The Best 5 feature-flag tools for Node.js developers
As Node.js 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 Node.js developers, breaking down their pricing, usability, and core features.
Our top pick#1 Tggl.io
We chose Tggl for the top spot due to its excellent Node.js SDK and user-friendly interface. Among the options on this list, Tggl offers the simplest setup process. You can start quickly by installing the SDK and initializing it with your API key.
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.
For those needing more powerful tools, Tggl’s advanced plans come packed with extra features like detailed analytics, reviews, and technical debt management, designed to meet the needs of more demanding projects.
Ease of use
The main reason Tggl leads our list is its simplicity in use. The platform is easy to navigate, and getting started requires minimal effort. To showcase this, we’ve recorded a video where we enable a feature flag for 20% of French users. We did the same for every tool on this list, offering a side-by-side look at how each one performs in terms of ease of use.
The video highlights Tggl’s ease of use and quick setup process. To provide a more comprehensive evaluation, we’ve also compiled user ratings regarding ease of use and setup time. These ratings come from developers who have interacted with the platform and offer practical insights.
- 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 LaunchDarkly
Next up is LaunchDarkly, a versatile feature flag service that also offers a Node.js SDK for easy integration. As we continue, we'll dive into the specifics of LaunchDarkly’s features and pricing, highlighting what sets it apart from the competition.
Features
LaunchDarkly is equipped with all the fundamental tools necessary for effective feature flag management, making it a strong contender for Node.js 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 duplicate flags, unlimited projects or reviews which starts 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 have recorded a video demonstration to show how to release a feature for 20% of French users using LaunchDarkly. This will help you compare the ease of use across different platforms, giving you a better idea of how LaunchDarkly and the others handle feature rollouts in practical scenarios.
LaunchDarkly's UI should be good enough for anyone to use without too much trouble.
We've gathered user feedback on two key aspects of LaunchDarkly: 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 LaunchDarkly performed in these areas based on user input.
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
In terms of pricing, LaunchDarkly 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.
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
#3 Split
Next on our list is Split, another strong contender. Split offers a Node.js 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 Split a noteworthy option.
Features
Split provides a comprehensive set of basic features that make it a solid choice for managing feature flags in Node.js 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 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
#4 Unleash
Moving on, we have Unleash, which comes equipped with a Node.js SDK to simplify integration into your workflows. We'll discuss Unleash's features and pricing later, but for now, it’s clear that it’s a strong candidate for developers looking for a flexible feature flag solution.
Features
Unleash offers all the essential features you’d expect from a feature flagging service, making it a reliable choice for most Node.js 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
#5 Flagsmith
Lets take a look at Flagsmith, a solid option for feature flag management. With its own Node.js SDK, Flagsmith is designed to seamlessly integrate with your Node.js 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
Flagsmith is equipped with all the fundamental tools necessary for effective feature flag management, making it a strong contender for Node.js 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’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 Flagsmith handles feature rollouts and how it might fit your workflow.
Flagsmith 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 Flagsmith'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 Flagsmith stacks up.
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 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 Flagsmith’s pricing might fit your needs.
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
To wrap up, our comparison of 5 feature flag tools forNode.js has shown that each platform has its own set of advantages. By examining features, ease of use, and pricing—and backing this up with video demonstrations—we’ve aimed to provide a comprehensive view of what each tool offers. Depending on your project’s demands and your team’s priorities, one of these tools will likely stand out as the best fit.
