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Optimizely Web Experimentation vs. Salesforce Marketing Cloud

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Optimizely Web Experimentation

    Score8.7 out of 10
    N/AWhether launching a first test or scaling a sophisticated experimentation program, Optimizely Web Experimentation aims to deliver the insights needed to craft high-performing digital experiences that drive engagement, increase conversions, and accelerate growth.N/A

    Salesforce Marketing Cloud

    Score8.1 out of 10
    N/AMarketing Cloud is an AI-powered, cloud-based digital marketing platform within the Salesforce Customer 360 ecosystem. Marketers can segment their audience, deliver personalized messages, track campaign performance, engage leads and accounts, and optimize strategies based on real-time insights.

    $1,250

    per month per installation

    Pricing
    Optimizely Web ExperimentationSalesforce Marketing Cloud
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    Account Engagement
    $1,250
    per month
    Engagement
    $1,250
    per month
    Intelligence
    $3,000
    per month
    Loyalty Management
    $20,000
    per month
    Personalization
    $100,000
    per year
    Data Cloud for Marketing
    $108,000
    per year
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Optimizely Web ExperimentationSalesforce Marketing Cloud
    Free Trial
    YesYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    YesYes
    Entry-level Setup FeeOptionalNo setup fee
    Additional Details——
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Optimizely Web ExperimentationSalesforce Marketing Cloud
    Considered Both Products
    Optimizely
    Chose Optimizely Web Experimentation
    It does test way better and it is a lot easier to use for this specific purpose.
    Incentivized
    Salesforce
    Chose Salesforce Marketing Cloud
    We evaluated most other marketing automation products and Pardot was best for us because of the SFDC integration.
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    94%
    Would buy again
    75 Answers
    86%
    Would buy again
    76 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    95%
    Delivers good value for the price
    62 Answers
    88%
    Delivers good value for the price
    64 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    94%
    Happy with the feature set
    75 Answers
    92%
    Happy with the feature set
    81 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    90%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    45 Answers
    87%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    52 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    86%
    Implementation went as expected
    51 Answers
    82%
    Implementation went as expected
    47 Answers
    Features
    Optimizely Web ExperimentationSalesforce Marketing Cloud
    Testing and Experimentation
    Comparison of Testing and Experimentation features of Optimizely Web Experimentation and Salesforce Marketing Cloud
    Feature
    Optimizely Web Experimentation
    8.0
    150 Ratings
    3% below category average
    Salesforce Marketing Cloud
    -
    Ratings
    a/b experiment testing9.0150 Ratings00 Ratings
    Split URL testing8.5122 Ratings00 Ratings
    Multivariate testing8.4127 Ratings00 Ratings
    Multi-page/funnel testing7.9116 Ratings00 Ratings
    Cross-browser testing8.186 Ratings00 Ratings
    Mobile app testing8.066 Ratings00 Ratings
    Test significance8.4136 Ratings00 Ratings
    Visual / WYSIWYG editor8.2121 Ratings00 Ratings
    Advanced code editor8.0114 Ratings00 Ratings
    Page surveys6.217 Ratings00 Ratings
    Visitor recordings8.418 Ratings00 Ratings
    Preview mode7.6133 Ratings00 Ratings
    Test duration calculator7.9101 Ratings00 Ratings
    Experiment scheduler8.2101 Ratings00 Ratings
    Experiment workflow and approval7.881 Ratings00 Ratings
    Dynamic experiment activation7.565 Ratings00 Ratings
    Client-side tests7.888 Ratings00 Ratings
    Server-side tests7.244 Ratings00 Ratings
    Mutually exclusive tests8.274 Ratings00 Ratings
    Audience Segmentation & Targeting
    Comparison of Audience Segmentation & Targeting features of Optimizely Web Experimentation and Salesforce Marketing Cloud
    Feature
    Optimizely Web Experimentation
    8.2
    142 Ratings
    4% below category average
    Salesforce Marketing Cloud
    -
    Ratings
    Standard visitor segmentation8.4137 Ratings00 Ratings
    Behavioral visitor segmentation7.6113 Ratings00 Ratings
    Traffic allocation control9.1135 Ratings00 Ratings
    Website personalization7.8103 Ratings00 Ratings
    Results and Analysis
    Comparison of Results and Analysis features of Optimizely Web Experimentation and Salesforce Marketing Cloud
    Feature
    Optimizely Web Experimentation
    8.3
    138 Ratings
    1% below category average
    Salesforce Marketing Cloud
    -
    Ratings
    Heatmap tool9.313 Ratings00 Ratings
    Click analytics8.833 Ratings00 Ratings
    Scroll maps8.517 Ratings00 Ratings
    Form fill analysis8.065 Ratings00 Ratings
    Conversion tracking8.744 Ratings00 Ratings
    Goal tracking8.2117 Ratings00 Ratings
    Test reporting7.9126 Ratings00 Ratings
    Results segmentation7.793 Ratings00 Ratings
    CSV export7.992 Ratings00 Ratings
    Experiments results dashboard8.049 Ratings00 Ratings
    Email & Online Marketing
    Comparison of Email & Online Marketing features of Optimizely Web Experimentation and Salesforce Marketing Cloud
    Feature
    Optimizely Web Experimentation
    -
    Ratings
    Salesforce Marketing Cloud
    7.9
    167 Ratings
    4% above category average
    WYSIWYG email editor00 Ratings8.1118 Ratings
    Dynamic content00 Ratings7.6149 Ratings
    Ability to test dynamic content00 Ratings7.7108 Ratings
    Landing pages00 Ratings7.8117 Ratings
    A/B testing00 Ratings7.9147 Ratings
    Mobile optimization00 Ratings7.3107 Ratings
    Email deliverability reporting00 Ratings8.2128 Ratings
    List management00 Ratings8.6125 Ratings
    Triggered drip sequences00 Ratings8.191 Ratings
    Lead Management
    Comparison of Lead Management features of Optimizely Web Experimentation and Salesforce Marketing Cloud
    Feature
    Optimizely Web Experimentation
    -
    Ratings
    Salesforce Marketing Cloud
    8.3
    121 Ratings
    6% above category average
    Lead nurturing automation00 Ratings8.3107 Ratings
    Lead scoring and grading00 Ratings8.3108 Ratings
    Data quality management00 Ratings8.1113 Ratings
    Automated sales alerts and tasks00 Ratings8.699 Ratings
    Campaign Management
    Comparison of Campaign Management features of Optimizely Web Experimentation and Salesforce Marketing Cloud
    Feature
    Optimizely Web Experimentation
    -
    Ratings
    Salesforce Marketing Cloud
    7.8
    111 Ratings
    5% above category average
    Calendaring00 Ratings8.3100 Ratings
    Event/webinar marketing00 Ratings7.394 Ratings
    Social Media Marketing
    Comparison of Social Media Marketing features of Optimizely Web Experimentation and Salesforce Marketing Cloud
    Feature
    Optimizely Web Experimentation
    -
    Ratings
    Salesforce Marketing Cloud
    8.2
    85 Ratings
    9% above category average
    Social sharing and campaigns00 Ratings8.480 Ratings
    Social profile integration00 Ratings8.036 Ratings
    Reporting & Analytics
    Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Optimizely Web Experimentation and Salesforce Marketing Cloud
    Feature
    Optimizely Web Experimentation
    -
    Ratings
    Salesforce Marketing Cloud
    8.2
    121 Ratings
    12% above category average
    Dashboards00 Ratings8.4115 Ratings
    Standard reports00 Ratings8.4120 Ratings
    Custom reports00 Ratings7.997 Ratings
    Platform & Infrastructure
    Comparison of Platform & Infrastructure features of Optimizely Web Experimentation and Salesforce Marketing Cloud
    Feature
    Optimizely Web Experimentation
    -
    Ratings
    Salesforce Marketing Cloud
    7.6
    121 Ratings
    2% above category average
    API00 Ratings7.087 Ratings
    Role-based workflow & approvals00 Ratings7.486 Ratings
    Customizability00 Ratings7.4108 Ratings
    Integration with Salesforce.com00 Ratings8.3110 Ratings
    Integration with Microsoft Dynamics CRM00 Ratings8.713 Ratings
    Integration with SugarCRM00 Ratings7.610 Ratings
    Third-party software integrations00 Ratings6.921 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Optimizely Web ExperimentationSalesforce Marketing Cloud
    Small Businesses
    Google Optimize
    Score6.7 out of 10
    Vbout
    Score9.9 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    AB Tasty
    Score8.8 out of 10
    Bloomreach - The Agentic Platform for Personalization
    Score8.3 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Google Content Experiments (discontinued)
    Score7.3 out of 10
    Iterable
    Score8.7 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Optimizely Web ExperimentationSalesforce Marketing Cloud
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.7
    (238 ratings)
    8.1
    (325 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    9.5
    (51 ratings)
    8.1
    (114 ratings)
    Usability
    10.0
    (58 ratings)
    4.1
    (35 ratings)
    Availability
    10.0
    (7 ratings)
    10.0
    (11 ratings)
    Performance
    7.3
    (6 ratings)
    9.6
    (9 ratings)
    Support Rating
    10.0
    (16 ratings)
    7.0
    (36 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    5.0
    (4 ratings)
    Online Training
    3.0
    (1 ratings)
    8.1
    (7 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    8.0
    (11 ratings)
    3.0
    (17 ratings)
    Configurability
    6.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Contract Terms and Pricing Model
    -
    (0 ratings)
    5.0
    (1 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.0
    (2 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    8.0
    (148 ratings)
    7.6
    (34 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.0
    (3 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.0
    (3 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Optimizely Web ExperimentationSalesforce Marketing Cloud
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Optimizely
    I think it can serve the whole spectrum of experiences from people who are just getting used to web experimentation. It's really easy to pick up and use. If you're more experienced then it works well because it just gets out of the way and lets you really focus on the experimentation side of things. So yeah, strongly recommend. I think it is well suited both to small businesses and large enterprises as well. I think it's got a really low barrier to entry. It's very easy to integrate on your website and get results quickly. Likewise, if you are a big business, it's incrementally adoptable, so you can start out with one component of optimizing and you can build there and start to build in things like data CMS to augment experimentation as well. So it's got a really strong a pathway to grow your MarTech platform if you're a small company or a big company.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Salesforce
    I rated this a seven because I love Salesforce, and it is excellent on the sales side. However, the marketing side has some pros and cons. It is terrific for keeping track of lead, customer, and dealer information, but it is not easy to automate workflows, integrate other software, or create well-designed emails. It is also straightforward to generate reports, which is very helpful in keeping track of lead progression to better market those leads and turn them into customers.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Optimizely
    • The Platform contains drag-and-drop editor options for creating variations, which ease the A/B tests process, as it does not require any coding or development resources.
    • Establishing it is so simple that even a non-technical person can do it perfectly.
    • It provides real-time results and analytics with robust dashboard access through which you can quickly analyze how different variations perform. With this, your team can easily make data-driven decisions Fastly.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Salesforce
    • Filter relevant content so you can priorize those that are more relevant and resolve it first
    • Measure the traffic in the different social networks, as well as the response rate, average response time and other relevant metrics
    • Configure automation rules to order the work of those who must interact with the customer
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Optimizely
    • JavaScript is hard to implement sometimes especially for JQuery elements
    • ROI reporting should be part of the overall experimentation reporting
    • CMP integration: where we can easily show status of test on the HPT request
    • CMS integration
    • More widgets like social proof banners, etc.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Salesforce
    • The email builder does not offer any way to catch/check bugs across different email service providers
    • Creating SQL is not as easy as drag-and-drop; a lot of technical knowledge is required
    • Salesforce Marketing Cloud is sold as a marketing tool, but to be honest, you need a LOT of technical IT support to run the tool
    • Einstein metrics are across the board; if you have multiple audiences in one instance of Salesforce Marketing Cloud you can't segment the data.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Optimizely
    I rated this question because at this stage, Optimizely does most everything we need so I don't foresee a need to migrate to a new tool. We have the infrastructure already in place and it is a sizeable lift to pivot to another tool with no guarantee that it will work as good or even better than Optimizely
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Salesforce
    As of right now we have not seen any other program that integrates as seamlessly into our Salesforce platform. We have barely scratched the surface of all the features and use cases. It would be irresponsible to make a move to another platform in the near future. We have not come up against any limitations that would prompt a need to switch
    Read full review
    Usability
    Optimizely
    Optimizely Web Experimentation's visual editor is handy for non-technical or quick iterative testing. When it comes to content changes it's as easy as going into wordpress, clicking around, and then seeing your changes live--what you see is what you get. The preview and approval process for sharing built experiments is also handy for sharing experiments across teams for QA purposes or otherwise.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Salesforce
    You won't find another solution that has as many features as Salesforce Marketing Cloud Interaction Studio. We all know Salesforce, we all know how big they are and it's not for nothing... Their tools do most of the things you want, need and even imagine. Using it is complicated, but the usability is infinite.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    Optimizely
    I would rate Optimizely Web Experimentation's availability as a 10 out of 10. The software is reliable and does not experience any application errors or unplanned outages. Additionally, the customer service and technical support teams are always available to help with any issues or questions.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Salesforce
    Upgrades and timing of the upgrades were communicated well and planned during off hours for our work. If we did have a campaign scheduled during that time, it would kick-off after the system was back active. There were a few unplanned system down times, but it was a rare occurrence and those times were also short in duration.
    Read full review
    Performance
    Optimizely
    I would rate Optimizely Web Experimentation's performance as a 9 out of 10. Pages load quickly, reports are complete in a reasonable time frame, and the software does not slow down any other software or systems that it integrates with. Additionally, the customer service and technical support teams are always available to help with any issues or questions.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Salesforce
    Though the make up of MA apps is not built this way today, it would be nice to see them become more real-time. The integration between Salesforce and Pardot is not a true real-time integration. If I modify something in Salesforce, those changes are not automatically reflected in Pardot immediately. There is a delay of about 15 minutes before the systems sync. This delay, although not long, is less than ideal We would love the systems to be integrated real time such that changes are propagated from one system to the other immediately.
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    Optimizely
    They always are quick to respond, and are so friendly and helpful. They always answer the phone right away. And [they are] always willing to not only help you with your problem, but if you need ideas they have suggestions as well.
    Read full review
    Salesforce
    They are really responsive and more than not solve the problem or give you insight to how you can manage the solution yourself. I do find however sometimes a long delay on the more complex issues when they need to loop in other departments. but overall a good experience with support
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    In-Person Training
    Optimizely
    No answers on this topic
    Salesforce
    The trainers at the Pardot user conference (Elevate and Connections) were very knowledgeable and presented the material well. Again, the content was targeted to more of a new user audience, and was not really relevant for folks who had been using the product for 2+ years.
    Read full review
    Online Training
    Optimizely
    The tool itself is not very difficult to use so training was not very useful in my opinion. It did not also account for success events more complex than a click (which my company being ecommerce is looking to examine more than a mere click).
    Read full review
    Salesforce
    Pardot's online training touches on all topics briefly and vaguely without much indepth exploration into how a final outcome could look, such as Nurturing Campaigns, Email templates, landing page templates, etc... The only true way to uncover Pardot's full capabilities is to have Front End design and coding experience. Without this key skill set, I would not recommend Pardot to another business.
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    Optimizely
    In retrospect: - I think I should have stressed more demo's / workshopping with the Optimizely team at the start. I felt too confident during demo stages, and when came time to actually start, I was a bit lost. (The answer is likely I should have had them on-hand for our first install.. they offered but I thought I was OK.) - Really getting an understanding / asking them prior to install of how to make it really work for checkout pages / one that uses dynamic content or user interaction to determine what the UI does. Could have saved some time by addressing this at the beginning, as some things we needed to create on our site for Optimizely to "use" as a trigger for the variation test. - Having a number of planned/hoped-for tests already in-hand before working with Optimizely team. Sharing those thoughts with them would likely have started conversations on additional things we needed to do to make them work (rather than figuring that out during the actual builds). Since I had development time available, I could have added more things to the baseline installation since my developers were already "looking under the hood" of the site.
    Read full review
    Salesforce
    From an IT perspective, once you set up the Javascript beacon and start collecting data there is a waiting game. During this time you can start labeling your site actions which can be labor intensive for a single person, but you don't really have the final end-users on the platform yet. We did a lot of training so users were experienced, but it wasn't until they had their first tasks to accomplish that they started using the system and had questions. I'd recommend setting up some immediate goals for an end-user to start segmenting for the purpose of displaying message campaigns so you can jump start end-user action.
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    Alternatives Considered
    Optimizely
    The ability to do A/B testing in Optimizely along with the associated statistical modelling and audience segmentation means it is a much better solution than using something like Google Analytics were a lot more effort is required to identify and isolate the specific data you need to confidently make changes
    Incentivized
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    Salesforce
    I think that all of the marketing platforms I have evaluated and used in the past serve different markets and purposes. Salesforce Marketing Cloud was more palatable to our team because of our existing tech stack where we had Salesforce CRM already deployed and in use. Compared to Marketo and Hubspot, Salesforce Marketing Cloud is a bit dated in terms of the UI/UX and the overall experience but still meets the needs of our organization. Mailchimp, however, isn't even playing in the same arena and is meant for small organizations and companies that don't have a need for a full fledged offering that SFMC brings to the table.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Contract Terms and Pricing Model
    Optimizely
    No answers on this topic
    Salesforce
    was not involved with this part but i have not heard about clompaints
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Scalability
    Optimizely
    We can use it flexibly across lines of business and have it in use across two departments. We have different use cases and slightly different outcomes, but can unify our results based on impact to the bottom line. Finally, we can generate value from anywhere in the org for any stakeholders as needed.
    Incentivized
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    Salesforce
    Prior to this, we had no solution and literally were doing things on paper in a world where technology is outpacing paper. Having this process optimized has made it easier for the sales and marketing people to change information. From the training perspective, it has allowed us to see holes in where we could create additional support training, so the ROI here has been a lot more than just the optimization of a process.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    Optimizely
    • We're able to share definitive annualized revenue projections with our team, showing what would happen if we put a test into Production
    • Showing the results of a test on a new page or feature prior to full implementation on a site saves developer time (if a test proves the new element doesn't deliver a significant improvement.
    • Making a change via the WYSIWYG interface allows us to see multiple changes without developer intervention.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Salesforce
    • Salesforce Marketing Cloud allows us to more efficiently reach out to a higher number of prospects.
    • Salesforce Marketing Cloud allows us to nimbly communicate important messages in a timely fashion to facilitate conversion.
    • Salesforce Marketing Cloud allows us to track who is opening our messages so that we can stop sending to those not interested and focus on the most engaged audiences.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    Optimizely Web Experimentation Screenshots

    Screenshot of AI-Powered Experimentation with Opal:

- Instant Test Ideas: Generates high-quality A/B test ideas based on any goals and audience insights.
- Smarter Experimentation: The AI can suggest impactful variations, reducing guesswork and increasing test velocity.
- More Than Just Ideas: From hypothesis generation to analyzing results, Opal helps optimize every stage of the experimentation process.Screenshot of the Web Experimentation Visual Editor :

- Tweak experiments using the visual editor or dive into custom code when needed.
- Modify elements, update styling, or add dynamic behaviors.
- Ensure perfect variations while keeping control over every detail of the experiment.Screenshot of AI Content Suggestions:

- Generates copy variations to supercharge experiments.
- The AI suggests high-impact messaging for tests when hovering over a field.
- AI-powered content suggestions help skip the brainstorming process.Screenshot of Advanced Audience Targeting:

- Delivers personalized experiences by targeting users based on behaviors, attributes, and real-time conditions.
- Defines precise audience segments using first-party data, geolocation, and device type.
- Can test and optimize for different audience groups to maximize impact and engagement.Screenshot of Custom Templates in the Visual Editor:

- Offers pre-built templates for common test setups.
- Standardized variations and maintains brand integrity with reusable templates.
- Templates can be customized visually or tweak them with code for full flexibility.Screenshot of the Web Experimentation Results Page:

- Data visualizations help interpret experiment performance.
- Displays which variations are winning with built-in statistical significance calculations.
- Results can be filtered by audience segments, events, and conversions to uncover key trends.

    Salesforce Marketing Cloud Screenshots

    Screenshot of Pardot Analytics - Pardot's reporting and analytics can be used to perform true revenue impact analysis and closed-loop reporting.Screenshot of Pardot Email Analytics - The reach and impact of  email marketing efforts are displayed in real-time with advanced reporting and analytics by device, and email client.Screenshot of Pardot Forms and Landing Pages - Pardot's form and landing page builders are used to turn online traffic to leads with targeted offers and content marketing.Screenshot of Pardot Email Marketing - Lead nurturing flows are defined via an interface that enables definition of the simplest or most complex segmented and targeted campaigns.