The Best 5 feature-flag tools for .NET developers
As .NET applications grow more complex, managing feature rollouts and experiments efficiently is crucial. Feature-flag solutions provide a way to do just that, allowing you to toggle features on or off without redeploying code. But with so many options on the market, how do you choose the best one? In this article, we’ll explore the top 5 feature-flag solutions for .NET developers, breaking down their pricing, usability, and core features.
Our top pick#1 Tggl.io
Tggl earned first place thanks to its robust .NET SDK and intuitive interface. It stands out for its easy setup, making it the most straightforward option on this list. Just install the SDK, enter your API key, and you’re ready to go.
Features
Tggl makes it easy to get started with feature flagging by offering a low-cost plan that includes all the basic features you’d expect. This plan is ideal for beginners or smaller teams, providing everything needed to control feature releases, conduct A/B tests, and manage feature flags effectively.
As your requirements become more complex, Tggl’s higher-tier plans offer advanced features such as in-depth analytics, flag change reviews, and server side flag evaluation, giving you more control and insights.
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.
The video clearly shows how straightforward Tggl is to use. To provide additional insights, we also gathered user ratings for ease of use and setup time. These ratings reflect the experiences of developers who have used Tggl and offer a valuable perspective on how the service performs in real-world scenarios.
- Setup time: 4.8/5
- Ease of use: 4.9/5
Pricing
In conclusion, Tggl stands out as the most cost-effective option among the feature flag solutions we reviewed, starting at €180/yr for five seats. For smaller teams, pricing is based on the number of seats and request volumes, which helps manage costs effectively. Larger teams, on the other hand, can benefit from a flexible pricing model that allows for unlimited seats while only paying for the volume of requests.
- Price for 5 seats: €180/yr
- Price for 10 seats: €530/yr
#2 Flagsmith
Next up is Flagsmith, a versatile feature flag service that also offers a .NET SDK for easy integration. As we continue, we'll dive into the specifics of Flagsmith’s features and pricing, highlighting what sets it apart from the competition.
Features
Flagsmith is equipped with all the fundamental tools necessary for effective feature flag management, making it a strong contender for .NET 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 flag scheduling or MFA which starts at $540 a year and reviews, custom roles or audit log which starts at $2 400 a year.
Ease of use
We have recorded a video demonstration to show how to release a feature for 20% of French users using Flagsmith. This will help you compare the ease of use across different platforms, giving you a better idea of how Flagsmith and the others handle feature rollouts in practical scenarios.
Flagsmith's UI should be good enough for anyone to use without too much trouble.
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
In terms of pricing, Flagsmith tends to be on the higher end, with costs rising quickly as your team size grows. While it offers a range of powerful features, the price may be a limiting factor for smaller teams or projects. To give a clearer picture, we’ve listed a few pricing examples based on various team sizes to illustrate how expenses can scale with growth.
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
#3 LaunchDarkly
Lets take a look at LaunchDarkly, a solid option for feature flag management. With its own .NET SDK, LaunchDarkly is designed to seamlessly integrate with your .NET projects. In the next sections, we'll explore its features and pricing to see how it compares to the other tools on our list.
Features
LaunchDarkly offers all the essential features you’d expect from a feature flagging service, making it a reliable choice for most .NET 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 duplicate flags, unlimited projects or reviews 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
Next in our lineup is Split, another capable feature flagging service that includes a .NET SDK for straightforward integration. We'll cover its features and pricing in the sections that follow, offering a closer look at why Split deserves consideration.
Features
Split provides a comprehensive set of basic features that make it a solid choice for managing feature flags in .NET 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 Split 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 unlimited projects, flag scheduling, custom roles or remote config that start at $7 200 a year and audit log that start 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 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 Split 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 Split.
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
Split 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 Split fits your financial requirements.
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 Unleash
Next on our list is Unleash, another strong contender. Unleash offers a .NET SDK, making it easy to integrate into your existing projects. In the following sections, we'll take a closer look at the features and pricing that make Unleash a noteworthy option.
Features
Unleash is equipped with all the fundamental tools necessary for effective feature flag management, making it a strong contender for .NET 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.
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
To showcase Unleash'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. Unleash may not the most user-friendly tool from this list, but at least it gets the job done fairly quickly.
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
When it comes to pricing, Unleash 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.
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
Conclusion
As we conclude this comparison of five feature flag tools for .NET, it’s clear that each has its own strengths. We’ve reviewed them based on features, user experience, and pricing, with video examples to show how they work in real-life scenarios.
The right tool for you will depend on your specific needs and budget, but with the insights provided, you’re better equipped to make an informed choice.
