Softwr

Developer Tools · head to head

Cortex vs Preset

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
Preset logo

Preset

Business Intelligence

Managed Apache Superset

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit PresetFull review

The short version

  • Preset starts at $25/user/mo; Cortex prices on request.
  • Only Cortex lists service catalogue; only Preset lists managed Superset.
  • Where Preset falls short: limited SQL IDE advanced features compared to specialized query tools.
  • Prices and features on this page were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Cortex and Preset actually diverge.

Attributes where Cortex and Preset differ
AttributeCortexPreset
Starting priceOn requestFree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, APIWeb
CategoryDeveloper ToolsBusiness Intelligence

Not yet recorded: pricing model for Preset, 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 Preset

  • Managed Superset
  • Auto-scaling
  • Enterprise Security
  • Custom Branding
  • API Access
  • Snowflake
  • BigQuery
  • Redshift

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

Preset

  • Self-service analyticsnot Cortex
  • Data explorationnot Cortex
  • Ad-hoc reportingnot Cortex
  • Collaborative analysisnot Cortex
  • Embedded analyticsnot 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

Preset

  • Limited SQL IDE advanced features compared to specialized query tools
  • Viewer licenses add substantial cost for embedded analytics deployments
  • Dataset-centric approach requires preprocessing by data teams for some use cases

Pricing, plan by plan

Cortex

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

Preset

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Preset review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Cortex if

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

Choose Preset if

  • You need managed superset.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want auto-scaling.
Preset review

Questions people ask

Is Cortex or Preset better?
Neither clearly leads. Cortex starts at On request and Preset at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Cortex or Preset?
Preset has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Cortex and Free for Preset.
Does Cortex or Preset run on more platforms?
Cortex runs on Web, API. Preset runs on Web.
Can I use Preset for free?
Yes. Preset 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 Preset is typically brought in for.
What can Cortex do that Preset cannot?
Cortex covers Service catalogue, Scorecards, Initiatives, Self-service templates. Preset covers Managed Superset, Auto-scaling, Enterprise Security, Custom Branding.

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.

Preset: Is Preset free?

Preset offers a free tier for small teams called Starter with 5 users and no credit card required. Paid plans start at $25 per user per month.

Source
Cortex: Is pricing published?

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

Preset: Can I export my data from Preset?

Yes. Preset uses Apache Superset and the founders contribute over 75% of commits to the open-source project, enabling migration to Superset without vendor lock-in.

Source
Cortex: Can it self-host?

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

Preset: Does Preset include embedded analytics?

Yes. Embedded dashboards are available on Professional and Enterprise plans, with viewer licenses starting at $500 per month for 50 licenses.

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.

Preset: What is the enterprise pricing for Preset?

Enterprise plans are custom quoted. The median buyer pays $35,495 per year.

Source
Preset: Does Preset support AI-powered analytics?

Yes. As of 2026, Preset includes an AI Chatbot and MCP (Model Context Protocol) integration for building charts and dashboards via natural language.

Source
Share

Related pages

More on Cortex

More on Preset

Keep looking

Other head to heads