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Marketing · head to head

Optimizely vs Roxhill

Optimizely logo

Optimizely

Marketing

Digital experience optimization

From
$10000/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Roxhill logo

Roxhill

Marketing

UK-focused journalist database and media monitoring, founder-owned and annual only

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Optimizely no pricing is published and no minimum is stated; Roxhill the database is UK-centric by reviewers’ own account, with weak US, Australian and broader Asian journalist coverage, so any multi-market programme needs a second vendor and the single-vendor cost case disappears.
  • They diverge on capability: Optimizely covers A/B testing, Roxhill covers Journalist database.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Optimizely and Roxhill actually diverge.

Attributes where Optimizely and Roxhill differ
AttributeOptimizelyRoxhill
Starting price$10000/yearOn request
PlatformsWeb, MobileWeb, iOS, Android
Founded2010Unknown

Identical on both: pricing model (quote), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Marketing).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Optimizely

  • A/B testing
  • Multivariate testing
  • Personalization
  • Feature management
  • Analytics
  • Google Analytics
  • Adobe Analytics
  • SOC2

Only in Roxhill

  • Journalist database
  • Journalist profiles
  • Media lists and distribution
  • Media requests and alerts
  • Media monitoring
  • Bespoke newsletters
  • Historical search
  • Journalist Assistant

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Optimizely

  • A/B testing and experimentation across web and product experiencesnot Roxhill
  • Feature flagging and personalisation for digital productsnot Roxhill

Roxhill

  • A UK in-house press office that needs journalist contacts with current pitching preferences rather than a scraped byline list.not Optimizely
  • An agency tracking forward features across UK trade and consumer titles to place clients into planned coverage months ahead.not Optimizely
  • A communications team monitoring named spokespeople and measuring their share of voice against competitors in UK media.not Optimizely
  • A UK public sector body procuring through G-Cloud that needs EEA-hosted media monitoring with a published framework price band.not Optimizely

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Optimizely

  • No pricing is published and no minimum is stated
  • Every plan is individually packaged, so no two quotes are necessarily comparable
  • Reaching a figure requires a demo or sales conversation

Roxhill

  • The database is UK-centric by reviewers’ own account, with weak US, Australian and broader Asian journalist coverage, so any multi-market programme needs a second vendor and the single-vendor cost case disappears.
  • Contact records go stale: reviewers report old email addresses and phone numbers, distribution bounces, and there is no self-serve verification step before you send.
  • At roughly 200,000 to 300,000 journalists it is far smaller than the million-plus figures Cision and Prowly claim, with repeated complaints about thin trade, academic and journal coverage.
  • Selling is annual only with no monthly plan and a trial functionally restricted to around two weeks, so you cannot genuinely pilot before a twelve-month commitment, which is a poor fit for project or retainer agency work.
  • Licence bands are 1, 3 and 5 seats, and extra logins, workspaces, smart folders, historical search, share of voice and the spokespeople platform are all chargeable add-ons, so a team of eight to fifteen pays well above any headline band.
  • Search behaviour is described as counter-intuitive and sometimes returns implausibly few results, which means a null result cannot be trusted and lists need manual cross-checking.
  • Monitoring accuracy takes time to settle after switching, so coverage is missed in the first weeks after a cutover, which is a real gap risk if you time the migration badly.

Pricing, plan by plan

Optimizely

$10000/year
  • Enterprise$undefined/year
    • A/B testing
    • Personalization
    • Feature management

Roxhill

On request
  • Core$undefined/year
    • 1 licence
    • Standard database access
    • Journalist Assistant
  • Boutique$undefined/year
    • 3 licences
    • Adds press release distribution
    • 3 workspaces, 6 smart folders, 10 spokespeople, 3 newsletters
  • Enterprise$undefined/year
    • 5 licences
    • 5 workspaces, 10 smart folders, 5 newsletters
    • Spokespeople platform
  • Premium$undefined/year
    • Everything in Enterprise
    • Insights analysis and bespoke reporting
    • Competitor share of voice

Which should you pick?

Choose Optimizely if

  • You need a/b testing.
  • You work on Web, Mobile.
  • You also want multivariate testing.
Optimizely review

Choose Roxhill if

  • You need journalist database.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want journalist profiles.
Roxhill review

Questions people ask

Is Optimizely or Roxhill better?
Neither clearly leads. Optimizely starts at $10000/year and Roxhill at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Optimizely or Roxhill?
Optimizely starts at $10000/year and Roxhill at On request.
Does Optimizely or Roxhill run on more platforms?
Optimizely runs on Web, Mobile. Roxhill runs on Web, iOS, Android.
What is Optimizely best used for?
Optimizely is most often used for a/b testing and experimentation across web and product experiences, feature flagging and personalisation for digital products. Of those, a/b testing and experimentation across web and product experiences and feature flagging and personalisation for digital products are not what Roxhill is typically brought in for.
What can Optimizely do that Roxhill cannot?
Optimizely covers A/B testing, Multivariate testing, Personalization, Feature management. Roxhill covers Journalist database, Journalist profiles, Media lists and distribution, Media requests and alerts.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Optimizely: How much does Optimizely cost?

Optimizely does not publish pricing rates. The company states that every plan is individually packaged based on specific customer needs. Interested customers must request a demo or contact the sales team to receive customized pricing.

Source
Roxhill: How much does Roxhill cost?

Not published on the vendor site, but the UK G-Cloud 14 listing discloses £6,450 to £25,000 per instance per year. Use that as your anchor.

Optimizely: What is the pricing model for Optimizely?

Optimizely uses a custom enterprise pricing model rather than published rate cards. Pricing is determined through direct consultation with the sales team based on the customer's digital needs and feature requirements.

Source
Roxhill: Is Roxhill owned by Cision or Access Intelligence?

No. Companies House shows a single individual holding over 75% of shares and no corporate PSC. It is founder-controlled and unfunded. Note the founder previously sold Gorkana to Cision, so ask for a change-of-control clause.

Optimizely: Is there a free trial of Optimizely?

Optimizely does not specify free trial availability on its website. Customers interested in exploring the platform are directed to request a demo through the company's website to discuss trial options.

Source
Roxhill: Is it usable for US or APAC media relations?

Not well. Reviewers describe US, Australian and Asian coverage as materially weaker than UK. Budget for a second database.

Roxhill: Can I buy monthly?

No. Contracts are annual, sales-gated, with a trial of around two weeks.

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