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Comparison

EarlyCRO vs Optimizely: Which A/B Testing Platform is Right for You in 2024?

AK
Alex Kim
CRO Specialist
December 15, 202412 min read

Quick Overview

Both EarlyCRO and Optimizely are powerful experimentation platforms, but they're designed for different audiences and use cases.

A/B Testing Capabilities

Both platforms excel at A/B testing, but they take different approaches to experimentation.

EarlyCRO's Approach

EarlyCRO focuses on making experimentation accessible to everyone on your team. The visual editor is designed for marketers and product managers who may not have technical backgrounds. You can:

  • Create experiments with point-and-click editing
  • Preview changes on any device size
  • Set up complex targeting rules without code
  • Run multivariate tests with automatic traffic allocation
  • Use the Bayesian statistical engine for faster, more intuitive results
  • Optimizely's Approach

    Optimizely is built for enterprise teams with dedicated experimentation resources. It offers:

  • A powerful visual editor with advanced customization
  • Full-stack experimentation for server-side tests
  • Feature flags and rollouts
  • Program management tools for large teams
  • Stats Engine for statistical rigor
  • Pricing Comparison

    This is where the two platforms diverge significantly.

    **EarlyCRO** offers transparent, publicly available pricing starting at $49/month for the Starter plan. The Growth plan at $149/month includes unlimited experiments and advanced features.

    **Optimizely** doesn't publish pricing, but industry reports suggest entry-level plans start around $36,000/year, with most customers paying significantly more.

    "We switched from Optimizely to EarlyCRO and saved over $30,000 annually while gaining heatmaps and session recordings we didn't have before." — Marketing Director at a mid-sized SaaS company

    Built-in Qualitative Tools

    One of EarlyCRO's biggest advantages is having heatmaps and session recordings built into the platform. This means you can:

  • Discover optimization opportunities through heatmaps
  • Watch session recordings to understand user behavior
  • Form hypotheses based on real user data
  • Validate experiment results with qualitative insights
  • With Optimizely, you'll need to purchase and integrate separate tools like Hotjar or FullStory to get these capabilities.

    The Verdict

    For most growing businesses, EarlyCRO offers the best combination of features, value, and ease of use. You get a complete CRO toolkit at a fraction of the cost of Optimizely plus separate analytics tools.

    Optimizely remains a strong choice for large enterprises with complex needs and the budget to match.

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