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Developer Tools · head to head

Cortex vs Tuta

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
Tuta logo

Tuta

Cybersecurity

Secure, green and ad-free. Email to feel good about.

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Tuta 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.; Tuta individual plan pricing only shown in EUR; no USD conversion provided on site
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Cortex and Tuta actually diverge.

Attributes where Cortex and Tuta differ
AttributeCortexTuta
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquotefreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, APIWeb
CategoryDeveloper ToolsCybersecurity

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 Tuta

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

Tuta

  • Private encrypted email communicationnot Cortex
  • Users valuing end-to-end encryption and zero-knowledge architecturenot Cortex
  • Individuals seeking open-source email clientsnot Cortex
  • Organizations requiring quantum-resistant encryptionnot 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.

Tuta

  • Individual plan pricing only shown in EUR; no USD conversion provided on site
  • Family plan pricing separate (EUR 3 or EUR 8 per additional user) not included in main pricing
  • Shared mailboxes require additional EUR 3-8 monthly charges

Pricing, plan by plan

Cortex

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

Tuta

Free
  • Free PlanFree
    • 1 GB storage
    • 1 calendar
    • 3 labels
  • Revolutionary Plan$3/month
    • 20 GB storage
    • 15 email aliases
    • 3 custom domains
  • Legend Plan$8/month
    • 500 GB storage
    • 30 email aliases
    • 10 custom domains

Which should you pick?

Choose Cortex if

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

Choose Tuta if

  • You want to start without paying.
Tuta review

Questions people ask

Is Cortex or Tuta better?
Neither clearly leads. Cortex starts at On request and Tuta at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Cortex or Tuta?
Tuta has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Cortex and Free for Tuta.
Does Cortex or Tuta run on more platforms?
Cortex runs on Web, API. Tuta runs on Web.
Can I use Tuta for free?
Yes. Tuta 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 Tuta is typically brought in for.
What can Cortex do that Tuta 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.

Tuta: How much does Tuta email cost?

Tuta offers a free plan with 1 GB storage. Paid plans are EUR 3/month (Revolutionary) with 20 GB storage and 15 email aliases, and EUR 8/month (Legend) with 500 GB storage and 30 email aliases. Family plan add-ons cost EUR 3-8 per additional mailbox member monthly.

Source
Cortex: Is pricing published?

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

Tuta: Is there a free email plan with Tuta?

Yes, Tuta's free plan includes 1 GB of storage, one calendar, three labels, and full end-to-end encryption security features with no custom domains or email aliases.

Source
Cortex: Can it self-host?

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

Tuta: What are the limits on Tuta's free email plan?

The free plan provides 1 GB storage, access to one calendar, three labels maximum, and no support for custom domains or additional email aliases.

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.

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