Split and Growthbook are both feature management and experimentation platforms that help teams release features faster and with less risk.

While Split is a proprietary SaaS platform, Growthbook is an open-source solution that allows users to self-host for ultimate control and security or maintain privacy in their existing data stack.

What is Split?

Split is a feature management and experimentation platform that combines feature flags, testing, and observability. It enables teams to accelerate feature rollouts while minimizing risk and making data-informed decisions.

Split's core offerings include:

• Feature Flags: Deploy code when ready and release features gradually with targeting rules

• Automated Rollout Monitoring: Detect issues instantly and resolve problems quickly during progressive delivery

• Feature Experimentation: Test in production and release features to segments of the user base

Split's platform is designed for complex and highly regulated organizations in industries such as financial services, healthcare, and retail. It prioritizes governance, flexibility, and automation of processes for feature delivery and experimentation.

What is Growthbook?

Growthbook is an open-source feature flagging and experimentation platform that enables teams to safely release code and measure the impact using their own data. By providing a unified solution for managing feature flags and running A/B tests, Growthbook allows organizations to confidently deploy product changes from a single platform.

Growthbook's core offerings include:

• Feature Flags: Manage feature rollouts and target specific user segments with granular rules

• A/B Testing: Run server-side experiments, optimize UI elements with a visual editor, and seamlessly test across marketing touchpoints

• Data Integration: Integrate with all major SQL data sources and tools like Mixpanel and Google Analytics

Growthbook's platform is geared toward product managers, marketers, and developers who aim to optimize their products and measure success while minimizing engineering and data resources. The open-source nature of Growthbook also caters to teams that value data privacy and control, with self-hosting capabilities for ultimate security.

Pricing comparison

Split's pricing model includes a free plan with basic feature flag capabilities and up to 50,000 monthly tracked keys. Paid plans start at $35 per seat per month for the Startup plan, while the Enterprise plan offers custom pricing and seats with access to Split's full platform.

GrowthBook's pricing is based on the number of user seats rather than usage volume. The free Starter plan includes up to 3 user seats for cloud-hosted and unlimited for self-hosted, while the Pro plan costs $20 per user per month with up to 100 user seats. The Enterprise plan provides unlimited user seats, advanced security features, and customized support.

Considerations and limitations: Split

Split is well-suited for highly regulated industries with strict governance and compliance requirements for feature delivery. The platform's advanced automation and observability capabilities make it an ideal choice for organizations with complex release processes. Split's Feature Data Platform also empowers teams to make data-driven decisions and continuously improve their features based on real-time insights.

However, Split's extensive feature set and advanced capabilities may come with a higher cost for smaller teams or organizations with limited budgets. The learning curve for teams without prior experience with feature flagging and experimentation platforms can be steep. Additionally, Split offers limited self-hosting options compared to open-source alternatives like Growthbook.

• TL;DR: Split is better suited for highly regulated industries and complex release processes, but may not be the best fit for smaller teams or those with limited budgets.

Considerations and limitations: Growthbook

Growthbook is well-suited for organizations that prioritize data privacy and control. The platform's self-hosting capabilities allow users to maintain full ownership of their data, making it an attractive choice for teams with strict security requirements. Growthbook's user-friendly interface and flexible experimentation options also make it a good fit for teams with limited engineering resources.

However, Growthbook may have some limitations compared to commercial alternatives. The platform's enterprise-level support and advanced security features may not be as robust as other offerings. Additionally, organizations with high traffic volumes or complex feature flag requirements might experience performance limitations. Growthbook's reliance on SQL data sources could also pose challenges for teams using non-SQL data platforms.

• TL;DR: Growthbook is better suited for organizations valuing data privacy and control, but may not be as well-equipped for enterprises with high traffic volumes or complex requirements.

An alternative: Statsig

Statsig is an all-in-one platform that offers powerful tools for feature flagging, experimentation, and product analytics. Whether you're a startup or an enterprise, Statsig scales with your needs — trusted by tech leaders like OpenAI, Notion, and Atlassian. Sign up for free to get started, or contact us to learn how Statsig can help you build better products.