The short answer: Choose VWO if you want an all-in-one CRO suite (A/B testing + heatmaps + surveys) at a lower price (~$10,000/year). Choose Optimizely if you need advanced statistical methods, feature flags, and server-side testing for enterprise use (~$50,000+/year). Choose neither if you're a startup or SMB—both are overkill. Try ExperimentHQ instead ($29/month).
Who this is for
- Teams evaluating enterprise A/B testing platforms
- Companies with $10,000+ annual budget for experimentation
- CRO managers comparing tools for their team
Who this is NOT for
- Startups or SMBs (both tools are expensive—see our startup guide)
- Teams who just need simple A/B testing (both are feature-heavy)
- Performance-critical sites (both have heavy scripts)
Feature Comparison Table
| Feature | VWO | Optimizely | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | ~$10,000/year | ~$50,000/year | VWO |
| Visual Editor | ✓ Good | ✓ Good | Tie |
| Server-Side Testing | ✓ Available | ✓ Advanced | Optimizely |
| Feature Flags | Limited | ✓ Full Platform | Optimizely |
| Heatmaps | ✓ Included | Separate product | VWO |
| Session Recordings | ✓ Included | Separate product | VWO |
| Surveys | ✓ Included | Not available | VWO |
| Statistical Methods | Frequentist + Bayesian | Stats Engine (Advanced) | Optimizely |
| Script Size | ~150KB | ~200KB | Tie |
| Ease of Use | Easier | Complex | VWO |
| Enterprise Features | Good | Excellent | Optimizely |
| Support | Good | Premium (extra cost) | VWO |
Detailed Analysis
Pricing Comparison
VWO Pricing
- • Growth: ~$10,000/year
- • Pro: ~$25,000/year
- • Enterprise: Custom (typically $50,000+)
- • Pricing based on monthly tracked users (MTU)
- • All-in-one pricing (includes heatmaps, surveys)
Optimizely Pricing
- • Web Experimentation: ~$50,000/year
- • Feature Experimentation: ~$50,000/year
- • Full Stack: $100,000-$200,000+/year
- • Pricing based on monthly unique visitors (MUV)
- • Products sold separately
Winner: VWO — VWO is significantly cheaper and includes more features in the base price. Optimizely's modular pricing means you pay separately for each product.
A/B Testing Capabilities
VWO
- Visual editor (drag-and-drop)
- Split URL testing
- Multivariate testing
- Bayesian and Frequentist stats
- Server-side testing (limited)
Optimizely
- Visual editor
- Split URL testing
- Multivariate testing
- Stats Engine (advanced sequential testing)
- Full server-side platform
Winner: Optimizely — Optimizely's Stats Engine is industry-leading, and their server-side platform is more mature. For pure A/B testing capabilities, Optimizely has the edge.
Additional Features
VWO Includes
- Heatmaps and clickmaps
- Session recordings
- On-site surveys
- Form analytics
- Push notifications
Optimizely Includes
- Feature flags (separate product)
- Personalization
- Content management (Optimizely CMS)
- No heatmaps (need third-party)
- No session recordings
Winner: VWO — VWO's all-in-one approach means you get heatmaps, recordings, and surveys included. With Optimizely, you'd need to buy separate tools for these features.
Ease of Use
VWO
VWO is designed for marketers and CRO specialists. The interface is intuitive, and most features don't require developer involvement.
Learning curve: 1-2 weeks
Optimizely
Optimizely is more technical and often requires developer involvement. The platform is powerful but complex.
Learning curve: 1-2 months
Winner: VWO — VWO is significantly easier to use, especially for non-technical team members.
When to Choose Each
Choose VWO if...
- You want an all-in-one CRO suite
- Your budget is $10,000-$50,000/year
- You need heatmaps and session recordings
- Your team is mostly non-technical
- You primarily do client-side testing
Choose Optimizely if...
- You need advanced statistical methods
- Your budget is $50,000+/year
- You need feature flags for engineering
- You have a dedicated experimentation team
- You need server-side experiments
The Third Option: Neither
If you're reading this comparison and thinking "both seem like overkill for my needs," you're probably right. Most companies don't need the full feature sets of VWO or Optimizely.
ExperimentHQ is built for teams who want simple, effective A/B testing without the enterprise complexity:
- $29/month — not $10,000+/year
- <5KB script — not 150-200KB
- 5-minute setup — not weeks of implementation
- Visual editor — no developers needed
Common Mistakes When Comparing
❌ Comparing list price to actual cost
Both VWO and Optimizely use custom pricing. The numbers in this article are estimates—get actual quotes for your traffic volume.
❌ Ignoring implementation cost
Optimizely often requires weeks of developer time to implement properly. Factor this into your total cost of ownership.
❌ Buying features you won't use
Most teams use 20% of enterprise tool features. Don't pay for server-side testing if you only do client-side experiments.
Final Recommendation
For mid-market companies ($10K-$50K budget): Choose VWO. You get more value for money with the included heatmaps, recordings, and surveys.
For enterprise companies ($50K+ budget): Choose Optimizely if you need advanced statistics and feature flags. Otherwise, VWO is still a better value.
For everyone else: Skip both and use ExperimentHQ. It's 99% cheaper and does what most teams actually need.