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August 8, 2024

LaunchDarkly vs. Rollout vs. Eppo: Which one is best?

LaunchDarkly vs. Rollout vs. Eppo: Which platform would work best in your organization? Compare features and pricing so you can make an informed decision.
Ryan Lucht
Before joining Eppo, Ryan spent 6 years in the experimentation space consulting for companies like Clorox, Braintree, Yami, and DoorDash.

You might find yourself considering LaunchDarkly, Rollout, or Eppo as your platform of choice. It makes sense, as these platforms are widely used, each with their distinct advantages and limitations.

To help you make an informed decision, let's draw some comparisons between these three contenders. We'll explore their unique features, target audiences, and areas where they truly shine.

For those pressed for time, we've prepared a comparison chart to settle the LaunchDarkly vs. Rollout vs. Eppo debate.

Note: Throughout this piece, Rollout is referred to as “CloudBees Feature Management.” This is because CloudBees bought Rollout in 2019. 

LaunchDarkly vs. Rollout vs. Eppo: Head-to-head

 

LaunchDarkly

Rollout 

Eppo

Core

focus

Feature management and

experimentation

Managing feature releases

Feature management and experimentation

Ideal

user

Engineering teams prioritizing

granular feature control

and security

Development teams seeking granular

control over feature rollouts
and experimentation

Any team that needs to prove the

impact of their features and changes
via experimentation

Strengths

Real-time updates,

advanced targeting,

enterprise-grade security

Robust deployment rules, audience

segmentation, and solid

experimentation framework

Warehouse-native architecture,

focus on rigorous experimentation,
and user-friendly interface

Weaknesses

Complex setup, high cost with

add-ons, experimentation

features lack trustworthiness

A much steeper learning curve.

Since it’s just a small part of the entire

CloudBees ecosystem,
prices can get pretty high

Only offers WYSIWYG support

for marketers via CMS integrations vs. a “visual editor”

Pricing

Tiered pricing with add-ons,

starting at $8.33/seat/month

Tiered pricing based on MAU and

user seats starts at $13,500 billed annually

Custom quotes, but considered

cost-effective

LaunchDarkly

LaunchDarkly is a platform designed for software development teams to meticulously manage feature releases and experimentation.

Acting as a versatile control center, LaunchDarkly empowers teams to selectively enable or disable features for specific user groups without having to redeploy code. This strategic approach mitigates deployment risks and enables both targeted testing and rollouts.

Some of LaunchDarkly’s key features:

  • Customizable user segmentation: Tailor feature visibility based on various user attributes like demographics, location, behaviors, and other custom-defined criteria with the platform's sophisticated targeting engine.
  • Robust security measures: LaunchDarkly places a high priority on security, incorporating features such as audit logs, role-based access control, and compliance with industry standards like SOC 2, GDPR, CCPA, and HIPAA.
  • Real-time feature updates: The platform's unique architecture guarantees real-time propagation of feature flag modifications across all environments, providing teams with unmatched responsiveness and control.
  • Advanced experimentation tools: LaunchDarkly facilitates A/B and multivariate testing, empowering teams to assess the impact of different feature variations and make data-driven decisions.

Pricing

LaunchDarkly has three pricing tiers:

  • Starter: This plan is ideal for those new to feature flagging and provides core capabilities at a starting price of $10 per user per month.
  • Pro: This plan, beginning at $20 per user per month, includes enhanced features like advanced targeting and experimentation.
  • Enterprise: This plan is tailored to meet the specific needs of larger enterprises. For a personalized quote, it's necessary to contact their sales team.

Who is it good for?

Development teams prioritizing agility and precision in their feature release strategies will find LaunchDarkly a valuable asset. The platform's real-time updates and sophisticated targeting features prove particularly useful for managing complex rollouts. 

Additionally, its robust security features make it an excellent choice for organizations with stringent security requirements.

It's important to acknowledge that LaunchDarkly can present a steep learning curve, especially for those unfamiliar with feature management. The platform's pricing structure, particularly with add-ons, can also be a deterrent for teams who can’t afford to splurge on non-core features.

In short, while LaunchDarkly is undoubtedly a powerful tool for feature management, it's crucial to weigh its complexity and cost against your specific needs and resources. If ease of use and affordability are particularly important for you, it’s best to look for better alternatives elsewhere. 

Rollout (now CloudBees Feature Management)

Originally known as Rollout, a feature management solution, the platform was acquired by CloudBees in 2019. It’s now called CloudBees Feature Management. 

CloudBees Feature Management is a platform that integrates deeply with the CloudBees software delivery ecosystem. It provides advanced feature flagging solutions, enabling dev teams to conduct A/B testing and manage feature rollouts with high precision.

Standout CloudBees Feature Management features:

  • Advanced experimentation and progressive delivery: CloudBees supports sophisticated experimentation, including A/B testing, multivariate testing, and phased rollouts.
  • Integrations with dev and analytics tools: It integrates with tools such as Jenkins, Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Jira. This means a smoother workflow, Plus users can monitor and analyze feature performance across different stages of the delivery pipeline​. 
  • Flexible and scalable feature flag management: With CloudBees, teams can define targeting rules, schedule rollouts, and monitor feature statuses in real time. The platform supports various flag types and allows for detailed customization to meet specific needs.
  • Tight security and compliance: With features like SOC 2 compliance, SAML single sign-on, multi-factor authentication, and detailed audit logs, CloudBees ensures that feature management is secure and compliant with industry standards.

Pricing

CloudBees offers the following pricing plans:

  • Community: A free edition for up to 15 users. 
  • Team: An option for larger development teams. The price starts at $13,500 billed annually. Since the pricing depends on monthly active users, prices can be as high as $ 20,400 billed annually. 
  • Enterprise: This tier requires a custom quote. 

Who is it good for?

CloudBees is ideal for organizations that prioritize continuous delivery and progressive feature rollouts. It is good for teams looking for solid feature flagging capabilities, detailed analytics, and integration with existing DevOps tools and workflows​.

CloudBees offers comprehensive features, but it requires a certain level of technical expertise to fully leverage its capabilities. 

The initial setup can be quite complex, and integrating with existing systems needs careful planning. Additionally, the cost for larger teams and advanced features could be a significant upfront investment​.

Eppo

Eppo is a comprehensive experimentation and feature management platform meticulously crafted so businesses can conduct experiments and improve their key business metrics.

More than a mere data collection tool, Eppo aims to cultivate an environment of experimentation within organizations, empowering them to rapidly iterate, test hypotheses, and create better versions of their products and services.

While favored by data science teams, Eppo's intuitive user interface ensures accessibility and value for all business users, irrespective of their technical background.

Eppo’s core capabilities include:

  • User-friendly interface: Eppo’s streamlined and intuitive interface makes designing, launching, and analyzing experiments effortless for both technical and non-technical users, fostering a data-first culture.
  • Advanced feature flagging: Eppo's robust feature flagging capabilities allow teams to safely experiment with and deploy new features to specific user segments, minimizing risk and maximizing impact.
  • Data accuracy and statistical rigor: Eppo's warehouse-native architecture ensures that businesses operate with the most dependable data. In addition, Eppo uses cutting-edge statistical methods, including its proprietary CUPED++ algorithm, to accelerate experimentation without compromising statistical validity.
  • Warehouse-native integration: Eppo's distinctive advantage lies in its direct integration with renowned data warehouses such as BigQuery and Snowflake. This enables businesses to leverage their most accurate and up-to-date data for experiment analysis, eliminating the need for intricate and potentially unreliable data pipelines.
  • Comprehensive experimentation suite: Eppo offers an extensive array of experimentation tools, from fundamental A/B tests to more sophisticated techniques like multi-armed bandits. This facilitates varied hypothesis testing and product optimization based on real user behavior.

Pricing

Eppo provides custom pricing plans tailored to each business's unique needs. Interested parties can contact our sales team for a personalized quote.

Who is it good for?

Eppo is a good fit for various types of teams and businesses:

  • Data teams: Eppo's emphasis on statistical rigor and warehouse-native integration make it a perfect fit for data scientists and analysts who prioritize trustworthy experimentation and data-driven insights.
  • Product teams: While Eppo offers enterprise-ready features tailored to large organizations, its user-friendly design and customizable pricing make it an appealing choice for smaller businesses embarking on their experimentation journey.
  • Businesses of all sizes: Eppo's experimentation and feature flagging tools equip product managers and developers with the ability to test innovative ideas, validate hypotheses, and confidently launch new features.

Eppo is a versatile and adaptable platform that can fuel growth for businesses across various industries. Its unique combination of features, unwavering commitment to statistical rigor, and user-friendly interface positions it as a formidable contender in the experimentation platform market.

Which should you choose?

The ideal experimentation platform for your team hinges on your unique needs and priorities, but some are simply better than others. Let's do a quick comparative analysis:

Focus and strengths

  • LaunchDarkly: Caters to engineering teams with a strong focus on feature management. It boasts real-time updates and fine-grained targeting, making it well-suited for orgs that need precise control over feature rollouts. However, its complexity and add-on reliance may be a drawback for many.
  • CloudBees: Its strengths lie in scalability, robust governance features, and comprehensive feature lifecycle management, making it a good fit for large enterprises with complex release processes. However, its learning curve can be steep and it lacks some of the advanced experimentation features found in other platforms.
  • Eppo: Distinguishes itself with its emphasis on experimentation and data-driven decision-making. Its integration with popular data warehouses, coupled with an extensive suite of experimentation tools and a commitment to statistical rigor, make it an excellent choice for teams of all sizes. 

Cost and value

  • LaunchDarkly: Adopts a tiered pricing model with various add-ons, which can become costly, especially for smaller teams or those seeking additional features like data export.
  • CloudBees: Relies heavily on your MAU to determine how much you’ll pay and, since it’s part of a larger suite of enterprise-grade tools, it can be a significant investment for smaller organizations.
  • Eppo: While Eppo's pricing is not publicly disclosed, it is regarded as a cost-effective solution. 

Ease of use and integrations

  • LaunchDarkly: While offering a comprehensive feature set, LaunchDarkly can be complex to set up and use, particularly for those new to feature management. Some users have also reported challenges with integrating it into their existing systems.
  • CloudBees: CloudBees Feature Management, while powerful, may also present a steeper learning curve due to its integration with the broader CloudBees ecosystem. Its focus on enterprise-level features may not be as user-friendly for smaller teams or those without dedicated DevOps resources.
  • Eppo: Boasts a clean and intuitive interface designed for easy navigation and experiment management. Its warehouse-native architecture simplified data integration, eliminating the need for complex pipelines and ensuring access to accurate data.

Next steps

With an in-depth understanding of LaunchDarkly, CloudBees Feature Management, and Eppo's unique strengths and considerations, you're now poised to choose the platform that best aligns with your organization's goals.

Should your primary focus lie in accelerating revenue growth and enhancing customer retention through rigorous, data-driven experimentation, Eppo stands out as a compelling choice.

In other words, the LaunchDarkly vs. Rollout vs. Eppo debate can be put to rest.

So, what sets Eppo apart? A complete experimentation toolkit designed to generate measurable business impact. Here’s how Eppo does it:

  • Effortless experiment creation: Eppo streamlines the design of even the most intricate experiments. It integrates powerful feature flagging with intuitive tools, simplifying complex scenarios like multi-environment releases and layered experiments.
  • Reliable launches with real-time insights: With Eppo's robust diagnostic tools and real-time monitoring, you can confidently launch experiments, ensuring smooth execution and immediate detection of potential anomalies.
  • Actionable experiment analysis: Eppo's sophisticated statistical engine transforms raw data into actionable insights, simplifying result interpretation and uncovering hidden patterns that can fuel your growth and optimization efforts.

Book a demo and explore Eppo.

LaunchDarkly vs. Rollout vs. Eppo: Which platform would work best in your organization? Compare features and pricing so you can make an informed decision.

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