Overview

Before we dive in, keep in mind that Shoplift is only supported by Shopify stores, whereas Compose supports all websites with a seamless Shopify integration. So if you are not using Shopify, Shoplift is not a viable option, but Compose is. 

Compose offers teams both the flexibility of sophisticated experimentation tools and the ease of use of more simplistic A/B testing applications available on Shopify. What this means is that with one subscription your development team can create custom experiments utilizing a code editor, or members from your team can create entirely no-code experiments simply utilizing the Shopify Theme Editor and templates they are already familiar with.

Similarly, Shoplift allows you to build no-code experiments leveraging Shopify’s Theme Editor and Templates. However, if you have a development team and plan to create any variants using a code editor, that is not an out-of-the-box option with Shoplift. Shoplift excels as a straightforward, easy-to-use, no-code A/B testing tool. For that reason, there are quite a few feature limitations.

Feel free to jump to the bottom at any point for a feature comparison chart.

Installation

Compose will be coming to the Shopify app store soon, at which point the installation process will be fully automated with the click of a few buttons. In the meantime, you simply create a free account and then you will be prompted to schedule a free onboarding session with a member of our technical team who can walk you through the initial setup and integration. If you prefer to do it yourself, we also offer easy-to-follow documentation and tutorial videos to get you up and running.

To install Shoplift, a member of your team with permission to edit your app settings in Shopify will need to go to the Shopify App Store and add the Shoplift App to your storefront. At that point, the process should be automated.

Pricing

Compared to most A/B testing and experimentation tools on the market, both Compose and Shoplift are very affordable. They are also two of the only tools offering options suitable for small and medium-sized businesses. However, their pricing models are entirely different.

Compose

Compose is the only pay-as-you-go experimentation and A/B testing software on the market. What this means is that you only pay for the exact number of monthly tested users (MTUs) that you accumulate each month. So if you decide to pause experiments for a month or two, no problem you aren’t billed at all. Or if your website experiences ebbs and flows in the amount of site traffic due to marketing campaigns and seasonality, your bill will actually reflect that. With Compose, there is only one plan that includes all available planning and experimentation tools, you are simply billed $0.0012/MTU. Compose bases this traffic calculation on actual tested users, meaning a user has to enter an experiment to count toward your total. So, for example, if you are running an experiment on the product page (PDP) and a user bounces on the homepage before ever reaching the PDP they are not counted toward your monthly bill.

If you’re in need of extra assistance, you can opt for an advanced support add-on. For a base fee of $200/mo you get access to chat support in addition to the standard email support plus monthly meetings with a dedicated success manager.

Shoplift

Shoplift’s pricing model is more complex. They offer 3 plans which each have scaling pricing depending on your website’s monthly traffic. Keep in mind, Shoplift’s pricing is based on all site visitors not monthly tested users, so even if you are running tests on isolated landing pages or among a specific audience, your plan will be based on the entire website’s traffic. 

Their core plan gets you their most basic set of features starting at $99/month (for up to 100K website visitors/mo). Their Advanced Plan gets you everything in Core + advanced audience segmentation, country and region segmentation, thief LiftAssist tool, and a live conversion consultation starting at $299/mo (for up to 100K website visitors/mo). Or their Pro Plan which also gets you an account manager, monthly strategy sessions, and a live guided onboarding starting at $499/mo (for up to 100K website visitors/mo). These prices will scale up quickly as your monthly website traffic grows despite your experimentation velocity.

How it works

Compose

In the Compose dashboard, you have access to both strategic planning and experimentation tools. You and your team can collaborate by creating hypthesis tickets with media uploads, PIE scores, and more. These hypotheses can then be added to a roadmap to keep your experimentation strategy organized and efficient. These ideas can later be linked to experiments so that you will have a point of reference to look back on later. If you’re interested in learning more about Compose’s strategic planning tools, you can check it out here.

Next, Compose’s A/B testing tool follows a simple 5-step process to help you build your experiment from start to finish. First, you create your variants. You will have the option to create variants using a simple split URL, the code editor, or the Shopify integration. Then you will be walked through steps to designate your audience, triggers, goals, and traffic allocation before previewing and launching the experiment. Once live, you can view a real-time reports page that will calculate improvements and statistical significance based on customizable parameters.

Shoplift

To create a test with Shoplift, you open your dashboard and click “create a test.” Your existing Shopify Templates will be displayed so that you can quickly select your variants, or you have the option to duplicate a pre-existing template and be provided a link to edit the duplicate in Shopify’s editor. After choosing your variants you can choose a primary goal from several default goal options and define your audience. Then you can launch the tests and view the results on a reports page.

Feature Comparison Table

Conclusion

Both Compose and Shoplift provide Shopify eCommerce websites with a no-code solution for A/B testing that is easy to use and affordable. For teams looking to create more complex experiments with custom code, goals, triggers...etc. Compose comes out on top with more robust features for advanced testing. Shoplift has an edge in terms of ease of implementation and test setup. With fewer options available, the process for launching a test is more straightforward. However, with Compose's free onboarding and comprehensive support center, it is meant for anyone to be able to create experiments without development knowledge.

Another significant difference is price. Compose is a pay-as-you-go option, so you are only billed for your exact number of monthly tested users. This allows you to scale seamlessly and pay the lowest possible amount each month. Shoplift also boasts low prices, but their plans quickly scale up based on website visitors regardless of MTUs meaning that you can end up paying a lot more even if you scale back your experimentation velocity.

If you're interested in trying out Compose, you can schedule a demo to learn more, or sign up for a free account and get started today.