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Developer Tools · head to head

Cortex vs ProofHub

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
ProofHub logo

ProofHub

Project Management

All-in-one project management and team collaboration

From
$45/month
Free plan
No
Visit ProofHubFull review

The short version

  • ProofHub is an all-in-one project management and team collaboration software.
  • ProofHub starts at $45/mo; Cortex prices on request.
  • Only Cortex lists service catalogue; only ProofHub lists time tracking.
  • Where ProofHub falls short: the Ultimate Control plan advertises $89 a month for the first 3 months and then charges $135, so the headline is an introductory rate.
  • Prices and features on this page were last checked on 13 November 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Cortex and ProofHub actually diverge.

Attributes where Cortex and ProofHub differ
AttributeCortexProofHub
Starting priceOn request$45/month
Pricing modelQuoteSubscription
PlatformsWeb, APIWeb, iOS, Android
CategoryDeveloper ToolsProject Management

Identical on both: free tier (No).

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 ProofHub

  • Tasks
  • Discussions
  • Proofing
  • Time tracking
  • Gantt charts
  • Slack
  • Google Drive
  • Dropbox

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

ProofHub

  • Project management for teamsnot Cortex
  • Resource planning and reportingnot Cortex
  • Collaborative workflow managementnot 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

ProofHub

  • The Ultimate Control plan advertises $89 a month for the first 3 months and then charges $135, so the headline is an introductory rate
  • The Essential plan caps projects at 40 and storage at 15 GB
  • Storage is 100 GB even on the higher plan, which is low for a tool holding project files
  • There is no free tier, and the entry price is a flat $45 a month billed annually

Pricing, plan by plan

Cortex

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

ProofHub

$45/month
  • Essential$45/mo
    • 40 projects
    • Unlimited users
    • 15GB storage
  • Ultimate Control$89/mo
    • Unlimited projects
    • Unlimited users
    • 100GB storage

Which should you pick?

Choose Cortex if

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

Choose ProofHub if

  • You need tasks.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want discussions.
ProofHub review

Questions people ask

Is Cortex or ProofHub better?
Neither clearly leads. Cortex starts at On request and ProofHub at $45/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Cortex or ProofHub?
Cortex starts at On request and ProofHub at $45/month.
Does Cortex or ProofHub run on more platforms?
Cortex runs on Web, API. ProofHub runs on Web, iOS, Android.
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 ProofHub is typically brought in for.
What can Cortex do that ProofHub cannot?
Cortex covers Service catalogue, Scorecards, Initiatives, Self-service templates. ProofHub covers Tasks, Discussions, Proofing, Time tracking.

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.

ProofHub: How much does ProofHub cost?

ProofHub offers two plans: Essential at $45/month (annual) or $50/month (monthly), and Ultimate Control at $89/month (first 3 months) or $135/month thereafter (annual billing).

Source
Cortex: Is pricing published?

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

ProofHub: Are per-user fees required with ProofHub?

No. ProofHub includes unlimited users in both Essential and Ultimate Control plans. There are no per-user fees regardless of team size.

Source
Cortex: Can it self-host?

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

ProofHub: Does ProofHub offer a free trial?

Yes, ProofHub provides a 14-day free trial with no credit card required. You can explore all features before committing.

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.

ProofHub: Can I cancel ProofHub anytime?

Yes. ProofHub has no long-term contracts. You can cancel anytime and switch billing between annual and monthly plans.

Source
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