AB
ABForgeExperimentation Platform
Common questions, real answers

Frequently asked questions.

The stuff people email about before they sign up. Click any question to expand. If something is missing, ask us directly.

Getting started

How does the snippet actually work?

Paste <script async src="https://abforge.3dshawn.com/t.js?k=YOUR_KEY"></script> into your <head>. The tracker loads asynchronously and starts posting pageviews, sessions, click + scroll heatmap data, and any active A/B / MVT assignments. No tag manager, no SDK install, no build step. Works on React, Vue, Next, Astro, WordPress, plain HTML — anything that loads JavaScript.

Do I need to know how to code?

No for the basics: experiments are configured in the dashboard (pick a URL pattern, define variants, pick a goal). For custom events you call abforge('event','name',{prop:value}) from anywhere in your JS — one line. We have copy-paste snippets for every common framework in the docs.

How long does setup take?

Most teams see their first pageview in the dashboard within 30 seconds of pasting the snippet. Spinning up an A/B test on a new headline takes another 2 minutes. The realtime view refreshes every 15 seconds so you'll know it's working immediately.

Can I run ABForge on multiple sites?

Yes. Each site gets its own public key and its own dashboard view. Free supports 1 site, Starter 3, Growth 10, Scale unlimited. You can run different experiments per site or share segments across them.

Experiments & statistics

What's the difference between A/B and MVT?

A/B compares two (or more) full variants of a page. MVT (multivariate) compares combinations of factors — e.g. 2 headlines × 3 CTA colors × 2 hero images = 12 variants — and tells you which combination wins AND which individual factor moves the needle most. A/B is faster to ship; MVT is more powerful when traffic allows.

How is significance calculated?

Two-proportion z-test with configurable confidence threshold (default 95%). We display confidence interval, p-value, sample size, and a recommended sample-size to detect your minimum-effect-size at 80% power. We never declare a winner before the sample-size estimate is reached — that's how teams trick themselves with peeking.

How are visitors assigned to variants?

A signed cookie sets a sticky variant on first visit. Same visitor sees the same variant for the life of the experiment, across pages and sessions. You can override assignment for QA via a URL parameter (?_abf=variant_b).

What goal types are supported?

Seven: page_view, url_destination, click_selector, custom_event, form_submit, revenue, and scroll. You can attach multiple goals per experiment and watch each independently.

Does the variant swap cause flicker?

No. The tracker is loaded with a tiny inline hide-rule for elements being mutated, the swap runs synchronously before paint, and the hide-rule is removed. The result is a clean first paint of the assigned variant. We measured median FCP impact under 4ms in our own tests.

Heatmaps & analytics

How do click heatmaps handle responsive layouts?

Every click is anchored to a stable DOM selector plus pixel offset within the element. When you view the heatmap at a desktop width, mobile clicks render against the desktop DOM correctly because we re-resolve the selector. No more "all clicks are at the top-left" garbage.

How is scroll depth measured?

We sample max-scroll-Y on a debounced scroll handler and beacon it on page unload. The dashboard renders a depth overlay showing what percentage of visitors reached each band of the page.

Is the analytics view real-time?

The Realtime tab polls every 15 seconds. The main analytics dashboard caches for 60 seconds. The 30-day trend chart refreshes hourly. All KPIs back-fill instantly when you switch date ranges.

Pricing & billing

Is the free plan really free forever?

Yes. No credit card, no trial expiry. 10K pageviews/month, 1 site, 3 experiments, full heatmap + analytics dashboard. Upgrade when (or if) you outgrow it.

What happens if I go over my pageview cap?

We email you at 80% and 100%. We never stop tracking mid-month. The overage on the next invoice is prorated at the next tier's per-pageview rate — or you can upgrade and skip it.

Refund policy?

We issue refunds as account credit applied automatically to your next invoice. Cleaner books, faster than a card refund (which takes 5–10 business days to settle). If you cancel entirely with unused credit, we work out a card refund case-by-case.

Can I switch plans any time?

Yes. Upgrades take effect immediately with proration. Downgrades take effect at the next billing anchor so you keep what you paid for.

Data & trust

Do you own my data?

No. You retain full ownership of your visitor data, events, experiments, and heatmaps. You can export everything (CSV + JSON) at any time. If you cancel, you get a 90-day grace period to export before data is purged.

Is ABForge GDPR-friendly?

Yes. The tracker uses a first-party signed cookie for sticky experiment assignment — no third-party cookies, no cross-site tracking. You can configure cookie-free mode (visitor ID derived from a hash) if you'd rather skip the cookie consent banner. We have a DPA available for Growth+ plans.

Where is my data stored?

Your database lives in our US-East datacenter by default. EU-West is available on request for Scale + Enterprise. Self-hosters keep data wherever they install MariaDB.

What security do you offer?

2FA (TOTP), session-revoke from Settings, full audit log of admin actions, role-based access on team plans, encrypted-at-rest database, TLS 1.3 in transit. SOC 2 Type II audit in progress for 2026.

Can I self-host?

Yes, on Enterprise. You get the full CGI tree, MariaDB schema, and an install script. Your team manages updates. Many regulated industries prefer this — your data never leaves your infrastructure.

Support

How fast is support?

Email response: same business day for Growth+, <48 hours for Starter, community-driven for Free. Scale plans get a shared Slack channel; Enterprise gets a named CSM and SLA.

Where are the docs?

Inside the dashboard at /docs.cgi. Every page has a Help icon up top that links to plain-English how-tos with copy-paste examples. Quick-start guides for React, Vue, Next, WordPress, and plain HTML included.

Can I migrate from another platform?

Yes. We offer free white-glove migration for Growth+ subscribers — we'll map your existing experiments, goals, and segments into ABForge so you don't rebuild them by hand.

Question we didn't answer?

Send it to hello\.com — we read everything.

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