Is Syself Autopilot an alternative to Spectro Cloud Palette?

For Kubernetes on Hetzner, yes. Palette runs clusters across clouds, VMware and edge sites, with a stack you put together. Syself Autopilot is a managed service on Hetzner, with one tested stack that Syself runs.

Can Palette run on Hetzner?

Not directly. Hetzner is not a supported Palette environment and none of its built-in Cluster API providers covers it, so Palette does not create Hetzner servers. Servers you set up yourself can join through an agent, priced per device; their OS stays with you.

Why do teams run Kubernetes on Hetzner bare metal?

Price and ownership. A bare-metal server includes its NVMe disks and unlimited traffic on the default 1 Gbit uplink. Databases run on local disks next to your apps, and KubeVirt runs virtual machines on the same servers.

Does either one lock us in?

Your applications stay portable: manifests, Helm charts and data are standard Kubernetes, and the servers and data stay in your Hetzner account. Leaving Syself means replacing Syself Linux, the node health agent and KubeGate. Palette clusters keep replacing nodes while its management plane is down. Syself clusters keep running, but node replacement, scaling and upgrades wait for the management cluster.

Who is on call for us, around the clock?

Syself runs the nodes, the OS, Kubernetes and the in-cluster components; your applications and data stay with you. Syself Autopilot includes support from the Syself team on business days; Premium Support adds a custom SLA and 24/7 cover.

How do upgrades compare?

With Palette you publish a new stack version and apply it per cluster, and node replacement waits for your approval. Syself ships tested updates every week, each carrying Syself Linux, Kubernetes and the in-cluster components together; you trigger one per cluster. There is no rollback.

We already run Palette. What does moving take?

Your applications move as they are, on standard upstream Kubernetes. A tested Cluster Stack release replaces the cluster profile. Syself’s team or an agency can help you migrate.

How does pricing compare, and what does the Syself Autopilot fee pay for?

Palette lists at $40 per 1,000 worker core-hours on AWS Marketplace, with bare metal and edge priced per device. On Hetzner you still do the server work and test the packs. Syself charges a platform fee plus a usage-based fee tied to your infrastructure spend, and does that work.

When is Palette the better choice?

When you run very many clusters, host the management software yourself or offline, need clusters that heal while it is down, or want scheduled scans, ISO 27001 and SOC 2 reports or your pick of every component.

Syself Autopilot vs Spectro Cloud Palette: Which Is Right for Your Kubernetes?

Palette is for running Kubernetes across several clouds, data centers and edge sites. On Hetzner, installing and patching each server’s OS, adding the agent and testing the packs you combine stay with you. Syself Autopilot is a managed service in which Syself does that work.

What it is: Spectro Cloud’s software for running many Kubernetes clusters from one place, as SaaS or installed by you. You put together each cluster’s stack from a catalog.¹³¹⁸
Who does the work: Spectro Cloud runs the SaaS version; the self-hosted one is yours. Inside each cluster, you choose the components, decide on upgrades and run the workloads.¹³¹⁹ On Hetzner you also create each server and patch its OS.¹⁷
Where it runs: AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, VMware vSphere, CloudStack, MAAS, Nutanix and edge sites. Hetzner is not one of its supported environments.¹⁵¹⁶

What it is: A managed service run by Syself: standard upstream Kubernetes on Hetzner. Syself builds the layer underneath (Syself Linux, a node health agent and KubeGate) and tests it as one release.¹³⁴²⁹¹²
Who does the work: Syself sets up each server, patches the node OS and tests every release.⁶³³¹¹² Syself Autopilot includes support from the Syself team.¹⁰ You decide when to roll out each Cluster Stack release.²
Where it runs: Hetzner Cloud and bare-metal servers in your own Hetzner account, so the servers and the data stay yours.¹

Which One Fits You?

Tick what applies. Palette wins several of these.

Spectro Cloud Palette · 0Syself Autopilot · 0

Tick what applies to you

The answer updates as you go. Every need on the list counts, including the ones that point away from us.

Syself Autopilot vs Palette at a Glance

One short fact per side for each theme, each linked to its source.

Theme	multi-cloud platform	fully managed, on your servers
Who runs the platform	Spectro Cloud Palette Spectro Cloud for the SaaS version; you for the self-hosted one¹³	Syself Autopilot Syself runs the management cluster and the cluster lifecycle⁵
Where it runs	Spectro Cloud Palette AWS, Azure, Google Cloud (and EKS, AKS, GKE), vSphere, CloudStack, MAAS, Nutanix and edge sites¹⁵¹⁶	Syself Autopilot Hetzner Cloud and bare-metal servers, in your own Hetzner account¹
On Hetzner	Spectro Cloud Palette Not supported directly; servers you set up yourself can join through an agent¹⁷	Syself Autopilot Built for it; Syself installs each node from the Hetzner rescue system, so it boots with nothing to download⁶
Bare-metal servers	Spectro Cloud Palette On Hetzner, you install the OS and the agent on each server¹⁷	Syself Autopilot Renting them is the only manual step; Syself Autopilot checks the disks, installs Syself Linux and joins them¹¹
Operating system	Spectro Cloud Palette Hardened images from Spectro Cloud, or your own; on servers you bring, yours²¹¹⁷	Syself Autopilot Syself Linux: read-only, replaced rather than patched, so nodes don’t drift apart. A security team tracks each CVE, checks whether your clusters are exposed and ships the fix in a tested release; support is included³
The stack	Spectro Cloud Palette You put it together from about 300 packs, including verified packs that Spectro Cloud maintains, plus your own Helm charts³⁶³⁷¹⁸	Syself Autopilot One combination per release, with the network plugin, Hetzner integration and storage included²
Upgrades	Spectro Cloud Palette Publish a new stack version and apply it per cluster; node replacement waits for approval¹⁹	Syself Autopilot Tested updates every week, listed in the Version Hub; you trigger one and Syself drains, removes and replaces each node, with no rollback²⁸
Node repair	Spectro Cloud Palette With Cluster Auto Remediation on, except on EKS and AKS; on Hetzner servers you add, the replacement is yours²⁰¹⁷	Syself Autopilot Cloud nodes rebooted, then replaced if they don’t recover; bare-metal nodes rebooted, and Syself tells you what broke when the hardware is at fault⁴
Security evidence	Spectro Cloud Palette ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II²²	Syself Autopilot CIS and STIG conformance; working toward ISO 27001; an SBOM and advisories with every release, in the Version Hub²⁵⁷⁹
Security fixes	Spectro Cloud Palette Scheduled scans report findings for you to fix; on Hetzner you provide the OS, so its patches are yours³⁸¹⁷	Syself Autopilot Each CVE checked against the release’s SBOM; fixes ship in a new release built and tested as one, and a release with an overdue CVE does not ship³¹
Support	Spectro Cloud Palette Several support tiers; 99.9% uptime SLA on Spectro-hosted Palette²³	Syself Autopilot Support from the Syself team on business days included with Syself Autopilot; Premium Support with a custom SLA and 24/7 cover; migration by Syself or agencies¹⁰
Price	Spectro Cloud Palette $40 per 1,000 worker core-hours at AWS Marketplace list; bare metal and edge priced per device²⁴²³	Syself Autopilot A platform fee plus a usage-based fee tied to your infrastructure spend, not to nodes or clusters¹⁰

Palette features vary by edition. Palette’s price is the AWS Marketplace list price without a commitment.²⁴ Price Syself Autopilot in the pricing calculator.

Who Does the Work of Running Kubernetes

Every Kubernetes setup needs the same work, from setting up servers to patching, upgrading and repairing nodes. See which jobs stay with you on Hetzner with each option.

multi-cloud platform

11 of 12 jobs left to you, 1 shared

fully managed, on your servers

0 of 12 jobs left to you, 4 shared

Each segment is one job. Point at it to see which job it is, or click it to read why.

Left to you Shared Handled by the vendor, or not needed

Servers Create, provision and replace the machines
Create and set up new Hetzner Cloud servers With Palette you create each server, install its OS and add the agent.¹⁵¹⁷ Syself builds each node in the rescue system before first boot, so it boots with nothing to download or configure, independent of the internet or a registry.⁶

Spectro Cloud Palette You
Syself Autopilot Syself
Bring bare-metal servers into a cluster Hetzner has no server types or instant delivery for bare metal, so renting is the only manual step. Syself Autopilot checks the disks, installs Syself Linux and joins it; with Palette you install the OS and the agent.¹¹¹⁷

Spectro Cloud Palette You
Syself Autopilot Syself
Replace a Hetzner Cloud server that fails With Palette the replacement is yours to create.¹⁷ Syself reboots a failing cloud node and replaces it if it doesn’t recover.⁴

Spectro Cloud Palette You
Syself Autopilot Syself
Handle a failing bare-metal server Syself reboots the node and, when the hardware is at fault, tells you what broke so you can open the Hetzner ticket. Hetzner has no API for tickets, so that step stays with you.⁴

Spectro Cloud Palette You
Syself Autopilot Shared
Operating system Install it, patch it and keep every node the same
Patch the operating system and follow its CVEs On Palette’s Hetzner servers, patching stays with you: tracking CVEs, testing fixes and rolling them out to every node, at least monthly.¹⁷ Syself ships each fix in a new tested release.³¹³

Spectro Cloud Palette You
Syself Autopilot Syself
Keep every node the same Syself Linux is read-only and replaced rather than patched. Servers you install by hand drift unless you keep them aligned.³

Spectro Cloud Palette You
Syself Autopilot Syself
Kubernetes Install, configure and upgrade the components
Decide when to upgrade Neither moves a cluster to a new version on its own.¹⁹ Syself ships tested updates every week, and the Version Hub shows what changed, what got fixed and where security stands; you choose when to move.²³²

Spectro Cloud Palette You
Syself Autopilot Shared
Roll every node to the new version Palette replaces nodes once you approve. Once you trigger an update, Syself drains, removes and replaces each node on its own, and the control plane stays available.¹⁹³⁴ On both, your apps need enough replicas and a PodDisruptionBudget.¹²

Spectro Cloud Palette Shared
Syself Autopilot Syself
Test each platform update before it reaches your cluster With Palette, the pack combination you choose is yours to test.¹⁸ Syself tests every release on real clusters. Testing your own apps is yours on both.¹²

Spectro Cloud Palette You
Syself Autopilot Syself
Inside the cluster The network plugin, the Hetzner integration and storage
Upgrade the network plugin, Hetzner integration and storage together With Palette, these are yours to choose and update.¹⁸¹⁵ A Cluster Stack pins all three and moves them together.²

Spectro Cloud Palette You
Syself Autopilot Syself
Day to day Backups, access, logs and the workloads
Run databases and services, and back up their data Syself ships the storage and documents operators such as CloudNativePG.²⁶ You run the databases, or an agency runs them for you in your cluster.³⁵

Spectro Cloud Palette You
Syself Autopilot Shared
Lock down access, networking and logs KubeGate can limit the API server to IP ranges you trust, every node runs a default-deny firewall, and OIDC sign-in is built in.⁷²⁹⁴¹³⁰ RBAC, SSH lockdown, network policies, logs, metrics and alerting stay with you on both.³⁹

Spectro Cloud Palette You
Syself Autopilot Shared

On every option, Syself Autopilot included, you still back up workloads and data, run monitoring and alerting, and set access, encryption and network policies. See what you own and what Syself manages.

What Each One Costs

The Hetzner bill is the same either way. Palette charges a license fee and leaves the server work with you. Syself Autopilot charges a platform fee plus a usage-based fee tied to your infrastructure spend, and does that work.³³

multi-cloud platform

per 1,000 worker core-hours, on supported clouds: $40
on bare metal and edge: Per device

fully managed, on your servers

What Syself runs for you

Servers, OS, Kubernetes and cluster components
Releases tested on real clusters, with SBOM and VEX
Support from the Syself team

Platform fee Usage-based fee

Usage-based fee tied to your infrastructure spend, not to nodes or clusters.

Estimate your price or tell us about your setup for a tailored price

Request a 14-day trial without limits or a free plan for one cluster of up to 5 nodes of any size, no vCPU cap, bare metal included.

Your servers Billed separately by your cloud or bare-metal provider

Palette’s $40 is the AWS Marketplace list price without a commitment; longer commitments are discounted.²⁴²³ A 16-core worker running all month costs about $467 at that price (our calculation). Hetzner servers join through agent mode, priced per node with no published rate.¹⁷

With the help of Syself, we are able to run our Kubernetes on Hetzner without effort. Problems of any kind are always solved quickly and reliably by their team.

Stefan Viol

Head of DevOps, LanguageTooler

Questions Teams Ask Before Choosing

Short answers, each linked to Spectro Cloud’s and Syself’s documentation.

: For Kubernetes on Hetzner, yes. Palette runs clusters across clouds, VMware and edge sites, with a stack you put together.¹³¹⁸ Syself Autopilot is a managed service on Hetzner, with one tested stack that Syself runs.¹
: Not directly. Hetzner is not a supported Palette environment and none of its built-in Cluster API providers covers it, so Palette does not create Hetzner servers.¹⁵¹⁴ Servers you set up yourself can join through an agent, priced per device; their OS stays with you.¹⁷²³
: Price and ownership. A bare-metal server includes its NVMe disks and unlimited traffic on the default 1 Gbit uplink.²⁷ Databases run on local disks next to your apps,²⁶ and KubeVirt runs virtual machines on the same servers.²⁸
: Your applications stay portable: manifests, Helm charts and data are standard Kubernetes, and the servers and data stay in your Hetzner account.¹ Leaving Syself means replacing Syself Linux, the node health agent and KubeGate.³²⁹ Palette clusters keep replacing nodes while its management plane is down.¹⁴ Syself clusters keep running, but node replacement, scaling and upgrades wait for the management cluster.¹
: Syself runs the nodes, the OS, Kubernetes and the in-cluster components; your applications and data stay with you.¹ Syself Autopilot includes support from the Syself team on business days; Premium Support adds a custom SLA and 24/7 cover.¹⁰
: With Palette you publish a new stack version and apply it per cluster, and node replacement waits for your approval.¹⁹ Syself ships tested updates every week, each carrying Syself Linux, Kubernetes and the in-cluster components together; you trigger one per cluster. There is no rollback.²⁸
: Your applications move as they are, on standard upstream Kubernetes.¹ A tested Cluster Stack release replaces the cluster profile.² Syself’s team or an agency can help you migrate.¹⁰³⁵
: Palette lists at $40 per 1,000 worker core-hours on AWS Marketplace, with bare metal and edge priced per device.²⁴²³ On Hetzner you still do the server work and test the packs.¹⁷¹⁸ Syself charges a platform fee plus a usage-based fee tied to your infrastructure spend, and does that work.¹⁰³³
: When you run very many clusters, host the management software yourself or offline, need clusters that heal while it is down, or want scheduled scans, ISO 27001 and SOC 2 reports or your pick of every component.¹⁴³⁸²²

Other Comparisons

Running on Hetzner, or Planning To?

Request a 14-day trial without limits on your own Hetzner account or a free plan for one cluster of up to 5 nodes of any size. You can price your servers in the pricing calculator before you talk to anyone.

Run the Numbers Talk to Us

Syself Autopilot vs Spectro Cloud Palette: vs .cls-1{fill:#1f7a78}.cls-2{fill:#fff}.cls-3{fill:#005b5b}.cls-4{fill:#004244} Which Is Right for Your Kubernetes?

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