Google Optimize
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VWO
Google Optimize vs VWO: Which Is Right for You?
Google Optimize was discontinued by Google on September 30, 2023. If you are on this page, you are either looking for context on what you have lost or actively evaluating what comes next.
For teams that used Google Optimize because it was free, deeply integrated with Google Analytics, and simple enough for a non-technical marketer to run tests without engineering support — VWO is the most direct replacement.
VWO has built much of its recent growth on exactly this migration, offering a restricted free Starter plan in direct response to the shutdown, while providing significantly more capability in heatmaps, session recordings, personalization, and server-side testing for teams that want to grow their program beyond basic A/B testing.
About
Google Optimize
Google Optimize was Google free A/B testing and personalization tool, discontinued on September 30, 2023.
It was primarily used by small business owners, marketing teams, and growth practitioners who wanted basic A/B and redirect testing natively integrated with Google Analytics — without paying for a dedicated experimentation platform.
Teams chose Google Optimize for its zero cost; its native GA integration that made it easy to set conversion goals directly from Google Analytics data; its visual editor that required no developer involvement for basic page tests; and its familiarity within the Google marketing stack.
Google Optimize is no longer available. Teams that relied on it are actively migrating to paid alternatives. The most commonly evaluated replacements are VWO, Optimizely, and AB Tasty — with VWO being the most frequently cited direct replacement due to its pricing accessibility and built-in behavioral analytics.
About
VWO
VWO is an all-in-one conversion rate optimization and experimentation platform built for marketing, product, and CRO teams who want A/B testing, behavioral analytics, and personalization in a single tool without enterprise-level complexity or pricing.
It is primarily used by digital marketers, product managers, and CRO practitioners at SMB-to-mid-market companies who need to run experiments independently without heavy engineering involvement, and want built-in heatmaps and session recordings to inform test hypotheses
Teams choose VWO for its visual editor that enables non-technical users to create tests without code; its VWO Insights module that provides heatmaps, session recordings, and surveys natively alongside testing; its AI Copilot that suggests experiment ideas based on behavioral data; and its server-side and feature flag capabilities for engineering teams that need full-stack testing.
Note: VWO and AB Tasty completed a corporate merger under Everstone Capital in late 2025 — they remain separate products but share a parent company. VWO free Starter plan was significantly restricted in late 2025. Paid plans start around $198/month billed annually and scale with monthly tracked users.
Feature | Google Optimize | VWO | Lucky Orange |
|---|---|---|---|
A/B Testing | Yes (discontinued) | Yes | No |
Multivariate Testing | Yes (discontinued) | Yes | No |
Server-side Testing | No | Yes | No |
Feature Flags | No | Yes | No |
Visual Editor (no-code) | Yes (discontinued) | Yes | Yes |
Personalization | Limited | Yes | No |
Heatmaps & Session Recordings | No | Yes | Yes |
Funnel Analysis | No | Yes | Yes |
AI-Powered Insights | No | Yes | Yes |
Free Plan | Was free | Limited | Yes |
Pricing Transparency | Was free | Yes | Yes |
Google Optimize is no longer available — it was discontinued September 30, 2023. If you are still running it, tests have stopped serving. You need a replacement.
Choose VWO if you are a mid-market CRO or product team that wants A/B testing, heatmaps, and personalization in one platform without enterprise pricing or a sales process. Published pricing from ~$198/mo (annual); restricted free Starter plan available.
Note the late-2025 merger with AB Tasty under Everstone Capital — ask about long-term pricing guarantees before committing.
You have found a replacement for Google Optimize. But are you testing the right things?
Google Optimize made testing accessible to teams who never had a dedicated CRO tool. VWO picks up where Optimize left off — with more capability, built-in behavioral analytics, and a testing infrastructure that can grow with your program.
But the question that holds most testing programs back is not which tool to use — it is knowing what to test in the first place. Lucky Orange Discovery AI answers that question before you ever open an experiment editor. Ask what is blocking your users in plain language, and get a structured answer backed by session evidence and a recommended next action. Better test ideas lead to better experiments — regardless of which testing tool you use.
Ask questions like:
Which elements on the landing page are users interacting with most before they bounce?
What are visitors doing differently on pages with high conversion rates vs low ones?
Where are users getting confused before they reach the key conversion step?
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