Short map of tools by job to be done. Honest about what each product is for.
Feature flag tools
A short map of feature flag tools.
Pick by the job you actually need. This page is a roundup. The deep LaunchDarkly comparison lives on a separate page.
Full LaunchDarkly alternative page: table, fit, gaps, and FAQs.
Compare by job
Feature flag tools are not interchangeable. Start with the work you need done, then open a deep comparison when one vendor is the real contender.
| Tool | Best for | Not for | Pricing shape |
|---|---|---|---|
| LaunchDarkly | Dashboard-first feature management at enterprise scale. | Teams who want flag keys reviewed in git first. | Platform pricing. Confirm on launchdarkly.com. |
| Statsig | Experimentation with gates and a stats engine. | Release control without buying a metrics product. | Platform pricing. Confirm on statsig.com. |
| PostHog | Flags next to product analytics and session replay. | A dedicated flag system with no analytics suite attached. | Usage-based. Confirm on posthog.com. |
| Unleash, Flagsmith, GrowthBook | Self-hosted or open-source control planes. | Teams who only want a hosted free tier and no ops burden. | Open source plus optional cloud. |
| shipd | Flag keys in git, local evaluation, PR review. | Dashboard-only authoring, stats engines, or analytics suites. | Free tier, then Pro from $15 / editor seat / month. |
Notes
What each tool is actually for
LaunchDarkly
Category leader for dashboard-authored flags, segments, and governance. Strong when non-engineers own rollouts inside a mature platform.
Statsig
Buy Statsig when trustworthy A/B tests are the product. Flags are how experiments ship, not the whole job.
PostHog
Keep PostHog when funnels, replay, and events already run there. Flags are one feature in that suite.
Open source
Unleash, Flagsmith, and GrowthBook fit teams who need to self-host or prefer an OSS control plane. shipd is hosted, not open source.
Hypertune
Closest type-safe / local-eval substitute. Hosted service shut down on 10 August 2026.
shipd
Define flag keys in shipd.config.ts. Review them in pull requests. Evaluate each request in-process from a signed snapshot. Targeting still lives in the dashboard today.
What shipd is
- A hosted feature-flag service with flag keys in git.
- Local evaluation: the SDK resolves from a signed snapshot, not a database on the request path.
- A free tier, then seat-based Pro pricing.
What shipd is not
- Not an experimentation stats engine.
- Not a product analytics or session replay suite.
- Not open source or self-hosted.
- Not a drop-in LaunchDarkly, Statsig, or PostHog clone.
Be precise
How to use this page
Roundup, then deep page
Use this URL for category queries like “feature flag tools.” When LaunchDarkly is the real decision, go to shipd vs LaunchDarkly. Same pattern for Statsig, PostHog, and Hypertune.
Targeting still lives in the dashboard
Flag keys are config as code today. Targeting rules in the repository are coming. Evaluation is still local: see local evaluation.
Practices before tools
Before you pick a vendor, read feature flag best practices: define with intent, review production changes, evaluate locally, and remove flags when the rollout is done.
Open source stays open source
If you need a self-hosted control plane, look at Unleash, Flagsmith, or GrowthBook. shipd is a hosted product with a free tier.
Questions
- What are the best feature flag tools?
- It depends on the job. LaunchDarkly for enterprise dashboard management, Statsig for experimentation, PostHog when flags sit beside analytics, Unleash/Flagsmith/GrowthBook for open source, and shipd when flag keys should live in git with local evaluation.
- Is shipd a LaunchDarkly alternative?
- Yes for teams who want flag keys in git and in-process evaluation. It is not a clone of LaunchDarkly's dashboard, experimentation suite, or enterprise workflow product. See the full shipd vs LaunchDarkly comparison for the deep write-up.
- Does shipd replace Statsig or PostHog?
- Only for feature flags as code. shipd does not replace Statsig's stats engine or PostHog analytics and session replay.
- Where should I compare LaunchDarkly in depth?
- Open the shipd vs LaunchDarkly page. This tools page is the category map; that page is the deep LaunchDarkly alternative write-up.
Define once. Evaluate everywhere.