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Experimentation and personalization · September 2026 Edition

VWO vs Optimizely CMS

Seven of twelve models named VWO first on the direct prompt; one named Optimizely CMS. Both were named by all twelve models and VWO carries 55 labels and Optimizely CMS 47, so the shares are not directly comparable.

VWO

endorsed leader

Named in one category this edition.

Optimizely CMS

criticized challenger

By Optimizely, San Francisco, United States, founded 2010. Named in eight categories this edition.

First-choice share34%8%Of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, 0 to 100.

Negative rate18%51%Negative labels as a share of the product's labels, 0 to 100.

Rank in category#1#5A position in a field of 14; printed, not drawn.

Labels5547A count; the two differ.

The two percentage rows are drawn on one 0 to 100 track, VWO reading right to left. Rank and label count are printed, not drawn.VWO vs Mida · VWO vs Convert · VWO vs Convert Experiences

Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all twelve models, for a mid-market B2B company; rank is within the category; every quote names the model and the prompt it came from. Both figures come from the experimentation and personalization page.

By framing

How many of the twelve models made each the first choice, per way of asking, and how many argued against it.

VWOFirst choices, of twelve modelsOptimizely CMS

Direct717 against Optimizely CMS

Paraphrase514 against Optimizely CMS

Comparative16

Budget-constrained104 against VWO · 4 against Optimizely CMS

Scale-constrained521 against Optimizely CMS

Negative006 against VWO · 8 against Optimizely CMS

Bars are first choices, 0 to 12 each sideModels that argued againstA model can name both, so the two sides of a row do not sum to twelve.

Across every category in the September 2026 Edition, VWO and Optimizely CMS were named in the same answer 128 times, of the 160 answers naming VWO and the 195 naming Optimizely CMS. In those answers Optimizely CMS took the first choice twenty-nine times and VWO twenty-nine.

Every model, every framing

The seventy-two answers behind the chart above, one cell each: where VWO and Optimizely CMS stood in it.

Model	DirectVW	ParaphraseVW	ComparativeVW	Budget-constrainedVW	Scale-constrainedVW	NegativeVW
Claude Haiku 4.5	VW					VW
GPT-5.4 mini	VW	VW		VW
Gemini 3.5 Flash	VW	VW	VW	VW	VW	VW
Perplexity Sonar	VW	VW		VW
Grok 4.1 Fast	VW	VW	VW		VW	VW
Mistral Small	VW	VW	VW			VW
DeepSeek V4 Flash	VW	VW	VW	VW	VW	VW
Llama 4 Maverick	VW	VW
Qwen 3.7 Flash	VW	VW	VW		VW	VW
Kimi K2	VW	VW	VW	VW	VW	VW
GLM 4.7 FlashX	VW	VW
MiniMax M2.5		VW		VW

VW VWO

Optimizely CMSVW first choiceVW named as an alternativeVW argued againstblank: not namedEach cell is one answer, VWO on the left and Optimizely CMS on the right.

The direct prompt

The plain question, one answer per model, grouped by where VWO and Optimizely CMS stood in it.

VWO first, Optimizely CMS not the choice

7 of 12 modelsOptimizely CMS was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.

Gemini 3.5 FlashVWO alternatives: Abmatic AI, Markettailor, Userled, Webflow Optimize

Perplexity SonarVWO alternatives: Convert, Mutiny

Grok 4.1 FastVWO alternatives: Convert Experiences, Kameleoon, Personyze

DeepSeek V4 FlashVWO alternatives: Convert Experiences, Kameleoon, Mutiny

Llama 4 MaverickPersonizely, Personyze, VWO

Qwen 3.7 FlashKameleoon, VWO alternatives: Mutiny, Personizely

Kimi K2VWO alternatives: Intellimize, Mutiny

Optimizely CMS first, VWO an alternative

1 of 12 modelsVWO was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.

GPT-5.4 miniOptimizely CMS alternatives: Kameleoon, VWO

Neither was the first choice, one was named

3 of 12 modelsThe answer put something else first and named one of the two as an alternative.

Claude Haiku 4.5Mutiny alternatives: AB Tasty, Abmatic AI, Mida, VWO

Mistral SmallPersonyze alternatives: Abmatic AI, VWO

GLM 4.7 FlashXConvert Experiences alternatives: Kameleoon, VWO

Neither was named

1 of 12 modelsThe answer made no first choice from these two in this category.

MiniMax M2.5Personizely, Personyze alternatives: Convert

Bold names in an answer are the products the judge labeled a first choice; a model naming several gives each of them that label. The full answer text for every row is in the record.

By buyer segment

The same question asked on behalf of a different buyer. Each standing is computed within its segment and they are never added together. The figures above are the mid-market standing, which is the one the category orders by.

Small business

VWO leads by thirty-seven points.

VWO#1 of 15

Optimizely CMS#9 of 15

The full small business standing →

Mid-marketThe figures above

VWO leads by twenty-six points.

VWO#1 of 14

Optimizely CMS#5 of 14

The full mid-market standing →

Enterprise

The order flips: Optimizely CMS leads at enterprise.

Optimizely CMS#1 of 11

VWO#2 of 11

The full enterprise standing →

What the models said about VWO

Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Six of eight in this category shown.

“Data Tracking Problems ... could potentially undermine trust in the platform's results” Mistral Small · negative prompt · hard negative

“Deceptive Practices & Performance Issues... Aggressive, creepy sales tactics” DeepSeek V4 Flash · negative prompt · hard negative

“Be careful: VWO has officially discontinued its free "Starter" plan” Gemini 3.5 Flash · budget prompt · hard negative

“A highly popular platform for mid-market teams. It bundles heatmaps, session recordings, A/B testing, and personalization into one connected workflow.” Gemini 3.5 Flash · scale prompt · first choice

“VWO — best all-in-one CRO suite (tests + heatmaps + recordings + personalization); easiest for marketing-led teams; best mid-market value” DeepSeek V4 Flash · scale prompt · first choice

“the strongest default choice is VWO if you want the best all-in-one website experimentation and personalization platform” Perplexity Sonar · direct prompt · first choice

What the models said about Optimizely CMS

Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Six of eight in this category shown.

“Major Structural / Commercial Red Flags ... Optimizely ... Extreme pricing opacity ... Security incidents” Kimi K2 · negative prompt · hard negative

“High Cost, Declining Support, Rigid Platform... Be very cautious | Optimizely (for SMB/mid-market)” DeepSeek V4 Flash · negative prompt · hard negative

“Platforms to Avoid or Be Very Cautious About ... 1. Optimizely (Now part of Episerver)” Mistral Small · negative prompt · hard negative

“Deepest experimentation infrastructure - considered the enterprise standard for A/B testing... The most mature experimentation platform” Mistral Small · comparative prompt · first choice

“The category reference point for statistical rigor... Choose Optimizely if: You need the most rigorous experimentation program” Kimi K2 · comparative prompt · first choice

“Optimizely — best-in-class statistical rigor + feature experimentation; needs some engineering support; enterprise pricing” DeepSeek V4 Flash · scale prompt · first choice

Also compared

VWO vs Mida VWO vs Convert VWO vs Convert Experiences VWO vs Kameleoon VWO vs Statsig VWO vs GrowthBook Mida vs Optimizely CMS Convert vs Optimizely CMS Convert Experiences vs Optimizely CMS Optimizely CMS vs Kameleoon Optimizely CMS vs Statsig Optimizely CMS vs GrowthBook All twenty-eight head-to-head pages and the full experimentation standing

Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category, each against each. The output is the models' output; nothing here is a recommendation by the index.