VWO emerged as the dominant player in the A/B testing landscape in G2’s Spring 2023 Report.
Comparing capabilities
Below is a comparison of platform capabilities to help you determine which one is better suited to serve as the foundation of your entire optimization program.
Capabilities | Adobe Target | Google Optimize |
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Behavioral Insights | |||
Web experimentation ( A/B testing, Multivariate Testing, Split URL Testing) | |||
Server-side testing | |||
Mobile app experimentation | |||
Personalization | |||
Customer data platform |
You must know this: You can explore all the above capabilities for free on VWO. Learn more about VWO’s 30-day free trial.
Comparing features to understand the key advantages of each platform
Here is a comparison of the features that come with Adobe Target and Google Optimize and how each of these fare against VWO.
Customer Data Platform | Adobe Target | Google Optimize |
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Custom Events and Properties Configure any kind of user event and event properties |
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Advanced Metrics Create metrics based on events and their properties with complex aggregate functions such as first value, last value, average, sum, etc. |
- | - |
Campaign targeting | Adobe Target | Google Optimize |
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Advanced Targeting Logic Use brackets to create logic of targeting with multiple conditions. For example - [Users in USA OR Users in India] AND [New Users OR iOS Device] |
- | ||
Behavioral targeting Target based on user behavior and actions taken by the user. For example - user clicks a button, time spent on page, page scroll etc. |
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Custom event targeting Target user groups based on custom events that occur on the website. |
Campaign Triggers | Adobe Target | Google Optimize |
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Basic and Advanced Triggers Granular control over when visitors become part of a campaign or see a survey, widget, modal, etc. |
24x7 support | Adobe Target | Google Optimize |
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24x7 support The availability of our support team to respond and resolve your queries irrespective of the timezone. |
Enterprise plans |
SSO | Adobe Target | Google Optimize |
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SSO Enable single sign-on using any SAML 2.0 identity provider to authenticate members from your organization. |
Self Hosting | Adobe Target | Google Optimize |
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Self Hosting Host library and campaign setting files on your servers, easing your dependency on the platform's servers. |
SPA | Adobe Target | Google Optimize |
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SPA Single-page apps support |
Re-usable Pages | Adobe Target | Google Optimize |
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Re-usable Pages Classify your web pages into different categories to quickly create, manage and scale experiments specific to them. |
API | Adobe Target | Google Optimize |
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API Start and pause campaigns programmatically or pull test metrics into other dashboards. |
Cross Domain Testing | Adobe Target | Google Optimize |
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Cross Domain Testing Run tests on multiple domains within user journey, where user tracking and goals can be on one or more domains. |
Unlimited |
Campaign Reports | Adobe Target | Google Optimize |
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Advanced Reporting Logic Use brackets to create logic of filtering reports with multiple conditions. For example - [Users in USA OR Users in India] AND [New users OR iOS Device] |
- | - | |
Bayesian reporting Get accurate test reports powered by a Bayesian statistics engine |
- | - | |
Heatmap of Variation See how the users of a variation behaved with the help of heatmaps |
- | - | |
Dimension Level Reporting Make use of visitors' unique attributes to analyze test performance |
- | - | |
Compare User Segments Simultaneously visualize and compare two or more user segments in reports for far more comprehensive insights and decision-making. |
- | - | |
Download Detailed CSV Download detailed user reports in .csv format with complete segment data, goal completion and custom dimensions. |
- | - | |
Intuitive reporting dashboard See the results of your experiments on our Bayesian-powered reporting dashboard. |
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Editor | Adobe Target | Google Optimize |
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Elements Library Library of customizable pre-designed UI elements like list item, content block, buttons, etc. |
- | - | |
Save elements to library Use the click-and-save feature to store UI elements, such as text blocks, buttons, banners, and pop-ups, in the library for future reuse. |
- | - | |
Widget Triggers Control when a widget appears, how often it appears, or does not appear when dismissed. |
- | - | |
AI-Based Text Recommendations Generate alternate text recommendations for the existing copy on your website. |
- | - | |
Widgets library Create customizable banners, pop-ups, and other web page elements with images and forms, directly within the visual editor, without coding. |
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Test inside Shadow DOM Shadow DOM is a web API that can attach a hidden DOM to a DOM element. |
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Visual Editor Utilize the powerful WYSIWYG point-and-click visual editor to create and edit variations with ease, eliminating the dependency on IT. |
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Code editor Make advanced modifications to any aspect of your website using HTML, JavaScript, CSS, and jQuery. |
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Add / Edit elements Add new or edit UI elements to your webpage. |
Using custom code template |
Web testing | Adobe Target | Google Optimize |
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3rd party Integrations Seamlessly integrate with third-party tools. |
Adobe experience manager, DMP, tag manager, Clicktale, Decibal Insights | - | 3rd party analytics, eCommerce platforms, CMS, tag manager |
A/B Testing Build and compare variations of your website to analytically determine the better performing version. |
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Multivariate Testing Simultaneously modify multiple variables to test a hypothesis and determine the best-performing combination of variations. |
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Split URL testing Compare various versions of your website hosted on multiple URLs by distributing website traffic among them to determine the highest-performing variation. |
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Multi page testing Easily apply the same experience to multiple pages with a single click, eliminating the need for manual duplication of changes across pages. |
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Mobile website testing Run tests on mobile responsive sites |
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Multiple domain support Run tests on multiple domains within user journey, where user tracking and goals can be on one or more domains. |
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No concurrent test limit Total number of tests you can run on your account concurrently. |
Upto 5 concurrent tests |
Previews | Adobe Target | Google Optimize |
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Cross browser screenshots Conduct a quality review of the variations by previewing them to verify that all modifications have been applied to the website before going live. |
- |
Multi armed bandit testing | Adobe Target | Google Optimize |
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Multi armed bandit testing Expose the better performing variation to more users long before the test reaches statistical significance thus reducing the opportunity cost. |
Mutually exclusive campaigns | Adobe Target | Google Optimize |
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Mutually exclusive campaigns Ensure that a user doesn't participate in two or more running tests to eliminate result noise, bias, and test inter-play. |
Only possible using custom targeting |
Form Analytics | Adobe Target | Google Optimize |
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Conversion Report Track user drop-offs at different stages of form submission, from landing to interaction to submission. |
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Dropped Field Report Percentage of users who dropped off on a field without submitting the form. |
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Interaction time Understand how long users spend on a specific field while actively interacting with it. |
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Hesitation time Understand how long users spend on a specific field without actively interacting with it. |
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Refilled Field Percentage of users who refilled a field on the form. |
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Ignored Field Percentage of users who did not interact with a form field and submitted the form. |
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Dropped Field Percentage of users who dropped off on a field without submitting the form. |
On-page surveys | Adobe Target | Google Optimize |
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Survey Logic Make your surveys smarter by asking subsequent questions based on the responses given. |
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Question bank Choose from a repository of frequently asked questions to select an appropriate question. |
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Variation targeted surveys Trigger survey to users when they see a specific A/B test variation. |
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Custom triggers Write custom triggers using JavaScript to fire a survey based on an event or a specific user action. |
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NPS Run an NPS survey to gauge the likelihood of users recommending the website to others. |
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Recordings of respondents Watch recordings of user sessions in which they responded to a survey to understand why they gave specific responses. |
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Themes and customisation Add custom CSS to restyle and resize the surveys per your branding guidelines. |
Funnels | Adobe Target | Google Optimize |
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Drop-off analysis Filter reports based on users who dropped off from a funnel. |
Heatmaps and Scrollmaps | Adobe Target | Google Optimize |
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Browsable heatmaps View heatmaps of different pages, interactive elements(such as popups, modals, and menus), and pages behind logins as you navigate your website. |
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Heatmap of test variations View the heatmap of a particular A/B test variation. |
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Heatmap views Create a heatmap view and quickly access heatmap data for specific pages and user segments without repeating the heatmap configuration. |
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Clickmaps and area stats Track clicks on specific elements and compare them to total clicks on a page or area. |
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Element list Displays a list of both visible and hidden elements with their types and show clicks on each from highest to lowest. |
Visitor Recordings | Adobe Target | Google Optimize |
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Recordings of variations Filter recordings based on users who were part of a test campaign or saw a particular test variation. |
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Page Filters Filter recordings based on parameters like entry page, exit page, visited page, etc. |
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Recording views Create a recording view and quickly access recordings for specific pages and user segments without repeating the recording configuration. |
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Save recordings The number of recordings you can store for later viewing. |
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Funnel Drop-off Filters Filter recordings based on users who dropped off from a funnel. |
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Download Download recordings for offline sharing and viewing. |
Server Side Testing | Adobe Target | Google Optimize |
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Multiple Environments Supported Configure multiple environments under each project to run tests in simulated environments. Ensure your changes are of production-ready quality and roll out changes confidently |
- | ||
3rd party Integrations Seamlessly integrate with third-party tools. |
Adobe Analytics, Adobe Audience Manager | - | |
User Whitelisting Ensure certain users are always served a specific variation by whitelisting the users based on their userID |
- | ||
Scheduling Schedule tests at specific time/date or create recurring schedules to run tests |
- |
Feature Test | Adobe Target | Google Optimize |
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Feature Test Test multiple variable values for a feature to determine the most optimal value |
Observations | Adobe Target | Google Optimize |
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Plugin Make quick observations and audit webpages while on them, all with a handy browser plug-in. |
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Observations with Automatic Snapshot Automatically capture snapshots of the reports as you log observations. |
Hypothesis | Adobe Target | Google Optimize |
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Hypotheses Prioritization + Custom Workflows Prioritize ideas based on importance, complexity and ease of implementation and customize your workflow to visualize progress. |
Idea factory | Adobe Target | Google Optimize |
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Idea factory Take inspiration from hundreds of ideas, case studies, and other resources to develop your own strategy. |
[Quick question: Did you notice that VWO allows more features than Adobe Target and Google Optimize? to understand how you can leverage them for your business goals.]
Four factors to consider when selecting a platform
Below are certain non-negotiable factors that must be considered when selecting a platform to expedite your optimization journey.
User analytics
Adobe Target requires integration with Adobe Analytics for user analysis.
Google Optimize allows integration with Google Analytics for user analysis. However, it doesn’t provide real-time analysis and there is a lag of 12 hours.
VWO is an all-inclusive platform that links user behavioral insights to testing, enabling a thorough understanding of evolving user journeys and creating customized experiences for users based on those insights.
![Behavior analytics](png/user-analytics%402x.png)
Customer support
Adobe Target has a ticketing system to raise concerns and a community forum to find solutions.
Google Optimize does not provide live chat support and only the paid version i.e. Optimize 360 offers dedicated support.
VWO provides worldwide consulting services, on-demand full-scale implementation, and comprehensive training for onboarding and enablement. Our standout feature is the provision of 24x5 unlimited support to enterprise accounts at no additional cost.
Privacy compliances
Adobe Target complies with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). Also, it supports opt-in functionality.
Google Optimize complies with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). Also, it supports integration with Google Analytics, which provides tools for privacy compliance.
VWO constantly enhances its security measures to prioritize privacy long before any regulatory changes take place.
Pricing and plans
Adobe Target has a usage-based pricing model. It depends on three major factors: product option, no of visitors/month, and platform (Web/Server/Mobile).
Google Optimize is available for free.
VWO not only offers a forever free plan on web experimentation and behavior analytics but also gives live chat, call, and email support.
Our customers back our stack too!
A vast majority of our 2500+ customers purchase a set of VWO products to achieve their goals. While our industry-leading G2 ratings and benchmark CSAT scores are evidence enough, here’s sharing some success stories in our customers’ own words
In my role at Warner Music Group, I aim to promote a culture of data-driven creative design. We design, build and maintain hundreds of artists’ websites. VWO’s suite of tools helps me quickly and easily find conversion optimization wins that I can standardize across our whole enterprise. I don’t like to use the phrase “best practice” unless I can prove it, and my proof is in the data provided by VWO.
Brandon GentryDirector - User Experience
The VWO-Contentful Integration was the biggest feature that appealed to us. We previously used engineering resources to launch every server-side A/B test. Given our team’s large ambitions and limited engineering resources, we could only launch ~1 test every 14-20 days. With the VWO-Contentful integration, we removed the engineering dependency for setting up and launching front-end experiments.
Nijanth VelmanikandanGayGrowth Product Manager
![Brandon gentry](png/brandon-gentry%402x97489748.png)
![Nijanth](jpg/nijanth%402x9748-29748.jpg)
Google Optimize is sunsetting
Google Optimize will be discontinued on September 30th, 2023. If you're a current Google Optimize user, there's good news. You can quickly migrate to VWO in just 30 seconds for uninterrupted and free testing for up to 50k monthly visitors. If your experimentation and personalization needs are more sophisticated, take VWO's all-inclusive trial for free with no commitment for 30 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Google Optimize is available for free, while the price of Adobe Target depends on product options, no of visitors/month, and platform.
Here are some disadvantages of Adobe Target:
• There is no free plan to explore the capabilities.
• Doesn’t provide behavior analytics to study user behavior.
• No availability of features like third-party integration, user whitelisting, forced bucketing, and scheduling for server-side A/B testing.
Adobe Analytics is a better option for enterprises as it offers more features and capabilities compared to Google Optimize, which is suitable for CRO beginners.
Google Optimize and Google Optimize 360 are the Adobe counterparts offered by Google. Google Optimize is a cost-free experimentation tool well-suited for small businesses. On the other hand, Google Optimize 360 is a paid version intended for mature experimenters, providing them with advanced capabilities and features like Google Analytics audience targeting and implementation services.