A review of Split
Split is a feature toggle service that enables developers to manage feature flags in their applications. It offers a way to control feature releases, target specific user groups, and perform controlled rollouts of new features.
Prior to exploring other options, it's important to assessSplit's strengths and weaknesses.
Pricing
This is the pricing breakdown for Split based on your team's size. Additional charges will be applied for advanced features exclusive to larger plans.
- Price for 5 seats: $3 960/yr
- Price for 10 seats: $3 960/yr
Split offers a complimentary 30-day trial period so that you can experience the product firsthand and form your own judgment.
Features
Split's basic plan includes essential feature flag capabilities like progressive rollout, unlimited feature-flags, kill-switches, MFA, unlimited environments and A/B testing, making it ideal for small teams.
Unfortunately, some more advanced features will require you to move await from the starter plan and make a significant jump in pricing. For instance, features such as unlimited projects, flag scheduling, custom roles or remote config start at $7 200 a year and audit log start at $3 960 a year. Some features are not even listed on the pricing page, you will need to talk to a Split sales representative to get a quote. Surprisingly, this includes reviews.
Generally, if you stay on the starter plan, you should be fine, but anticipate a substantial increase in your bill as your company grows.
Ease of use
This is where Split doesn't quite meet expectations. Besides pricing, this is likely the primary reason why people tend to consider other options over Split. The user interface is cumbersome, making it challenging to accomplish simple tasks efficiently.
In all fairness, Split has a long history with numerous iterations, which can make the user interface daunting for newcomers. To aid in comparison with other options, we've created a video for each solution demonstrating how to enable a feature flag for 20% of users in France. Here is the result for Split:
Below are the user ratings for Split, focusing on both ease of use and setup time (the higher the better). We'll be comparing these metrics with other alternatives later in this post.
- Setup time: 3.9/5
- Ease of use: 3.5/5
Our top pick#1 Tggl.io
Tggl.io an excellent alternative for Split due to its developer- and product manager-friendly interface, straightforward pricing, and great customer support.
Here is the same workflow in Tggl where we enable a flag for 20% of users in France:
Here, Tggl is a better alternative to Split in terms of simplicity, usability, and efficiency. Here's what users have to say about Tggl:
- Setup time: 4.8/5
- Ease of use: 4.9/5
We also have put together an in-depth comparison between Split and Tggl where we compare pricing and list all features on a more granular level.
In terms of cost, Tggl is less expensive than Split regardless of your team's size, with the price difference being more pronounced for larger teams. Here's a breakdown of the pricing:
- Price for 5 seats: €180/yr
- Price for 10 seats: €530/yr
#2 LaunchDarkly
LaunchDarkly is a solid alternative to Split, offering all necessary features to get started with feature flags: kill-switches, MFA, A/B testing, unlimited environments, progressive rollout, remote config and unlimited feature-flags.
Note that some features are only available in higher plans. This includes features such as duplicate flags, unlimited projects or reviews that start at $1 000 a year. You will need to talk to a LaunchDarkly sales representative to get a quote for some more advanced features like custom roles and flag scheduling.
Here is the video where we enable a flag for 20% of users in France using LaunchDarkly:
Here is what people who are using LaunchDarkly think about the product (the higher the better):
- Setup time: 4.1/5
- Ease of use: 3.5/5
If you're interested in learning more, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison between Split and LaunchDarkly. You can access a detailed list of features and prices for both services here.
When it comes to price, LaunchDarkly is actually cheaper than Split, and the difference increases as your team and usage grows:
- Price for 5 seats: $500/yr
- Price for 10 seats: $2 000/yr
Got to LaunchDarkly pricing page
#3 Unleash
Another great alternative to Split is Unleash, including all features you would expected from a feature flag service, such as remote config, unlimited feature-flags, MFA, progressive rollout, kill-switches and A/B testing.
Note that some features are only available in higher plans. You will need to talk to a Unleash sales representative to get a quote for some more advanced features like unlimited projects, reviews, custom roles, unlimited environments, unlimited seats and flag scheduling.
Here is the video where we enable a flag for 20% of users in France using Unleash:
Here is what people who are using Unleash think about the product (the higher the better):
- Setup time: 3.8/5
- Ease of use: 3.2/5
If you want to delve deeper into the details, we've crafted an in-depth comparison between Split and Unleash. You'll discover a comprehensive list of features and pricing for both services on this page.
When it comes to price, Unleash is actually cheaper than Split, and the difference increases as your team and usage grows:
- Price for 5 seats: $960/yr
- Price for 10 seats: $1 860/yr
#4 Flagsmith
Flagsmith is another contender against Split, offering a great set of features to get you started with feature flags, like remote config, A/B testing, unlimited projects, progressive rollout, unlimited environments, kill-switches and unlimited feature-flags.
Note that some features are only available in higher plans. This includes features such as flag scheduling or MFA that start at $540 a year and reviews, custom roles or audit log that start at $2 400 a year.
Here is the video where we enable a flag for 20% of users in France using Flagsmith:
Here is what people who are using Flagsmith think about the product (the higher the better):
- Setup time: 4.2/5
- Ease of use: 3.4/5
For those seeking additional information, we've prepared an in-depth comparison between Split and Flagsmith. You'll find a complete overview of features and pricing for both platforms available here.
When it comes to price, Flagsmith is actually cheaper than Split, and the difference increases as your team and usage grows:
- Price for 5 seats: $2 400/yr
- Price for 10 seats: $3 600/yr
Conclusion
Split is often criticised for its price point and not so easy to use UI, but as you can see there are many options to choose from. And even tho in this test we ranked Tggl.io the highest, other alternatives also have a comparable feature set.