Build or buy?
Spotify Portal vs Backstage Open Source
It’s about time you adopted an internal developer portal — but should you build or buy one? Here’s how building with Backstage open source compares to Spotify Portal, our SaaS version of Backstage, to help you choose the right fit for your organization’s needs and resources.
Spotify Portal
Backstage Open Source
Time to Value
Hosting
Spotify Portal🚀 Cloud-hosted, managed by Spotify
Backstage Open Source🛠️ Self-hosted, maintained by your team
Setup Time
Spotify Portal🚀 Minutes, just log in to get started
Backstage Open Source🛠️ Anywhere from days to months to design, build, test
Onboarding Experience
Spotify Portal🚀 Includes no-code setup guides, onboarding wizards, and plugin installation
Backstage Open Source🛠️ Manual, code-based setup and configuration, requiring engineering expertise
Customization & Flexibility
Customization Level
Spotify Portal🚀 Opinionated UX/UI designed by Spotify
Backstage Open Source🛠️ Customizable architecture and UX/UI
Plugins
Spotify Portal🚀 Supports no-code installation of community and custom plugins
Backstage Open Source🛠️ Supports community and custom plugins
Theming
Spotify Portal🚀 Spotify-themed
Backstage Open Source🛠️ Customizable theming and branding
Features & Out-of-the-Box Functionality
Software Catalog
Spotify Portal🚀 Preinstalled; includes Catalog Onboarding Wizard
Backstage Open Source🛠️ Manually install and configure, including manual creation of catalog-info.yaml files
Scaffolder + Software Templates
Spotify Portal🚀 Preinstalled; includes setup guide and starter templates
Backstage Open Source🛠️ Manually install and configure
TechDocs
Spotify Portal🚀 Preinstalled; includes setup guide
Backstage Open Source🛠️ Manually install and configure
Scorecards
Spotify Portal🚀 Soundcheck premium plugin included for free
Backstage Open Source🛠️ Soundcheck and third-party options available
Spotify’s premium plugins
Spotify Portal🚀 AiKA, Confidence Flags, Data Experience, RBAC, Skill Exchange, and Insights are also included
Backstage Open Source🛠️ Select plugins available
Plugin Management
Spotify Portal🚀 No-code plugin installation and management
Backstage Open Source🛠️ Manually install and configure
Ongoing Maintenance & Extensibility
Ease of Use
Spotify Portal🚀 Designed for engineering orgs, large and small
Backstage Open Source🛠️ Orgs with complex infrastructure may require 3–4 engineers dedicated to maintaining their Backstage instance
Maintenance
Spotify Portal🚀 Spotify manages updates, uptime, and security
Backstage Open Source🛠️ Your team has total control over your instance, including managing updates
Extensibility
Spotify Portal🚀 Simple to customize and extend within supported guardrails
Backstage Open Source🛠️ Infinitely customizable and extensible for handling any use case
Choose what fits you best
Whatever you choose, you’re building on the same proven platform used by Spotify to boost developer experience and productivity.
Spotify Portal
- Teams that want to get up and running fast
- Organizations without dedicated platform engineering resources
Backstage Open Source
- Teams that require deep customization and control
- Treat your Backstage instance as an internal engineering product that teams will maintain indefinitely
FAQs
Everything you need to know about using Backstage and Spotify Portal.
Is Spotify Portal built on Backstage?
Yes. Portal is a cloud-hosted, Spotify-managed IDP built on top of the Backstage open source framework. As an opinionated version of Backstage, it takes the best of open source and combines it with our deep experience and expertise using Backstage inside Spotify and supporting our enterprise customers.
Who is Portal best for?
Portal is best for teams that want to get up and running fast and organizations without dedicated platform engineering resources to build and maintain their own instance.
Who is Backstage open source best for?
A completely self-hosted, self-managed Backstage instance is best for organizations that want full control, custom workflows, and the flexibility to extend the portal however they see fit.
Does Portal support plugins?
Yes. Portal comes with the core Backstage features and plugins preinstalled (including Software Catalog, Scaffolder/Software Templates, and TechDocs), along with our premium, Spotify-built plugins for free (including Soundcheck, RBAC, Skill Exchange, Insights, AiKA, Data Experience, Confidence Flags, and more). You can also add community, third-party, or custom plugins, and Portal supports no-code plugin installation and management.
Can I switch from a self-hosted Backstage instance to Portal?
Yes. Since both products share the same core foundation, it’s possible to migrate from your existing Backstage instance to a managed Portal instance. Apply to get access to Portal to learn more about how we can help.
Is Backstage free to use?
Yes. The Backstage framework and core features — as well as many community plugins — are open source and free to use. A self-hosted, self-managed Backstage instance requires dedicated engineering effort to install, maintain, and customize.
Is Spotify Portal free to use?
No. Although Portal is built with the open source framework at its core, it is a commercial SaaS product made to serve the needs of enterprise customers. It includes managed infrastructure, premium plugins, hosting, and onboarding support from Spotify experts.
Try Portal for free
Interested in trying out Spotify’s Portal SaaS product? Complete the form to start your free trial. You’ll receive:
- Five weeks to explore Spotify Portal for Backstage for free
- Dedicated support from Backstage engineers, experts, and customer success team
- Onboarding assistance and recommended best practices
- Priority to influence Portal’s product roadmap