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Developer Tools · head to head

Cortex vs GNAT Pro

Cortex logo

Cortex

Developer Tools

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

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
GNAT Pro logo

GNAT Pro

Developer Tools

Software development environments and toolchains for Ada, C/C++ and Rust

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: 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.; GNAT Pro no pricing published on website; requires contacting AdaCore directly for quotes
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Cortex and GNAT Pro actually diverge.

Attributes where Cortex and GNAT Pro differ
AttributeCortexGNAT Pro
PlatformsWeb, APIWeb

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Developer Tools).

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 GNAT Pro

Nothing recorded that Cortex does not also cover.

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 GNAT Pro
  • An organisation where ownership of production services is genuinely unknown after reorganisations or acquisitionsnot GNAT Pro
  • Enforcing production readiness standards on new services at creation time rather than at incident reviewnot GNAT Pro
  • Replacing a self-hosted Backstage that is consuming a full-time engineer or two just to stay upgradednot GNAT Pro

GNAT Pro

  • Building certified avionics software meeting DO-178B/C standardsnot Cortex
  • Developing automotive embedded systems with ISO-26262 compliancenot Cortex
  • Integrating Ada, C/C++, and Rust components in single codebasenot Cortex
  • Managing software supply chain vulnerabilities and SBOMsnot Cortex
  • Supporting long-lived software systems spanning decadesnot 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.

GNAT Pro

  • No pricing published on website; requires contacting AdaCore directly for quotes
  • Vendor indicates per-user, per-year subscription model but does not disclose specific costs

Pricing, plan by plan

Cortex

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

GNAT Pro

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the GNAT Pro review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Cortex if

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

Choose GNAT Pro if

Nothing in the data separates GNAT Pro from Cortex on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

GNAT Pro review

Questions people ask

Is Cortex or GNAT Pro better?
Neither clearly leads. Cortex starts at On request and GNAT Pro at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Cortex or GNAT Pro?
Cortex starts at On request and GNAT Pro at On request.
Does Cortex or GNAT Pro run on more platforms?
Cortex runs on Web, API. GNAT Pro runs on Web.
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 GNAT Pro is typically brought in for.
What can Cortex do that GNAT Pro cannot?
Cortex covers Service catalogue, Scorecards, Initiatives, Self-service templates.

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.

GNAT Pro: How much does GNAT Pro cost?

GNAT Pro pricing is not published on the website. Customers must request a pricing quote by contacting AdaCore directly or speaking with a GNAT Pro expert.

Source
Cortex: Is pricing published?

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

GNAT Pro: What is GNAT Pro licensing model?

GNAT Pro is sold on a per-user, per-year basis with no license locks. Customers can request pricing for their specific needs.

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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