By Owen Fay . Posted on June 7, 2022Did you come here looking for Optimizely alternatives that provide similar high-quality usability testing, allowing you to test with real users to identify flaws with your website, app, designs, or other resources without spending a lot of time or money?
Are you thinking about switching from Optimizely to another usability testing tool? Let’s take a look at 5 alternatives to Optimizely that can provide fast and effective usability testing.
Optimizely is a website in the business & commerce area that claims to “Optimize your conversion rate on websites and mobile apps in minutes by executing an AB Test, Split Test, or Multivariate Testing with Optimizely!”
What Makes Optimizely popular?
Optimizely is a website testing software that allows developers to create and conduct A/B tests. This is to ensure that conversion rate optimization attempts are validated. Using the service’s dynamic or basic features, you can construct a range of Optimizely tests for your web pages.
The platform is user-friendly and provides a lot of powerful features and settings. To create a test, you don’t need to be a developer or have any coding skills.
Why Optimizely isn’t the Best Option for Everyone
Although Optimizely has a large number of satisfied customers, many marketers do not require the platform’s degree of sophistication.
Users are frequently confused about how to run tests on single-page applications because the page only loads once and changes are not put into the site or page unless the page is refreshed.
The most significant disadvantage is the high cost, as well as certain challenges with analytics integrations and results. Any UX designer or marketer will be interested in using a solution that allows for faster and more cost-effective testing.
The Best Alternatives To Optimizely
We know that Optimizely isn’t the best platform for every tester, so we’ve put together a list of the five best available alternatives.
1. Poll the People
If you think Optimizely is a good platform but isn’t the most user-friendly and effective tool, Poll the People stands out as a more cost-effective and intuitive platform.
Marketers and designers can put their resources to the test before they go live. This will allow them to avoid costly re-designs while also gaining insight into their users. Best of all, getting started and running your first test using Poll the People is quick and simple.
Pros of Poll the People Compared to Optimizely
- Fast results: Unlike Optimizely, Poll the People has no restrictions on how many minutes you can test, you’ll receive hundreds of results in just an hour.
- Dedicated user panel: Poll the People has a worldwide panel of over 500,000 participants, with segmentation options for over 190 countries and over 130 attributes. Allowing you to fully understand your audience.
- Cost-effective: Poll the People is the most cost-effective tool on the market, each response costs about $1.
- Results analysis: the easy-to-use results dashboard gives you both quantitative and qualitative feedback on your test.
You can create a free account, explore the platform, and run your first test in just minutes.
Cons of Poll the People Compared to Optimizely
- Live Testing: Poll the People is a pre-live testing platform, the platform supports anything that can be accessed via URLs, websites, web apps, designs, ads, or prototypes. Testing mobile apps are not available for now
- Screening Questions: While Poll the People offers great audience segmentation, screening questions are not an option. However, the web app has built-in response rejection with bot and fraud detection.
Pricing of Poll the People Compared to Optimizely
- There is a pay-as-you-go pricing option for $1.00 per response without any subscription or additional fee when using a general audience.
- The Plus plan offers more features, access to more testers per test, and improved analysis tools.
- The most expensive subscription plan is $99.99, it offers unlimited access to all of the features Poll the People offers.
Poll the People is the least expensive platform on the market, offering a lot of great benefits, with a larger user panel, and faster results.
2. UserTesting
UserTesting was one of the first unmoderated testing platforms ever and has had a lot of time to build out their platform with the largest user panel. UserTesting.com has over 1.5 million users in its panel with detailed and specific targeting options. This allows customers to gather feedback fast on a sophisticated platform, offering a lot of testing options.
Pros of UserTesting Compared to Optimizely
- Large user panel: UserTesting has a large user panel with over 1.5 million participants.
- Step-by-step tasks: Tests can be broken down into pieces to provide step-by-step instructions.
- Native app testing: Customers can test any live or pre-live resource using native app testing.
Cons of UserTesting Compared to Optimizely
- Pricing model: If you want to test with more than 15 participants, UserTesting’s redesigned pricing plan requires you to contact a sales representative. In a long-term contract, these enterprise plans cost around $18,000. It is significantly more expensive than many other options.
- No free trial: Despite the platform’s expensive pricing, it does not provide a free trial to try it out.
UserTesting Pricing
UserTesting offers only two pricing options:
- Individual tests cost $49 each, with a maximum of 15 people per tent.
- Enterprise options are available, with prices starting at $15,000 per year depending on plan customization.
3. UsabilityHub
UsabilityHub offers multiple testing methods including first-click tests, design testing, preference testing, and five-second tests. These tests not only give users quality data but you’ll get written responses from the panel. With UsabilityHub you also have the option to recruit your testers and send any of their testing methods to your friends, colleagues, co-workers, or any other audience you want. The platform utilizes a panel of 400,000+ that is “standing by to test your designs in real-time”.
With audience segmentation, multiple audience selection methods, and a number of ways to test designs, UsabilityHub allows marketers, designers, and product managers to gather feedback.
Pros of UsabilityHub Compared to Optimizely
- Starting at $1 per response: If you don’t need moderated testing, you can receive findings fast and affordably with Usability Hub’s user panel.
- CVS export: Users can export their results as a CVS file, which they can then analyze in any way they like.
- Purchasing credits: You can buy credits for usability tests as you go or in bulk before the test without them expiring.
Cons of UsabilityHub Compared to Optimizely
- No screen or audio recording: UserTesting can record your test on-screen and audio, so you don’t have to worry about it. UsabilityHub only responds to your questions in writing, making it tough to fully interpret your test findings.
- No prototype testing: Their software allows you to conduct wireframe tests but not interactive prototypes.
- Multi-site testing: UsabilityHub does not have a feature that permits participants to be directed to another website for testing.
UsabilityHub Pricing
There are two pricing options with the UsabilityHub Platform:
- The first plan starts at $79 per month or billed annually.
- Pay per response is offered at $1 per user response.
- Usability hub does set restrictions on available testing time depending on the plan.
There is a very limited free plan that lets you test for up to 2 minutes on a branded interface.
4. UserBrain
UserBrain is a cloud-based user testing software that assesses and validates consumer experience using real-world feedback. Overall, it’s a good platform for quickly getting information at a reasonable fee.
UserBrain reveals what is or is not working for your product. It is a simple tool that allows you to rapidly build and obtain results from a usability test. UserBrain can assist you in creating products that people will love using, whether you’re a UX designer, researcher, or manager.
Pros of UserBrain Compared to Optimizely
- Subscription Model: They offer a pay-as-you-go pricing option, allowing you to test when you need to. You pay for your tests and can cancel subscriptions at any time.
- Diverse user panel: With UserBrain you don’t have to recruit your participants. The platform manages a panel of over 85,000 users to give you fast and effective feedback.
- Fast results: Tests are run and results are gathered in just a few hours.
- Testing with your own participants: Depending on your plan you can send a sharable link or recruit participants for your UserBrain tests.
- Unlimited members: If you have a large user testing team you can invite all of them to use the platform and assign roles.
- Free account: You can create a free account and run your first test for free.
Cons of UserBrain Compared to Optimizely
- Lack of mobile app testing: UserBrain allows customers to test via URL but cannot test iOS or Android native apps.
- No moderated testing: Optimizely allows you to directly talk with participants – live and face to face in moderated user tests. Userbrain doesn’t support this feature.
UserBrain Pricing
UserBrain is an affordable platform that offers multiple payment options.
- Pay-as-you-go is an option that lets you pay for individual tests without subscriptions or fees.
- Subscription plans at $69 per month, $230 per month, and $690 per month with 3, 10, & 30 testers respectively.
- Invite your own plan for $99 per month, with up to 30 testers from your own audience.
- You can create a free account and get your first test for free.
- When you pay annually you get 2 months of testing for free
5. Userzoom
UserZoom is a user experience (UX) tool that enables product developers and digital teams to acquire actionable insights on customer behavior to improve the digital experience. Administrators can use usability testing, questionnaires, card sorting, and website intercepts to monitor UX performance across products.
Pros of Userzoom Compared to Optimizely
- Use your own testers: The monthly plans allow customers to use their own participants for a test for free.
- Moderated testing: Userzoom supports both moderated and unmoderated testing with desktops or mobile devices.
Cons of Userzoom Compared to Optimizely
- Limited researchers: There is a limit on the number of users that can create and run tests, to run more user testing sessions you’ll need to pay more.
- Annual contracts: All of Userzoom’s plans are billed annually and you’ll need to pay upfront.
Userzoom Pricing
UserZoom offers different pricing options for moderated and unmoderated user tests.
- Plans for both types of tests start at $500 per month with 2 researcher seats, unlimited collaborators, and 40 tests per year.
- Customizable plans are offered when you reach out to UserZoom.
- They offer a 14-day free trial to explore their platform.
- All subscriptions and contracts are billed annually.
Our Recommendation
After understanding all of the platforms, their offerings, drawbacks, pricing, and benefits, Poll the People stands out as the best choice. The tool is less expensive, faster, and more user-friendly than Optimizely. While both platforms offer great service, Poll the People has all of the benefits with fewer drawbacks and more effective testing.
Poll the People is a fantastic platform that is simple to use and provides valuable feedback for improvement, at the best price. If you’re ready to start optimizing your business, sign up for free with Poll the People and test today.
- How To Retain SEO Ranking After A Redesign - February 22, 2023
- Ultimate Guide: How to Write Brand Names - February 17, 2023
- 10 Best Practices for Using Video in Your Email Marketing Campaigns - February 8, 2023
