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Cortex vs Keeper Password Manager

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
Keeper Password Manager logo

Keeper Password Manager

Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity starts here

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Keeper Password Manager 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.; Keeper Password Manager free tier limited to 10 passwords on one device only
  • They diverge on capability: Cortex covers Service catalogue, Keeper Password Manager covers Zero-knowledge security.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Cortex and Keeper Password Manager actually diverge.

Attributes where Cortex and Keeper Password Manager differ
AttributeCortexKeeper Password Manager
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquoteUnknown
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, APIWeb, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS
CategoryDeveloper ToolsCybersecurity
FoundedUnknown2011

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 Keeper Password Manager

  • Zero-knowledge security
  • Password vault
  • BreachWatch dark web monitoring
  • Secure file storage
  • One-time share
  • Emergency access
  • Passkey support
  • Secrets Manager

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

Keeper Password Manager

  • Password Managernot Cortex
  • Secrets Managementnot Cortex
  • Privileged Accessnot 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.

Keeper Password Manager

  • Free tier limited to 10 passwords on one device only
  • Personal and Family plans lack team collaboration features
  • Higher per-user cost for small teams compared to some competitors

Pricing, plan by plan

Cortex

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

Keeper Password Manager

Free
  • Personal$34.99/year
  • Family$74.99/year
  • Business Starter$2/user per month
  • Business$3.75/user per month

Which should you pick?

Choose Cortex if

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

Choose Keeper Password Manager if

  • You need zero-knowledge security.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS.
  • You also want password vault.
Keeper Password Manager review

Questions people ask

Is Cortex or Keeper Password Manager better?
Neither clearly leads. Cortex starts at On request and Keeper Password Manager at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Cortex or Keeper Password Manager?
Keeper Password Manager has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Cortex and Free for Keeper Password Manager.
Does Cortex or Keeper Password Manager run on more platforms?
Cortex runs on Web, API. Keeper Password Manager runs on Web, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS.
Can I use Keeper Password Manager for free?
Yes. Keeper Password Manager 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 Keeper Password Manager is typically brought in for.
What can Cortex do that Keeper Password Manager cannot?
Cortex covers Service catalogue, Scorecards, Initiatives, Self-service templates. Keeper Password Manager covers Zero-knowledge security, Password vault, BreachWatch dark web monitoring, Secure file storage.

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.

Keeper Password Manager: Does Keeper offer a free tier?

Keeper's free version stores only 10 passwords on a single mobile device with no cross-device sync and is effectively a trial.

Source
Cortex: Is pricing published?

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

Keeper Password Manager: What does Keeper Business cost?

Keeper Business Starter costs $2 per user per month for 5-10 users. Keeper Business costs $3.75 per user per month for unlimited users.

Source
Cortex: Can it self-host?

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

Keeper Password Manager: Does Keeper Enterprise include SSO?

Yes. Keeper Enterprise includes single sign-on capabilities along with compliance and reporting features at $6 per user per month.

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.

Keeper Password Manager: What security features does Keeper include?

Keeper uses zero-knowledge encryption where the company cannot access passwords, plus advanced features like privileged access management and session recording on Enterprise Plus.

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