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Compare:
Cycle vs. Kubernetes

Cycle and Kubernetes solve similar problems in the DevOps space, but in very different ways. Cycle brings a fully integrated DevOps platform with infrastructure management built in, while Kubernetes requires additional software, tooling, and skill to achieve the same capabilities.
vs.
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Looking to Move to Cycle from Kubernetes?

Cycle offers numerous advantages over Kubernetes, especially when it comes to day 2+ operations. Our team has years of experience helping organizations move off Kubernetes to Cycle.
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Simplicity
(More opinionated)
Customizability
(More complex)

Plug-and-Play

No extensive customizations required to have a complete DevOps platform. Cycle is a vertically integrated platform where every piece works together seamlessly.

One Unified Control Plane

You own the compute, and Cycle handles the control plane. Avoid managing dozens of tools and libraries, and focus on building your applications.

24/7 Expert Support

White glove support is included in every tier. You're not just adopting a platform, you're gaining access to decades of DevOps experience.

Seamless Multi-Cloud

Utilize any compute, anywhere, and have Cycle manage it for you. Global, flat L3 networks are built into the platform, so there's no hassle with cross region or cross-cloud communications. Learn More.

Continuous, Hands-Free Upgrades

Our platform handles rolling updates and security patches automatically. There are no version mismatches, outdated libraries, or complex upgrades to navigate.

We moved one of our platforms to AWS and didn't want to use Kubernetes. Nor did we want to make a bunch of DevOps decisions on which bundle of tools to use with it. With Cycle, we gained a streamlined PaaS that enabled us to move faster from day one. 

Joe Toubia

Joe Toubia, Chief Technology Officer @ New England Center for Children

Features

Cycle.io

Kubernetes

Architecture and Deployment
Model
Hybrid SaaS & PaaS
Self-Hosted(Open Source)
Management
hybrid(Self + Fully-Managed)
self-managed
Scope
On-prem / Colo / Cloud
On-prem / Colo / Cloud
Pricing
Tiered(Seats & Servers)
Open Source
Bring Your Own Infrastructure
Bare Metal
Multi‑Cloud
Edge Support
add-on
Upgrade Automation
automatic
manual
Core Infrastructure
Containers
VMs
add-on(KubeVirt)
Functions
BETA
add-on(Knative)
Service Mesh
(Discovery)
add-on
Load Balancing
Service/Ingress
DNS
Internal
Networking
Automatic(managed overlay)
Manual(CNI & Ingress DIY)
Storage
Automatic(managed volumes)
Manual(CSI / StorageClass DIY)
DevOps & Automation
CI/CD
Integrations
add-on
Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
Stacks(JSON / YAML)
Helm / YAML
API
REST & Webhooks
REST
Monitoring
add-on
Operations & Governance
ACL / RBAC
Multi‑Tenancy
Strong(Environments + Clusters + Namespaces)
Namespaces
Support Model
Included & Community
Community
Cycle on any infrastructure
Ready To Make The Switch?

Move from Kubernetes to Cycle Today

Our team is standing by to help make the transition off Kubernetes painless. Get started with a free proof-of-concept and see how Cycle can increase reliability while reducing time and cost spent.

Talk to an Expert

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The Leading Kubernetes Alternative.

We didn't abstract Kubernetes, we reimagined orchestration from the ground up. While Kubernetes takes teams just to manage, our customers spend more time pushing features and less time in the weeds.

Deploy Anything, Anywhere.

Cycle strips away the friction of modern DevOps. With powerful orchestration and clean abstractions, your infrastructure becomes an enabler—not a barrier.

Scale Without Complexity.

Cycle gives you the tools to scale with confidence. From automatic load balancing to built-in auto-scaling, the platform handles the complexity so you can grow without rewriting your infrastructure.

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