### [8 Best WordPress A/B Testing Plugins and Tools](https://wpforms.com/best-ab-testing-plugins-and-tools-for-your-wordpress-forms/)

**Published:** August 16, 2018
**Author:** Osama Tahir

**Excerpt:** A few years back, I changed a single button on a contact form from "Submit" to "Send My Message," ran an A/B test, and watched the conversion rate jump by around 14%. That kind of result happens often enough that I treat A/B testing as a non-negotiable part of running any WordPress site.

The challenge is figuring out which plugin to actually use. Most lists I've come across either pad the ranking with tools that aren't really A/B testing platforms, or skip the free options entirely. So I tested the ones that genuinely run on WordPress and ranked them by how useful they actually are for the kinds of sites my readers run.

**Content:**

A few years back, I changed a single button on a contact form from “Submit” to “Send My Message,” ran an A/B test, and watched the conversion rate jump by around 14%. That kind of result happens often enough that I treat A/B testing as a non-negotiable part of running any WordPress site.

The challenge is figuring out which plugin to actually use. Most lists I’ve come across either pad the ranking with tools that aren’t really A/B testing platforms, or skip the free options entirely. So I tested the ones that genuinely run on WordPress and ranked them by how useful they actually are for the kinds of sites my readers run.

- [Best WordPress A/B Testing Plugins](#aioseo-best-wordpress-a-b-testing-plugins)
- [1. Thrive Optimize](#1-thrive-optimize)
- [2. OptinMonster](#2-optinmonster)
- [3. Nelio A/B Testing](#3-nelio-a-b-testing)
- [4. VWO (Visual Website Optimizer)](#4-vwo-visual-website-optimizer)
- [5. Split Hero](#5-split-hero)
- [6. Optimizely](#6-optimizely)
- [7. Hotjar](#7-hotjar)
- [8. abtestkit](#8-abtestkit)
- [How to Choose the Right WordPress A/B Testing Plugin](#how-to-choose-the-right-wordpress-a-b-testing-plugin)

### Best WordPress A/B Testing Plugins

Here’s a side-by-side comparison of the most popular A/B testing plugins I’ve covered in this post. Learn more about each service with this table:

Plugin 🛠️Best For 🌟Free PlanVisual EditorPrice💲[Thrive Optimize](#1-thrive-optimize "Thrive Optimize")Solopreneurs and small businesses already using Thrive Architect✗✓From $199/year[OptinMonster](#2-optinmonster)Popups, floating bars, and lead-capture A/B testing✗✓From $59.60/year[Nelio A/B Testing](#3-nelio-a-b-testing)Native WordPress testing across pages, posts, themes, and WooCommerceLimited✓From $29/month[VWO](#4-vwo-visual-website-optimizer)Marketing teams with budget for enterprise-grade testingLimited✓From $314/year[Split Hero](#5-split-hero "Split Hero")WordPress users who want simple, focused page-level A/B tests✗LimitedFrom $29/month[Optimizely](#6-optimizely "Optimizely")Large companies running advanced web experiments✗✓Custom pricing[Hotjar](#7-hotjar "Hotjar")Visual heatmaps, behavior analysis✓✓Free plan available**[abtestkit](#8-abtestkit "abtestkit")**WooCommerce stores testing product pages and pricing✓✗FreeOr, check out my analysis and testing below for a more detailed overview and comparison of the best A/B testing plugins for WordPress.

### 1. [Thrive Optimize](https://thrivethemes.com/optimize/)

![Thrive Themes](https://wpforms.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Thrive-Themes.png)If you’re using the [Thrive Architect](https://thrivethemes.com/architect/) page builder (which is actually one of my favorites), you can use the Thrive Optimize addon to easily A/B test your landing pages.

With Thrive, you can get started without worrying about any code at all. That’s one of the biggest advantages of this solution, thanks to being a native WordPress plugin.

#### What I Like About Thrive Optimize

The A/B testing process with Thrive Optimize begins by creating a variation of a page that you built with Thrive Architect.

I enjoyed the flexibility this plugin offers – you can either copy your original version of the page and then change a specific part of it to create your new variation or build a new page from scratch.

![Thrive Optimize AB Test](https://wpforms.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Thrive-Optimize-AB-Test.png)You also have full freedom to create any number of variations you want.

The one feature that turned me into a big Thrive fan is the **ability to set a specific goal for your experiment**. There are 3 types of goals: revenue, visit page, and subscription.

Connecting your experiment to a specific goal is a powerful way of measuring how the different variations of your page perform against each other. For instance, selecting “revenue” as your goal allows you to set a value for your desired conversion action.

![Choosing experiment goals in Thrive Optimize](https://wpforms.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Thrive-Theme-Goals.png)From that point, you can simply observe how a test performs over time with Thrive’s intuitive reporting charts. When you see a clear difference in the revenue of your control version and test version of a page, you can pick a winner.

I was also glad to see that Thrive Optimize **lets you allocate traffic** by any ratio between your active variants. So if you don’t want traffic to the distributed evenly between your test variants, you can easily set up any ratio of allocation by using a convenient slider control.

Overall, I think that Thrive Optimize is one of those rare kinds of plugins that doesn’t fill itself up with needless complexity. Its only purpose is to simplify A/B testing and it stays true to that. The ability to set up variants

This focused approach allows the plugin to be powerful without being intimidating.

#### Who’s It For

Thrive Optimize is the ideal A/B testing plugin for small businesses and solopreneurs. If you’re looking for an affordable tool that’s easy to get started with, this is definitely it.

### 2. [OptinMonster](http://optinmonster.com)

![OptinMonster for A/B testing](https://wpforms.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/OptinMonster.png)[OptinMonster](http://optinmonster.com) is a powerful plugin that lets you create popups for collecting leads and boost sales. While it’s not a standalone A/B testing tool, it comes with its own split testing feature that works great for experimenting with your popups for maximum impact.

In fact, OptinMonster isn’t limited to just a standard popup. You can also create [lightbox popups](https://wpforms.com/wordpress-lightbox/), floating bars, slide-in forms, gamified wheels, and more.

#### What I Like About OptinMonster

OptinMonster’s appeal primarily stems from its simplicity. I like that it gives you a basic split testing tool because, for things like popups and floating bars, you’re unlikely to need anything more advanced.

The split test lets you create multiple variations of your popup. So if you want to change one specific element of your popup and try different variations, it’s really quick and easy to do so.

![OptinMonster split test campaign](https://wpforms.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/OptinMonster-Split-Test.png)I also find the analytics report for monitoring your split test quite refreshing in its simplicity. It doesn’t overwhelm you with scary statistical numbers; there’s only a neat chart based on a few meaningful metrics like conversions, views, and revenue.

As a result, I’ve always found it really easy to interpret the results of every split test I’ve ever run in OptinMonster for popups.

The only downside of its simplicity is that it lacks some features like traffic distrubtion control for variants of your test. OptinMonster only allows even distribution of traffic during split testing.

But this isn’t a huge deal for beginners who only need a quick and user-friendly solution for testing their popup variations.

#### Who’s It For

OptinMonster is a great A/B testing tool for small businesses that want to drive more conversions with marketing assets like exit intent popups, floating banners, and slide-ins.

### 3. [Nelio A/B Testing](https://neliosoftware.com/testing/)

![Nelio A/B testing](https://wpforms.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/nelio-ab-testing.png)[Nelio A/B Testing plugin](https://neliosoftware.com/testing/) is a powerful A/B testing plugin that’s specifically designed for WordPress.

It’s fairly advanced and offers an impressive range of customizations that you can utilize to run more complex A/B tests on your site for various purposes.

#### What I Like About Nelio

When I tested Nelio, its excellent variety of tests immediately caught my eye. Most A/B test plugins in WordPress limit you to testing specific areas of your site (which isn’t a bad thing), but Nelio gives you a lot more.

You can create A/B test for posts, pages, product pages, and even your WordPress theme. And as someone who’s a big believer in the power of titles and headlines, I was very pleased to see the A/B test for blog post headlines.

In fact, you can even test widgets and navigation menus specifically. This level of precision is what makes Nelio such a great A/B testing plugin that suits a variety of use-case scenarios.

I found the visual reports of active A/B tests very easy to understand, even for beginners. You don’t need to be a pro at statistics to draw meaningful conclusions with the test report Nelio displays.

My only complaint with the plugin is the outdated interface. Nelio’s A/B testing versatility comes at the cost of a clunky user interface, that’s not laid out in the most intuitive manner.

But overall, it’s one of the most versatile a/b testing plugins for WordPress that doesn’t restrict you to using any specific page builder for creating your test variations.

#### Who’s It For

Nelio is a powerful plugin for tech-savvy eCommerce stores and bloggers having at least an intermediate level of WordPress knowledge and experience.

### 4. [VWO (Visual Website Optimizer)](https://vwo.com/)

![VWO Testing](https://wpforms.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/VWO-Testing.png)[VWO, or Visual Website Optimizer](https://vwo.com/), is an all-in-one platform that gives you all the tools you need to perform A/B tests for your website.

It’s one of the most comprehensive testing and optimization tools on the market, offering a variety of tools. You can run simple split tests, multivariate tests, and even split URL tests. And to make the integration into WordPress easier, VWO has a [dedicated WordPress plugin](https://wordpress.org/plugins/visual-web-optimizer/) to help you out.

#### What I Like About VWO

I’ll be honest. It’s hard to beat VWO if you’re a professional who thrives on data-driven marketing decisions.

At the same time, it’s a very beginner-friendly tool. The visual editor makes it a breeze to create alternative versions of a page.

I was expecting a bit of a learning curve here but VWO deserves full points for really thinking hard about making its visual builder as intuitive as possible.

But things can get a bit tricky if you start exploring the full range of features that VWO has to offer. Because VWO isn’t just an A/B testing tool, it also offers extensive behavioral analytics in the form of session recording, heatmaps, funnel analysis, and a lot more.

While these features are helpful for organizations with teams dedicated to data analytics, it can be a bit too much to digest for smaller companies.

For A/B testing, I was very impressed VWO’s statistical analysis that helps you understand the probability of each variation performing better than the others. Besides, you aren’t just limited to traditional a/b tests – VWO also supports multivariate testing.

So if you’re a super ambitious business in a super competitive industry, you can launch advanced experiments by testing multiple variables in your landing pages at the same time in a highly controlled manner.

And if you’re particularly good with numbers, VWO gives you probability charts based on Bayesian math, enabling capable analysts to make very accurate marketing decisions.

Overall, VWO is a mighty powerful A/B testing tool. The only question is, do you really need all that power?

#### Who’s It For

VWO is a great tool for large organizations with dedicated analytics teams capable of running statistical tests and interpreting their results scientifically. For small businesses with simpler needs, VWO can be an overkill.

### 5. [Split Hero](https://splithero.com/)

[![Split Hero](https://wpforms.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/split-hero.png)](https://splithero.com/)[Split Hero](https://splithero.com/) is one of the few WordPress-only A/B testing solutions on the market. It’s a SaaS tool but it syncs directly with WordPress via its dedicated plugin.

#### What I like About Split Hero

I appreciate Split Hero a lot for the fact that it doesn’t try to be a fancy tool. Instead, it focuses on being user-friendly, giving you only the essential A/B testing features that websites will find most useful.

That means you can run traditional A/B tests with simple pre-defined goals, like page conversions. For a given experiment, you can test up to 4 variations of a page at a time.

I think this maximum limit of 4 isn’t ideal, but in my experience, small businesses don’t often need to create a bunch of variations anyway. Still, I’d have liked to see a larger limit, or like Thrive Optimize, no limits at all!

I was also glad to see the scheduling features, so that your test can start and expire on your custom schedule. This adds more control and precision to A/B experiments.

The tool is also compatible with all WordPress page builders, including the default Gutenberg and classic WordPress editors. Personally, I’m quite fond of this flexibility because Split Hero doesn’t restrict you to a specific page builder.

But there’s an unfortunate tradeoff involved here. And that’s the fact that Split Hero doesn’t offer any assistance when it comes to creating different versions of your page.

That’s something you’ll have to take care of yourself with whatever method suits you (i.e. creating each page variation with a plugin like SeedProd or Elementor or using WordPress editor).

#### Who’s It For

Split Hero is a helpful plugin for WordPress-powered websites run by small teams or even a single person, with simple A/B testing requirements.

### 6. [Optimizely](https://www.optimizely.com/)

![Optimizely](https://wpforms.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Optimizely.png)[Optimizely](https://www.optimizely.com/) is a web experimentation tool that packs a lot of power in its a/b testing features.

It offers a lot of flexibility with web experimentation, giving you tools for running simpler A/B tests with equal traffic distribution as well as more complex tests that change dynamically depending on the audience attributes.

#### What I Like About Optimizely

Optimizely is a massive tool. Yet it still somehow manages to be easy to understand with its beautifully designed main dashboard.

When creating test variations, there’s a nice WYSIWYG editor that enables easy edits. I found it pretty intuitive to use the editor right from my first use.

However, configuring Optimizely to work with your site isn’t so straightforward. You’ll likely need some developer expertise initially to set things up. But I don’t expect beginners to have a lot of trouble once they get a little familiar with the interface.

Optimizely’s more advanced capabilities are very useful if you’re interested in running complex experiments.

For instance, it’s possible to run concurrent experiments that are mutually exclusive for your test audience. So you’re not just limited to performing experiments in a linear sequence.

But it’s another situation where you’ll need some coding to make things work in the way you expect.

Overall, Optimizely is a great tool that’s easy enough to use for simple A/B experimentation. But if you don’t intend to use its more advanced features, then it doesn’t justify the expenses you’ll be incurring.

#### Who’s It For

Optimizely suits businesses that have a full-fledged marketing and analytics team with advanced web experimentation needs. But due to the high cost and complexity of its most powerful features, it’s not the best fit for small online stores and bloggers.

### 7. [Hotjar](https://www.hotjar.com)

![hotjar ab testing](https://wpforms.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/hotjar-ab-testing-1024x536.png)[Hotjar](https://www.hotjar.com) is a powerful behavioral analytics tool. While A/B testing isn’t one of its features, it makes the analysis of your test results super convenient with its visual heatmaps.

#### What I Like About Hotjar

I mainly like Hotjar for the feature it primarily specializes in: heatmaps and click tracking. It’s a helpful way of analyzing how your visitors are interacting with your website and the variations you’ve set up in your a/b test.

The heatmaps when combined with user recordings can paint a vivid picture, revealing any points of friction in your user’s journey through the funnel, and popular click areas at the same time.

I think Hotjar can be a valuable addition to your suite of analytics tools if you’re looking for a more visual and qualitative level analysis.

Though you’ll need an a/b testing tool that integrates with Hotjar like Optimizely or Convert to create your experiments. Hotjar’s role is only limited to providing visual analytics of the experiments you’ve set up with other tools.

#### Who’s It For

Hotjar is great for medium to large-sized businesses that want to uncover deeper behavioral insights about customer behavior.

Because you’ll need a separate a/b testing tool along with it, Hotjar isn’t suited for businesses looking for an affordable standalone a/b testing solution.

### 8. [abtestkit](https://wordpress.org/plugins/abtestkit/)

![abtestkit wordpress plugin](https://wpforms.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/abtestkit-wordpress-plugin-1024x529.png)abtestkit is a free WordPress plugin that’s specifically built for A/B testing on WooCommerce stores. It’s the newest entry on this list, but it’s quickly become one of the better free options for eCommerce site owners who want to test product pages, pricing, images, descriptions, and galleries.

#### What I Like About abtestkit

The page-builder compatibility is broad. abtestkit works with Gutenberg, Elementor, Beaver Builder, Bricks, Oxygen, Brizy, Breakdance, and most other major builders. So you can keep using whatever you already have.

For a free plugin, the testing capabilities are genuinely useful. You can test product pricing, images, descriptions, and galleries without any traffic caps. The reporting isn’t as polished as Nelio or VWO, but it’s clear enough to act on.

The big limitation is that abtestkit is laser-focused on WooCommerce. If you don’t run a store, this plugin probably isn’t the right fit. The non-commerce features are limited compared to what Nelio offers.

#### Who’s It For

abtestkit is a strong pick for WooCommerce store owners who want a free, no-frills A/B testing plugin to test product pages, pricing, and images. If you’re not running WooCommerce, look at Nelio or AB Split Test instead.

### How to Choose the Right WordPress A/B Testing Plugin

The right A/B testing plugin for your site really comes down to two things. What are you testing, and what’s your budget. Here’s how I’d break the decision down based on the most common use cases I see.

- **You’re already using Thrive Architect**: Thrive Optimize is the natural pick. The Thrive Suite at $299/year unlocks it along with all the other Thrive plugins.
- **You’re testing popups or lead-capture forms**: OptinMonster handles popup A/B testing better than anything else.
- **You run a WooCommerce store**: abtestkit is the most cost-effective option, and Nelio’s WooCommerce-specific testing is a strong upgrade if you can afford it.
- **You want simple page-level testing without the bloat**: Split Hero is built for this exact use case.
- **You have a marketing or CRO team and budget**: VWO or Optimizely. Both are enterprise-grade with the analytics, segmentation, and statistical depth to match.

One thing to keep in mind. A/B testing only works if you actually have enough traffic to reach statistical significance. Most experts recommend at least 1,000 visitors per variation before drawing conclusions.

Though, the exact number depends on your conversion rate and how big a difference you’re trying to detect. If you’re below that threshold, focus on growing your traffic first or run tests for longer to compensate.

### FAQs About WordPress A/B Testing Plugins

WordPress A/B testing is one of the more common questions I get from readers running their first conversion experiments. Here are answers to the questions that come up most often, including a few about pricing, traffic, and what changed with Google Optimize.

#### Can you do A/B testing on WordPress?

Yes. You can run A/B tests on WordPress using any of the plugins in this guide. Tools like Nelio A/B Testing and AB Split Test work entirely inside WordPress, so you can set up and analyze experiments from your admin dashboard without writing code.

#### What is a split test in WordPress?

A split test in WordPress compares two or more versions of the same page, post, popup, or form element to see which version performs better. You’re isolating a single change (like a headline or button) and measuring which variation gets more conversions, clicks, or signups.

#### How do you create a split test?

To create a split test, install one of the A/B testing plugins listed above, set up two versions of the content you want to test, and let the plugin handle the traffic split. Most tools will route visitors randomly between the variations and track which one performs better against the goal you set.

#### Can you split test a website?

Yes. You can split test entire pages, sections, or even your whole site using A/B testing tools. Plugins like Nelio and Split Hero let you test pages, while VWO and Optimizely can run tests across multiple URLs at once for full-funnel experimentation.

#### How much traffic do I need for A/B testing?

Most experts recommend at least 1,000 visitors per variation before drawing conclusions, though the exact number depends on your baseline conversion rate and the size of the difference you’re testing for. Smaller sites may need to run tests for longer to gather enough data, or focus on bigger changes (like full landing-page redesigns) rather than small tweaks.

#### Is Google Optimize still available?

No. Google Optimize was sunset on September 30, 2023. If you were planning to use it, you’ll need to switch to one of the alternatives in this guide. Most users moving off Google Optimize end up on Nelio, VWO, or Optimizely depending on their budget and use case.

#### Do A/B testing plugins slow down WordPress?

Some can, particularly tools that run heavy JavaScript on every page load. Nelio and AB Split Test, which are fully WordPress-hosted, tend to have less performance impact than SaaS tools like VWO or Optimizely that load external scripts. If site speed is a concern, test the plugin on a staging site first and check your Core Web Vitals before rolling it out.

### Next, Test Your WordPress Forms

A/B tests on your pages and popups are one of the most effective things you can do to improve conversions. But before you ship a new variation, make sure the forms on those pages actually work the way you expect.

We put together a [form testing checklist](https://wpforms.com/form-testing-checklist/) you can use to catch broken fields, notification issues, and confirmation errors before they cost you submissions.

If you want more ideas for boosting form performance, our [research-based tips for form conversions](https://wpforms.com/research-based-tips-to-improve-contact-form-conversions/) cover the small changes that consistently make a difference.

And if your tests reveal that long forms are losing leads, the [Lead Forms](https://wpforms.com/features/lead-forms-addon/) addon turns any WPForms form into a high-converting multi-step layout that’s worth testing alongside your A/B variations.

[Create Your WordPress Form Now](https://wpforms.com/pricing/)

Ready to build your form? Get started today with the easiest WordPress form builder plugin. [WPForms Pro](https://wpforms.com/pricing) includes lots of free templates and offers a 14-day money-back guarantee.

If this article helped you out, please follow us on [Facebook](https://facebook.com/wpforms) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/easywpforms) for more free WordPress tutorials and guides.

**Categories:** Showcases

**Tags:** a/b test, experiments, monsterinsights, OptinMonster

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