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Developer Tools · head to head

Backstage vs Jedox

Backstage logo

Backstage

Developer Tools

Open source internal developer portal framework created and open sourced by Spotify

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit BackstageFull review
Jedox logo

Jedox

Business Intelligence

Excel-native planning and OLAP modelling for finance teams that refuse to leave spreadsheets

From
On request
Free plan
No
Visit JedoxFull review

The short version

  • Backstage is free; Jedox prices on request.
  • Only Backstage lists software catalogue; only Jedox lists in-memory OLAP cube.
  • Prices and features on this page were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Backstage and Jedox actually diverge.

Attributes where Backstage and Jedox differ
AttributeBackstageJedox
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feeQuote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Self-hosted, LinuxWeb, Windows, Linux
CategoryDeveloper ToolsBusiness Intelligence

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 Backstage

  • Software catalogue
  • Software templates
  • TechDocs
  • Plugin architecture
  • Kubernetes plugin
  • Search
  • Entity ownership model
  • Auth provider integrations

Only in Jedox

  • In-memory OLAP cube
  • Excel add-in
  • Web spreadsheet
  • Integrator ETL
  • Workflow and approvals
  • AIssisted planning
  • Financial consolidation
  • Report designer

What people use each for

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

Backstage

  • An engineering organisation past roughly a hundred services where nobody can reliably answer who owns a given service at two in the morningnot Jedox
  • A platform team enforcing golden paths, so a new service is scaffolded with logging, CI and security defaults already wired innot Jedox
  • A company consolidating scattered READMEs and Confluence pages into docs that live beside the code and cannot silently rot unnoticednot Jedox
  • A regulated business that needs an auditable register of every running service, its owner and its data classificationnot Jedox

Jedox

  • A manufacturer whose budget process is hundreds of Excel files emailed between plants and needs one governed cube without retraining plant controllersnot Backstage
  • A mid-market group doing statutory consolidation and management reporting on the same data instead of in two systemsnot Backstage
  • A finance team that priced IBM Planning Analytics, found it unaffordable, and still wants cube-based modellingnot Backstage
  • A retailer running driver-based sales and workforce plans that must reconcile to the financial budgetnot Backstage

Where each one falls short

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

Backstage

  • Backstage is a framework rather than a product: there is no supported turnkey install, so getting to a usable portal means a TypeScript and React project your team owns, hosts and upgrades forever
  • Upstream releases move quickly and plugin APIs have broken across major versions, so a customised deployment accumulates upgrade debt and teams routinely fall months behind on versions they cannot cheaply catch up on
  • The catalogue is only as good as the YAML descriptors engineers remember to write; without enforcement the register drifts out of date, and a developer portal nobody trusts is abandoned faster than one that never existed
  • Community plugin quality varies sharply, with many unmaintained or pinned to old core versions, so the plugin that made the business case may be the one blocking your next upgrade
  • Spotify Portal, the packaged commercial route, publishes no price at all and is quoted as a custom annual subscription, so the only cost you can actually forecast up front is the self-hosted one, which is the option with the largest hidden staffing bill

Jedox

  • Cube modelling is a specialist skill closer to IBM TM1 than to a modern SaaS planning tool, so most customers depend on a partner or a single internal expert whose departure leaves the model unmaintainable
  • Almost every deployment carries a partner implementation fee that frequently matches or exceeds the first year of licence, and that cost never appears in the vendor comparison you are shown
  • The Excel add-in is the strongest client, which means Mac-based and browser-only users get a materially thinner experience than the Windows majority
  • Dashboards and visual analytics are weaker than dedicated BI tools, so organisations typically keep Power BI or Tableau alongside Jedox and pay for both
  • Insight Partners took a majority stake in 2021, and the pressure toward a cloud subscription base has meant self-managed customers see new capability later than cloud ones

Pricing, plan by plan

Backstage

Free
  • Backstage (open source)Free
    • Apache 2.0 licence
    • Software catalogue, templates, TechDocs and search
    • Full plugin ecosystem
  • Spotify Portal for BackstageOn request
    • Packaged commercial distribution from Spotify
    • Spotify premium plugins including Soundcheck and Insights
    • Simplified setup and managed upgrade path

Jedox

On request
  • JedoxOn request
    • Named user subscription, tiered by user count
    • Cloud or self-managed deployment
    • Modules priced separately for consolidation and add-ons

Which should you pick?

Choose Backstage if

  • You need software catalogue.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Self-hosted, Linux.
  • You also want software templates.
Backstage review

Choose Jedox if

  • You need in-memory olap cube.
  • You work on Web, Windows, Linux.
  • You also want excel add-in.
Jedox review

Questions people ask

Is Backstage or Jedox better?
Neither clearly leads. Backstage starts at Free and Jedox at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Backstage or Jedox?
Backstage has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Backstage and On request for Jedox.
Does Backstage or Jedox run on more platforms?
Backstage runs on Web, Self-hosted, Linux. Jedox runs on Web, Windows, Linux.
Can I use Backstage for free?
Yes. Backstage has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Jedox starts at On request.
What is Backstage best used for?
Backstage is most often used for an engineering organisation past roughly a hundred services where nobody can reliably answer who owns a given service at two in the morning, a platform team enforcing golden paths, so a new service is scaffolded with logging, ci and security defaults already wired in, a company consolidating scattered readmes and confluence pages into docs that live beside the code and cannot silently rot unnoticed, a regulated business that needs an auditable register of every running service, its owner and its data classification. Of those, an engineering organisation past roughly a hundred services where nobody can reliably answer who owns a given service at two in the morning and a platform team enforcing golden paths, so a new service is scaffolded with logging, ci and security defaults already wired in are not what Jedox is typically brought in for.
What can Backstage do that Jedox cannot?
Backstage covers Software catalogue, Software templates, TechDocs, Plugin architecture. Jedox covers In-memory OLAP cube, Excel add-in, Web spreadsheet, Integrator ETL.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Backstage: Is Backstage free?

The project is Apache 2.0 with no licence fee. The real cost is engineering time; teams commonly dedicate one to two engineers permanently to running it.

Jedox: Does Jedox publish pricing?

No. It is quoted per named user with tiering by volume, and modules such as consolidation are priced separately.

Backstage: Do I need to write code to use it?

Yes. Configuring and extending a Backstage application is a TypeScript and React project. This is the single most common misjudgement buyers make.

Jedox: Is Jedox a BI tool or a planning tool?

A planning tool with reporting attached. Organisations almost always keep a separate BI tool for visual analysis.

Backstage: What is Spotify Portal for Backstage?

A commercial distribution from Spotify with premium plugins and support, generally available since October 2025 and sold as a quoted annual subscription with no published price.

Jedox: Can it run on premises?

Yes, on Windows or Linux, though the vendor pushes cloud and self-managed customers receive features later.

Backstage: Who owns the project?

Spotify created and open sourced it; it is now a CNCF project, so the upstream roadmap is not solely Spotify controlled.

Jedox: How does it compare to IBM Planning Analytics?

Similar cube architecture at a lower price point, with a friendlier web layer and a smaller partner ecosystem.

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