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Developer Tools · head to head

Cortex vs Visor

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
Visor logo

Visor

Project Management

The spreadsheet-native project management tool

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit VisorFull review

The short version

  • Visor is a spreadsheet-native project management tool.
  • Visor starts at $18/mo; Cortex prices on request.
  • Only Cortex lists service catalogue; only Visor lists two-way sync.
  • Where Visor falls short: syncing is metered in credits, at 10,000 a month shared on free and 50,000 on Starter.
  • Prices and features on this page were last checked on 13 November 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Cortex and Visor actually diverge.

Attributes where Cortex and Visor differ
AttributeCortexVisor
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelQuoteFreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, APIWeb
CategoryDeveloper ToolsProject Management

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 Visor

  • Two-way sync
  • Spreadsheet views
  • Gantt charts
  • Pivot tables
  • Custom fields
  • Jira
  • Asana
  • Salesforce

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

Visor

  • Project and portfolio managementnot Cortex
  • Team collaborationnot Cortex
  • Data organization and reportingnot Cortex
  • Workflow automationnot 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

Visor

  • Integrations are capped by plan, at 1 on free, 2 on Starter and 3 on Team, so connecting Jira, Salesforce and HubSpot together needs the top tier
  • Syncing is metered in credits, at 10,000 a month shared on free and 50,000 on Starter
  • Extra credits are sold in booster packs at $50 for 250,000
  • The free plan is limited to 2 workbooks and 5 users
  • The flat rate Business plan is $750 a month billed annually

Pricing, plan by plan

Cortex

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

Visor

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Table and Board views only
    • Max 2 workbooks
    • Max 5 workspace members
  • Starter$18/mo
    • Gantt, Timeline and Dashboard views
    • Milestones and Jira dependencies
    • Up to 500 records per workbook
  • Team$24/mo
    • Unlimited free viewers
    • Unlimited workbooks
    • Private workbooks
  • Business$750/mo
    • Flat rate for up to 100 editors
    • Unlimited free viewers
    • 2,000,000 shared sync credits 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 Visor if

  • You need two-way sync.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want spreadsheet views.
Visor review

Questions people ask

Is Cortex or Visor better?
Neither clearly leads. Cortex starts at On request and Visor at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Cortex or Visor?
Visor has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Cortex and Free for Visor.
Does Cortex or Visor run on more platforms?
Cortex runs on Web, API. Visor runs on Web.
Can I use Visor for free?
Yes. Visor 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 Visor is typically brought in for.
What can Cortex do that Visor cannot?
Cortex covers Service catalogue, Scorecards, Initiatives, Self-service templates. Visor covers Two-way sync, Spreadsheet views, Gantt charts, Pivot tables.

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.

Visor: How many workbooks and records can I have on each Visor plan?

The Free plan allows up to 2 workbooks with 250 records each. Starter includes up to 10 workbooks with 500 records each. Team and Business plans offer unlimited workbooks, with Team supporting 1,000 records per workbook and Business supporting the highest capacity.

Source
Cortex: Is pricing published?

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

Visor: What are sync credits in Visor and how many do I get?

Sync credits enable real-time synchronization between workbooks and external data sources. Free includes 10,000 credits per month, Starter gets 50,000, Team gets 100,000 per license, and Business includes 2,000,000 per month. Additional credits available for $37.50 per 250,000 credits annually.

Source
Cortex: Can it self-host?

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

Visor: How many workspace members and viewers are included in each plan?

Free plan allows 5 workspace members maximum. Starter supports up to 10 workspace members plus free viewer-only members. Team and Business plans include unlimited workspace members and unlimited free viewer-only members for sharing read-only access.

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.

Visor: What is the difference between Visor's per-user and Business flat-rate pricing?

Free, Starter, and Team are priced per user at $0, $18, and $24 per month respectively. Business is a flat rate of $750 per month and covers up to 100 editors with unlimited free viewers, making it cost-effective for large teams.

Source
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