Where it runs
Inside your WordPress site
VWO is a cloud service loaded through a page snippet; data lives on VWO's servers.
Comparison
The flat-price, self-hosted alternative to VWO for WordPress
VWO is a powerful enterprise experimentation platform billed by monthly tracked users. ImproveAB is a native WordPress plugin with a free-forever tier and a flat yearly Pro from $99 - your traffic is never metered and your data never leaves your server.
Competitor details last checked October 2026; sources are under the table.
At a glance
How you pay
Free, or a flat $99 a year for one site
VWO is billed by monthly tracked users and no longer publishes prices: plans are quoted after a demo, and typical contracts reach five figures a year.
What you give up
Multivariate, heatmaps, server-side
VWO includes multivariate testing, heatmaps and session recordings, and server-side experiments. ImproveAB leaves heatmaps to free tools and is still researching multivariate.
Who should pick which
An honest split.
VWO is a capable tool with real strengths. These are the two situations, stated plainly.
Pick VWO if
- You run a staffed, budgeted experimentation programme.
- You need multivariate testing, session recordings or server-side experiments.
- You want enterprise support under one contract.
Pick ImproveAB if
- You test headlines, layouts and pages on a WordPress site.
- Your traffic must never change the price.
- Visitor data stays on your server, and you start free.
Feature by feature
What each one has.
Every row is a yes, a no, or a short note where yes or no would mislead. Rows where VWO has something we do not are marked the same way. Sources are under the table.
- Included
- PaidOnly in a paid plan (either product)
- On our roadmap
- Not included
| Feature | VWO | ImproveAB |
|---|---|---|
| Testing | ||
| A/B testing | PaidEvery plan; 30-day trial, no free tier | IncludedNo traffic limits, unlimited tests, no account |
| Split URL tests | PaidEvery plan | IncludedSame: free, no traffic limits, unlimited tests |
| Visual, no-code test creation | PaidVisual editor, every plan | IncludedPoint-and-click editor, free |
| Revenue per variant | PaidEnterprise plan, as revenue totals | IncludedWooCommerce orders, free |
| SRM detection | PaidPro and Enterprise plans | IncludedFree, on every test |
| Multivariate testing | PaidPro and Enterprise plans | On our roadmapOn the roadmap as researching, no date |
| Heatmaps and session recordings | PaidPro and Enterprise, with Insights | Not includedFree tools such as Microsoft Clarity do this alongside |
| Server-side testing and feature flags | Paid | Not included |
| Where things happen | ||
| Where it runs | VWO's cloud plus a page snippet | IncludedInside your WordPress site |
| Where data lives | VWO's servers | IncludedYour own database |
| Native WordPress plugin | Not included | IncludedNative plugin, any builder |
| Cookies | Not includedPersistent visitor cookies, per its docs | IncludedNone, cookieless by design |
| Pricing | ||
| Price | Quoted after a demo, no public prices | IncludedFree; Pro from $99 a year, flat |
| Billing basis | Monthly tracked users, metered | IncludedNo traffic metering |
| Free tier | None on the price list; 30-day trial | IncludedFree forever |
Sources for VWO: cookies stored by VWO, plan comparison, checked October 2026. ImproveAB facts come from the plugin itself.
Getting started
Switching is quick.
No migration project. When it lands, the free plugin runs its first test the same afternoon.
Install ImproveAB
VWO can stay installed while you compare.
Recreate a live experiment
Tag each variant with a CSS class in your builder, or set up a URL test for whole pages.
Choose a goal
Page visits, clicks, form submissions, add to cart, WooCommerce purchases with revenue, scroll depth, time on page and active time, all free.
Launch
Results accumulate in your own database, with no traffic meter running.
Questions
Answered plainly.
Answers are visible, not folded away, so they can be read and quoted.
Is VWO free?
VWO offered a free Starter tier for years, but as of mid-2026 it is being phased out for new sign-ups, which now get a 30-day trial instead (last checked September 2026). ImproveAB's free tier is free forever with no traffic limits.
How much does VWO cost?
VWO no longer publishes prices: its Growth, Pro and Enterprise plans are quoted after a demo, metered by monthly tracked users, and procurement data puts typical contracts in the five figures per year (last checked October 2026). ImproveAB Pro is a flat $99/year for one site.
Is ImproveAB a full VWO replacement?
For on-site A/B and split-URL testing on WordPress, yes. It does not offer multivariate testing, heatmaps, session recordings, or server-side feature flags - if you need those, VWO remains the stronger platform. Heatmaps are the easy gap to close: Microsoft Clarity does them free alongside any test. Multivariate testing is something we are researching, with no date.
Can I migrate my VWO tests to ImproveAB?
There's no automated import, but recreating a test takes minutes: rebuild the variant point-and-click or with a CSS class, set the same goal, and relaunch. Historical VWO results stay in your VWO account exports.
Does ImproveAB need a tracking snippet like VWO?
No. It's a native plugin - there's no third-party JavaScript snippet, no external dashboard, and no data sent to anyone's cloud. The test runtime is served from your own site.
Is the free version really usable, or a trial?
It's genuinely usable: element and URL tests with up to six variants, as many at a time as you like, with every goal from page visit to WooCommerce purchase with revenue, page targeting, a sample-size planner, and no traffic caps - free forever. Pro adds statistics, automation, audience targeting, traffic weights, custom CSS and the AI tools, not the basics.
Try the free, self-hosted way.
ImproveAB is in final testing: no traffic limits, no data leaving your site. Join the waitlist and we will email you the day it lands.