What is Feature Flag?
Definition
A configuration toggle that allows subscription services to enable or disable features for specific users or subscription tiers.
Understanding Feature Flag
Feature flags are the technical mechanism behind tiered subscription plans. They control which features are available at each pricing level — premium features are 'flagged off' for free users and 'flagged on' for paying subscribers. Beyond simple on/off, feature flags enable gradual rollouts (releasing features to 10% of users first), A/B testing (testing two different feature configurations), and instant rollback (disabling a buggy feature without a code deployment).
Services like LaunchDarkly and Split specialize in feature flag management for subscription products.
Related Terms
Tiered Pricing
A pricing strategy where a service offers multiple plan levels with different feature sets and price points to serve different customer segments.
Freemium
A pricing model that offers basic features for free while charging for premium features, storage, or usage beyond free tier limits.
Product-Led Growth
A business strategy where the product itself drives customer acquisition, retention, and expansion through free tiers and self-serve experiences.
A/B Testing
A method of comparing two versions of a subscription offering (pricing, features, UI) to determine which performs better.