Side by side
Cycle vs Palette
Both stand on multi-cloud management software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Cycle brings infrastructure provisioning, deployment, networking, and observability together across multiple infrastructure types. Account for both the platform plan and separate provider charges, and note that server counts are limited by plan.
Visit Cycle
Choose Palette if you need to manage Kubernetes clusters across cloud, data center, or edge environments and want hosted or self-hosted deployment options. Its lifecycle operations, API, and integrations support centralized cluster management. Contact Spectro Cloud for pricing based on your environment and managed nodes.
Visit PaletteThe facts
| Cycle | Palette | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | A free trial | A free trial |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | API, Self-hosted, Web | API, Self-hosted, Web |
| Lowest paid plan | Lite: $500 a month | Free or on request |
| Plans published | 3 | 1 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | cycle.io | spectrocloud.com |
| On multi-cloud management software | #12 of 25 | #16 of 25 |
Cycle: what it does well
- Supports cloud, on-premises, and bare-metal infrastructure.
- Includes load balancing, DNS, and isolated environment networks.
- Offers repeatable workflows through Pipelines or its API.
- Support and direct engineering-team access are included on every plan.
- No hard limit on container or virtual machine counts.
What to know first
- Kubernetes management is not supported.
- Plans limit the number of servers running workloads.
- Customers pay infrastructure providers separately for compute and bandwidth.
- Lite costs $500 a month.
Palette: what it does well
- Manage clusters across major clouds, VMware, bare metal, and edge hosts.
- Import existing Kubernetes clusters for monitoring and management.
- Choose multi-tenant SaaS, dedicated SaaS, or self-hosted deployment.
- Use Cluster Profiles to define a consistent desired cluster stack.
- The API exposes Palette functionality for systems and workflows.
What to know first
- Pricing requires contacting sales and depends on usage or managed nodes.
- The 99.9% uptime service level excludes self-hosted instances.
- Technical support coverage and response times vary by tier.
Alternatives to Cycle Alternatives to Palette The whole list