Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Firebase Crashlytics VS TestFlight

Compare Firebase Crashlytics VS TestFlight and see what are their differences

Firebase Crashlytics logo Firebase Crashlytics

The most powerful, yet lightest weight crash reporting solution for iOS and Android developers. | Crashlytics

TestFlight logo TestFlight

iOS beta testing on the fly.
  • Firebase Crashlytics Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-01-04
  • TestFlight Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-04-25

Firebase Crashlytics features and specs

  • Real-time crash reporting
    Provides real-time crash reports, allowing developers to quickly identify and fix issues as they occur.
  • Detailed crash insights
    Crashlytics offers detailed insights into each crash, including the conditions and steps leading to the crash, which helps in debugging and improving app stability.
  • Automated issue grouping
    Automatically groups similar crashes together, making it easier to prioritize and address the most critical issues first.
  • User impact insights
    Shows how crashes affect real users—providing data such as the number of affected users and sessions, which aids in understanding the impact on the user experience.
  • Easy setup and integration
    Seamless integration with Firebase and easy setup within an app, reducing the overhead for developers.
  • Custom keys and logs
    Allows developers to log custom keys and messages, providing additional context to each crash report.
  • Free tier available
    Offers a free tier with robust features, making it accessible for small projects and startups.
  • Cross-platform support
    Supports multiple platforms, including iOS, Android, and Unity, making it versatile for different types of apps.

Possible disadvantages of Firebase Crashlytics

  • Limited offline capabilities
    Crash reports are not sent until the user is online, which can delay visibility for crashes that occur in offline scenarios.
  • Data retention limits
    Data retention policies may limit the historical data available, which could affect long-term analysis and comparisons.
  • Dependency on Firebase ecosystem
    Tightly integrated with other Firebase services, which may not be ideal for developers who prefer more modular or independent tools.
  • Potential for increased app size
    Adding Crashlytics to an app can increase its size, which might be a concern for apps where space is a critical factor.
  • Privacy concerns
    Depending on the data sent and retained, there may be privacy issues or concerns about compliance with data protection regulations such as GDPR.
  • Learning curve for advanced features
    While easy to initially set up, fully leveraging all advanced features may require a significant learning curve.
  • Occasional delays in processing
    Some users have reported occasional delays in crash report processing, which can affect timely issue resolution.

TestFlight features and specs

  • Ease of Distribution
    TestFlight simplifies the process of distributing beta versions of your app to testers. You can easily invite testers via email, or they can join via a public link.
  • Integrated with Apple Ecosystem
    As part of the Apple Developer ecosystem, TestFlight seamlessly integrates with Xcode and other Apple tools, making it easier to manage builds and deploy across various Apple devices.
  • User Feedback Collection
    TestFlight allows testers to provide feedback directly through the app, which is consolidated and sent to your Apple Developer account, improving the feedback loop.
  • Crash Reporting
    Built-in crash reporting helps you gather detailed crash logs from testers, enabling quicker diagnosis and resolution of issues.
  • Automated Updates
    Testers receive notifications for automatic updates of new builds, ensuring that they are always testing the latest version.

Possible disadvantages of TestFlight

  • Limited to Apple Devices
    TestFlight can only be used to test apps on Apple devices, limiting its utility if you also need to test on Android or other platforms.
  • Max Tester Limit
    There is a limit of up to 10,000 beta testers per app, which might be restrictive for large-scale beta testing programs.
  • Approval Process
    Each build you distribute through TestFlight must first be reviewed and approved by Apple, which can introduce delays in testing cycles.
  • No In-App Purchases
    TestFlight does not support in-app purchases, so you cannot test purchase flows in your beta builds.
  • Requires Apple ID
    All testers must have an Apple ID to participate in testing, which can be a barrier for some testers.

Analysis of Firebase Crashlytics

Overall verdict

  • Firebase Crashlytics is a robust and effective tool for crash reporting, offering a comprehensive feature set that is invaluable for app development. It is highly regarded for its user-friendly interface and powerful integration capabilities, making it a popular choice among developers who use Firebase services.

Why this product is good

  • Firebase Crashlytics is considered good because it provides detailed crash reports, real-time issue tracking, and seamless integration with other Firebase services. It helps developers quickly identify, prioritize, and fix stability issues to improve app quality. Its dashboard is intuitive and offers insights into the number of affected users, device information, and stack traces, making it easier to diagnose problems.

Recommended for

    Firebase Crashlytics is ideal for mobile app developers who need a reliable, easy-to-use crash reporting solution that integrates well with other Firebase tools. It is especially recommended for teams working on Android or iOS applications that require real-time crash monitoring and analysis to enhance user experience and app stability.

Analysis of TestFlight

Overall verdict

  • Yes, TestFlight is a good tool for iOS developers looking to streamline their beta testing process. It provides a seamless experience for both developers and testers, ensuring that the app can be fine-tuned and free of crucial bugs before its official release.

Why this product is good

  • TestFlight is a platform provided by Apple that allows developers to distribute their beta apps to testers before releasing them on the App Store. It is valued for its ease of use, integration with iOS development tools, and the ability to gather valuable feedback and performance data from early users. Testers can easily install beta versions of apps, report issues, and developers can manage builds efficiently.

Recommended for

    iOS developers who want a reliable and easy-to-use platform for testing their apps with real users before launching to the App Store. It is especially beneficial for those who are looking to receive actionable feedback and improve app quality through user testing.

Firebase Crashlytics videos

Firebase Crashlytics on Android - Firecasts

More videos:

  • Review - Firebase Crashlytics on iOS - Firecasts
  • Review - Introducing Firebase Crashlytics

TestFlight videos

BETAFPV HX100 100FPV Quad Review!✨TestFlight✨

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Firebase Crashlytics and TestFlight)
Error Tracking
100 100%
0% 0
Developer Tools
0 0%
100% 100
Exception Monitoring
100 100%
0% 0
Beta Testing / Mobile App Distribution

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Firebase Crashlytics and TestFlight

Firebase Crashlytics Reviews

  1. Nezar Mansour
    · Content at Instabug ·
    Good tool for crash reporting

    Found better alternatives to crashlytics https://instabug.com/blog/instabug-vs-crashlytics/


Instabug vs. Crashlytics
Don’t settle for less when it comes to your app’s quality. Make sure you are getting the right feedback at the right time. Instabug’s crash reporting and suite of other products are the best tools for the job. Get detailed information sent with your crash reports to easily diagnose and fix issues so your team can move fast and deliver a pleasant experience for your...
Source: instabug.com

TestFlight Reviews

  1. Deepak Kumar
    · Blogger at EINSSTARK ·
    TestFlight Review

    The TestFlight app allows testers to install and beta test apps on iOS, tvOS, and watchOS devices.

    TestFlight also supports some basic analytics and feedback collection features like tracking downloads and adoption and capturing device details, remote logs, crash reports, and tester feedback.

    Their latest beta update allows users to send screenshots and feedback to developers without leaving the app.

    🏁 Competitors: Gennymotion, TestFairy, Visual Studio App Center

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, TestFlight should be more popular than Firebase Crashlytics. It has been mentiond 26 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Firebase Crashlytics mentions (8)

  • 12 Best Instabug Alternatives For Debugging In 2025
    Crashlytics is a simple, real-time tool for reporting crashes, designed to help developers monitor, find, and fix issues that cause apps to crash. It works as a central system to collect and analyze crash data, providing clear and useful error reports with important context. This helps developers understand what went wrong, why it happened, and which problems affect the most users. Crashlytics can track detailed... - Source: dev.to / 4 months ago
  • Which App Debugging Tools are the Best?
    7. Firebase Crashlytics The Firebase Crashlytics is a mobile crash reporting tool for mobile developers that automatically gathers crash diagnostics and real-time reports. This application categorizes the crash information based on user sessions, devices employed, and the operating systems utilized, thus assisting teams in efficiently distributing the workload. - Source: dev.to / 6 months ago
  • Tech stack discussion
    ? Something for error reporting? I've used Sentry, but is it good for a PWA? How does it compare to Firebase Crashlytics? Source: over 2 years ago
  • macOS Free and Open-Source Security Tools by Objective-See
    > crash dumps being sent Crash dumps can contain highly sensitive info. I have blocked Crashlytics[0] and Sentry with my pi-hole so nothing gets sent. I'm starting to believe these tools are abused and not even used to improve services. They're basically a MITM so people can violate other's privacy. [0] https://firebase.google.com/products/crashlytics. - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
  • Exception handling and logging in dart/Flutter - Talker
    There is a Crashlytics service from firebase for Flutter applications. - Source: dev.to / almost 3 years ago
View more

TestFlight mentions (26)

  • As Visual Studio App Center closes, a look back, and what to use now?
    Prior to being acquired by Microsoft, HockeyApp was among the two most popular tools for teams managing their "in-house" iOS and Android app distribution, whether sharing in-development app builds to QA testers, or companies wishing to distribute internally without publishing to platforms like Apple's strictly-gatekept App Store. The other platform being TestFlight, itself acquired by Apple in 2014, and shut down... - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • Lessons Learned from Building Mobile Apps and Software for Startups
    The goal of your first version is not to impress but to learn. Launch quickly, gather user feedback, and iterate. Publishing a mobile app, even an MVP, can involve delays from app store reviews. Use platforms like TestFlight or Firebase App Distribution to share test versions with users. - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
  • Which iOS Performance Testing Tools should be used in 2025?
    4. Testflight TestFlight is another application developed by Apple to let users test their App Clips to collect valuable feedback before releasing them on the App Store. Since it is backed directly by Apple, it has all the features you might need for your iOS performance testing tools. - Source: dev.to / 6 months ago
  • As an app developer, how do you get your initial users to test your app and give feedback?
    If you have an Apple Developer account use TestFlight. Source: about 2 years ago
  • React vs React Native: How Different Are They, Really?
    Also since it’s mobile, you can’t avoid manual testing completely, no matter how much you automate. Plan to allocate time for testing setup in each project, since TestFlight and Play Store configuration are non-trivial (especially the former). Once again, EAS makes this easier, so save yourself frustration and use it. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Firebase Crashlytics and TestFlight, you can also consider the following products

Sentry.io - From error tracking to performance monitoring, developers can see what actually matters, solve quicker, and learn continuously about their applications - from the frontend to the backend.

Visual Studio App Center - Continuous everything – build, test, deploy, engage, repeat

Rollbar - Rollbar collects errors that happen in your application, notifies you, and analyzes them so you can debug and fix them. Ruby, Python, PHP, Node.js, JavaScript, and Flash libraries available.

Applivery - Mobile Apps distribution system for Continuous deployment, Beta testing, Feedback, Bug reporting & Enterprise App distribution.

BugSnag - Not all bugs are worth fixing. Prioritize and fix software bugs that matter while improving software stability with every release.

Appaloosa-Store - Appaloosa helps businesses maximize the deployment of enterprise mobile apps. Deploy your enterprise app store for Apple iOS and Android apps to employees & testers.