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Developer Tools · head to head

Cortex vs Cyfe

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
Visit CortexFull review
Cyfe logo

Cyfe

Business Intelligence

All-in-one business dashboard

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit CyfeFull review

The short version

  • Cyfe is an all-in-one business dashboard application.
  • Cyfe starts at $29/mo; Cortex prices on request.
  • Only Cortex lists service catalogue; only Cyfe lists pre-built Widgets.
  • Where Cyfe falls short: dashboards are the billing unit, at 2 on the $29 Starter plan and 5 on the $39 Standard plan.
  • Prices and features on this page were last checked on 13 November 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Cortex and Cyfe actually diverge.

Attributes where Cortex and Cyfe differ
AttributeCortexCyfe
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelQuoteSubscription
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, APIWeb, iOS, Android, TV and console
CategoryDeveloper ToolsBusiness Intelligence

Not yet recorded: founded for Cortex.

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 Cortex

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

Only in Cyfe

  • Pre-built Widgets
  • Custom Metrics
  • Historical Data
  • White-labeling
  • Embedding
  • Google Analytics
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

What people use each for

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

Cortex

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

Cyfe

  • Building business dashboards from marketing, sales and finance sourcesnot Cortex
  • Displaying live metrics on office screens and shared public URLsnot Cortex

Where each one falls short

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

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

Cyfe

  • Dashboards are the billing unit, at 2 on the $29 Starter plan and 5 on the $39 Standard plan
  • Users are capped separately, at 1 on Starter and 2 on Standard, so a two person team needs the second tier for seats alone
  • Unlimited users only appears on the $119 Premier plan
  • Additional dashboards beyond a plan are $5 each
  • The Agency plan includes 10 clients with further clients at $19 each

Pricing, plan by plan

Cortex

On request
  • CortexOn request
    • Service catalogue and ownership mapping
    • Scorecards and initiatives
    • Self-service templates

Cyfe

Free
  • Starter$29/mo
    • 2 Dashboards
    • 1 User
    • 14-day free trial
  • Standard$39/mo
    • 5 Dashboards
    • 2 Users
    • 14-day free trial
  • Pro$65/mo
    • 10 Dashboards
    • 5 Users
    • 14-day free trial
  • Premier$119/mo
    • 20 Dashboards
    • Unlimited Users
    • Additional dashboards available at $5 per dashboard

Which should you pick?

Choose Cortex if

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

Choose Cyfe if

  • You need pre-built widgets.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, TV and console.
  • You also want custom metrics.
Cyfe review

Questions people ask

Is Cortex or Cyfe better?
Neither clearly leads. Cortex starts at On request and Cyfe at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Cortex or Cyfe?
Cyfe has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Cortex and Free for Cyfe.
Does Cortex or Cyfe run on more platforms?
Cortex runs on Web, API. Cyfe runs on Web, iOS, Android, TV and console.
Can I use Cyfe for free?
Yes. Cyfe has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Cortex starts at On request.
What is Cortex best used for?
Cortex is most often used for a platform team that needs to prove to leadership how far a kubernetes or framework migration has actually progressed across hundreds of services, an organisation where ownership of production services is genuinely unknown after reorganisations or acquisitions, enforcing production readiness standards on new services at creation time rather than at incident review, replacing a self-hosted backstage that is consuming a full-time engineer or two just to stay upgraded. Of those, a platform team that needs to prove to leadership how far a kubernetes or framework migration has actually progressed across hundreds of services and an organisation where ownership of production services is genuinely unknown after reorganisations or acquisitions are not what Cyfe is typically brought in for.
What can Cortex do that Cyfe cannot?
Cortex covers Service catalogue, Scorecards, Initiatives, Self-service templates. Cyfe covers Pre-built Widgets, Custom Metrics, Historical Data, White-labeling.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

Cyfe: How much does Cyfe cost?

Cyfe offers five subscription plans: Starter at $29/month (2 dashboards, 1 user), Standard at $39/month (5 dashboards, 2 users), Pro at $65/month (10 dashboards, 5 users), Premier at $119/month (20 dashboards, unlimited users), and Agency at $190/month (100 dashboards, 15 users, 10 clients).

Source
Cortex: Is pricing published?

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

Cyfe: What features are included in all Cyfe plans?

All Cyfe tiers include unlimited history, TV mode for dashboard displays, public shareable URLs, custom logos and themes, custom SSL domain support, unlimited data exports, and embedded analytics capabilities. The 14-day free trial is available for every plan.

Source
Cortex: Can it self-host?

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

Cyfe: What is included in Cyfe's Agency plan?

The Agency plan at $190/month includes 100 dashboards, 15 users, and 10 clients. Additional clients cost $19 each. The plan provides 100% white label branding, branded widgets, custom CSS, and full client management features.

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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