diff --git a/.changeset/ninety-games-lie.md b/.changeset/ninety-games-lie.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e561c2cdec
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/ninety-games-lie.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'@backstage/core-plugin-api': patch
+---
+
+Improve compatibility between different versions by defining the route reference type using a string key rather than a unique symbol. This change only applies to type checking and has no effect on the runtime value, where we still use the symbol.
diff --git a/packages/core-plugin-api/api-report.md b/packages/core-plugin-api/api-report.md
index 39040d1c91..f92dbd44f0 100644
--- a/packages/core-plugin-api/api-report.md
+++ b/packages/core-plugin-api/api-report.md
@@ -423,7 +423,7 @@ export type ExternalRouteRef<
   Params extends AnyParams = any,
   Optional extends boolean = any,
 > = {
-  readonly [routeRefType]: 'external';
+  $$routeRefType: 'external';
   params: ParamKeys<Params>;
   optional?: Optional;
 };
@@ -720,7 +720,7 @@ export type RoutePath = string;
 //
 // @public (undocumented)
 export type RouteRef<Params extends AnyParams = any> = {
-  readonly [routeRefType]: 'absolute';
+  $$routeRefType: 'absolute';
   params: ParamKeys<Params>;
   path: string;
   icon?: OldIconComponent;
@@ -811,7 +811,7 @@ export type StorageValueChange<T = any> = {
 //
 // @public (undocumented)
 export type SubRouteRef<Params extends AnyParams = any> = {
-  readonly [routeRefType]: 'sub';
+  $$routeRefType: 'sub';
   parent: RouteRef;
   path: string;
   params: ParamKeys<Params>;
@@ -901,6 +901,6 @@ export function withApis<T>(apis: TypesToApiRefs<T>): <P extends T>(
 // src/apis/definitions/auth.d.ts:110:16 - (tsdoc-undefined-tag) The TSDoc tag "@IdentityApi" is not defined in this configuration
 // src/apis/definitions/auth.d.ts:113:68 - (tsdoc-undefined-tag) The TSDoc tag "@AuthRequestOptions" is not defined in this configuration
 // src/extensions/extensions.d.ts:14:5 - (ae-forgotten-export) The symbol "ComponentLoader" needs to be exported by the entry point index.d.ts
-// src/routing/RouteRef.d.ts:34:5 - (ae-forgotten-export) The symbol "OldIconComponent" needs to be exported by the entry point index.d.ts
+// src/routing/RouteRef.d.ts:35:5 - (ae-forgotten-export) The symbol "OldIconComponent" needs to be exported by the entry point index.d.ts
 // src/routing/types.d.ts:30:5 - (ae-forgotten-export) The symbol "ParamKeys" needs to be exported by the entry point index.d.ts
 ```
diff --git a/packages/core-plugin-api/src/routing/ExternalRouteRef.ts b/packages/core-plugin-api/src/routing/ExternalRouteRef.ts
index 401e34773c..c1c17c86df 100644
--- a/packages/core-plugin-api/src/routing/ExternalRouteRef.ts
+++ b/packages/core-plugin-api/src/routing/ExternalRouteRef.ts
@@ -27,6 +27,8 @@ export class ExternalRouteRefImpl<
   Optional extends boolean,
 > implements ExternalRouteRef<Params, Optional>
 {
+  // The marker is used for type checking while the symbol is used at runtime.
+  declare $$routeRefType: 'external';
   readonly [routeRefType] = 'external';
 
   constructor(
diff --git a/packages/core-plugin-api/src/routing/RouteRef.ts b/packages/core-plugin-api/src/routing/RouteRef.ts
index 31dd9ef518..78211e29c6 100644
--- a/packages/core-plugin-api/src/routing/RouteRef.ts
+++ b/packages/core-plugin-api/src/routing/RouteRef.ts
@@ -34,6 +34,8 @@ export type RouteRefConfig<Params extends AnyParams> = {
 export class RouteRefImpl<Params extends AnyParams>
   implements RouteRef<Params>
 {
+  // The marker is used for type checking while the symbol is used at runtime.
+  declare $$routeRefType: 'absolute';
   readonly [routeRefType] = 'absolute';
 
   constructor(
diff --git a/packages/core-plugin-api/src/routing/SubRouteRef.ts b/packages/core-plugin-api/src/routing/SubRouteRef.ts
index 6b329dfd42..be30d56096 100644
--- a/packages/core-plugin-api/src/routing/SubRouteRef.ts
+++ b/packages/core-plugin-api/src/routing/SubRouteRef.ts
@@ -29,6 +29,8 @@ const PARAM_PATTERN = /^\w+$/;
 export class SubRouteRefImpl<Params extends AnyParams>
   implements SubRouteRef<Params>
 {
+  // The marker is used for type checking while the symbol is used at runtime.
+  declare $$routeRefType: 'sub';
   readonly [routeRefType] = 'sub';
 
   constructor(
diff --git a/packages/core-plugin-api/src/routing/types.ts b/packages/core-plugin-api/src/routing/types.ts
index 86d469c2cc..7e20d1ff67 100644
--- a/packages/core-plugin-api/src/routing/types.ts
+++ b/packages/core-plugin-api/src/routing/types.ts
@@ -33,13 +33,18 @@ export type RouteFunc<Params extends AnyParams> = (
   ...[params]: Params extends undefined ? readonly [] : readonly [Params]
 ) => string;
 
+// This symbol is what we use at runtime to determine whether a given object
+// is a type of RouteRef or not. It doesn't work well in TypeScript though since
+// the `unique symbol` will refer to different values between package versions.
+// For that reason we use the marker $$routeRefType to represent the symbol at
+// compile-time instead of using the symbol directly.
 export const routeRefType: unique symbol = getOrCreateGlobalSingleton<any>(
   'route-ref-type',
   () => Symbol('route-ref-type'),
 );
 
 export type RouteRef<Params extends AnyParams = any> = {
-  readonly [routeRefType]: 'absolute';
+  $$routeRefType: 'absolute'; // See routeRefType above
 
   params: ParamKeys<Params>;
 
@@ -53,7 +58,7 @@ export type RouteRef<Params extends AnyParams = any> = {
 };
 
 export type SubRouteRef<Params extends AnyParams = any> = {
-  readonly [routeRefType]: 'sub';
+  $$routeRefType: 'sub'; // See routeRefType above
 
   parent: RouteRef;
 
@@ -66,7 +71,7 @@ export type ExternalRouteRef<
   Params extends AnyParams = any,
   Optional extends boolean = any,
 > = {
-  readonly [routeRefType]: 'external';
+  $$routeRefType: 'external'; // See routeRefType above
 
   params: ParamKeys<Params>;