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Best A/B Testing Software: 5 Tools to Test Changes and Increase Conversions

Best A/B Testing Software | TechCognate Tools Reviews
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Tools Reviews · E-Commerce

Best A/B Testing Software: 5 Tools to Test Changes and Increase Conversions

Software Comparison • A/B Testing • Ecommerce

Every store owner has a list of changes they are sure will help: a new hero image, a shorter product description, free shipping at a lower threshold, a higher price. Most of those changes go live on a hunch. Some help, some hurt, and without a test you cannot tell which is which.

A/B testing software splits your visitors into groups, shows each group a different version of a page, price or offer, and reports which version performs better on the metric you care about, such as conversion rate or revenue per visitor. Since Google shut down its free Google Optimize tool in September 2023, stores that relied on it have had to pick a replacement, and the options range from free WordPress plugins to platforms that cost hundreds of dollars a month.

Below, we compare five well-known A/B testing tools for Shopify, WooCommerce and other sites, show what each one costs according to its official pricing page or app listing, and explain who each one suits. If you are new to the discipline, start with our explainer on what conversion rate optimization is.

Editorial note: this article contains no affiliate links. Prices and features were checked against each vendor’s official pages on November 7, 2026, and we have not hands-on tested these tools. Vendors change plans often, so confirm current pricing before you buy.

Quick answer: On any platform, VWO is the easiest place to start because its Starter plan is free for up to 50,000 monthly tracked users. If you want published pricing and a full-featured platform, Convert starts at $299 a month billed annually. On Shopify, use Shoplift for theme and template tests and Intelligems for price, shipping and offer tests. On WordPress and WooCommerce, Nelio A/B Testing runs tests inside your dashboard and has a free tier.

  • Best free entry point on any platform: VWO
  • Best transparent pricing: Convert
  • Best for Shopify theme tests: Shoplift
  • Best for Shopify price and shipping tests: Intelligems
  • Best for WordPress and WooCommerce: Nelio A/B Testing
12Minute read
14Sections
1Comparison table
Nov 2026Published
Reading map · section length

Each block is one section, sized by how long it is. The orange block is the longest: Frequently Asked Questions (about 2 min). Tap a block to jump.

Why Testing Beats Guessing (Most Ideas Do Not Work)

In a 2017 Harvard Business Review article, Ron Kohavi and Stefan Thomke reported that at Microsoft, about one-third of tested ideas prove effective, one-third have neutral results and one-third have negative results. At Google and Bing, the share of experiments with positive results was even lower. That is the core case for testing: your best ideas fail more often than you would expect, and some of them quietly cost you sales.

What large-scale testing shows

Findings from Kohavi and Thomke, “The Surprising Power of Online Experiments,” Harvard Business Review, September–October 2017, plus Google’s Optimize sunset notice.

About 1 in 3 tested ideas at Microsoft proved effective. The rest were neutral or negative.
10% to 20% of experiments at Google and Bing generated positive results.
12% revenue increase came from one small 2012 Bing test of how ad headlines were displayed, estimated at more than $100 million a year in the US.
September 30, 2023 is the date Google Optimize and Optimize 360 stopped working. Google now points users to third-party testing tools that integrate with Google Analytics.

Microsoft, Google and Bing run tests at a scale few stores match. Treat their win rates as a reminder that most changes need proof, not as a benchmark for your store.

Two takeaways. First, plan for most tests to lose or tie, and treat that as savings rather than failure, because each losing test is a change you did not ship. Second, small changes can matter a lot, so test the details on high-traffic pages before you redesign anything.

Not sure what to test first? Use a heatmap tool to see where shoppers hesitate, then turn the biggest problem into your first test.

1. VWO — Best Free Entry Point on Any Platform

Best for: Stores and marketing teams on any platform that want to start testing for free and grow into a full testing suite.

What VWO does well

  • The Starter plan is free for up to 50,000 monthly tracked users, which covers many small stores.
  • A 30-day free trial gives access to all VWO products with no credit card required.
  • Google named VWO as one of the testing tools it collaborated with on Google Analytics integration after Optimize shut down.

Potential drawbacks

  • Paid Testing prices are set with a slider on the pricing page and are not listed as fixed figures, so you need to check your own traffic level.
  • The free Starter plan is monthly only, and the Pro and Enterprise plans are annual or multi-year only.
  • VWO sells several products (testing, personalization and more), so it is easy to pay for more than you need.

Pricing

Starter: free for up to 50,000 monthly tracked users. Growth, Pro and Enterprise prices depend on monthly tracked users and are shown through an interactive slider, so we could not confirm fixed paid prices from the official page. Growth can be billed monthly or annually; Pro and Enterprise are annual or multi-year. Source: VWO pricing page, checked November 7, 2026.

Check VWO Pricing →

2. Convert — Best Transparent Pricing

Best for: Growing stores and agencies that want a full A/B testing platform with prices published up front.

What Convert does well

  • Prices, traffic limits and overage fees are listed on the pricing page, which is rare in this category.
  • The Growth plan includes A/B and split URL testing, advanced targeting, heatmaps, a QA wizard and sample ratio mismatch (SRM) checks.
  • Pro adds multivariate and multipage testing, full-stack testing and feature flags, multi-armed bandit and sequential testing.

Potential drawbacks

  • Growth is limited to 5 projects and 5 experiences per project, and it excludes multivariate and multipage tests.
  • At $299 a month billed annually, the entry price is high for a small store.
  • The page mentions a 15-day trial but the sign-up flow references a 30-day trial, so confirm which applies.

Pricing

Growth: $399/month, or $299/month billed annually ($3,588/year), for 100,000 tested users a month. Pro: $599/month, or $420/month billed annually ($5,040/year), for 100,000 tested users a month. Enterprise: price on request, annual only, from 1 million tested users a month. Overuse is $399 per 100,000 users on Growth and $699 per 250,000 on Pro and Enterprise. Growth and Pro include a 15-day free trial with no credit card. Source: Convert pricing page, checked November 7, 2026.

Compare Convert Plans →

3. Shoplift — Best for Shopify Theme Tests

Best for: Shopify stores that want to test themes, templates and landing pages without code and apply winners straight to the live theme.

What Shoplift does well

  • Core covers theme, template and split URL testing, with Bayesian results on conversion rate, revenue per visitor and average order value.
  • You can apply a winning variant to your live theme from the app.
  • Advanced adds price testing, audience segmentation, GA4 integration and subscription tests through Recharge.

Potential drawbacks

  • Shopify only, and the listing describes it as a CRO platform for Shopify Plus. The exact plan requirement was not clear on the listing, so confirm it works on your plan.
  • Pricing is based on site-wide monthly unique visitors, so traffic spikes can raise your bill.
  • Price testing starts on the $399 Advanced plan.

Pricing

Core: $99/month, or $888/year. Advanced: $399/month, or $3,588/year. Pro: $999/month, or $8,388/year. Usage-based pricing scales with site-wide monthly unique visitors, and each plan includes a 14-day free trial. Source: Shoplift listing on the Shopify App Store, checked November 7, 2026.

See Shoplift Plans →

4. Intelligems — Best for Shopify Price and Shipping Tests

Best for: Shopify brands that want to test prices, shipping rates, discounts and offers, not just page designs.

What Intelligems does well

  • Tests product prices, subscription prices, compare-at prices and multi-currency pricing.
  • Tests shipping rates and free shipping thresholds, plus offers such as discounts, gifts with purchase and quantity breaks.
  • Price, content and offer tests work on any Shopify plan, and pricing has no per-visitor charges or overages.

Potential drawbacks

  • Checkout tests need Shopify Plus, and shipping rate tests need Shopify Advanced or Plus.
  • Individual module prices are not listed, only the $69 starting point for Build Your Own plans.
  • The Unlimited plan has a 3-month minimum and no free trial.

Pricing

Build Your Own plans start at $69/month at the lowest order-volume tier, with bundle discounts of 5% to 15% and 20% off annual billing. Unlimited (all modules): $1,279/month with a 3-month minimum. Pricing is per store and based on monthly order volume. New stores get a 14-day trial that covers every module except Smart Pricing. Source: Intelligems pricing page, checked November 7, 2026.

Explore Intelligems Pricing →

5. Nelio A/B Testing — Best for WordPress and WooCommerce

Best for: WordPress and WooCommerce stores that want to run tests from the WordPress dashboard without a separate platform.

What Nelio A/B Testing does well

  • Tests pages, posts, headlines, WooCommerce products and pricing, menus, themes, widgets, CSS and more.
  • Heatmaps, clickmaps and scrollmaps are included, even on the free plan.
  • The free plugin on WordPress.org is rated 4.8 out of 5 and was updated within the last week when we checked.

Potential drawbacks

  • The free plan is limited to 500 tested page views a month, which is too low for meaningful results on most stores.
  • It works best on WordPress, so stores on other platforms should look elsewhere.
  • We could not confirm paid plan prices from the official pricing page.

Pricing

Free: up to 500 tested page views a month, with heatmaps included. Paid plans add higher traffic limits, advanced features and priority support. We could not confirm paid-plan prices from the official page, so check neliosoftware.com for current plans. Source: Nelio A/B Testing on WordPress.org, checked November 7, 2026.

See Nelio Pricing →

A/B Testing Software Compared Side by Side

ToolPlatformBest useStarting price (verified Nov 7, 2026)Main limitation
VWOAny websiteGeneral A/B testing with a free startFree up to 50K monthly tracked usersPaid prices not listed as fixed figures
ConvertAny websiteFull testing platform, published prices$299/mo billed annually ($399 monthly)Growth plan lacks multivariate tests
ShopliftShopifyTheme, template and split URL tests$99/mo (Core)Visitor-based pricing; price tests on Advanced
IntelligemsShopifyPrice, shipping and offer testsFrom $69/mo (Build Your Own)Checkout tests need Shopify Plus
Nelio A/B TestingWordPress, WooCommerceTests inside the WordPress dashboardFree up to 500 tested page views/mo; paid prices unconfirmedFree traffic limit is very low

Which A/B Testing Tool Is Right for You?

Use this decision path to narrow it down in about a minute.

Pick your testing tool

Start at the top and follow the path that matches your store.

Step 1. Which platform are you on?
WordPress or WooCommerce
Want tests inside your dashboard? → Nelio A/B Testing
Need a full testing platform? → VWO or Convert
Shopify
Testing designs and templates? → Shoplift
Testing prices, shipping or offers? → Intelligems
Step 2. Low traffic or tight budget? → Start with VWO’s free Starter plan and test only your highest-traffic pages.
Step 3. Run each test until it reaches the sample size you planned, then record the result, win or lose.

What to Look for in A/B Testing Software

  • Platform fit. Shopify-native tools can test themes, prices and checkout in ways a generic script cannot, while WordPress plugins can test content from inside your dashboard.
  • What you can test. Page design, pricing, shipping and checkout are different problems. Make sure the tool covers the tests you actually plan to run.
  • Statistics and safeguards. Look for clear reporting, sample ratio mismatch checks and guidance on when a test is done, so you do not stop early on noise.
  • Analytics integration. Connecting results to Google Analytics 4 or your conversion tracking software lets you check revenue, not just clicks.
  • Pricing model. Visitor-based, order-based and tested-user pricing all scale differently. Model your cost at your busiest month, not your average one.

Quick Wins You Can Make Before Buying Anything

  1. Write a hypothesis for every idea. State the change, the metric you expect to move and why. It keeps tests focused and results useful.
  2. Check your traffic. Pages with few visitors take months to reach a result. Start with your homepage, top collection and best-selling product pages.
  3. Fix obvious problems without testing. Broken links, slow pages and missing shipping information do not need an experiment.
  4. Set up clean conversion tracking so you can trust the numbers any testing tool reports.
  5. Keep a test log. Record every test, its result and what you learned, so you do not repeat losing ideas.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is A/B testing software?

It is software that shows different versions of a page, price or offer to different groups of visitors at the same time and reports which version performs better on a chosen metric, such as conversion rate or revenue per visitor.

What is the best A/B testing software?

It depends on your platform and what you want to test. VWO and Convert work on any site, Shoplift and Intelligems are built for Shopify, and Nelio A/B Testing is built for WordPress and WooCommerce.

What replaced Google Optimize?

Nothing from Google. Optimize and Optimize 360 stopped working on September 30, 2023, and Google now recommends third-party testing tools that integrate with Google Analytics. It named AB Tasty, Optimizely and VWO as tools it collaborated with.

Is there free A/B testing software?

Yes. VWO’s Starter plan is free for up to 50,000 monthly tracked users, and Nelio A/B Testing has a free WordPress plugin with up to 500 tested page views a month.

How much traffic do I need to A/B test?

There is no fixed number. It depends on your current conversion rate and the size of the change you want to detect. Low-traffic stores should test bigger changes on their busiest pages so results arrive in weeks, not months.

Can I A/B test prices on Shopify?

Yes. Intelligems tests product, subscription and compare-at prices on any Shopify plan, and Shoplift includes price testing on its Advanced plan.

Is A/B testing the same as conversion rate optimization?

A/B testing is one method within conversion rate optimization (CRO). CRO also includes research, analytics and fixing obvious issues. See our roundup of the best CRO software for the wider toolset.

How long should an A/B test run?

Run it until it reaches the sample size you planned, and for at least one to two full weeks so weekday and weekend shoppers are both included. Stopping as soon as one version pulls ahead often produces false winners.

Do I need a developer to run A/B tests?

Not for most tests. Visual editors and Shopify-native apps let marketers build variants themselves. For custom WooCommerce tests or a faster site to test on, our WordPress development service can help.

Final Verdict: Which A/B Testing Software Should You Choose?

If you want to start testing today without a budget, begin with VWO’s free Starter plan, or Nelio A/B Testing if your store runs on WordPress or WooCommerce. If you want a full platform with published prices, Convert is the clearest choice. On Shopify, pick Shoplift for theme and page tests and Intelligems when the question is price, shipping or offers.

Your next step: pick one high-traffic page, write one hypothesis, and run one clean test to completion. A single trustworthy result is worth more than a dozen tests you stopped early.

Sources

Jaykishan Panchal, Founder & CEO, TechCognate
About the author

Jaykishan Panchal

Founder & CEO, TechCognate · SEO Strategist & WordPress Expert

Jaykishan Panchal is the founder of TechCognate and an SEO strategist with 15+ years of hands-on experience driving organic growth for businesses worldwide. He specialises in technical SEO, content strategy and GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation), helping brands stay visible in both traditional search and AI-driven discovery.

  • Technical SEO
  • Content Strategy
  • AI & GEO
  • Google Ads
  • E-Commerce SEO

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