Latest News: YouTube’s Test & Compare Feature

Latest News (11 June 2024): A/B Testing is broadly available to even more users — people reported on Reddit.

If you still don’t have this feature, your best bet is a third-party software, like Thumbnail Test.

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You’re probably curious about YouTube’s Test & Compare feature, but you’re not sure if (or when) you’re going to get it yourself.

Join us, and let’s figure out what’s going on.

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YouTube Test & Compare: Latest News

Info	Detailed Breakdown
Release Date	11 June 2024 → Postponed for 5 years.
Who	Limited to “Eligible Creators”.
How	In the “Thumbnails” section in YT Studio.
Purpose	To compare different versions of a video element to see which performs better.
Best Bet	Third-party tools. ThumbnailTest is available for A/B testing, offering additional features beyond what YouTube may provide.

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1. It finally released

“When will YouTube release Test & Compare?”

Answer: YouTube “Test & Compare” on the 11th of June, 2024 (known as the “A/B Testing” feature).

• This feature works just for Eligible Creators → it has been cancelled for +5 years.
• Back in 2023, they did announce that they were in the early stages of testing the feature with a small group of creators.

See this video for more official info:

• From the video: YouTube’s A/B Testing tool is now available.
• (2023) Words from a YouTube Beta Tester: Everyone should have access to this in 2024.

Here’s what people predicted in December 2023 (6 months before the release):

But right now…

2. Only for Eligible Creators

Currently, YouTube’s Test & Compare feature works only for creators with Advanced Features. By the end of 2024, every channel should have it.

Eligible Creators include:

1. Creators who have been invited to participate in the YouTube Partner Program beta testing program.
2. Creators who have a high engagement rate on their videos.
3. Creators who have a large subscriber base.

If interested: Sign up for the YouTube Partner Program beta testing program. Unfortunately, you have be a big YouTuber — and even then, eligibility is not guaranteed.

This brings us to…

3. How to A/B Test on YouTube

Answer: To run an A/B test on YouTube, go to YouTube Studio and select a video. In the thumbnails section, click “Test & Compare” and upload 3 images.

Here is the step-by-step list:

1. Open a video in YouTube Studio
2. Click “Test & Compare” in the thumbnails section
3. Upload your thumbnails
4. Click “DONE“

4. What A/B Testing really is

YouTube A/B testing is a feature used to compare 3 versions of a YouTube Thumbnail to determine which version performs better.

Purpose: Helps creators optimize their content and make informed decisions about how to improve their videos’ engagement and viewership — for this, we suggest following YouTube’s Official Guide.

• Data analysis will be conducted for both thumbnail.
• The one that performs best will be set for the video.

Essentially: If “Thumbnail A” doesn’t work → Try “Thumbnail B”.

Pro Tip: With ThumbnailTest, you can have unlimited thumbnail checks.

Feel free to conduct A/B/C/D/E/[…]/Z tests with our tool.

Can you do A/B Testing on YouTube?

Answer: Yes, you can do A/B testing on YouTube — either with Test & Compare or Thumbnail Test.

In the meantime, you probably want to see how YouTube compares to Thumbnail Test.

Conclusion

This is all that we’ve got on YouTube A/B Testing so far.

Fear not, whenever new info comes out, we’ll be the first ones to update this guide.

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Thank you for reading this,
Thumbnail Test