Amazon Web Services (AWS) vs Selectel Comparison
Compare Amazon Web Services (AWS) vs Selectel features, pricing, and more.
Last updated: November 2026
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
7.6/10
Amazon's public cloud platform, with over 200 pay-as-you-go services for compute, storage, databases, networking and AI, used by startups through large enterprises and governments.
Selectel
6.6/10
Russian infrastructure provider offering dedicated servers, cloud servers, VDS, managed Kubernetes, managed databases, S3 storage, CDN and GPU/ML services for businesses.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 7.6/10 | 6.6/10 |
| Analytics | 8/10 | 5/10 |
| Cost | 5/10 | 7/10 |
| Customization | 10/10 | 8/10 |
| Ease of Use | 4/10 | 6/10 |
| Integration | 10/10 | 6/10 |
| Scalability | 10/10 | 7/10 |
| Security | 9/10 | 7/10 |
| Support | 6/10 | 6/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Cheapest paid plan | Contact for pricing | RUB 200/mo VDS small |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | Free Free plan | RUB 200/mo VDS small |
| Features | ||
| API and CLI | ||
| Managed Databases | ||
| Multiple Regions | ||
| Object Storage | ||
| Uptime SLA | ||
| Serverless Functions | Not listed | |
| Managed Kubernetes | ||
| VPS Hosting | ||
| Cloud Compute | ||
| Content Delivery Network | ||
| Automatic Backups | Not listed | |
| DDoS Protection | Not listed | |
| Dedicated Servers | Not listed | |
Amazon Web Services (AWS) vs Selectel cost by team size
| Team size | Amazon Web Services (AWS) | Selectel |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | FreeFree plan | RUB 200/moVDS small |
| 5 users | FreeFree plan | RUB 200/moVDS small |
| 10 users | FreeFree plan | RUB 200/moVDS small |
| 25 users | FreeFree plan | RUB 200/moVDS small |
| 50 users | FreeFree plan | RUB 200/moVDS small |
The plan that fits each team size, billed monthly, before add-ons and usage charges. Each cost opens that tool's pricing calculator for the team size.
Which One Should You Choose?
Why choose Amazon Web Services (AWS)
- Has a free plan (Selectel does not)
- Higher Integration score (10/10 vs 6/10)
- Higher Analytics score (8/10 vs 5/10)
- Better fit for enterprise (10/10 vs 7/10)
- Better fit for developers (9/10 vs 7/10)
Why choose Selectel
- Higher Cost score (7/10 vs 5/10)
- Higher Ease of Use score (6/10 vs 4/10)
Pros & Cons
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Pros
- The service catalogue is unusually broad, with over 200 services across 38 regions, so most infrastructure needs can be met on one platform.
- EC2 has a 99.99% region-level SLA with credits of up to 100%, and instances unavailable for more than six minutes in an hour are not billed for that hour.
- The free plan gives up to $200 in credits, and more than 30 always-free services let new teams experiment at low cost.
- Support scales from a $29 minimum up to dedicated Enterprise and Unified Operations tiers for mission-critical workloads.
- G2 rates it 4.4 across more than 17,000 reviews, and reviewers praise its scalability and global reach.
Cons
- Reviewers widely cite a steep learning curve across the console and services.
- Usage pricing is complex and can produce unexpected bills unless spend is monitored closely.
- Paid support is billed as a percentage of total AWS spend, so support costs rise with usage.
- A July 2025 billing console bug showed customers estimated charges in the billions, which hurt trust in its cost tooling.
Selectel
Pros
- Very broad catalogue from one vendor: bare metal, VDS, cloud, Kubernetes, DBaaS, S3, CDN, VMware and GPU/ML.
- Certified for Russian personal data law (152-FZ) and holds FSTEC/FSB licences, plus PCI DSS, ISO 27001 and SOC 2.
- Low entry prices, with VDS from about 200 RUB a month and desktop-CPU dedicated servers from 800 RUB.
- Infrastructure can be automated through the API and Terraform.
Cons
- Capacity is concentrated in Russia, with only a few sites in Central Asia and Kenya.
- Prices are in rubles and services are aimed at the Russian market, so sanctions and payment issues may apply for foreign buyers.
- No serverless functions product appears in the catalogue.
- Little independent English-language review coverage.
Not sold on either?
Frequently Asked Questions
Amazon Web Services (AWS) scores higher on our AI Software criteria: 7.6/10 against 6.6/10 for Selectel. The largest gap is in Integration: 10/10 for Amazon Web Services (AWS) and 6/10 for Selectel.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) has a free plan; Selectel does not list one.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is the better fit for enterprise: we rate it 10/10 for them, against 7/10 for Selectel.
