LaunchDarkly vs Split: A Detailed Comparison

The stakes are high for software development teams: Every feature that gets rolled out needs to be perfect, with any mistakes potentially wreaking havoc on the business.

Feature flag management platforms are one of the best ways to reduce risk during rollout, improve development velocity, and deliver exceptional user experiences. LaunchDarkly and Split are some of the incumbents in the space, so we wanted to break down the pros and cons of each to help you make an informed decision. 

In this guide, we'll compare the features, pricing tiers, and user reviews of both platforms to help you decide.

LaunchDarkly vs Split at a glance

LaunchDarkly is a cloud-based feature flag management software focused on enterprise teams.

Split is a cloud-native feature flag management with a heavy focus on experimentation only—made for mid-market and enterprise teams.

The key differences between LaunchDarkly vs Split

1. If you want an easy setup process…

LaunchDarkly has extensive features for deploying and managing feature flags, but many users have reported that it’s hard to do a simple setup. Since the platform is more enterprise-focused, the complexity might be too much for smaller development teams.

Alternatively, Split and Flagsmith offer a much simpler setup process.

2. If you want extensive experimentation features…

LaunchDarkly and Split both have extensive experimentation features, but in this case, Split would be the better option, as it’s built for that purpose. For example, you can conduct sequential tests, fixed horizon testing, and dimensional analysis to get a deeper understanding of how each feature is performing, and whether it’s a good idea to let it go live to your entire user base. Split also recently acquired Harness, doubling down on their investment in experimentation.

3. If you want an on-premise deployment option…

If data security is important to you, it's worth noting that neither LaunchDarkly or Split offer on-premise deployment options. If this is something you're looking for, Flagsmith offers on-premise (as well as private cloud) deployment.

4. If you want a larger feature set at an affordable price…

LaunchDarkly and Split offer a wide range of plans for development teams—but LaunchDarkly tends to gate a large set of its features only for the Enterprise version. For instance, you don’t get the experimentation features on the lowest pricing tier and can access it in Pro only for an additional fee. 

Similarly, Split also offers its experimentation features on the Business and Enterprise tier, which is a downside considering that these form its main use case.

If price is a consideration, you can consider tools like Flagsmith instead. You get a generous free plan and experimentation features on all the paid tiers.

How to choose between LaunchDarkly and Split

When you’re choosing between LaunchDarkly vs Split, consider these core aspects first:

• Deployment options
• Feature workflows
• Pricing and value
• Security
• User management and permissions
• Experimentation and analytics
• Integrations
• Customer support

Our findings show that LaunchDarkly is a great fit for large enterprise teams that want feature flagging with all the bells and whistles. There's a reason they're the original player in the space. That being said, the bells and whistles can be too much for some teams who want feature flagging without bloat—and often come with a high price tag that's easy to get locked into.

Split is also focused on large enterprises, but those in need of more experimentation features. Their extensive feature set could be overkill for a startup or mid-market company, and the pricing plans are also exorbitantly expensive.

Plus, neither of these platforms offers on-premise deployment options. So, if you're looking for a more affordable, flexible, and transparent plan with multiple deployment options and a comparable feature set, you may be better off with Flagsmith's platform.

Split vs. LaunchDarkly: Key factors for evaluation

Here are 11 parameters you should evaluate LaunchDarkly and Split against:

Deployment options

LaunchDarkly

LaunchDarkly only offers cloud-based deployment, and even in those cases, you don't get a private cloud option. You can integrate the software using SDKs and APIs—so you don't have to deploy it yourself.

But if you're in a data-sensitive industry like financial services or healthcare, you might need a feature flag solution that also deploys on-premise.

Split

Similar to LaunchDarkly, Split also offers a cloud-based infrastructure, which means you have to integrate it with your existing system to use it. However, it's important to note that the data is never sent to the vendor's cloud for evaluation.

What’s missing?

These tools miss out on two key deployment options: private cloud and on-premise. If you're a data-sensitive organisation, you want benefits like:

• Full control of deployment
• Maximum privacy
• Minimum service-to-service latency

It’s important to consider how comfortable you are relying on third parties for data security. If your internal security measures require deploying software on-premise, neither of these platforms will work, whereas a solution like Flagsmith gives you complete control over what you deploy and how you deploy it (with public or private cloud, on-premise, or open-source deployment options). However, if you don’t require this level of control, both LaunchDarkly and Split are good options. 

Feature workflows

LaunchDarkly

LaunchDarkly offers feature workflows that allow you to gradually roll out features to a small segment of users or schedule flags for when you need them. You can even schedule approvals and automate triggers based on specific metrics.

This might be helpful if you have a complex setup, but it's only available on the Enterprise plan. 

Split

Split offers more robust workflows, where you can schedule flags and get approvals before rollout. Plus, you can see all the scheduled/live/disabled flags in the Rollout dashboard, keeping your team informed. To improve the release process, you can apply workflow templates to standardise these workflows across multiple flags. 

What’s missing?

Flagsmith uses the four-eyes approval workflow, where two individuals have to approve a flag before it's rolled out into different environments. Plus, you can schedule flags to align with your release requirements instead of manually enabling them.

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Ease of use

LaunchDarkly

Many users say that the product is easy to use, yet, when it comes to implementation, while the company advertises being able to set up the solution in less than five minutes, in actuality, it could take you a month or two to set up completely (according to G2).

Also, many users have complained recently about it becoming harder to set up even simple flags. This is due, in part, to the new "wizards" feature they've introduced to customise the process based on your use case. But if you're strapped for time and already know what you want, it doesn't make sense to read extensive documentation on the topic to set up a simple flag.

That being said, it's easy to get started irrespective of the programming languages you use as they have multiple SDKs. The dashboard is also relatively easy to navigate.

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Split

Many users prefer Split because setting up feature flags and managing them in one place is easier. Whether you're a technical or non-technical user, the user interface isn't confusing, making it easier to provide access across the organisation if needed.

Plus, non-technical users can see how each experiment is performing, making it accessible. That being said, it’s much easier to roll out features with flags than to deactivate them. Once the flags go live, it’s hard to know what’s active and what’s not, making it hard to manage them and keep your flags healthy. 

What’s missing?

When it comes to setting up a feature flag solution and managing flags, Flagsmith offers much better control for all kinds of users.

For instance, the dashboard is easy to navigate, as you can see which features have active and inactive flags in one place. Plus, you can give technical and non-technical users the appropriate amount of access based on their key responsibilities. Many users compliment how easy it is to collaborate and onboard other team members without hassle.

So, if you need an easy-to-use solution that more non-technical users will need access to, Flagsmith could be a better option. 

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Pricing

LaunchDarkly

LaunchDarkly's pricing tiers are heavily enterprise-focused. There's no free tier, and if you want to try out any of their plans, you will only get a 14-day trial.

There are three pricing tiers, which are:

• Starter: Costs $10 per seat per month, and you get unlimited feature flags with only 1,000 monthly active users (MAUs). However, you don't get features like experimentation, additional integrations, and flag scheduling.
• Pro: Costs $20 per seat per month with a 5-seat minimum (minimum $100 per month). You get access to 10,000 MAUs, which can go up to 300,000 for an additional charge. You can get experimentation features as an add-on if needed.
• Enterprise: You need to contact them for a quote. However, you can access all their features with 99.9% SLA and four hours of support response.

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A notable downside of the company's pricing structure is that the price increases significantly with every renewal. LaunchDarkly might not be right for you if you don’t have deep pockets.

Split

With Split, you do get access to a free plan with up to 10 seats and limited feature flags. However, the Developer (free) or Team (paid) plan does not offer any experimentation features, which is a downside considering experimentation is the platform’s core capability.

Split offers three other paid tiers:

• Team: Costs $33 per seat per month with a 10-seat minimum ($330 per month minimum). You get role-based access controls (RBAC) with only one feature flag scheduling capability.
• Business: Costs $60 per user per month, with a minimum of 10 seats ($600 per month minimum). You also get access to all its experimentation, targeting, and flag management features, along with a customer success manager.
• Enterprise: You need to contact them for a quote. You'll also have access to a dedicated customer success manager.

The plans can be prohibitively expensive for startups and scaleup teams that need more experimentation features. 

What’s missing?

At Flagsmith, we charge you based on the number of requests you make, the number of team members and deployment type—and we like to think that’s more transparent and straightforward pricing.

You’re not limited by the number of flags, users, environments, or experimentation features you need because every plan includes them.

We offer four paid tiers for cloud-based deployment:

• Free: You get up to 50,000 monthly requests and unlimited feature flags (with experimentation features).
• Start-Up: Costs $45 monthly for up to three team members, scheduled flags, and two-factor authentication (2FA).
• Scale-Up: Costs $200 monthly for up to 5,000,000 requests, RBAC, and audit logs.
• Enterprise: Please get in touch with us for a quote. You get priority support from the core engineering team, along with onboarding and training resources.

You can choose a private cloud or on-premise deployment for more security and control. Please get in touch for a quote. 

User management and permissions

LaunchDarkly

LaunchDarkly allows you to create custom roles—what we commonly know as role-based access management. Here, each user gets a different set of controls depending on their responsibilities and authorisation level.

However, the company doesn't clearly define these roles, and there's not much information about how to configure them. Its documentation says that it follows a similar structure to the AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) system.

Also, this feature is only available in the Enterprise plan, so by default, every user can see your flags.

Split

Split, on the other hand, offers two different types of user permissions: Viewer and Editor. As a Viewer, you can view all the flags without changing anything on the backend. But as an Editor, you can make as many changes as you want.

If you want to provide more access but not complete control, consider using the role-based access key to configure that.

These features are available on the Business and Enterprise plan.

What’s missing?

LaunchDarkly and Split both fall short when offering granular access control. The controls are only role-based, not environment and project-based. If you need more granularity, you'll have to configure it or find a workaround.

With Flagsmith, that's not the case. You can change access based on three levels: Users (individual), Groups (groups of users), and Roles (offer permissions at the Organization, Project, and Environment levels). This gives you more control over who sees what and what changes they can make.

Experimentation and analytics

LaunchDarkly

Given the product's nature, its experimentation capabilities are extensive since it caters to enterprises. You can run A/B and multivariate tests across many groups and features. You can also evaluate the business impact of each feature flag within the in-built analytics dashboard.

Some users report that you must enable a flag before running an experiment, which can hinder the evaluation process. 

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Split

Split is known for its experimentation features, which is why you can run a variety of tests, such as A/B tests, sequential tests, and multivariate tests. You can also conduct a dimensional analysis, where you can segment the data based on the location or device type, adding more context to your analysis.

Many users report being satisfied with the Metrics dashboard and experiment setup process, saying that it's easy to set up and doesn't require coding knowledge. 

What’s missing?

Considering that both platforms emphasise the importance of experimentation, they've gated these features under their higher tiers. This means you'll have to invest significantly to test features before rolling them out.

The majority of developer experimentation falls under things like A/B tests and staged rollouts. If that's the case, sometimes it's simplest to use a feature flagging tool that feeds flag data to your analytics tool(s). You probably don't need the bells and whistles that come with experimentation features. Flagsmith lets you conduct A/B and multivariate tests, even on the free tier.

Security

LaunchDarkly

LaunchDarkly has several security certifications, such as SOC 2, HIPAA, and ISO27001 compliance. Plus, it moves the data via its own streaming service, making sure the data behind flags isn't exposed.

Split

Split offers security features like two-factor authentication, JWT Tokens, SAML-based account provisioning, RBAC, and audit logs. It also has certifications such as OWASP-10 and SOC 2 Type 2 compliance certification.

What’s missing?

Neither of these tools offers a granular level of access control. Flagsmith does—and also has 2FA, SAML, Okta, ADFS, and LDAP authentication capabilities, plus RBAC and audit logs. We've also been certified with the SOC 2 Type 2 compliance certificate, ensuring data security.

Integrations

LaunchDarkly

The platform offers a wide range of integrations—almost 80 applications within the analytics, development, customer service, and project management space. You can only access them in the Pro and Enterprise plans.

A few examples include CircleCI, Zendesk, Snowflake, and Amplitude.

Split

Split offers almost 40 integrations (as of May 2024) in categories such as change management, analytics, development, and infrastructure. You can only access them in the paid plans.

A few examples include AppDynamics, Google Tag Manager, Rollbar, and Vercel.

What’s missing?

Both these applications have in-built analytics, too, but if your data lives elsewhere or your product/marketing teams use different tools in their tech stack, it's best to integrate it with your tool of choice.

With Flagsmith, you can integrate your tech stack as part of every tier, even free. Here's a list of tools you can integrate with:

• Amplitude
• AppDynamics
• Datadog
• Dynatrace
• Heap
• Jira Software
• Mixpanel
• New Relic
• Rudderstack
• Twilio Segment
• Slack
• Webhooks (to create integrations)
• Terraform

Open source software

LaunchDarkly

LaunchDarkly doesn't offer an open-source product version.

Since you're introducing a significant dependency in your development cycle, it's better if you have the option to contribute to the roadmap and can track issues/requests. This is only possible with open-source software.

Split

Similarly, Split doesn't offer an open-source version where you can review and test core functionality while contributing to the roadmap.

What’s missing?

If transparency and communication are key, it might be a good idea to check out an open-source alternative. For instance, Flagsmith offers an open-source version (through Open Feature) where the core functionality is available via a GitHub repository. You can contribute or communicate with our development team through the repository or try out the software without worrying about vendor lock-in.

Customer support

LaunchDarkly

Many users are satisfied with their customer support capabilities. They mention that the team gets back to them within 24 hours, but that depends on your chosen pricing plan. In the Starter plan, getting a response could take up to 48 hours. 

Split

The consensus is that Split offers good and quick customer service, which is great if you're getting started. However, if you have specific requests regarding issues like integrations, reviews are more mixed. They also offer extensive documentation and an academy to get you up to speed during implementation.

What’s missing?

As both these companies are quite large, it can take hours, if not days, to get a response. Unless you're shelling out a lot of money for their higher pricing tiers, it's not feasible for them to provide a quick response.

With Flagsmith, that's not the case. You get the advantage of rapid support via our support channel, as our core engineering team (CTO and engineers) is present. This way, none of your issues go unresolved, and if you prefer self-serve, we have detailed documentation available, too.