Developer Tools · head to head
Cortex vs Kaspersky Total Security
Cortex
Developer Tools
Internal developer portal that scores service ownership and maturity rather than just cataloguing services
- From
- On request
- Free plan
- No
Kaspersky Total Security
Cybersecurity
Complete protection for your digital life
- From
- Free
- Free plan
- Yes
The short version
- Only Kaspersky Total Security has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- 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.; Kaspersky Total Security uS sales banned since June 2024 with support ending September 29, 2024
- They diverge on capability: Cortex covers Service catalogue, Kaspersky Total Security covers Real-time protection.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Cortex and Kaspersky Total Security actually diverge.
| Attribute | Cortex | Kaspersky Total Security |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | On request | Free |
| Pricing model | quote | Unknown |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Web, API | Windows, macOS, iOS, Android |
| Category | Developer Tools | Cybersecurity |
| Founded | Unknown | 1997 |
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 Cortex
- Service catalogue
- Scorecards
- Initiatives
- Self-service templates
- Query language
- Eng intelligence
- Integrations layer
- On-call and ownership mapping
Only in Kaspersky Total Security
- Real-time protection
- Ransomware protection
- Safe Money
- Privacy protection
- Parental controls
- Password manager
- VPN
- File encryption
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 Kaspersky Total Security
- An organisation where ownership of production services is genuinely unknown after reorganisations or acquisitionsnot Kaspersky Total Security
- Enforcing production readiness standards on new services at creation time rather than at incident reviewnot Kaspersky Total Security
- Replacing a self-hosted Backstage that is consuming a full-time engineer or two just to stay upgradednot Kaspersky Total Security
Kaspersky Total Security
- Antivirusnot Cortex
- Internet Securitynot Cortex
- Parental Controlnot 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.
Kaspersky Total Security
- US sales banned since June 2024 with support ending September 29, 2024
- VPN limited to 200 MB per day and servers in only 24 countries
- Password manager has privacy concerns with questionable terms and policies
- VPN and password manager only included in Plus and Premium tiers, not in Standard
- Occasionally flags legitimate files as false positives
- Firewall leaves open ports on public networks
Pricing, plan by plan
Cortex
On request- Cortex$undefined/year
- Service catalogue and ownership mapping
- Scorecards and initiatives
- Self-service templates
Kaspersky Total Security
Free- FreeFree
- Basic antivirus
- No real-time protection
- Standard$38.99/year
- Antivirus
- Firewall
- Anti-phishing
- Plus$52.99/year
- Standard features
- Password manager
- VPN with limit
- Premium$74.99/year
- Plus features
- Identity protection
- Unlimited VPN
Which should you pick?
Choose Cortex if
- You need service catalogue.
- You work on Web, API.
- You also want scorecards.
Choose Kaspersky Total Security if
- You need real-time protection.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android.
- You also want ransomware protection.
Questions people ask
- Is Cortex or Kaspersky Total Security better?
- Neither clearly leads. Cortex starts at On request and Kaspersky Total Security at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Cortex or Kaspersky Total Security?
- Kaspersky Total Security has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Cortex and Free for Kaspersky Total Security.
- Does Cortex or Kaspersky Total Security run on more platforms?
- Cortex runs on Web, API. Kaspersky Total Security runs on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android.
- Can I use Kaspersky Total Security for free?
- Yes. Kaspersky Total Security 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 Kaspersky Total Security is typically brought in for.
- What can Cortex do that Kaspersky Total Security cannot?
- Cortex covers Service catalogue, Scorecards, Initiatives, Self-service templates. Kaspersky Total Security covers Real-time protection, Ransomware protection, Safe Money, Privacy protection.
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.
Kaspersky Total Security: What does Kaspersky Total Security include?
Kaspersky Total Security (Premium tier) includes antivirus, firewall, password manager, VPN with 200 MB daily limit, parental controls (Kaspersky Safe Kids), and anti-ransomware protection.
SourceCortex: Is pricing published?
No. Cortex requires a sales conversation and prepares a custom proposal.
Kaspersky Total Security: How much does Kaspersky Total Security cost?
Kaspersky Standard costs $38.99/year for 3 devices. Plus tier is $52.99/year for 5 devices. Premium is $74.99/year for 10 devices. Multi-year discounts available.
SourceCortex: Can it self-host?
It is offered as a hosted product; on-premise arrangements are handled through sales rather than published.
Kaspersky Total Security: Is Kaspersky available in the United States?
No. The U.S. government banned Kaspersky software sales in June 2024, with support and software updates ceasing September 29, 2024, citing national security concerns regarding Russian government ties.
SourceCortex: 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.
Kaspersky Total Security: Does Kaspersky have parental controls?
Yes. Premium and Plus tiers include one year free access to Kaspersky Safe Kids parental controls app, which provides activity reports, app monitoring, usage limits, and geo-fencing with location tracking.
SourceKaspersky Total Security: How much does the VPN provide?
Kaspersky's free VPN (Kaspersky Secure Connection) offers only 200 MB per day of traffic, limiting data usage. Full VPN is included in Plus and Premium plans but with limited servers in only 24 countries.
SourceRelated pages
More on Kaspersky Total Security
Other head to heads
- Cortex vs Backstage
- Cortex vs OpsLevel
- Cortex vs Earthly
- Cortex vs Spacelift
- Cortex vs Atlantis
- Cortex vs Depot
- Cortex vs Nix
- Cortex vs SonarQube
- Cortex vs Keycloak
- Cortex vs Ona (formerly Gitpod)
- Cortex vs Vite
- Cortex vs Bazel
- Cortex vs Dagger
- Cortex vs Deep Code
- Cortex vs Deno
- Cortex vs Fig
- Cortex vs Frappe
- Cortex vs Git
- Cortex vs Norton 360
- Cortex vs ESET NOD32 Antivirus
- Cortex vs Bitdefender Total Security
- Cortex vs McAfee Total Protection
- Cortex vs Avast One
- Cortex vs Surfshark
- Cortex vs 1Password
- Cortex vs Malwarebytes
- Cortex vs Sticky Password
- Cortex vs LastPass
- Cortex vs Enpass
- Cortex vs Keeper Password Manager
- Cortex vs iDenfy
- Cortex vs IDnow
- Cortex vs Jumio
- Cortex vs LogicManager
- Cortex vs Mullvad VPN
- Cortex vs Private Internet Access
- Kaspersky Total Security vs Backstage
- Kaspersky Total Security vs OpsLevel
- Kaspersky Total Security vs Earthly
- Kaspersky Total Security vs Spacelift
- Kaspersky Total Security vs Atlantis
- Kaspersky Total Security vs Depot
- Kaspersky Total Security vs Nix
- Kaspersky Total Security vs SonarQube
- Kaspersky Total Security vs Keycloak
- Kaspersky Total Security vs Ona (formerly Gitpod)
- Kaspersky Total Security vs Vite
- Kaspersky Total Security vs Bazel
- Kaspersky Total Security vs Dagger
- Kaspersky Total Security vs Deep Code
- Kaspersky Total Security vs Deno
- Kaspersky Total Security vs Fig
- Kaspersky Total Security vs Frappe
- Kaspersky Total Security vs Git
- Kaspersky Total Security vs Norton 360
- Kaspersky Total Security vs ESET NOD32 Antivirus
- Kaspersky Total Security vs Bitdefender Total Security
- Kaspersky Total Security vs McAfee Total Protection
- Kaspersky Total Security vs Avast One
- Kaspersky Total Security vs Surfshark
- Kaspersky Total Security vs 1Password
- Kaspersky Total Security vs Malwarebytes
- Kaspersky Total Security vs Sticky Password
- Kaspersky Total Security vs LastPass
- Kaspersky Total Security vs Enpass
- Kaspersky Total Security vs Keeper Password Manager
- Kaspersky Total Security vs iDenfy
- Kaspersky Total Security vs IDnow
- Kaspersky Total Security vs Jumio
- Kaspersky Total Security vs LogicManager
- Kaspersky Total Security vs Mullvad VPN
- Kaspersky Total Security vs Private Internet Access