Developer Tools · head to head
Cortex vs Proton Mail
Cortex
Developer Tools
Internal developer portal that scores service ownership and maturity rather than just cataloguing services
- From
- On request
- Free plan
- No
Proton Mail
Cybersecurity
Secure email that protects your privacy
- From
- Free
- Free plan
- Yes
The short version
- Only Proton Mail 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.; Proton Mail paid plan pricing not displayed on vendor site
- Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Cortex and Proton Mail actually diverge.
| Attribute | Cortex | Proton Mail |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | On request | Free |
| Pricing model | quote | freemium |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Web, API | Web |
| Category | Developer Tools | Cybersecurity |
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 Proton Mail
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 Proton Mail
- An organisation where ownership of production services is genuinely unknown after reorganisations or acquisitionsnot Proton Mail
- Enforcing production readiness standards on new services at creation time rather than at incident reviewnot Proton Mail
- Replacing a self-hosted Backstage that is consuming a full-time engineer or two just to stay upgradednot Proton Mail
Proton Mail
- Encrypted email communicationnot Cortex
- Privacy-focused email servicenot Cortex
- Family email protectionnot 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.
Proton Mail
- Paid plan pricing not displayed on vendor site
- Free tier limited to 1 GB storage
- Free tier limited to single email address
Pricing, plan by plan
Cortex
On request- Cortex$undefined/year
- Service catalogue and ownership mapping
- Scorecards and initiatives
- Self-service templates
Proton Mail
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Proton Mail review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Cortex if
- You need service catalogue.
- You work on Web, API.
- You also want scorecards.
Questions people ask
- Is Cortex or Proton Mail better?
- Neither clearly leads. Cortex starts at On request and Proton Mail at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Cortex or Proton Mail?
- Proton Mail has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Cortex and Free for Proton Mail.
- Does Cortex or Proton Mail run on more platforms?
- Cortex runs on Web, API. Proton Mail runs on Web.
- Can I use Proton Mail for free?
- Yes. Proton Mail 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 Proton Mail is typically brought in for.
- What can Cortex do that Proton Mail 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.
Proton Mail: Is there a free version of Proton Mail?
Yes, Proton Mail offers a free plan with 1 GB storage, 1 encrypted email address, and basic features like folders, labels, and filters.
SourceCortex: Is pricing published?
No. Cortex requires a sales conversation and prepares a custom proposal.
Proton Mail: What does the Mail Plus plan include?
Mail Plus includes 15 GB storage, 10 encrypted email addresses, support for 1 custom domain, 10 hide-my-email aliases, priority support, and access to Proton Calendar.
SourceCortex: Can it self-host?
It is offered as a hosted product; on-premise arrangements are handled through sales rather than published.
Proton Mail: What is included in Proton Unlimited?
Proton Unlimited provides 500 GB storage, 15 email addresses, 3 custom domains, unlimited hide-my-email aliases, access to Mail, Calendar, VPN, Drive, and Pass, plus dedicated support.
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.
Proton Mail: Does Proton Mail offer a money-back guarantee?
Yes, Proton Mail provides a 30-day money-back guarantee for paid plans.
SourceRelated pages
More on Proton Mail
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- Proton Mail vs 1Password
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- Proton Mail vs Aikido
- Proton Mail vs Arnica
- Proton Mail vs Authelia
- Proton Mail vs Authy
- Proton Mail vs Baffle