Google Optimize vs. Optimizely Web Experimentation

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Google Optimize
Score 7.0 out of 10
N/A
Google offers the Optimize A/B testing tool for testing website content and versions.N/A
Optimizely Web Experimentation
Score 8.6 out of 10
N/A
Whether launching a first test or scaling a sophisticated experimentation program, Optimizely Web Experimentation aims to deliver the insights needed to craft high-performing digital experiences that drive engagement, increase conversions, and accelerate growth.N/A
Pricing
Google OptimizeOptimizely Web Experimentation
Editions & Modules
Google Optimize
Free
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Google OptimizeOptimizely Web Experimentation
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
YesNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoYes
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeOptional
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Google OptimizeOptimizely Web Experimentation
Considered Both Products
Google Optimize
Chose Google Optimize
We didn't use Optimizely very long as it fell out of budget due to complexity with the experiment setup.
Chose Google Optimize
Google Optimize is a great entry-level test platform and is an ideal solution for my clients that want something simple to start with and see value. Although not as robust as the paid platforms, it still does the job well and delivers believable data ties to one of the most …
Optimizely Web Experimentation
Chose Optimizely Web Experimentation
Optimizely by far wins over Google Optimize. The UI is so much better, easier to use and share. The reporting and overall experimentation flexibility beats Google Optimize hands down.
Chose Optimizely Web Experimentation
Google Optimize was great, but our organization already had contracts with Optimizely Web Experimentation for their other tools. unbounce wasn't really an option either mainly because it was only a landing page testing tool and had to use their platform to host the tests. We …
Chose Optimizely Web Experimentation
We pivoted to Optimizely Web Experimentation because Google Optimize was sunsetted as a product by Google. Optimizely Web Experimentation has more features available, such as the statistical significance estimator, ability to run more than 5 experiments at a time, and ability …
Chose Optimizely Web Experimentation
Google Optimize was used previously and sunset in October. We were looking for a new system that had similar capabilities that was organized and would allow code manipulation as well as ease of use without touching code so more members of our team could seamlessly implement …
Chose Optimizely Web Experimentation
Google Optimize was much less flexible for our program needs and requires Google Analytics for analysis and metrics tracking. Optimizely Web Experimentation lets you build any number of metrics which can be much more complex than standard GA goals. Optimizely Web …
Chose Optimizely Web Experimentation
It's slightly more complicated to use, but in my experience, it has more capabilities. Also, Google Optimize was depreciated, so this is definitely the next best platform.
Chose Optimizely Web Experimentation
The creation and customization of events in our AB testing is an important feature that Google Optimize does not. Because of how we prioritize our Client journey and leading to more form submissions, it's critical that we can identify pivotal moments that influence our User's …
Chose Optimizely Web Experimentation
The ability to do A/B testing in Optimizely along with the associated statistical modelling and audience segmentation means it is a much better solution than using something like Google Analytics were a lot more effort is required to identify and isolate the specific data you …
Chose Optimizely Web Experimentation
None of them have a best in class stats engine and live within an ecosystem of marketing technology products the way that Optimizely does, so the scalability of using any one of those tools is limited as compared to using Optimizely Web Experimentation.
Chose Optimizely Web Experimentation
Optimizely has everything in one place. It is also more thorough, letting you do any kind of experimentation. It also has a much better interface that allows you to manipulate the creative/code much more easily.
Chose Optimizely Web Experimentation
Better tools but more expensive
Chose Optimizely Web Experimentation
Optimizely is my favorite due to its ease of use and exceptional testing capabilities. It is not the cheapest tool, but the other tools that could be compared are not cheap—you get what you pay for. Some of the smaller tools are making gains, though!
Chose Optimizely Web Experimentation
Analytics are vastly superior, platform UI is by far the easiest to use, and capabilities are best in class. If your organization has any budget for a web experimentation tool, it should be using Optimizely Web Experimentation.
Chose Optimizely Web Experimentation
Ultimately, we are able to build faster, have a better site experience for end users, and have cleaner results reporting on Optimizely.
Chose Optimizely Web Experimentation
Less development required once the tool is fully implemented and easier to scale
Chose Optimizely Web Experimentation
Whilst Optimizely is more expensive (for us at least) we found it was far technically superior and easier to use. We have not run into the technical constraints that we have with other tools. In addition when we went to market to evaluate different suppliers optimizely won …
Chose Optimizely Web Experimentation
It is pretty good in comparison. The biggest difference is the metrics dashboard for experiments which gives us granular data related to the experiment being run. I think honestly there is a lot right now my company is probably not utilizing when it comes to optimizely but I do …
Chose Optimizely Web Experimentation
Optimizely is ok and cost effective compared to other tools. In general the industry keeps lowering the value of tools as they broaden the audience.
Chose Optimizely Web Experimentation
We have evaluated Optimize every year against Optimizely. I am a google fan, but their product is not up to the level of Optimizely. They do not offer multi-page tests, and a lot of our changes sometimes span the whole funnel. For that reason alone, it's currently unusable.
Chose Optimizely Web Experimentation
Optimizely is much better but costs more.
Chose Optimizely Web Experimentation
It's more robust and capable.
Chose Optimizely Web Experimentation
It's more fully-featured, and easier to use.
Features
Google OptimizeOptimizely Web Experimentation
Testing and Experimentation
Comparison of Testing and Experimentation features of Product A and Product B
Google Optimize
4.9
8 Ratings
51% below category average
Optimizely Web Experimentation
7.9
153 Ratings
5% below category average
a/b experiment testing4.08 Ratings9.0153 Ratings
Split URL testing2.08 Ratings8.5125 Ratings
Multivariate testing4.08 Ratings8.4130 Ratings
Multi-page/funnel testing1.06 Ratings7.9118 Ratings
Cross-browser testing6.44 Ratings7.988 Ratings
Mobile app testing2.72 Ratings8.068 Ratings
Test significance1.07 Ratings8.4139 Ratings
Visual / WYSIWYG editor3.07 Ratings7.9124 Ratings
Advanced code editor2.07 Ratings7.9116 Ratings
Page surveys5.02 Ratings6.217 Ratings
Visitor recordings10.01 Ratings8.418 Ratings
Preview mode3.06 Ratings7.6136 Ratings
Test duration calculator9.03 Ratings7.5104 Ratings
Experiment scheduler7.05 Ratings8.1103 Ratings
Experiment workflow and approval8.93 Ratings7.782 Ratings
Dynamic experiment activation6.92 Ratings7.566 Ratings
Client-side tests7.04 Ratings8.090 Ratings
Server-side tests2.62 Ratings7.245 Ratings
Mutually exclusive tests8.02 Ratings8.075 Ratings
Audience Segmentation & Targeting
Comparison of Audience Segmentation & Targeting features of Product A and Product B
Google Optimize
7.0
8 Ratings
21% below category average
Optimizely Web Experimentation
8.3
145 Ratings
4% below category average
Standard visitor segmentation6.08 Ratings8.4140 Ratings
Behavioral visitor segmentation7.06 Ratings7.8115 Ratings
Traffic allocation control8.07 Ratings9.1138 Ratings
Website personalization7.07 Ratings7.9105 Ratings
Results and Analysis
Comparison of Results and Analysis features of Product A and Product B
Google Optimize
8.2
8 Ratings
4% below category average
Optimizely Web Experimentation
8.3
141 Ratings
3% below category average
Heatmap tool2.01 Ratings9.313 Ratings
Click analytics9.03 Ratings8.833 Ratings
Scroll maps9.02 Ratings8.517 Ratings
Form fill analysis8.01 Ratings8.066 Ratings
Conversion tracking9.06 Ratings8.744 Ratings
Goal tracking8.07 Ratings8.2119 Ratings
Test reporting7.06 Ratings7.9129 Ratings
Results segmentation10.04 Ratings7.696 Ratings
CSV export9.93 Ratings7.994 Ratings
Experiments results dashboard9.97 Ratings8.049 Ratings
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Medium-sized Companies
Dynamic Yield
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Score 8.9 out of 10
Dynamic Yield
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Score 8.9 out of 10
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Score 8.9 out of 10
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Score 8.9 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Google OptimizeOptimizely Web Experimentation
Likelihood to Recommend
5.0
(10 ratings)
8.6
(241 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
-
(0 ratings)
9.4
(51 ratings)
Usability
10.0
(1 ratings)
9.9
(58 ratings)
Availability
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(7 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
7.3
(6 ratings)
Support Rating
8.7
(4 ratings)
10.0
(16 ratings)
Online Training
-
(0 ratings)
3.0
(1 ratings)
Implementation Rating
-
(0 ratings)
8.0
(11 ratings)
Configurability
-
(0 ratings)
6.0
(1 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
7.9
(151 ratings)
User Testimonials
Google OptimizeOptimizely Web Experimentation
Likelihood to Recommend
Google
It is a little too limited for a full stack experimentation programme. Many times we required development support or tech advise but we were simply unable to get this due to it being google. This was a big problem for us. However it is quite good if you were looking to get started in experimentation and didn’t have the budgets for a wider tool
Read full review
Optimizely
I have found Optimizely has been really useful to run some quick experiments to validate the approach to changes to the website, exploring multiple options simultaneously to save time and effort prior to making more permanent changes with our development team. The biggest challenge has been ensure ideas from the wider business have all the necessary criteria to make them a worthwhile experiment. Encouraging stakeholders to create a proper hypothesis for each experiment has helped focus the minds on the outcomes we're expecting. This also makes the analysis easier once we've concluded a test
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Pros
Google
  • Easy to follow set up procedures. Once I walk a client through the process, it's effortless for them to emulate on subsequent tests.
  • Lots of geo and user attribute customization features to be able to drill down into specific targeted audiences — all based on the power of Google's immense data system.
  • Google Optimize is the logical choice for many people to start with since most are already familiar with and using GA.
Read full review
Optimizely
  • The Platform contains drag-and-drop editor options for creating variations, which ease the A/B tests process, as it does not require any coding or development resources.
  • Establishing it is so simple that even a non-technical person can do it perfectly.
  • It provides real-time results and analytics with robust dashboard access through which you can quickly analyze how different variations perform. With this, your team can easily make data-driven decisions Fastly.
Read full review
Cons
Google
  • Only works for browsers, not for the apps testing.
  • Missing possibility to test complicated features.
  • Audience division in groups is not always accurate.
Read full review
Optimizely
  • JavaScript is hard to implement sometimes especially for JQuery elements
  • ROI reporting should be part of the overall experimentation reporting
  • CMP integration: where we can easily show status of test on the HPT request
  • CMS integration
  • More widgets like social proof banners, etc.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
Google
No answers on this topic
Optimizely
I rated this question because at this stage, Optimizely does most everything we need so I don't foresee a need to migrate to a new tool. We have the infrastructure already in place and it is a sizeable lift to pivot to another tool with no guarantee that it will work as good or even better than Optimizely
Read full review
Usability
Google
Google has always been known to make easy-to-use products. The Google Optimize interface is intuitive and easy to follow for anyone.
Read full review
Optimizely
Optimizely Web Experimentation's visual editor is handy for non-technical or quick iterative testing. When it comes to content changes it's as easy as going into wordpress, clicking around, and then seeing your changes live--what you see is what you get. The preview and approval process for sharing built experiments is also handy for sharing experiments across teams for QA purposes or otherwise.
Read full review
Reliability and Availability
Google
No answers on this topic
Optimizely
I would rate Optimizely Web Experimentation's availability as a 10 out of 10. The software is reliable and does not experience any application errors or unplanned outages. Additionally, the customer service and technical support teams are always available to help with any issues or questions.
Read full review
Performance
Google
No answers on this topic
Optimizely
I would rate Optimizely Web Experimentation's performance as a 9 out of 10. Pages load quickly, reports are complete in a reasonable time frame, and the software does not slow down any other software or systems that it integrates with. Additionally, the customer service and technical support teams are always available to help with any issues or questions.
Read full review
Support Rating
Google
Google has well-documented resources and unlimited use cases that can be found online. Plus, their support is always helpful and available.
Read full review
Optimizely
They always are quick to respond, and are so friendly and helpful. They always answer the phone right away. And [they are] always willing to not only help you with your problem, but if you need ideas they have suggestions as well.
Read full review
Online Training
Google
No answers on this topic
Optimizely
The tool itself is not very difficult to use so training was not very useful in my opinion. It did not also account for success events more complex than a click (which my company being ecommerce is looking to examine more than a mere click).
Read full review
Implementation Rating
Google
No answers on this topic
Optimizely
In retrospect: - I think I should have stressed more demo's / workshopping with the Optimizely team at the start. I felt too confident during demo stages, and when came time to actually start, I was a bit lost. (The answer is likely I should have had them on-hand for our first install.. they offered but I thought I was OK.) - Really getting an understanding / asking them prior to install of how to make it really work for checkout pages / one that uses dynamic content or user interaction to determine what the UI does. Could have saved some time by addressing this at the beginning, as some things we needed to create on our site for Optimizely to "use" as a trigger for the variation test. - Having a number of planned/hoped-for tests already in-hand before working with Optimizely team. Sharing those thoughts with them would likely have started conversations on additional things we needed to do to make them work (rather than figuring that out during the actual builds). Since I had development time available, I could have added more things to the baseline installation since my developers were already "looking under the hood" of the site.
Read full review
Alternatives Considered
Google
Google Optimize being part of the Google stack makes it great in reporting and analysis. Wish Google would add more features like dynamic tests, multi funnel tests, conversion calculator based on the total number of traffic of the page being tested instead of using the websites total traffic. Should integrate form analysis, heatmap, and page analytics.
Read full review
Optimizely
None of them have a best in class stats engine and live within an ecosystem of marketing technology products the way that Optimizely does, so the scalability of using any one of those tools is limited as compared to using Optimizely Web Experimentation.
Read full review
Scalability
Google
No answers on this topic
Optimizely
It's incredibly flexible and adapts well to organizations of all sizes, whether you’re running a single site or managing multiple departments and platforms. The ability to deploy experiments seamlessly across different environments is a huge plus, especially for growing businesses. While it’s highly scalable, the last point would depend on the right team leveraging its full potential.
Read full review
Return on Investment
Google
  • We were able to increase our main KPI for conversions by almost 50% by testing button copy.
  • We were able to increase secondary KPIs for conversions by almost 30% by testing form design.
Read full review
Optimizely
  • We're able to share definitive annualized revenue projections with our team, showing what would happen if we put a test into Production
  • Showing the results of a test on a new page or feature prior to full implementation on a site saves developer time (if a test proves the new element doesn't deliver a significant improvement.
  • Making a change via the WYSIWYG interface allows us to see multiple changes without developer intervention.
Read full review
ScreenShots

Optimizely Web Experimentation Screenshots

Screenshot of AI-Powered Experimentation with Opal:

- Instant Test Ideas: Generates high-quality A/B test ideas based on any goals and audience insights.
- Smarter Experimentation: The AI can suggest impactful variations, reducing guesswork and increasing test velocity.
- More Than Just Ideas: From hypothesis generation to analyzing results, Opal helps optimize every stage of the experimentation process.Screenshot of the Web Experimentation Visual Editor :

- Tweak experiments using the visual editor or dive into custom code when needed.
- Modify elements, update styling, or add dynamic behaviors.
- Ensure perfect variations while keeping control over every detail of the experiment.Screenshot of AI Content Suggestions:

- Generates copy variations to supercharge experiments.
- The AI suggests high-impact messaging for tests when hovering over a field.
- AI-powered content suggestions help skip the brainstorming process.Screenshot of Advanced Audience Targeting:

- Delivers personalized experiences by targeting users based on behaviors, attributes, and real-time conditions.
- Defines precise audience segments using first-party data, geolocation, and device type.
- Can test and optimize for different audience groups to maximize impact and engagement.Screenshot of Custom Templates in the Visual Editor:

- Offers pre-built templates for common test setups.
- Standardized variations and maintains brand integrity with reusable templates.
- Templates can be customized visually or tweak them with code for full flexibility.Screenshot of the Web Experimentation Results Page:

- Data visualizations help interpret experiment performance.
- Displays which variations are winning with built-in statistical significance calculations.
- Results can be filtered by audience segments, events, and conversions to uncover key trends.