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Developer Tools · head to head

Azure DevOps vs Cortex

Azure DevOps logo

Azure DevOps

Developer Tools

Plan smarter, collaborate better, and ship faster

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Cortex logo

Cortex

Developer Tools

Internal developer portal that scores service ownership and maturity rather than just cataloguing services

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Azure DevOps has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Azure DevOps first 5 users free applies to Basic plan only; Test Plans users are not included in free tier; Cortex pricing is quote only, so a platform team cannot build a business case or compare against the true cost of self-hosted Backstage without entering a sales cycle first.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Azure DevOps and Cortex actually diverge.

Attributes where Azure DevOps and Cortex differ
AttributeAzure DevOpsCortex
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelmixedquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWebWeb, API

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Developer Tools).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Azure DevOps

Nothing recorded that Cortex does not also cover.

Only in Cortex

  • Service catalogue
  • Scorecards
  • Initiatives
  • Self-service templates
  • Query language
  • Eng intelligence
  • Integrations layer
  • On-call and ownership mapping

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Azure DevOps

  • CI/CD pipelines and build automation for software development teamsnot Cortex
  • Source code repository management and version controlnot Cortex
  • Test planning and tracking for QA teamsnot Cortex
  • Artifact storage for packages and binariesnot Cortex

Cortex

  • A platform team that needs to prove to leadership how far a Kubernetes or framework migration has actually progressed across hundreds of servicesnot Azure DevOps
  • An organisation where ownership of production services is genuinely unknown after reorganisations or acquisitionsnot Azure DevOps
  • Enforcing production readiness standards on new services at creation time rather than at incident reviewnot Azure DevOps
  • Replacing a self-hosted Backstage that is consuming a full-time engineer or two just to stay upgradednot Azure DevOps

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Azure DevOps

  • First 5 users free applies to Basic plan only; Test Plans users are not included in free tier
  • Storage pricing increases per-GiB cost as volumes grow, with no volume discount threshold below $0.25

Cortex

  • Pricing is quote only, so a platform team cannot build a business case or compare against the true cost of self-hosted Backstage without entering a sales cycle first.
  • The catalogue is only as accurate as the metadata you supply, so an organisation with inconsistent repository conventions spends its first quarter cleaning data before any scorecard means anything.
  • Scorecards create political friction: publishing a per-team grade turns an engineering standard into a performance metric, and teams will game the rules rather than fix the underlying issue.
  • It is closed source and hosted, so organisations with strict data residency or air-gap requirements have limited options compared with running Backstage themselves.
  • Value scales with organisation size, so a company with fifty engineers and thirty services will find the catalogue tells them nothing they did not already know while still paying an enterprise contract.

Pricing, plan by plan

Azure DevOps

Free
  • Basic$6/month per user
    • First 5 users free
    • Additional users $6/user/month
    • Pipelines (free tier)
  • Basic + Test Plans$52/month per user
    • All Basic features
    • Test planning, tracking, and execution
  • Azure Pipelines CI/CD - Microsoft-hosted$40/month per additional parallel job
    • 1 free parallel job with 1,800 minutes per month
    • Additional jobs at $40/month each
  • Azure Artifacts Storage$2/month per GiB
    • First 2 GiB free
    • 2-10 GiB: $2/GiB
    • 10-100 GiB: $1/GiB

Cortex

On request
  • Cortex$undefined/year
    • Service catalogue and ownership mapping
    • Scorecards and initiatives
    • Self-service templates

Which should you pick?

Choose Azure DevOps if

  • You want to start without paying.
Azure DevOps review

Choose Cortex if

  • You need service catalogue.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want scorecards.
Cortex review

Questions people ask

Is Azure DevOps or Cortex better?
Neither clearly leads. Azure DevOps starts at Free and Cortex at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Azure DevOps or Cortex?
Azure DevOps has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Azure DevOps and On request for Cortex.
Does Azure DevOps or Cortex run on more platforms?
Azure DevOps runs on Web. Cortex runs on Web, API.
Can I use Azure DevOps for free?
Yes. Azure DevOps has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Cortex starts at On request.
What is Azure DevOps best used for?
Azure DevOps is most often used for ci/cd pipelines and build automation for software development teams, source code repository management and version control, test planning and tracking for qa teams, artifact storage for packages and binaries. Of those, ci/cd pipelines and build automation for software development teams and source code repository management and version control are not what Cortex is typically brought in for.
What can Azure DevOps do that Cortex cannot?
Cortex covers Service catalogue, Scorecards, Initiatives, Self-service templates.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Azure DevOps: How much does Azure DevOps cost?

Azure DevOps Basic plan is $6 per user per month after the first 5 users are free. Basic + Test Plans tier costs $52 per user per month. Azure Pipelines add-on for extra parallel jobs costs $40 per job for Microsoft-hosted runners and $15 per job for self-hosted runners.

Source
Cortex: How is Cortex different from Backstage?

Backstage is an open source framework you build and staff. Cortex is a hosted product with scorecards and initiatives out of the box and no platform team required to keep it running.

Azure DevOps: Is there a free tier for Azure DevOps?

Yes, Azure DevOps includes 5 free users on the Basic plan. Additional free allocations include 1,800 free minutes per month on Azure Pipelines with a free parallel job, 2 GiB free storage on Azure Artifacts, and free access for Visual Studio subscribers and Stakeholders with limited functionality.

Source
Cortex: Is pricing published?

No. Cortex requires a sales conversation and prepares a custom proposal.

Azure DevOps: What does the Basic + Test Plans tier add to Azure DevOps?

The Basic + Test Plans tier adds test planning and execution capabilities, browser-based testing, and centralized reporting features. This tier costs $52 per user per month compared to $6 per user for the Basic plan.

Source
Cortex: Can it self-host?

It is offered as a hosted product; on-premise arrangements are handled through sales rather than published.

Azure DevOps: How is Azure Artifacts priced?

Azure Artifacts provides 2 GiB of free storage, then charges $2 per GiB for 2-10 GiB, $1 per GiB for 10-100 GiB, $0.50 per GiB for 100-1,000 GiB, and $0.25 per GiB for over 1,000 GiB.

Source
Cortex: What is the main adoption risk?

Bad or missing service metadata. The catalogue and every scorecard on top of it inherit whatever quality your repositories already have.

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