Civo vs Selectel: Complete Comparison (2026)
An in-depth comparison of Civo and Selectel to help you choose the right tool for your business.
Last updated: November 2026
Civo
6.7/10
Civo is a UK cloud provider offering fast managed Kubernetes on K3s, compute instances, managed databases, object storage and GPUs for developer teams.
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 | 6.7/10 | 6.6/10 |
| Integration | 6/10 | 6/10 |
| Analytics | 4/10 | 5/10 |
| Customization | 6/10 | 8/10 |
| Ease of Use | 8/10 | 6/10 |
| Support | 5/10 | 6/10 |
| Cost | 9/10 | 7/10 |
| Scalability | 6/10 | 7/10 |
| Security | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | No | No |
| Cheapest paid plan | $5/mo Compute instances | RUB 200/mo VDS small |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | $5/mo Compute instances | RUB 200/mo VDS small |
| Features | ||
| API and CLI | ||
| Managed Databases | ||
| Multiple Regions | ||
| Object Storage | ||
| Managed Kubernetes | ||
| Cloud Compute | ||
| DDoS Protection | Not listed | |
| Uptime SLA | Not listed | |
| Dedicated Servers | Not listed | |
| VPS Hosting | Not listed | |
| Content Delivery Network | Not listed | |
| Automatic Backups | Not listed | |
Civo vs Selectel cost by team size
| Team size | Civo | Selectel |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | $5/moCompute instances | RUB 200/moVDS small |
| 5 users | $5/moCompute instances | RUB 200/moVDS small |
| 10 users | $5/moCompute instances | RUB 200/moVDS small |
| 25 users | $5/moCompute instances | RUB 200/moVDS small |
| 50 users | $5/moCompute instances | 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 Civo
- Higher Ease of Use score (8/10 vs 6/10)
- Higher Cost score (9/10 vs 7/10)
- Better fit for developers (9/10 vs 7/10)
Why choose Selectel
- Higher Customization score (8/10 vs 6/10)
- Higher Analytics score (5/10 vs 4/10)
- Better fit for enterprise (7/10 vs 5/10)
Pros & Cons
Civo
Pros
- The Kubernetes control plane is free, and clusters launch in about 90 seconds.
- Ingress and egress bandwidth are free and unlimited, which avoids surprise transfer bills.
- Pricing is published and billed hourly, with nodes starting at $5.43 a month.
- Resources can be managed through a CLI, a REST API, Terraform and Pulumi, plus a marketplace of over 100 apps.
- It holds ISO 27001, SOC 2 and Cyber Essentials Plus, and it is a UK G-Cloud supplier.
Cons
- It offers far fewer managed services and regions than the hyperscalers.
- Reviewers describe the documentation as limited or uneven.
- Very few independent reviews exist; G2 has none and Gartner has one.
- No core-platform SLA or 24/7 support matrix is clearly published.
- Observability tooling is basic.
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
Civo scores higher on our AI Software criteria: 6.7/10 against 6.6/10 for Selectel. The largest gap is in Cost: 9/10 for Civo and 7/10 for Selectel.
No, neither Civo nor Selectel lists a free plan.
Civo is the better fit for developers: we rate it 9/10 for them, against 7/10 for Selectel.
