Side by side
Backstage vs configure8
Both stand on internal developer platforms. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan APILinuxMac+2
Backstage brings a software catalog, documentation, templates, search, and integrations into a customizable developer portal. Organizations should plan for self-hosting and a protected deployment environment.
Visit Backstage
Free plan APISelf-hostedWeb
Configure8 brings engineering resources, standards checks, and self-service actions into a developer portal. Its free tier has specific user, volume, and cloud-cost limits; paid plans start at $19 per user per month billed annually.
Visit configure8The facts
| Backstage | configure8 | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | API, Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Web | API, Self-hosted, Web |
| Lowest paid plan | Free or on request | Enterprise: $228 a year |
| Plans published | 1 | 4 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | backstage.io | configure8.io |
| On internal developer platforms | #1 of 27 | #3 of 27 |
Backstage: what it does well
- Free, open-source framework.
- Catalog tracks software ownership and metadata.
- Templates publish generated projects to GitHub or GitLab.
- TechDocs keeps documentation close to code.
- Kubernetes feature aggregates service deployments.
What to know first
- Self-hosted deployment required.
- Standalone demo setup is not production-ready.
- Minimum requirements include 20 GB disk and 6 GB memory.
- Denial-of-service protection is described as rudimentary.
configure8: what it does well
- Catalog organizes multiple kinds of engineering resources.
- No-code interface supports provisioning and maintenance actions.
- Scorecards use built-in or custom checks.
- API can ingest data from other tools.
- Free plan includes unlimited catalog users and integrations.
What to know first
- Free scorecards and self-service actions are limited to 10 users each.
- Free self-service volume is limited monthly.
- Free plan caps tracked cloud costs at $7,500.
- Paid plans start at $19 per user per month billed annually.
Alternatives to Backstage Alternatives to configure8 The whole list