AB testing is a randomized experiment that has two variants (A and B) which are the control and variation within a 2 sample hypothesis testing. This kind of testing is a way to compare two different versions of the same variable, generally done by testing the reaction that the subject has to variable A against the reaction to variable B, and then determine which of the variables is more effective. Sometimes called split-run testing and bucket testing, this is a pretty standard test. What does this have to do with website optimization? When you run an A/B test for your site, you are able to test two versions of the same content against each other to see which performs better as a whole—it will lead to more conversions, a lower bounce rate, and a higher retention rate.

A/B Testing Tools

1. Google Analytics

The Content Experiments feature lets users split-test page variants using the program. It is free to use and has a simple interface that allows a quick and efficient multi-armed bandit testing. You can track your business targets with the Goals feature, and can integrate it easily with a huge data pool and other analysis features. On the flip side, the interpretation of the raw data is up to the user, and it is hard to use on dynamic pages. It also has a deficiency in multivariate testing along with other options that are offered by competitors. Optimize your web page and app from this single platform, as it is a robust yet easy to use A/B test that will give the results in a format that is simple enough to interpret when you have the right knowledge.

2. Optimizely

Plans start at $17, making it a great option for those who are just getting started. It has an intuitive and easy-to-use interface that creates impressive A/B, multivariate, and mobile testing options. Though it is simple to use, that does not mean that the product is inferior. As your brand gets larger, there are advanced features to be used at a higher price point, so that you won't have to convert to different software. A few downsides are that there are no algorithm alternatives to be used for judging results, and it cannot integrate outside data. You can try it for free, or take advantage of the flexible pricing. The specific pricing is available upon request, but the site insists that you will only pay for what you actually use from the tools, as a way to help growing businesses. Companies that trust Optimizely are Netflix, the Walt Disney Company, Microsoft, Trulia, and OpenTable.

3. Visual Website Optimizer

Starting at $49 per month, this full featured testing suite has a simple interface and has 7 different testing options: A/B testing, multivariate testing, split URL testing, targeting, usability testing, conversion tracking, and heat maps & clicks. It also comes with tools that help with generating ideas.It lacks options for testing multiple pages and real time support, but is said to be great for those who are only doing casual A/B testing. It is similar to Optimizely, but has a wider set of features available.

4. Unbounce

This program will focus only on landing pages, and gives the users a number of metrics for interpreting the data that is given. This tool is great for someone that is new to marketing that just wants quick results. It allows you to publish your landing pages to be optimized for conversion in just a few hours. The interface is easy to use and it is designed to be used successfully with other software. It is quick and will get the job done without a whole lot of bells and whistles.

5. KISSmetrics

This premium testing tool starts at $150 per month with a full year of commitment. That may seems like a huge investment, but this tool offers a deeper and diverse set of data to be used. It is incredibly flexible with a simple interface, it can be used successfully with other software, and has the capability to trace data back to real people. It does come with a higher learning curve due to the advanced data reporting but the cost won't be affordable to small businesses that are just getting started. Use behavior analytics to drive the growth of your brand. You can even put your own web page link in to get started right from the home page. Increase your conversions, engagement, and retention through every point of your growth cycle.

6. CrazyEgg

The goal of CrazyEgg is to understand the behavior of users, and the software allows just that. It is a great resource for those who are visual learners, and is a great option for those who are just starting out. Not only is it easy to use, it will cost just $9 a month. It comes with a low learning curve, but has limited use for dynamic pages as well as limited features and testing options.

Overall, this tool packs a great punch for its price and is a great resource for tracking websites.

7. Five Second Test

Fine tune your landing pages as well as your calls to action through the use of this test—which will let you know what a person remembers about your website design in just 5 seconds. You can choose the set of testers and how many responses you get. It is very simple to use and will get you a response almost immediately. Simply upload the image, setup the test to have the URL generated to share along with the instructions to the test. The price will range from free to $99 per month.

8. Convert Experiment

You can use multivariate and multi-domain A/B testing, as well as tracking and development tools for JS and CSS. The editor has a user friendly interface, allowing you to edit content in a snap. Create and edit your tests in a jiffy, while testing things like product and category pages. For the tests, you will have control over the duration, traffic allocation, engagement measuring, conversion tracking, and segmented tracking. It will range from $9 to $1,499 per month.

9. Maxymiser

You will be using simple A/B testing tools as well as refined multivariate testing, with the ability to easily create and start tests on any page, public or secure. The insights from the tests will identify and then remove the variants that cause a poor performance, while giving vital insights that can be applied to offers, segmentation, and personalization. It will build a unique customer profile for each person that visits the site, based on their in session behaviors, CRM data, and other attributes. The pricing is not clear, but is available on request.

10. A/Bingo

This testing framework is used as a plugin, testing display and behavioral differences using code. Because the testing is done within code, there is no complicated setup or configuration. After the initial execution of the code, all of the subsequent tests are taken right from the cache. The program also allows for multivariate testing, allowing the user to build their own dashboard. Not only is it free, but it is easy to set up and install.

11. AB Tasty

This tool is meant to optimize your conversion rate without the need for writing intricate code. You will be able to see which of your pages are producing the best results regarding your objectives like pageviews, purchases, and the like. Tweak the tests to fit your own requirements and to measure only what you would like. There is a high level of personalization and the advanced analysis will be able to point out the most relevant feature of each website visitor. The tool ranges in price, so users can choose the plan that will best fit their needs.

12. Adobe Target

Confidently target your specified content with the intuitive interface where you can create a personalized web experience. You will use a guided targeting and testing workflow and framework that does not require any intricate code or set up—so that you can easily see the responses of your website visitors. Use just a single click to get delivery of optimized content, filtering options, and mobile engagement. There is no price listed, but it is available upon request.

13. SiteSpect

Acting as a server-side solution for testing, SiteSpect does not come with many of the issues that can be had with a typical browser-based platform that uses JavaScript tags. These tag-based programs will generally charge by the number of tag calls that are made, will require third party cookies, and give inadequate reports because the JS doesn't always fire. SiteSpect is one of the best options as users will not run into any of these problems.

14. Sentient Ascend

Previously called Digital Certainty, this program brings advanced algorithms into the market. It uses machines learning algorithms to expedite multivariate testing. Evolutionary algorithms can successfully find optimum combinations when they isolate the richest local maximum made for one solution set. Before committing to this tool, you are able to download an overview and even watch webinars to learn how it will benefit your brand. It is built so that you will spend your precious time on marketing, not on doing test after test and then interpreting the findings. In short, you will be getting better results in less time, constant improvement, creative freedom, and multipage and multivariate optimization. Start with a free trial, as prices are available upon request.

15. Qubit

This testing platform focuses mainly on personalization and has some of the most robust segmentation capabilities. This company is actually used by more than 300 of the world's largest consumer brands, and will give you the most comprehensive understanding of your customer along with machine learning and digital experience techniques that have a high impact. Make Qubit operational in under a month to bridge the gap in your existing testing tools while you get a deeper understanding of your website visitors and their behavior.

16. Lucky Orange

This comes as a diverse package that holds many conversion features that will have you calling it the all-in-one optimization suite. The low price point is paired with the way that it analyzes user behavior will make it your favorite tool for gathering data about users. The program starts at just $10 per month, and will give you access to visitor recordings, form analytics, chats, polls, conversion funnel reports, and so much more all in just one place.

17. Clicktale

This web-based system will allow users to visualize their customer's experience on your website from their own perspective. It is a high-functioning tool that mixes session recording with tracking of clicks and scrolls. It does come with a higher price tag but has paved the way for similar technology in the last few years.

18. Apptimize

Use this program to improve your application's user interface and user experience, so that it will in turn advance your own business objectives. You will be able to target a specific region, percentage of user base, or audience segment while you have total control of your visual editor. Test anything that you can imagine with this tool, and receive only statistically valid results. It takes less than 5 minutes to install and will give you a limitless number of tests. There is a free trail, while specific pricing is available upon request.

19. Campaigner

This email marketing service offers simple email automation that works with superior list segmentation and reporting, workflows, drip marketing, and robust auto responders. It will allow a brand to conduct A/B split testing to help them better understand their subscribers' preferences, and give them insight into successful campaigns. Users will be able to track their success with reports on bounce rate, deliverability, and social sharing. With the tools at your fingertips, you will be able to send out a more effective email campaign, bringing in a higher ROI.

20. ChangeAgain

Fully integrated with Google analytics, this tool does not ask for any special skills from its users. Anyone can test and navigate the tool to make the changes needed for a successful test. There is no limit to testing and takes only one click. You do not need to have any special skills for coding, and will receive the test results in a way that is simple to interpret. You will be able to test unlimited traffic without shelling out a lot of extra funds. All plans will include 14 days for free, and are priced at $14 per month, up to $149 per month.

21. Clickthroo

You will be able to segment visitors by their location, device, browser, keyword, OS, referring URL and more, while using A/B testing to optimize the traffic segments to pull reports on all of it. You will also have the capability to select the campaign preferences while choosing to use landing pages or linking directly. Track all clicks, conversions, and form submissions by a number of variables like location, time of day, and traffic source. Enjoy a free 14 day trial, while plans range from $95 to $1,195 per month.

22. Dynamic Yield

This tool comes with an entire suite of engagement and personalization solutions that drive up the engagement and revenue throughout the journey of the customer. Predictive capabilities will leverage enterprise-grade testing, and will deliver a totally responsive experience. Customer engagement is driven up through email, mobile, and web browsing which enables marketers to increase their revenue. Accelerate your success by using their global team to help you achieve your goals while becoming an expert on testing and optimization.

23. Fusion

Users will be provided with expert help when they need to manage their websites. This tool is able to enhance large amounts of data while gathering all of the most important insights. Create deeper, more meaningful customer segmentation so that the customer behavior can be better understood. It breaks down all of the most important parts of an A/B test, letting the user know exactly how it works. The price will depend on the number of contacts that you add and the type of marketing help that you need, making it all pretty custom. Prices start at $500 per month.

24. Kameleoon

Over 300 companies are already using Kameleoon's testing tool, accompanied by its smart graphic editor. The simple interface can be used to help optimize your site for both the desktop and mobile experiences. Analyze the behavior of the visitors so that you can identify their needs and optimize as needed. You will be able to optimize each step of their experience with the testing options, and the statistics engine will boost your conversions. Prices are available upon inquiry. You do not need prior knowledge of code and how it works—you will run your test with graphics rather than code. Edit your text, color, product image, and so much more with just a few clicks.

25. Leanplum

Known as a single solution for mobile ROI, you will be able to deliver mobile engagement with this platform that was made for intelligent action. It brings together all of the most important solutions like automation, messaging, A/B testing, and analytics. It is made to create value so that you will be able to put together meaningful engagement while improving performance and maximizing ROI. With a sleek interface, anyone can use this platform.

26. Marketizator

Here is a leading provider for generating sales through taking advantage of a conversion rate optimization platform. The four main features are A/B testing, surveys, personalization, and segmentation—using these you will be able to maximize your potential to generate profit and have an advantage over competitors. With A/B testing, use geolocation, weather segmentation, and even dynamic text replacement to run tests on any type of device.

27. Maxymizely

Use this efficient testing tool to experiment and then maximize your website conversion. There are different types of testing including A/B and multivariate. You can start now to improve your website. You will be able to test the colors, text, and position of all elements on your page to discover which variations perform the best. Increase conversion by split testing the length of the form to sign up as well as editing the types of fields within the form. Prices start at $19 per month up to $399, all come with a free 2 week trial.

28. Mixpanel

Developers will love the way that A/B testing is done with Mixpanel. They know that sometimes the most vital parts of a site or app are not visual. It will allow you to write a part of the code that will dramatically change the site so that you can see how website visitors will react. You will get to choose exactly who will be getting the test, and the program ensures that the perfect experiment can be done by intelligently choosing a random group of people. The plans start at free but run $99 a month, and $999 a year depending on the level. In short, you are given the ability to easily measure what individuals are doing on your application on iOS or Android, and on the web.

29. Monetate

Monetate is made up of industry experts and partners that make up a powerhouse to help brands have a more successful customer experience. All solutions can be customized to the needs of the brand. They will help a brand at any point in their lifecycle, whether they are starting out or well established. They will ensure that your day to day strategies are on par with your goals so that you will have the maximum ROI long term and short term. Prices are available upon inquiry.

30. Petri

Built by Wix, this is their holistic experimental system that covers the lifecycle of a product experimenting, including A/B testing. It will create and open the test to affect the experience of the users and will collect data on the behavior of the user prior to making a decision. You will be able to define filters in order to determine which users will be included in the experiments. There are a number of features to be chosen for filters, while custom filters can be made.

31. PlanOut

Everyone knows that the difficulty of getting a randomized experiment is that they are sometimes hard to test. This is especially true when it involves conditional assignment and probabilities. This program simplifies the process of testing by allowing you to freeze the value of the variable so that it will not change during the procedure. That way you can test different user experiences generated by the experiment with no need to modify the experiment definition.

32. Splitly

Test how your images and text perform on Amazon by running automated test through uploading multiple images, descriptions, and titles. This is how you will discover the most profitable copy and you will then increase your profits and conversion. This is the only program to use when you need to test your images and text on Amazon. All that you need to do is upload your variants, run the experiment, and find your winning combination. Start for just under $50, while plans grow to just under $500 monthly.

33. Taplytics

This program allows you to make more informed decisions about your site and application. Boasting the easiest setup, all that it takes to get started is a single line of code to make your first A/B test. They launched the first ever visual A/B testing platform for mobile apps and have not stopped trailblazing since. You can test simple elements or complex behaviors, while having the right tools at your disposal to create texts on the fly. Modify what you need to the instant that you see it rather than stressing resubmission. You will need to customize your plan to fit your needs.

34. UsabilityHub

Developers and designers can create simple usability tests and also design surveys. These designers and developers will be able to choose and recruit their own testers, or they can use testers that have signed up on the website. Tests are offered in many languages, and users will choose theirs after signing up. Tests will usually last less than one minute, and 5 second tests can be used for home pages, landing pages, logos, marketing, and brochures.

35. Zarget

Use heatmaps and click maps to see where your visitors have been clicking. The testing provided on the site will let you know which pages on your site are performing well, and which ones are not. Using Split URL testing will let you test two versions of the same site against each other. You will be boosting your conversions when you are using the best version of your site that you can. Start with a free trial, as plans start at $15 to $35 per month, and there is even a way to build a custom plan.

36. Proctor

Proctor uses client specification, data model, client load, and matrix to build code. This A/B testing framework is written in Java, and enables products driven by data to be designed at Indeed. It gives consistent tests across many applications, adjustments without code deploys, group assignment adjustments, and more all in a format that is easily read by humans.

37. Sixpack

Easily run A/B tests across different web services in different languages. You will be using a simple dashboard to view the results and determine your best route to go. The user interface is simple, as it presents all experiments together. You will see the results while analyzing graphs and archiving experiments.

38. Abba

This very simple A/B testing framework is self-hosted and was built to help improve conversion rates on websites. Its features include a simple JavaScript API, filters for date and browser, and multi-variant support. It is free to use and is quite straightforward.

39. Vanity

Using Vanity, newcomers will learn exactly what A/B testing is, what is true about it, how to interpret the results, and more. It doesn't do a whole lot, but for a free resource, you can't ask for much else.

40. AB

Just JavaScript's most simple A/B testing library. It has a global event bus that users can subscribe to, and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution.

41. Scenario

This is a lightweight A/B testing tool library that is to be used with MixPanel. It is free and does not have a lot of extra frills.

42. Labrats

This multivariate testing plugin is used clientside for jQuery. In essence, it treats the customers like lab rats so that it can build the best web application possible. The plugin is free to use and us relatively simple with basic knowledge of code.

43. Cohorts

This simple framework is for testing multivariate JavaScript. As a user, you can run split tests for the visitors of your website, and it will show them by varying designs or layouts. You can track events that you find interesting that is done by each of the testers. When you use Cohorts, Google analytics will track and store data by default, but it can be customized to use whatever it is that you want. Cohort will not do analysis for you, as it will be up to you to consider and analyze the data that it does gather so that you can make the best decision. Again, it is absolutely free to use, so it is very simple and does not offer a whole lot.

Author: Garenne BigbyWebsite: http://garennebigby.com

Founder of DYNO Mapper and Former Advisory Committee Representative at the W3C.