Suggestions appear as you type. Use the up and down arrows to choose one and Enter to open it.

This page's audience our own tag's counts — open to see them
–Visits
–Page views
–Clicks to vendors
–Time on page
–Reading now
Clicks to vendors, by tool
  • –
Top countries
  • –
Devices
  • –

– · visits, page views and clicks counted by our own tag, which counts more than our checked analytics; every figure rounded down · how we count

Head-to-head · Internal Developer Portals

Backstage vs Roadie

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 6 checks side by side
Higher score Backstage #1 in Internal Developer Portals 9.4/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 5 of 5 features Visit Backstage
Roadie #5 in Internal Developer Portals 8.9/10 45-day trial Free trial✓ 5 of 5 features Visit Roadie

Backstage leads on 1 check, Roadie on 0, and 5 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 6 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreBackstage · 9.4/10
  • Free planonly Backstage
  • Free trialonly Roadie

Backstage scores higher on our rubric for internal developer portals: 9.4 against 8.9 out of 10; our editors rank them #1 and #5.

Backstage offers free plan; Roadie doesn't. On deployment model, Roadie gives you Both where Backstage offers Self-hosted.

Backstage is the better fit for teams wanting a flexible open-source portal. Roadie is the better fit for teams wanting managed Backstage with integrations.

  • Backstage fits best

    Teams wanting a flexible open-source portal

  • Roadie fits best

    Teams wanting managed Backstage with integrations

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature Backstage 9.4/10 Visit ↗ Roadie 8.9/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.4 8.9
Ranking #1 in Internal Developer Portals #5 in Internal Developer Portals
Best for Teams wanting a flexible open-source portal Teams wanting managed Backstage with integrations
Pricing model Free Paid
Starting price Free plan $24/user/mo
Free plan ✓ (best) —
Free trial — 45 days
Deployment Self-hosted Cloud, Self-hosted
Platforms Web Web
Support Community, Docs Docs
Integrations 5 integrations 15 integrations
Built for Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Backstage 5/5 · Roadie 5/5
Software catalog ✓ ✓
Self-service workflows ✓ ✓
Engineering scorecards ✓ ✓
Kubernetes support ✓ ✓
Ownership documentation ✓ ✓
Specs
Deployment model Self-hosted Both
Our review
Pros
  • Searchable catalog covers services, APIs, libraries, infrastructure, and ownership
  • Templates standardize component creation and repository publishing
  • TechDocs, Kubernetes support, permissions, and plugins support platform teams
  • Searchable catalog for services, APIs, teams, users, and software assets
  • Self-service templates, TechDocs, API specifications, and scorecards
  • Kubernetes visibility, private connectivity, RBAC, and 75+ plugins
Cons
  • Self-hosted deployment requires implementation and ongoing operational effort
  • The broad plugin model can require more configuration than narrower portals
  • Scorecards are available through plugins rather than as a core feature
  • No free plan is available
  • Growth and Enterprise Context use custom pricing
  • Roadie Local is documented as a self-hosted beta product
Our verdict

Backstage is an open-source framework for building internal developer portals. It is aimed at developers, platform engineers, and engineering managers who need a central way to catalog services, APIs, libraries, infrastructure, and…

Read the review →

Roadie is a cloud-based internal developer portal built on Backstage for engineering organizations. It brings services, APIs, teams, users, and related software assets into a searchable catalog, while adding TechDocs, API specifications,…

Read the review →
  1. BackstageInternal Developer Portals 9.4Free plan
  2. RoadieInternal Developer Portals 8.945-day trial

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Backstage — where it wins

    • Searchable catalog covers services, APIs, libraries, infrastructure, and ownership
    • Templates standardize component creation and repository publishing
    • TechDocs, Kubernetes support, permissions, and plugins support platform teams

    Where it doesn't

    • Self-hosted deployment requires implementation and ongoing operational effort
    • The broad plugin model can require more configuration than narrower portals
    • Scorecards are available through plugins rather than as a core feature

  • Roadie — where it wins

    • Searchable catalog for services, APIs, teams, users, and software assets
    • Self-service templates, TechDocs, API specifications, and scorecards
    • Kubernetes visibility, private connectivity, RBAC, and 75+ plugins

    Where it doesn't

    • No free plan is available
    • Growth and Enterprise Context use custom pricing
    • Roadie Local is documented as a self-hosted beta product
  • Backstage9.4/10 · Free plan

    A flexible self-hosted portal for cataloging software and enabling developer self-service.

    Visit BackstageFull verdict →
  • Roadie8.9/10 · 45-day trial

    Managed Backstage with catalog, automation, documentation, scorecards, and integrations.

    Visit RoadieFull verdict →

More comparisons

All internal developer portals comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update