Airship vs Optimizely Rollouts: What are the differences?

# Differences Between Airship and Optimizely Rollouts

Airship and Optimizely Rollouts are two popular tools used for different purposes in software development and product management. It is essential for organizations to understand the key differences between these tools to make an informed decision on which one to use. Below are the key differences between Airship and Optimizely Rollouts.

1. **Primary Functionality**: Airship primarily focuses on mobile marketing automation and customer engagement, providing features like push notifications, in-app messaging, and mobile analytics. In contrast, Optimizely Rollouts is a feature flagging tool used for progressive rollouts, controlled releases, and A/B testing, enabling teams to deliver features with confidence and without fear of breaking things.

2. **Supported Platforms**: Airship supports mobile platforms such as iOS and Android, along with web and email channels. On the other hand, Optimizely Rollouts supports a wide range of platforms, including web, mobile, server-side, and IoT devices, allowing for feature flagging across various environments.

3. **Focus on Optimization vs. Engagement**: While both tools aim to improve overall product performance, Airship leans more towards enhancing user engagement through personalized messaging and content delivery. Optimizely Rollouts, however, prioritizes optimizing feature releases by enabling teams to control feature visibility and behavior in real-time without redeploying code.

4. **Integration Capabilities**: Airship offers integrations with popular CRM systems, marketing automation platforms, and analytics tools to enhance its marketing capabilities. In contrast, Optimizely Rollouts integrates seamlessly with development tools like GitHub, Jenkins, and Jira, facilitating a smooth feature flagging process within a continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipeline.

5. **User Interface and Ease of Use**: Airship provides a user-friendly interface designed for marketers and product managers to create and send targeted messages easily. Optimizely Rollouts offers a developer-friendly dashboard with a robust feature flagging system that simplifies the process of managing feature flags and conducting experiments within the development environment.

6. **Pricing Model**: Airship follows a pricing model based on the number of active users or messages sent, catering to organizations of different sizes. Optimizely Rollouts offers a freemium model with a free tier for small teams and startups, along with paid plans for larger enterprises looking for advanced feature flagging capabilities.

In Summary, understanding the key differences between Airship and Optimizely Rollouts can help organizations choose the right tool based on their specific needs, whether focusing on engaging users through mobile marketing or optimizing feature releases with controlled rollouts and A/B testing.