Top 5 feature-flags services for C++
Feature flags are a powerful tool in the C++ developer’s toolkit, offering the flexibility to test and deploy new features with minimal risk. But with multiple services to choose from, finding the right fit can be challenging. This article compares the top 5 feature-flag solutions for C++ developers, focusing on pricing, ease of use, and the features each service brings to the table.
Our top pick#1 Tggl.io
We start this list with Tggl, probably a great choice overall for its ease of use and quick integration with C++ (a single API call).
Features
Tggl offers all the essential features you’d expect from a feature flag service, even in its most affordable plan. This makes it an excellent starting point for developers or teams who are new to feature flagging or working with a limited budget. You can easily manage your feature rollouts, conduct A/B tests, plan release dates in advance, and toggle features without needing to upgrade to a higher tier. You get unlimited feature flags and basic monitoring out of the box.
As your needs grow, Tggl also provides more advanced features in its higher-tier plans. These include unlimited projects, webhooks, server-side flag evaluation, and reviews. While the basic plan is a great entry point, upgrading to a more expensive plan unlocks the full potential of Tggl’s robust feature set.
Ease of use
Tggl stands out in our comparison due to its user-friendly design, which places it at the top of our list. We found the interface to be intuitive, and the setup process is quick. To provide a clear example, we recorded a brief video demonstratinghow to activate a flag for 20% of French users. We created similar videos for each service in this article to ensure a fair comparison of their ease of use.
As shown in the video, Tggl very straight forward. To complement this, we also gathered user ratings on ease of use and setup time. These ratings reflect actual user experiences and offer additional context on how Tggl performs.
- Setup time: 4.8/5
- Ease of use: 4.9/5
Pricing
In summary, Tggl offers the most affordable solution from our list, with a starting price of €180/yr for five seats. Smaller teams are billed according to their number of seats and the volume of requests they make. Larger organizations can opt for a plan with unlimited seats and pay solely based on their request volume, providing a cost-effective and scalable option for growing teams.
- Price for 5 seats: €180/yr
- Price for 10 seats: €530/yr
#2 Unleash
Next, we have Unleash, which is a strong option for managing feature flags in C++ applications. We'll take a closer look at what Unleash brings to the table in terms of features and pricing, helping you determine if it fits your project needs.
Features
Unleash offers all the essential features you’d expect from a feature flagging service, making it a reliable choice for most C++ projects. Its lower-tier plans include key functionalities like feature toggling, ensuring that even teams on a budget can effectively manage their feature deployments.
For those who need more advanced capabilities, however, some features are reserved for the higher-tier plans.
Some other features of Unleash are only available on the highest plan and will require a call with a sales representative (eg. unlimited projects, reviews, custom roles, unlimited environments, unlimited seats and flag scheduling).
Ease of use
We’re creating a video for each feature flagging tool in this article showcasing how to release a feature for 20% of French users. These demonstrations will allow you to easily compare the usability of Unleash and other platforms to see which one aligns best with your needs.
Here is the recording of the Unleash's dashboard where we go through the process of updating the flag.
To provide more insight into Unleash's usability, we collected user ratings in two areas: ease of use and setup time. A higher rating indicates a smoother experience, helping gauge how quickly teams can adopt the platform and how intuitive it is. Let’s take a closer look at these ratings to see how Unleash measures up.
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
Pricing
Pricing is one area where Unleash can become costly, particularly as team size increases. While it delivers a strong feature set, the pricing structure might be challenging for teams looking to stay within a tight budget. To help you better assess the cost, we’ve provided a few pricing examples based on different team sizes to show how quickly expenses can add up.
Unleash is not the cheapest option from this list, especially for larger teams, the price increase can be steep. Here are some prices to give you an idea:
- Price for 5 seats: $960/yr
- Price for 10 seats: $1 860/yr
#3 LaunchDarkly
LaunchDarkly is the next feature flagging tool we'll explore. Designed with C++ developers in mind, LaunchDarkly offers a range of functionalities that make it a compelling choice. In the upcoming sections, we'll delve into its features and pricing to better understand its value.
Features
LaunchDarkly provides a comprehensive set of basic features that make it a solid choice for managing feature flags in C++ projects. With its core offerings, you can easily toggle features on and off. These essential tools are available even on the lower-tier plans, making LaunchDarkly accessible to teams that need robust feature flagging capabilities without breaking the bank.
However, for those seeking more advanced functionalities, you'll need to opt for one of the more expensive plans. Such as duplicate flags, unlimited projects or reviews that start at $1 000 a year.
Some other features of LaunchDarkly are only available on the highest plan and will require a call with a sales representative (eg. custom roles and flag scheduling).
Ease of use
We’ve recorded a video for each tool on our list to demonstrate their UI where we release a feature for 20% of French users. This will allow you to directly compare how LaunchDarkly handles feature rollouts and how it might fit your workflow.
LaunchDarkly takes a bit of time to get used to, but once you get the hang of it you can update flags pretty easily.
To help evaluate LaunchDarkly's performance, we collected user ratings for both ease of use and setup time. These ratings, where higher numbers reflect better experiences, give a clear picture of how simple it is to get up and running with the platform and how user-friendly it is. Let’s dive into the results to see how LaunchDarkly stacks up.
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
Pricing
LaunchDarkly isn’t the cheapest option available, and its pricing can increase rapidly as your team size expands. To provide some clarity, we’ve outlined a few example price points based on different team sizes, so you can better understand how LaunchDarkly’s pricing might fit your needs.
LaunchDarkly is not the cheapest option from this list, especially for larger teams, the price increase can be steep. Here are some prices to give you an idea:
- Price for 5 seats: $500/yr
- Price for 10 seats: $2 000/yr
Got to LaunchDarkly pricing page
#4 Split
Split is the next service we're examining in our comparison. Tailored for C++ developers, Split provides a robust set of tools for effective feature management. We'll review its features and pricing in detail to see how it stacks up against other options.
Features
Split is equipped with all the fundamental tools necessary for effective feature flag management, making it a strong contender for C++ developers. The basic plan includes essential features such as feature toggling, offering a solid foundation for most projects.
However, if you’re looking for more advanced features, you’ll need to consider one of the more expensive plans. Those feature include unlimited projects, flag scheduling, custom roles or remote config which starts at $7 200 a year and audit log which starts at $3 960 a year.
Some other features of Split are only available on the highest plan and will require a call with a sales representative (eg. reviews).
Ease of use
To showcase Split's UI, we’ve prepared a short video demonstration. In the video, we’ll walk you through the process of releasing a feature for 20% of French users. Split may not the most user-friendly tool from this list, but at least it gets the job done fairly quickly.
To give a better sense of how Split performs in real-world use, we’ve gathered user ratings for two key areas: ease of use and setup time. These ratings, with higher scores indicating better performance, provide insights into how quickly teams can get started with the platform and how intuitive it is to use in day-to-day operations. Let’s take a look at how Split fared in these categories.
Here is what people who are using Split think about the product (the higher the better):
- Setup time: 3.9/5
- Ease of use: 3.5/5
Pricing
When it comes to pricing, Split is not the most affordable option on the list. The cost can rise quickly as your team size grows. While it offers robust capabilities, the pricing may become a concern for smaller teams or those with limited budgets. To give you a better sense of what to expect, we’ve included a few example price points based on team size to help you gauge how costs might scale as your needs evolve.
Split is not the cheapest option from this list, especially for larger teams, the price increase can be steep. Here are some prices to give you an idea:
- Price for 5 seats: $3 960/yr
- Price for 10 seats: $3 960/yr
#5 Flagsmith
Next, we have Flagsmith, which is a strong option for managing feature flags in C++ applications. We'll take a closer look at what Flagsmith brings to the table in terms of features and pricing, helping you determine if it fits your project needs.
Features
Flagsmith offers all the essential features you’d expect from a feature flagging service, making it a reliable choice for most C++ projects. Its lower-tier plans include key functionalities like feature toggling, ensuring that even teams on a budget can effectively manage their feature deployments.
For those who need more advanced capabilities, however, some features are reserved for the higher-tier plans. Options like flag scheduling or MFA start at $540 a year and reviews, custom roles or audit log start at $2 400 a year.
Ease of use
To help you compare the ease of use between the tools, we’re recording a video for each one showing how to roll out a feature for 20% of French users. These videos will give you a hands-on look at how Flagsmith and the other platforms operate, making it easier to evaluate their strengths and weaknesses.
Unlike what you might have heard, it is actually not that hard to setup a flag in Flagsmith.
We've gathered user feedback on two key aspects of Flagsmith: ease of use and setup time. The higher the rating, the more favorable the experience, giving us a clear indication of how smoothly the platform works in practice. Next, we’ll review how Flagsmith performed in these areas based on user input.
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
Pricing
Flagsmith isn’t the most budget-friendly tool, and the price can climb significantly as the size of your team increases. To give you a sense of how costs can escalate, we’ve included some example pricing based on team size to help you evaluate whether Flagsmith fits your financial requirements.
Flagsmith is not the cheapest option from this list, especially for larger teams, the price increase can be steep. Here are some prices to give you an idea:
- Price for 5 seats: $2 400/yr
- Price for 10 seats: $3 600/yr
Conclusion
In conclusion, we’ve explored how 5 different feature flag tools stack up in terms of features, ease of use, and pricing. The videos included in this article served to highlight how each tool performs in practice, offering a clearer perspective on their usability. Your choice will ultimately hinge on what you value most—be it cost-effectiveness, advanced functionalities, or user-friendly design.
