Conversion Optimization Software: Which Tools Actually Work

You're bleeding conversions somewhere. Maybe it's your checkout page, your landing page, or that form nobody fills out. Conversion optimization software is supposed to help you find where visitors drop off and fix it—but with dozens of tools claiming to boost your conversion rate, which ones actually deliver?

Here's the reality: most businesses need a combination of tools, not just one. You need something to track behavior (heatmaps, session recordings), something to test changes (A/B testing), and something to build optimized pages. Some platforms do it all; others specialize in one area and do it really well.

Let's break down the tools that CRO professionals actually use, what they cost, and what sucks about each one.

What Conversion Optimization Software Actually Does

Conversion optimization software falls into a few categories:

The right stack depends on your traffic volume, budget, and technical skills. A 5-person startup has different needs than an enterprise team running 50 tests a month.

VWO: The All-in-One That Works

VWO bundles A/B testing, heatmaps, session recordings, surveys, and personalization into one platform. It's been around since 2010 and is one of the most popular choices among mid-market companies.

What's good: You get everything in one place. The visual editor is straightforward, and VWO uses Bayesian statistics which makes interpreting test results easier than traditional frequentist approaches. They offer both client-side and server-side testing, plus mobile app testing.

What's not: VWO doesn't publish pricing on their website—you have to contact sales. This usually means you're looking at custom pricing that can get expensive as your traffic grows. Some users report that the AI features (VWO Copilot) are limited to small element changes.

Pricing: Custom pricing based on monthly tracked users. Starts with a free tier for under 10,000 visitors, but paid plans can run anywhere from a few hundred to several thousand dollars per month depending on traffic and features.

Best for: Mid-sized companies that want an all-in-one platform and don't mind talking to sales for pricing.

Optimizely: Enterprise Power at Enterprise Prices

Optimizely is the heavyweight in the CRO space. It's what you pick when you need advanced experimentation capabilities across multiple platforms and have the budget to match.

What's good: Robust feature set for complex testing scenarios. Supports A/B testing, multivariate testing, feature flags, and personalization across web, mobile, and server-side. Strong mobile testing capabilities and excellent for product teams that need to test backend features.

What's not: Expensive. Pricing starts at around $36,000 per year and can exceed $200,000 annually for enterprise clients. No free trial available. Only offers annual contracts. Some features require technical knowledge to implement.

Pricing: Custom pricing starting at roughly $36,000+ per year. Enterprise clients often pay $200,000+.

Best for: Large enterprises with high traffic, dedicated CRO teams, and six-figure budgets for optimization tools.

Hotjar: See What Users Actually Do

Hotjar specializes in behavior analytics. You get heatmaps, session recordings, conversion funnels, and feedback tools. It's one of the most popular tools for understanding user behavior without running tests.

What's good: Easy to set up and use. The free plan is generous (up to 35 daily sessions). Heatmaps are visual and intuitive. Session recordings let you watch exactly what confused users. Surveys and feedback widgets let you ask users directly what's wrong.

What's not: No A/B testing built in. You're seeing problems but need another tool to test solutions. Some features like removing Hotjar branding and getting more daily sessions require upgrading to Business plans.

Pricing: Free plan available. Paid plans start at $39/month (Plus plan) billed annually. Business plans with more features and higher session limits cost more.

Best for: Teams that want to understand user behavior before building out a full testing program. Great starting point for smaller businesses.

Unbounce: Landing Pages That Convert

Unbounce is focused on one thing: helping you build and test landing pages without needing a developer. It's popular with marketers running paid ads who need to spin up landing pages quickly.

What's good: Drag-and-drop builder with 100+ templates. Built-in A/B testing. Smart Traffic feature uses AI to automatically send visitors to the variant most likely to convert for them. Works well with ad campaigns. No coding required.

What's not: Pricing is based on conversions and visitors, which can get expensive as you scale. Limited to landing pages, popups, and sticky bars—not a full-site optimization tool. Some users find customization options limiting for complex designs.

Pricing: Optimize plan starts at $99/month (billed annually, with annual discount). Plans scale based on conversions, visitors, and domains. Can get pricey quickly.

Best for: Marketers who need to create and test landing pages for campaigns without developer help. Works well if you're running a lot of paid traffic.

If you need a landing page builder with conversion-focused features, check out Leadpages as an alternative that starts at $37/month.

Crazy Egg: Simple Heatmaps and Testing

Crazy Egg is another behavior analytics tool focused on heatmaps, scroll maps, A/B testing, and session recordings. It's been around since 2006 and positions itself as more affordable than some competitors.

What's good: Clean interface. Easy to install. Includes A/B testing along with heatmaps and recordings, so you can identify and test fixes in one tool. Pricing is straightforward and visible on their website (rare in this space). Unlimited A/B tests and websites on all plans.

What's not: Annual billing only—no monthly payment option. You need to set up specific pages to track rather than automatically tracking everything. Some reviewers find it more expensive than Hotjar for similar features. A/B testing is basic compared to dedicated platforms.

Pricing: Starts at $29/month (billed annually) for up to 30,000 tracked pageviews. Plans go up to $499/month based on pageviews and features. 30-day free trial available.

Best for: Small to mid-sized businesses that want heatmaps and basic A/B testing in one tool without complicated pricing negotiations.

Google Analytics 4: The Free Foundation

Everyone's already using Google Analytics, but most people aren't using it for conversion optimization. GA4 tracks conversions, shows you where visitors drop off in funnels, and provides traffic data that informs what to test.

What's good: Free. You're probably already using it. Funnel visualization and goal flow reports show you where visitors abandon. Integrates with most testing tools. Essential for measuring the impact of optimization efforts.

What's not: Doesn't show you *why* visitors drop off—just that they do. No heatmaps, no session recordings, no built-in A/B testing. Can be overwhelming if you don't know what reports to focus on.

Pricing: Free.

Best for: Everyone. This is table stakes. Use it alongside specialized CRO tools to measure results.

Which Tool Should You Actually Use?

Here's the honest answer: it depends on where you are.

Just starting out (under $100/month budget): Start with Google Analytics 4 (free) to identify problem areas. Add Hotjar's free plan for heatmaps and recordings to see what's happening. When you're ready to test fixes, consider Crazy Egg or Leadpages for landing page optimization.

Growing business ($100-$500/month): Hotjar Plus plan for behavior analytics. Add Unbounce or Leadpages if you're running a lot of landing page campaigns. Consider VWO if you need more robust testing capabilities.

Established company ($500+/month): VWO or AB Tasty for all-in-one testing and analytics. Optimizely if you need enterprise features and have budget. Keep Hotjar for additional behavior insights.

Enterprise ($3,000+/month): Optimizely for full-stack experimentation. Adobe Target if you're already in the Adobe ecosystem. Dedicated analytics tools plus testing platforms.

The biggest mistake is buying an expensive tool and not using it. A simple tool you actually use beats a powerful one that sits idle because it's too complicated or your team lacks the bandwidth.

What Actually Moves Conversions

Here's what people get wrong: they think the tool is the solution. It's not. The tool shows you problems and lets you test fixes. But you still need to:

If you don't have time or resources to do this consistently, spend your money on driving more traffic or improving your offer instead of buying another software subscription.

Free Trials and Getting Started

Most conversion optimization software offers free trials. Use them. Actually set up a test or review session recordings during the trial—don't just poke around the interface and decide.

VWO offers a 30-day free trial. Hotjar has a free forever plan. Crazy Egg gives you 30 days. Unbounce offers a 14-day trial. Take advantage of these to see what actually fits your workflow before committing annual contracts.

And remember: the best conversion optimization tool is the one you'll actually use consistently. Start simple, get results, then add complexity as needed.

For more on tools that can help your business, check out our guides on email marketing software and CRM tools.