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Databases · head to head

Neo4j vs OpsLevel

Neo4j logo

Neo4j

Databases

Graph database

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit Neo4jFull review
OpsLevel logo

OpsLevel

Developer Tools

Internal developer portal that scores service ownership and production readiness

From
On request
Free plan
No
Visit OpsLevelFull review

The short version

  • Neo4j is a native graph database.
  • Neo4j starts at $65/mo; OpsLevel prices on request.
  • Only Neo4j lists native Graph Storage; only OpsLevel lists service catalogue.
  • Where Neo4j falls short: AuraDB Free has no service availability SLA, no backups and no point-in-time recovery.
  • Prices and features on this page were last checked on 13 November 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Neo4j and OpsLevel actually diverge.

Attributes where Neo4j and OpsLevel differ
AttributeNeo4jOpsLevel
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelFreemiumQuote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsLinux, Windows, macOS, Self-hosted, WebWeb
CategoryDatabasesDeveloper Tools

Not yet recorded: founded for OpsLevel.

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 Neo4j

  • Native Graph Storage
  • Cypher Query Language
  • ACID Transactions
  • High Availability
  • Graph Data Science
  • Full-text Search
  • Native Indexes
  • GraphQL

Only in OpsLevel

  • Service catalogue
  • Scorecards and rubric
  • Checks
  • Campaigns
  • Self-service actions
  • Slack and Teams integration
  • Catalogue auto-enrichment
  • Deployment on request

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Neo4j

  • Graph database for learning and explorationnot OpsLevel
  • Production workloads requiring high availability and multi-zone redundancynot OpsLevel
  • Enterprise deployments needing custom infrastructurenot OpsLevel

OpsLevel

  • A platform team that needs to prove every production service has a named owner and an on-call rota before an auditnot Neo4j
  • Driving a fleet-wide migration such as a runtime upgrade across 400 services with a deadline and visible progressnot Neo4j
  • Giving developers a paved road to create a new service from a template without waiting on the platform teamnot Neo4j
  • An organisation where an incident took an hour to route because nobody could identify the owning teamnot Neo4j

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Neo4j

  • AuraDB Free has no service availability SLA, no backups and no point-in-time recovery
  • AuraDB Free imposes limits on node and relationship counts and runs single-zone only
  • SSO authentication and role-based access control are excluded from AuraDB Free and AuraDB Professional, starting only at Business Critical at $146 per GB per month with a 2GB minimum cluster
  • AuraDB Professional starts at $65 per GB per month with a minimum 1GB cluster and caps at 128GB memory per instance
  • AuraDB Professional backups are daily with only 7-day retention, against 30 days on Business Critical
  • Customer managed keys and private endpoints are available only on AuraDB Virtual Dedicated Cloud, which is quote only with no published price
  • Change data capture, query log forwarding, secondaries and access to Neo4j Professional Services are excluded below the Business Critical tier
  • Support on AuraDB Free is community only and AuraDB Professional is best effort, with 24x7 one-hour response starting at Business Critical
  • AuraDB Virtual Dedicated Cloud is sold on prepaid contract terms with enterprise commercial negotiation rather than self-serve card payment

OpsLevel

  • OpsLevel does not publish prices at all, not even a starting figure, so you cannot size a budget or compare against Backstage's zero licence cost without entering a sales cycle
  • The Standard plan caps at 50 users, which is below the size at which service ownership becomes a real problem, so most genuine buyers land on Enterprise and its unpublished pricing
  • Scores are only as honest as the metadata teams maintain; where ownership records go stale the rubric produces confident numbers about a catalogue that no longer reflects reality, and leadership acts on them
  • It reports on quality rather than producing it, so it can generate friction between platform teams who set the rubric and product teams who see it as a scoreboard imposed on them without extra headcount to fix the findings
  • As a hosted product it needs read access to source control, cloud accounts and observability tooling, which is a meaningful vendor review in regulated environments; on-premises exists but only on the Enterprise tier

Pricing, plan by plan

Neo4j

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Learning and exploration access
    • No credit card required
    • All graph tools included
  • AuraDB Professional$65/gb/month
    • 1GB minimum cluster
    • Hourly billing available ($0.09/hour for 1GB)
    • Daily backups with 7-day retention
  • AuraDB Business Critical$146/gb/month
    • 2GB minimum cluster
    • Hourly billing available ($0.40/hour for 2GB)
    • Up to 512GB maximum
  • Virtual Dedicated CloudOn request
    • Custom pricing via sales contact
    • Dedicated VPC infrastructure
    • Hourly backups with 60-day retention

OpsLevel

On request
  • StandardOn request
    • Up to 50 users
    • Unlimited catalogued components
    • Scorecards, campaigns and the global rubric
  • EnterpriseOn request
    • Unlimited users
    • Custom integrations
    • Customisable dashboards

Which should you pick?

Choose Neo4j if

  • You need native graph storage.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Windows, macOS, Self-hosted, Web.
  • You also want cypher query language.
Neo4j review

Choose OpsLevel if

  • You need service catalogue.
  • You also want scorecards and rubric.
OpsLevel review

Questions people ask

Is Neo4j or OpsLevel better?
Neither clearly leads. Neo4j starts at Free and OpsLevel at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Neo4j or OpsLevel?
Neo4j has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Neo4j and On request for OpsLevel.
Does Neo4j or OpsLevel run on more platforms?
Neo4j runs on Linux, Windows, macOS, Self-hosted, Web. OpsLevel runs on Web.
Can I use Neo4j for free?
Yes. Neo4j has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. OpsLevel starts at On request.
What is Neo4j best used for?
Neo4j is most often used for graph database for learning and exploration, production workloads requiring high availability and multi-zone redundancy, enterprise deployments needing custom infrastructure. Of those, graph database for learning and exploration and production workloads requiring high availability and multi-zone redundancy are not what OpsLevel is typically brought in for.
What can Neo4j do that OpsLevel cannot?
Neo4j covers Native Graph Storage, Cypher Query Language, ACID Transactions, High Availability. OpsLevel covers Service catalogue, Scorecards and rubric, Checks, Campaigns.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Neo4j: Is Neo4j free?

Neo4j offers a free tier (AuraDB Free) for learning and exploration with no credit card required. Community Edition is also free and GPL3-licensed. Paid tiers start at $65/GB per month for AuraDB Professional.

Source
OpsLevel: How much does OpsLevel cost?

It does not publish pricing. Billing is per developer using the portal, with volume discounts, and a quote requires a sales conversation.

Neo4j: What does Neo4j's Professional tier include?

AuraDB Professional costs $65/GB per month with a 1GB minimum cluster, includes daily backups with 7-day retention, single-zone availability, and best-effort support. Hourly billing is available at $0.09/hour per GB.

Source
OpsLevel: How does it compare with Backstage?

Backstage has no licence fee but you staff a team to build and run it. OpsLevel is hosted with checks, campaigns and scorecards out of the box, and you pay per developer instead.

Neo4j: What is Neo4j's most advanced pricing tier?

AuraDB Business Critical costs $146/GB per month with a 2GB minimum and includes multi-zone redundancy, 99.95% uptime SLA, 24/7 premium support with one-hour response times, and point-in-time recovery.

Source
OpsLevel: Does it require writing catalogue YAML by hand?

No. It auto-discovers and enriches entries from connected systems, though teams still curate ownership and metadata.

OpsLevel: Can it run on premises?

Yes, but only on the Enterprise plan.

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