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Backstage vs LiquidPlanner

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
LiquidPlanner logo

LiquidPlanner

Project Management

Predictive project management

From
On request
Free plan
No
Visit LiquidPlannerFull review

The short version

  • LiquidPlanner is a predictive project management solution.
  • Backstage is free; LiquidPlanner starts at $15/mo.
  • Only Backstage lists software catalogue; only LiquidPlanner lists predictive scheduling.
  • Where LiquidPlanner falls short: rebranded to Tempo Portfolio Manager; the pricing page shows no published figures, only an early access sign-up.
  • Prices and features on this page were last checked on 13 November 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Backstage and LiquidPlanner actually diverge.

Attributes where Backstage and LiquidPlanner differ
AttributeBackstageLiquidPlanner
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feeSubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Self-hosted, LinuxWeb
CategoryDeveloper ToolsProject Management

Not yet recorded: founded for Backstage.

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 LiquidPlanner

  • Predictive scheduling
  • Resource management
  • Time tracking
  • Analytics
  • Workload management
  • Jira
  • Salesforce
  • Slack

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 LiquidPlanner
  • A platform team enforcing golden paths, so a new service is scaffolded with logging, CI and security defaults already wired innot LiquidPlanner
  • A company consolidating scattered READMEs and Confluence pages into docs that live beside the code and cannot silently rot unnoticednot LiquidPlanner
  • A regulated business that needs an auditable register of every running service, its owner and its data classificationnot LiquidPlanner

LiquidPlanner

  • Productivitynot Backstage
  • Collaborationnot Backstage
  • Task managementnot Backstage
  • Organizationnot 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

LiquidPlanner

  • Rebranded to Tempo Portfolio Manager; the pricing page shows no published figures, only an early access sign-up

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

LiquidPlanner

On request
  • Essentials$15/mo
    • Project management
    • Basic scheduling
  • Professional$25/mo
    • Predictive scheduling
    • Resource management
    • Analytics

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 LiquidPlanner if

  • You need predictive scheduling.
  • You also want resource management.
LiquidPlanner review

Questions people ask

Is Backstage or LiquidPlanner better?
Neither clearly leads. Backstage starts at Free and LiquidPlanner at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Backstage or LiquidPlanner?
Backstage has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Backstage and On request for LiquidPlanner.
Does Backstage or LiquidPlanner run on more platforms?
Backstage runs on Web, Self-hosted, Linux. LiquidPlanner runs on Web.
Can I use Backstage for free?
Yes. Backstage has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. LiquidPlanner 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 LiquidPlanner is typically brought in for.
What can Backstage do that LiquidPlanner cannot?
Backstage covers Software catalogue, Software templates, TechDocs, Plugin architecture. LiquidPlanner covers Predictive scheduling, Resource management, Time tracking, Analytics.

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.

LiquidPlanner: How is Tempo timesheets pricing calculated for my organization?

Pricing is per-user per month and scales based on organization size. For 1-10 users: $1.00/user; 11-100 users: $5.21/user; 101-250 users: $3.66/user; scaling down to $0.25-$0.39/user for organizations with 5,000+ users.

Source
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.

LiquidPlanner: What license matching requirement exists for Tempo?

Your Tempo license size must match your Jira license size, with a user defined as anyone who can log into Jira.

Source
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.

LiquidPlanner: Is there a free trial for Tempo timesheets?

Yes, Tempo offers a free trial available through the Atlassian Marketplace.

Source
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.

LiquidPlanner: What deployment options are available for Tempo?

Both Cloud and Data Center deployment options are offered, with annual billing available.

Source
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