based on clicks on elements like navigation or mini-carts.
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 Google Optimize replacement is best for your needs:

• If you can’t currently 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 do targeting, 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 $299 per month, then use the Convert Growth plan as it includes 100K users per month.
• If you are doing 5 or more tests per month, go with the Convert Pro plan of $499 per month which includes 250K users. The VWO cost for the same amount of users is much more expensive for similar features, at $1503 per month.
• If you need customized or advanced targeting or triggers for your A/B tests, VWO is much more expensive as you need their enterprise plan (starting at $2074 per month for 100K users). Convert includes this even in their lowest cost plans.
• If cost and features aren’t your only consideration, and you want the best tool user experience with better onboarding, then go with a VWO plan, as they are currently better than Convert.

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.

Get a Free 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 A/B testing tools like Convert, VWO and Optimizely, and have increased revenue for 100’s of online businesses with my A/B testing services.