Is CircleCI or Split better?

Neither clearly leads. CircleCI starts at Free and Split at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, CircleCI or Split?

CircleCI has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for CircleCI and On request for Split.

Does CircleCI or Split run on more platforms?

CircleCI runs on Web. Split runs on Web, API, iOS, Android, Java, Node.js, Python, Go, .NET.

Can I use CircleCI for free?

Yes. CircleCI has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Split starts at On request.

What is CircleCI best used for?

CircleCI is most often used for continuous integration pipelines for application code, parallel test execution across containers, docker-based builds with layer caching, deployment pipelines with approval gates. Of those, continuous integration pipelines for application code and parallel test execution across containers are not what Split is typically brought in for.

What can CircleCI do that Split cannot?

Split covers Feature flags with targeting, Metrics impact engine, Guardrail metrics, Statistical significance testing.

Testing · head to head

CircleCI vs Split

CircleCI

Testing

The leading CI/CD platform

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

Split

Testing

Feature flags tied to a metrics pipeline that attributes production impact to each release, now Harness FME

From: On request
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Only CircleCI has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
Each has a real cost: CircleCI the free plan covers 6,000 build minutes and 5 active users a month; Split split is now a module of the Harness platform and split.io redirects to harness.io, so buying it means entering a Harness commercial relationship rather than a standalone flag vendor contract.
Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which CircleCI and Split actually diverge.

Attributes where CircleCI and Split differ
Attribute	CircleCI	Split
Starting price	Free	On request
Pricing model	subscription	quote
Free tier	Yes	No
Platforms	Web	Web, API, iOS, Android, Java, Node.js, Python, Go, .NET
Founded	2011	Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Testing).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in CircleCI

Nothing recorded that Split does not also cover.

Only in Split

Feature flags with targeting
Metrics impact engine
Guardrail metrics
Statistical significance testing
Event ingestion
SDKs and streaming updates
Audit and approvals
Harness platform integration

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

CircleCI

Continuous integration pipelines for application codenot Split
Parallel test execution across containersnot Split
Docker-based builds with layer cachingnot Split
Deployment pipelines with approval gatesnot Split
Self-hosted runners for private infrastructurenot Split

Split

A product organisation that wants every release measured against conversion and latency by default, not only deliberate experimentsnot CircleCI
Running A/B tests with real statistical significance rather than comparing two dashboard linesnot CircleCI
Catching a regression at five per cent rollout because a guardrail metric fires before the change reaches everyonenot CircleCI
A team already committed to Harness for CI and CD that wants flags in the same platform and contractnot CircleCI

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

CircleCI

The free plan covers 6,000 build minutes and 5 active users a month
Active users are billed at $15 each beyond the included five, and an active user is anyone who commits to a project
Everything runs on credits, so compute, Docker layer caching at 200 credits a job and IP ranges at 450 credits per GB all draw from the same pool
Network and storage overage costs 420 credits per GB
Free credits expire monthly with no rollover, and paid credits expire after a year
Scale is annual billing only

Split

Split is now a module of the Harness platform and split.io redirects to harness.io, so buying it means entering a Harness commercial relationship rather than a standalone flag vendor contract.
Harness no longer publishes per-module prices, so an organisation that wants only feature management cannot get a list price and must negotiate a module out of a platform bundle.
The measurement engine needs traffic volume to reach significance, so a product with modest usage gets flags with an experimentation layer it will rarely be able to conclude anything from.
Metric attribution depends on correctly instrumented events flowing into Split, which is an integration project in its own right; without it you have paid for an experimentation platform and are using it as a flag switch.
As part of a larger DevOps suite the roadmap now competes with CI, CD, security and cloud cost modules for attention, so feature management is no longer the company’s single focus the way it was as an independent product.

Pricing, plan by plan

CircleCI

Free

FreeFree
- Up to 6,000 build minutes (small Docker resource class)
- Up to 5 active users per month
- 30,000 free credits per month
Performance$15/month
- 30,000 credits included monthly
- 5 active users included (additional users $15/month each)
- 80x concurrency
Scale$null/year
- Custom number of credits
- Customizable user limits
- Unlimited concurrency

Split

On request

Harness FreeFree
- Harness Open Source and community support
- Intended for individuals and small teams
- Feature management capability limited at this tier
Harness Essentials$undefined/year
- Bundled DevOps modules including CI, CD, IaC and security testing
- Standard support
- Pricing requires contacting sales
Harness Enterprise$undefined/year
- Mix and match from 15 or more modules including Feature Management and Experimentation
- Premier support with a dedicated account manager
- Higher pipeline concurrency and organisation limits

Which should you pick?

Choose CircleCI if

You want to start without paying.

CircleCI review

Choose Split if

You need feature flags with targeting.
You work on Web, API, iOS, Android, Java, Node.js, Python, Go, .NET.
You also want metrics impact engine.

Split review

Questions people ask

Is CircleCI or Split better?: Neither clearly leads. CircleCI starts at Free and Split at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, CircleCI or Split?: CircleCI has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for CircleCI and On request for Split.
Does CircleCI or Split run on more platforms?: CircleCI runs on Web. Split runs on Web, API, iOS, Android, Java, Node.js, Python, Go, .NET.
Can I use CircleCI for free?: Yes. CircleCI has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Split starts at On request.
What is CircleCI best used for?: CircleCI is most often used for continuous integration pipelines for application code, parallel test execution across containers, docker-based builds with layer caching, deployment pipelines with approval gates. Of those, continuous integration pipelines for application code and parallel test execution across containers are not what Split is typically brought in for.
What can CircleCI do that Split cannot?: Split covers Feature flags with targeting, Metrics impact engine, Guardrail metrics, Statistical significance testing.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

CircleCI: How much does CircleCI Performance plan cost?

CircleCI Performance plan costs $15 USD per month and includes 30,000 credits, 5 active users, 80x concurrency, 5 GB network, and 2 GB storage. Additional users beyond 5 cost $15 each per month.

Source

Split: Is Split still called Split?

It is now sold as Harness Feature Management and Experimentation after the Harness acquisition, and split.io redirects to harness.io.

CircleCI: Can I purchase additional credits on CircleCI Performance plan?

Yes, additional credits are available at $15 for every 25,000 credits purchased. Paid credits roll over month to month and expire after one year; free plan credits expire monthly without rollover.

Source

Split: Can I buy just feature flags?

Not from a price list. Harness publishes bundle tiers and directs single-module buyers to sales.

CircleCI: What is included in the CircleCI free plan?

The free plan includes up to 6,000 build minutes per month (small Docker resource class), 5 active users, 30,000 free credits monthly, 30x concurrency, 1 GB network, 2 GB storage, and community support. No credit card required.

Source

Split: What does it do that a plain flag service does not?

It attributes changes in your product metrics to specific flags with statistical significance testing and alerts on guardrail metrics.

CircleCI: What are the Scale plan limits and pricing?

CircleCI Scale plan offers custom pricing billed annually with unlimited concurrency, 50 GB network, 200 GB storage, customizable credits and users, enterprise controls, and GPU environment access. Requires contacting sales for a quote.

Source

Split: Do we need a lot of traffic?

Yes. Statistical tests need volume to conclude, so low-traffic products get limited value from the measurement layer.

CircleCI vs Split

CircleCI

Split

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in CircleCI

Only in Split

What people use each for

CircleCI

Split

Where each one falls short

CircleCI

Split

Pricing, plan by plan

CircleCI

Split

Which should you pick?

Choose CircleCI if

Choose Split if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on CircleCI

More on Split

Keep looking

Other head to heads