In case you haven’t caught wind of the news, Google has made it official: Optimize will bid farewell by the end of September. But here’s the intriguing part – after the initial announcement, Google dropped another bombshell. GA4 will seamlessly integrate with third-party testing tools via an API, leaving testing capabilities out of GA4 itself. The possibilities that lie ahead are both fascinating and promising.

So what’s the best Google Optimize alternative?

Comparison of Google Optimize Replacements

To help make this process easier, we took a look at  some of the top tools in the business to understand their offering and how they could work for Google Optimize customers:

VWO (Visual Web Optimiser)

VWO is one of the bigger players in experimentation. They offer web, mobile app and server-side testing capabilities. Apart from offering all testing and personalization capabilities, they also can:

• Capture heatmaps an session recordings
• Form analysis
• Website surveys
• Can personalize emails
• Integrates with GA4

For the web testing tool, there is a free tier which is capped at 50,000 monthly tracked users. All other functionality comes at an extra cost, which can add up if you need more advanced features. 

Optimizely

Another big hitter in the content experimentation and personalization landscape, Optimizely offers a lot to scale across the full web stack. With their digital experiences platform, you can control every aspect of the digital experience for users. 

For those looking for a starting point in A/B Testing, Optimizely offers rich and advanced features across the full stack. Those features include:

• Conditional activation of experiments
• Multipage test
• Multi-armed bandit testing
• Mutually exclusive experiments
• Experimentation on SPA
• Integrates with GA4
• Direct integration with Google Cloud Platform

There are three tiers of pricing: Grow, Accelerate and Scale. Each of these packages includes a combination of testing features, with Scale being the richest set. Pricing is on request directly from Optimizely.

AB Tasty

Founded in 2010, AB tasty boasts some of the biggest names in the industry and has a long history of running and scaling experimentation with their clients. They have two platforms: ABTasty and Flagship. The former is the direct replacement for Google Optimize, with the latter aimed at full-stack experimenting.

Some noteworthy feature of their testing platform:

• Predictive testing
• Multi-armed bandits
• SPA Support
• Cross-Domain tracking
• Integrates with GA4

Each package is scoped at its own cost depending on your need. 

Webtrends Optimise

Boasting an impressive 28-time average return on investment for their clients, Webtrends Optimise is a more affordable but not less impressive option for those wanting to continue their testing after the sunset of Google Optimize. 

Some noteworthy features:

• Mobile app A/B testing via their SDK
• Personalization support
• Message testing Capabilities
• Product/content recommendation capabilities. 
• Offers 30-day free trial
• Free tier for under 10,000 users
• Integrates with GA4

The pricing page indicates that most features are included for £179, but depending on what features you need there might be additional costs not covered for that price. 

FigPii

Developed by a CRO agency, this tool has impressive features. It is well suited for businesses hoping to engage in robust A/B testing and experimentation programmes but won’t need features beyond that. If their dashboard is correct, they boast the lightest page load for A/B testing tools.

Features:

• Heat mapping and screen recording features
• Multi-armed bandit testing capabilities
• Ability to analyze screen recordings or heat maps that were part of a specific test.
• Website poll capabilities

FigPii has the largest free offering, with 75,000 monthly users in an A/B test. However, the free plan doesn’t include any of the additional, non-testing features, which come at an additional monthly cost.

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Note: A/B Tasty, VWO, and Optimizely are the vendors that will initially receive the integration.

However, it is highly probable that other vendors will gain access to the API shortly after its release. These vendors have existing integrations with GA4, and the API has the potential to improve the data flow between GA4 and the testing tool.

Tip: Ensure that you future proof your experimentation stack

To future-proof your experimentation stack, we encourage you to base this on the right fit for your MarTech stack and which tool supports the growth of an experimentation culture rather than how they integrate with one platform. 

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As we embark on the journey of bidding adieu to Google Optimize and embracing a new era of experimentation, CRO, and personalization, it’s essential to future-proof our strategies. Remember, it’s not just about the integration with a single platform, but about finding the right fit for your MarTech stack and nurturing an experimentation culture.

So, wave goodbye to the sunset of Google Optimize and welcome the dawn of innovation. Connect with our team if you need guidance in selecting the perfect tool for your needs.