Optimizely vs. Adobe

Optimizely and Adobe are two leading digital experience platform (DXP) vendors recognized by enterprises and analyst groups worldwide.

But which one is truly the best for you?

We’re partners with Adobe and Optimizely and have extensive experience on both platforms. Thus, we’re well-positioned to offer our perspective on how the two platforms compare so you can make the best choice for your business.

Meet the DXPs

First, let’s look at each of the two DXPs to understand why they’re considered leading solutions.

Optimizely

Optimizely is a digital experience platform (DXP) designed to help enterprises create dynamic digital experiences across multiple touchpoints. Previously known as Episerver, the company rebranded in 2020 after acquiring Optimizely for its A/B testing and experimentation capabilities. Since then, it has made other acquisitions to expand its suite of products.

Now, the Optimizely One DXP offers a unified suite of powerful tools, including content management, personalization, customer data management, commerce, and analytics. This allows enterprises to seamlessly manage the entire content lifecycle.

Optimizely supports on-premises and managed cloud hosting options and offers SaaS solutions, such as Optimizely SaaS CMS, allowing businesses to leverage software's agility and convenience as a service.

Adobe

Adobe Experience Cloud is a suite of solutions designed to help enterprises create, manage, and deliver exceptional digital experiences. It powers the entire martech stack with best-in-class content management, marketing, advertising, analytics, and commerce tools.

Initially introduced as Adobe Marketing Cloud in October 2012, Adobe Experience Cloud now encompasses a comprehensive set of solutions, including Adobe Experience Manager, Target, Commerce, Analytics, and more.

Optimizely vs. Adobe: A Comparison

When enterprises compare Optimizely and Adobe, their initial focus is usually on content management capabilities. To address this common priority, our comparison will examine Optimizely CMS and Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) Sites.

However, given the comprehensive nature of these DXPs, we’ll also explore other critical factors, including their technology stacks, composability approaches, marketing features, community ecosystems, and additional considerations that impact overall platform value.

Content Management

Optimizely and AEM offer classic on-premises and cloud-based deployment versions of their CMSs.

Classic CMSs

Optimizely CMS offers an intuitive, user-friendly interface, making it an attractive option for content authors seeking a straightforward platform that’s easy to learn. With drag-and-drop functionality, users can quickly build pages, rearrange content blocks, and organize media effortlessly. Optimizely CMS also offers inline editing and page previews to create an engaging authoring experience.

Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) Sites provides content teams with powerful yet user-friendly tools to create compelling digital experiences. Its intuitive WYSIWYG editor offers drag-and-drop functionality and in-context editing, simplifying content creation and management for marketers.

AEM makes it easy to navigate to find assets, templates, components, and pages and create layouts to match different screen sizes.

Features like Content Fragments, which provide structured content without design or layout, promote reusability across multiple channels. Meanwhile, Experience Fragments provides content blocks that can be reused across different pages within a site. Those content blocks are like "pieces" or "fractions" of pages, with style (CSS) and behavior (JavaScript). However, the search experience within AEM isn’t necessarily the best.

Cloud-based CMSs

The SaaS version of Optimizely CMS, Optimizely SaaS CMS, includes a Visual Builder editor that enables side-by-side visual editing across web, tablet, and mobile views. It also offers intuitive drag-and-drop capabilities, multi-language management, interactive content previews, and customizable multi-step workflows. However, the SaaS CMS only supports headless deployments.

While AEM can be deployed on-premise, organizations can also leverage Adobe’s cloud-native solution, AEM as a Cloud Service (AEMaaCS). This managed cloud service offers benefits and convenience similar to a SaaS solution and provides the same advanced content management features found in classic or traditional AEM implementations.

Headless Deployments

Optimizely supports headless deployments via Optimizely CMS or Optimizely SaaS CMS. In both instances, developers can benefit from Optimizely Graph. This set of APIs can easily fetch data and content from multiple sources and deliver it anywhere it’s needed.

AEM offers headless deployments via headless AEM, which enables companies to deliver content through multiple channels and devices without worrying about managing the presentation layer.

Verdict: Tie. Adobe’s advanced functionality and ability to adapt to any marketing use case make it an alluring choice for enterprise companies. However, the limitations of its built-in (OOTB) search functionality are a potential downside.

Meanwhile, Optimizely doesn’t offer the same capabilities for every use case as AEM. Still, its easy-to-use interface and high quality across different deployment options make it appealing.

Technology Profile

Optimizely uses the latest .NET framework, .NET Core. Developers familiar with this development approach are essential for traditional deployments. Meanwhile, for headless deployments, developers can use any technology or JavaScript framework that fits their needs.

AEM leverages the Java Content Repository (JCR), which forms the foundation of its technology stack and provides content persistence, search capabilities, storage management, and robust access controls.

Verdict: Tie. Both Optimizely and Adobe are built on well-known technologies that developers are generally comfortable using. However, both have been known to have steep learning curves.

Approach to Composability

Neither Optimizely nor Adobe has directly championed the composable DXP approach. However, both platforms offer the flexibility and variety of products that can be used in a composable setup.

Optimizely offers SaaS versions of multiple products that can be combined with other solutions as needed. Adobe has long offered market-leading products across multiple categories that can be adapted to various systems.

Both platforms integrate with external products, but developers and IT teams may find it easier to work with tools within each product’s ecosystem. It is generally easier to integrate three products from one vendor into a composable stack than three products from three vendors.

Verdict: Optimizely just edges out Adobe regarding composability. Adobe has focused on its products and suite approach rather than being more flexible for smaller and mid-market enterprises traditionally outside its target market. Ultimately, the solution choice will depend on the specific business case and preferences.

Additional Marketing Features

Adobe and Optimizely provide additional marketing features through the assortment of products in their DXP suites.

Optimizely offers world-class testing and experimentation solutions in Web and Feature Experimentation, personalization via Optimizely Personalize, B2B commerce through Configured Commerce, a robust content marketing platform in the Optimizely CMP, and analytics via Warehouse-Native Analytics.

Adobe’s extensive suite of tools covers experimentation and personalization, analytics, commerce, customer journey mapping, and various other use cases with products such as Adobe Target, Adobe Commerce, Adobe Analytics, and Adobe Experience Platform tools such as Adobe Journey Optimizer, Customer Journey Analytics and Real-time Customer Data Platform). Apart from Sites, AEM includes Asset and Forms for asset and forms management.

Verdict: Adobe. Optimizely continues to offer a variety of marketing tools to help build an enterprise marketing stack. However, Adobe’s solutions cover more enterprise use cases. Plus, Adobe can easily integrate with the design and creative products in the Adobe Creative Cloud.

Pricing & TCO

Optimizely’s suite of products offers competitive pricing and generally more straightforward implementation and customization, leading to lower upfront and ongoing development expenses. Customers often feel they receive more value for their money than with other solutions.

In contrast, Adobe is known for higher licensing and initial implementation costs. Enterprises often require multiple products from the broader Adobe suite to complement each other, which can significantly increase the total cost of ownership over time.

Verdict: Optimizely. While both platforms target enterprise customers, Optimizely’s streamlined implementation and lower maintenance costs make it a stronger choice for cost-sensitive buyers than Adobe’s typically higher-priced products.

Community and Partner Support

Optimizely and Adobe maintain extensive partner ecosystems, each with distinct structures and resources.

Adobe’s Solution Partner Program offers tiered partnerships, specifically Community, Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. These tiers are generally based on expertise, amount of certifications, and business performance. Partners receive access to training, sandboxes, sales support, and marketing resources, with benefits increasing at higher tiers. The Adobe community also provides comprehensive support, including product documentation and digital guides, to facilitate successful implementations.

Optimizely’s partner ecosystem includes Solution and Technology partners. Solution partners, such as digital agencies and implementation experts, assist clients in deploying and customizing Optimizely’s platform. Technology partners develop integrations and applications that enhance the platform’s capabilities. Optimizely also offers educational resources like the Optimizely Academy, where users can enroll in courses covering topics from basic content management to advanced experimentation techniques.

Both ecosystems are designed to support partners and clients in maximizing the value of their respective platforms.

Verdict: Adobe. Although many Adobe partners outsource their customer service, the vast available network and robust partner ecosystem is a key differentiating factor. Meanwhile, Optimizely's partner ecosystem is smaller, but continues to grow. Oshyn is a partner to both Adobe and Optimizely, bringing our extensive DXP experience to clients and guiding them toward the best solution for their needs.

AI & Innovation

Optimizely has embedded AI throughout its platform, enhancing personalization and content recommendations. Central to this integration is Opal, an AI assistant designed to assist marketers across the entire marketing lifecycle. Opal offers features such as campaign brief ideation, asset generation, copywriting assistance, task automation, and customer insights, all tailored to align with brand guidelines. This comprehensive AI integration streamlines workflows and boosts marketing teams' productivity.

Adobe has also embraced AI, introducing a suite of well-defined products. Adobe Sensei is an AI co-pilot that enhances productivity across Adobe Experience Cloud products. Adobe Firefly, a family of creative, generative AI models, is integrated into applications like Photoshop and Illustrator, enabling users to generate images and text effects from simple prompts. Adobe GenStudio optimizes the content supply chain by uniting planning, creation, and delivery processes, leveraging AI to streamline tasks and improve efficiency.

The Adobe AI platform also supports content creation and customer journey support via analysis, campaigns, and more by uniting AI agents and models across Adobe. Meanwhile, the Adobe Experience Platform (AEP) Agent Orchestrator allows businesses to orchestrate purpose-built AI agents that engage directly with customers and support their daily work across Adobe applications.

Verdict: Tie. Adobe’s AI capabilities support content creation and workflows, enabling creatives to work faster and more effectively. Meanwhile, Optimizely’s AI capabilities are built for marketers, enabling fast iterations on campaigns and tests to optimize conversions and lead flow.

Business Focus Areas

Over the last few years, Optimizely has made several acquisitions to expand its suite of products with leading solutions. These acquisitions have helped Optimizely gain more traction and become a key consideration for businesses at all stages of the enterprise.

Adobe continues to focus on adding new features and functionality to its AI-powered products. It isn’t expected to shift away from this approach even as it continues to innovate the product.

Verdict: Tie. Optimizely has gained ground in recent years and is recognized by analysts and enterprises alike. It offers a clear market position and continues to cater to its marketer-focused customer base. Adobe is a no-brainer choice for the largest enterprises due to its brand recognition, multiple product offerings, and outstanding reputation among leading brands.

Why Choose Optimizely

• A/B Testing and Experimentation: Optimizely excels at A/B testing and experimentation, making it ideal for enterprises prioritizing data-driven optimization.

• Simpler Implementation: Optimizely’s Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) offerings are typically easier and more cost-effective to implement than Adobe’s.

• Intuitive Content Management: Optimizely CMS empowers marketers with user-friendly inline editing, drag-and-drop capabilities, and intuitive authoring tools, significantly enhancing productivity.

• Competitive Pricing: Optimizely offers a more affordable alternative for mid-market businesses seeking cost-effective implementation and maintenance.

Why Choose AEM

• Advanced AI: Adobe offers more advanced, well-defined artificial intelligence and innovative offerings.

• Personalization: Through seamless integration with Adobe Target and Analytics, AEM delivers engaging, personalized shopping experiences for B2C and B2B brands.

• Robust Adobe Ecosystem: Beyond AEM, enterprises can leverage Adobe’s extensive product suite, including Creative Cloud and Adobe Analytics, ensuring a unified, comprehensive digital ecosystem.

• Integrated Adobe Suite Advantage: Enterprises already invested in Adobe products will find AEM attractive because it seamlessly integrates with Adobe’s extensive DXP. Adobe’s ecosystem is especially suited to larger organizations with the resources to benefit from its mature, enterprise-grade solutions.

Make the Best Choice For You with Expert Support

Choosing the right DXP solution depends heavily on your organization’s unique structure, existing tech stack, available resources, and long-term vision. No matter your current position, partnering with a seasoned team like Oshyn ensures you get the most from your investment. With deep expertise in Adobe and Optimizely product suites, we’ll guide you to the ideal solution tailored to your business needs.

Our track record includes partnerships with industry-leading brands like Dole, Brandman University, Wolters Kluwer, Volkswagen, and Aetna. Additionally, we’ve collaborated closely with premier creative agencies such as Sapient-Razorfish, Crispin Porter + Bogusky, and 72andSunny, empowering businesses to choose and implement DXPs and marketing tools aligned with their strategic objectives.

Contact us today to discuss which DXP solution fits your organization perfectly.