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Cybersecurity · head to head

Burp Suite vs Cortex

Burp Suite logo

Burp Suite

Cybersecurity

The leading toolkit for web security testing

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
Cortex logo

Cortex

Developer Tools

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

From
On request
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Burp Suite has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Burp Suite the automated vulnerability scanner is Professional only, at $499; the free Community edition is manual tools; 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.
  • They diverge on capability: Burp Suite covers Web vulnerability scanner, Cortex covers Service catalogue.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Burp Suite and Cortex actually diverge.

Attributes where Burp Suite and Cortex differ
AttributeBurp SuiteCortex
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsDesktop, ApiWeb, API
CategoryCybersecurityDeveloper Tools
Founded2004Unknown

Identical on both: 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 Burp Suite

  • Web vulnerability scanner
  • Proxy interceptor
  • Intruder
  • Repeater
  • Sequencer
  • Decoder
  • Comparer
  • Logger

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.

Burp Suite

  • Manual web application penetration testing through an intercepting proxynot Cortex
  • Automated scanning for web vulnerabilities on the Professional editionnot Cortex
  • Extending testing with community-built BApp extensionsnot Cortex
  • Enterprise-wide dynamic scanning through Burp DASTnot 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 Burp Suite
  • An organisation where ownership of production services is genuinely unknown after reorganisations or acquisitionsnot Burp Suite
  • Enforcing production readiness standards on new services at creation time rather than at incident reviewnot Burp Suite
  • Replacing a self-hosted Backstage that is consuming a full-time engineer or two just to stay upgradednot Burp Suite

Where each one falls short

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

Burp Suite

  • The automated vulnerability scanner is Professional only, at $499; the free Community edition is manual tools
  • BApp Store extensions require the Professional edition
  • DAST and the agentic testing product are separate enterprise offerings with no published price
  • Professional is licensed per user per year rather than perpetually

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

Burp Suite

Free
  • Community EditionFree
    • Essential manual tools
    • Proxy
    • Repeater
  • Professional$449/year
    • All Community features
    • Burp Scanner
    • Advanced manual tools
  • Enterprise$6995/year
    • CI/CD integration
    • Scheduled scans
    • Role-based access

Cortex

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

Which should you pick?

Choose Burp Suite if

  • You need web vulnerability scanner.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Desktop, Api.
  • You also want proxy interceptor.
Burp Suite review

Choose Cortex if

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

Questions people ask

Is Burp Suite or Cortex better?
Neither clearly leads. Burp Suite 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, Burp Suite or Cortex?
Burp Suite has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Burp Suite and On request for Cortex.
Does Burp Suite or Cortex run on more platforms?
Burp Suite runs on Desktop, Api. Cortex runs on Web, API.
Can I use Burp Suite for free?
Yes. Burp Suite has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Cortex starts at On request.
What is Burp Suite best used for?
Burp Suite is most often used for manual web application penetration testing through an intercepting proxy, automated scanning for web vulnerabilities on the professional edition, extending testing with community-built bapp extensions, enterprise-wide dynamic scanning through burp dast. Of those, manual web application penetration testing through an intercepting proxy and automated scanning for web vulnerabilities on the professional edition are not what Cortex is typically brought in for.
What can Burp Suite do that Cortex cannot?
Burp Suite covers Web vulnerability scanner, Proxy interceptor, Intruder, Repeater. Cortex covers Service catalogue, Scorecards, Initiatives, Self-service templates.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Burp Suite: Does Burp Suite offer a free version?

Yes, Burp Suite Community Edition is available free and supports manual testing. The page does not provide specific details on additional paid editions or their pricing.

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.

Burp Suite: What features are available in the free edition?

Burp Suite Community Edition supports manual security testing, though specific feature limitations compared to paid editions are not detailed on this page. Visit individual product pages for detailed tier comparisons.

Source
Cortex: Is pricing published?

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

Burp Suite: Are paid versions of Burp Suite available?

Yes, PortSwigger offers Burp Suite Professional and Burp Suite DAST as paid products, though specific pricing and feature details are not available on the main product page.

Source
Cortex: Can it self-host?

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

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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