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Technology · head to head

LaunchDarkly vs Split

LaunchDarkly logo

LaunchDarkly

Technology

Ship fast. Rest easy.

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Split logo

Split

Testing

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

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only LaunchDarkly has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: LaunchDarkly pricing scales rapidly with monthly active users, becoming expensive at scale; 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.
  • They diverge on capability: LaunchDarkly covers Feature flags, Split covers Feature flags with targeting.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which LaunchDarkly and Split actually diverge.

Attributes where LaunchDarkly and Split differ
AttributeLaunchDarklySplit
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelUnknownquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Cloud, APIsWeb, API, iOS, Android, Java, Node.js, Python, Go, .NET
CategoryTechnologyTesting
Founded2014Unknown

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

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 LaunchDarkly

  • Feature flags
  • Progressive rollouts
  • User targeting
  • A/B testing
  • Kill switches
  • Audit log
  • Multi-environment
  • SDKs for all platforms

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.

LaunchDarkly

  • Progressive deliverynot Split
  • Feature experimentationnot Split
  • Risk mitigationnot Split
  • Performance optimizationnot Split
  • Infrastructure migrationnot Split

Split

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

Where each one falls short

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

LaunchDarkly

  • Pricing scales rapidly with monthly active users, becoming expensive at scale
  • Limited seats for engineers on standard plans, forcing upgrade to enterprise
  • Advanced features like experimentation and audit logs require higher-tier plans
  • Occasional reliability issues and backend delays reported by users

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

LaunchDarkly

Free
  • DeveloperFree
    • Unlimited seats
    • Unlimited feature flags
    • A/B tests and experiments
  • Foundation$undefined/mo
    • $12 per connection
    • $10 per 1K MAU
    • Targeted segmentation
  • Enterprise$undefined/mo
    • Custom pricing
    • Advanced automation
    • Compliance features

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 LaunchDarkly if

  • You need feature flags.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Cloud, APIs.
  • You also want progressive rollouts.
LaunchDarkly 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 LaunchDarkly or Split better?
Neither clearly leads. LaunchDarkly 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, LaunchDarkly or Split?
LaunchDarkly has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for LaunchDarkly and On request for Split.
Does LaunchDarkly or Split run on more platforms?
LaunchDarkly runs on Web, Cloud, APIs. Split runs on Web, API, iOS, Android, Java, Node.js, Python, Go, .NET.
Can I use LaunchDarkly for free?
Yes. LaunchDarkly has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Split starts at On request.
What is LaunchDarkly best used for?
LaunchDarkly is most often used for progressive delivery, feature experimentation, risk mitigation, performance optimization. Of those, progressive delivery and feature experimentation are not what Split is typically brought in for.
What can LaunchDarkly do that Split cannot?
LaunchDarkly covers Feature flags, Progressive rollouts, User targeting, A/B testing. Split covers Feature flags with targeting, Metrics impact engine, Guardrail metrics, Statistical significance testing.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

LaunchDarkly: What does the free Developer plan include?

The free Developer plan includes unlimited seats, unlimited feature flags, A/B tests and experiments, 30 SDKs, 10 million logs and traces, 5,000 session replays and errors, and 14 days of data retention.

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.

LaunchDarkly: How does LaunchDarkly pricing scale?

Foundation plan pricing is $12 per connection plus $10 per 1,000 Monthly Active Users (MAU). Enterprise and Guardian plans have custom pricing based on usage, advanced features, and compliance requirements.

Source
Split: Can I buy just feature flags?

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

LaunchDarkly: Does LaunchDarkly integrate with Jira and Slack?

Yes, LaunchDarkly integrates with Jira Cloud, allowing you to link feature flags to Jira issues and create issues from observability data. It also integrates with Slack for flag notifications and allows authorized members to trigger flag changes from Slack.

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.

LaunchDarkly: What is dark launching and how does LaunchDarkly enable it?

Dark launching keeps code changes hidden in production until ready to enable. LaunchDarkly enables this through feature flags that let teams safely test code in production before rolling out to users.

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.

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