Phaset vs Cortex

Cortex offers a polished SaaS experience, but comes with recurring costs and cloud-only deployment. Here's why teams might want to choose Phaset instead.

Cortex is a well-executed SaaS platform for service catalogs and scorecards, but many organizations need self-hosted solutions for data sovereignty, cost predictability, or compliance requirements. Phaset aims to deliver similar capabilities with the control of self-hosting and the economics of open-source self-hosting.

1

Self-Hosted on Your Infrastructure, Not Cloud-Only SaaS

Cortex

  • Cloud-only SaaS platform
  • All data stored in Cortex's infrastructure
  • Must trust third-party security and compliance
  • Subject to vendor's availability and uptime
  • Data crosses borders and jurisdictions
  • No option for air-gapped or on-premises deployment

Phaset

  • Self-hosted on your infrastructure
  • All data remains in your control
  • You own the security and compliance posture
  • You control availability and uptime
  • Data never leaves your network
  • Works in air-gapped environments

Why this matters: Organizations with strict data sovereignty, compliance requirements (HIPAA, FedRAMP, government contracts), or security policies often cannot use cloud SaaS solutions. Phaset aims to provide similar capabilities while keeping sensitive architectural data in your control.

2

Self-Hosted Ownership, Not Recurring SaaS Dependency

Cortex

  • Per-user SaaS model
  • Costs scale with team size
  • Costs scale linearly with team growth
  • Multi-year enterprise commitments
  • Access ends if you stop paying
  • Vendor terms can change as teams grow

Phaset

  • MIT open source, self-hosted software
  • No hosted product dependency
  • Run it for the teams and catalogs you need
  • No contracts or commitments
  • Software keeps working forever
  • Free updates within major version

Why this matters: Over 3 years, Cortex costs ~$234,000 for 100 developers while Phaset costs $249 total. The cost difference becomes more dramatic as your team grows or over longer time horizons. Perpetual licensing provides budget predictability without recurring fees.

3

Complete Data Privacy, Not Shared Cloud Infrastructure

Cortex

  • Data stored in shared cloud infrastructure
  • Subject to vendor's privacy policy and terms
  • Potential for data breaches or unauthorized access
  • Integration with external services requires data sharing
  • Must comply with vendor's data handling practices
  • Limited control over data residency and sovereignty

Phaset

  • Data stored exclusively in your infrastructure
  • You define all privacy policies and practices
  • No external parties with access to your data
  • Integrations happen within your network
  • Full control over encryption and access controls
  • Complete data residency control for compliance

Why this matters: Software catalogs contain sensitive information about architecture, services, dependencies, and team structure. Many organizations cannot or prefer not to share this with third parties. Self-hosted Phaset ensures zero external data exposure.

4

Multi-Dimensional Organization, Not Flat Hierarchy

Cortex

  • Primarily service-centric organization
  • Teams and ownership as metadata
  • Single primary organizational dimension
  • Tagging and filtering for secondary views
  • Difficult to view across multiple dimensions simultaneously
  • Limited support for complex organizational structures

Phaset

  • Three-dimensional organization model
  • Business domains, technical systems, and team ownership
  • View catalog from any dimension simultaneously
  • Native support for matrix organizations
  • Services belong to multiple organizational contexts
  • Reflects real-world complexity without forcing flat hierarchies

Why this matters: Modern organizations don't fit into simple hierarchies. A service might belong to the "Payments" business domain, the "Backend Platform" technical system, and be owned by the "Platform Team." Phaset's multi-dimensional model reflects this reality.

5

GitOps-Native Workflow, Not API-Only Integration

Cortex

  • Primary integration via REST API calls
  • Catalog definitions stored in Cortex platform
  • Requires custom scripts or tools to sync from repos
  • Manifest changes don't automatically propagate
  • Catalog state lives outside your version control
  • Additional complexity for GitOps workflows

Phaset

  • Native support for manifest files in repositories
  • Catalog definitions live alongside your code
  • Simple GitHub Actions or CI/CD integration
  • Changes to manifests automatically sync to catalog
  • Version control is the source of truth
  • Natural fit for GitOps workflows

Why this matters: Teams practicing GitOps want catalog metadata versioned alongside code. Phaset treats repositories as the source of truth, making catalog updates as simple as merging a pull request. No separate API calls or synchronization scripts needed.

When Each Option Makes Sense

Choose Cortex if you:

  • Prefer a SaaS product with zero operational overhead
  • Don't have strict data sovereignty requirements
  • Want vendor-operated security and compliance
  • Prefer a recurring per-user SaaS model
  • Need extensive third-party integrations
  • Want vendor-operated updates and feature rollouts

Choose Phaset if you:

  • Need self-hosted deployment for compliance or security
  • Require complete data privacy and control
  • Want predictable one-time costs instead of recurring fees
  • Prefer multi-dimensional organizational modeling
  • Practice GitOps with manifests in repositories
  • Value open-source self-hosting and ownership

Side-by-Side Comparison

FeaturePhasetCortex
Self-Hosted✓Cloud-only SaaS
Data PrivacyYour infrastructureTheir cloud
Multi-dimensional Organization✓—
GitOps-Native✓API only
Software Catalog✓✓
Health Scores✓✓
DORA Metrics✓✓
Standards Compliance✓✓ (Scorecards)
Structured Reviews✓Scorecards
Setup Time<1 hourHours
Operational OverheadMinimalNone (SaaS)
Air-Gapped Deployment✓—

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