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Developer Tools · head to head

Backstage vs OpenVPN

Backstage logo

Backstage

Developer Tools

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
OpenVPN logo

OpenVPN

Networking

Open source VPN protocol with a commercial Access Server product priced per simultaneous connection

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: 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.; OpenVPN open source OpenVPN, while free, requires real technical skill to configure, secure and maintain without the Access Server admin layer
  • They diverge on capability: Backstage covers Software catalogue, OpenVPN covers Open source core.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Backstage and OpenVPN actually diverge.

Attributes where Backstage and OpenVPN differ
AttributeBackstageOpenVPN
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feeOpen source core is free; Access Server billed per simultaneous connection
PlatformsWeb, Self-hosted, Linux, Docker, KubernetesLinux, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android
CategoryDeveloper ToolsNetworking

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

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 OpenVPN

  • Open source core
  • Access Server admin UI
  • Per-connection licensing
  • Free tier
  • Cross-platform clients

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

OpenVPN

  • A technical team wanting a fully free, self-configured VPN server using the open source protocol without any vendor relationshipnot Backstage
  • A small business wanting a supported, easier-to-administer VPN server, willing to pay per concurrent connection rather than per employeenot Backstage
  • An organisation with more staff than typical concurrent VPN usage, since Access Server bills only active simultaneous connections, not total accountsnot Backstage
  • An IoT or large-scale deployment needing custom Enterprise pricing above 2,000 connectionsnot 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.

OpenVPN

  • Open source OpenVPN, while free, requires real technical skill to configure, secure and maintain without the Access Server admin layer
  • Per-connection billing on Access Server means usage spikes, such as an all-hands remote day, can push simultaneous connections over a licensed limit and block new connections until usage drops or the plan is upgraded
  • OpenVPN's traditional hub-and-spoke architecture routes traffic through a central server, unlike mesh VPN tools like Tailscale or NetBird that establish direct peer-to-peer connections where possible, which can add latency
  • Client configuration and certificate management for the open source version is more manual and error-prone than newer VPN tools with zero-config onboarding
  • Access Server pricing above the Growth tier reverts to custom Enterprise quoting, so very large deployments lose the pricing transparency of the lower tiers
  • The protocol's throughput is generally lower than newer kernel-integrated protocols like WireGuard under equivalent conditions, which matters for high-bandwidth use cases

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 Backstage$undefined/year
    • Packaged commercial distribution from Spotify
    • Spotify premium plugins including Soundcheck and Insights
    • Simplified setup and managed upgrade path

OpenVPN

Free
  • Access Server FreeFree
    • Up to 2 simultaneous connections
    • All features included
  • Access Server Growth$7/month
    • Per simultaneous connection beyond the free tier
    • Annual billing
  • Access Server Enterprise/IoT$undefined/month
    • Custom pricing for 2,000+ connections

Which should you pick?

Choose Backstage if

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

Choose OpenVPN if

  • You need open source core.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android.
  • You also want access server admin ui.
OpenVPN review

Questions people ask

Is Backstage or OpenVPN better?
Neither clearly leads. Backstage starts at Free and OpenVPN at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Backstage or OpenVPN?
Backstage starts at Free and OpenVPN at Free.
Does Backstage or OpenVPN run on more platforms?
Backstage runs on Web, Self-hosted, Linux, Docker, Kubernetes. OpenVPN runs on Linux, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android.
Can I use Backstage for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
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 OpenVPN is typically brought in for.
What can Backstage do that OpenVPN cannot?
Backstage covers Software catalogue, Software templates, TechDocs, Plugin architecture. OpenVPN covers Open source core, Access Server admin UI, Per-connection licensing, Free tier.

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.

OpenVPN: Is OpenVPN free?

The open source protocol and software are free under the GPL; Access Server, the commercial packaged product, charges per simultaneous connection beyond a free 2-connection tier.

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.

OpenVPN: What counts as a connection for billing purposes?

A simultaneously active connected device, not a registered user account or total device count; unlimited accounts and devices can be created but only the licensed number can be connected at once.

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.

OpenVPN: How does OpenVPN compare with WireGuard-based tools like Tailscale?

OpenVPN uses a traditional hub-and-spoke VPN architecture rather than the mesh, peer-to-peer approach used by newer tools like Tailscale or NetBird.

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.

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