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AWSvsGoogle Cloud

What is the difference between AWS and Google Cloud?

Updated 2 min read8 differences

In short

Both are full public clouds. AWS has the broadest catalog and ecosystem; Google Cloud is known for data analytics, AI, Kubernetes and its global network.

DevOps & Cloudp. 3

AWS

Amazon Web Services

AWS (Amazon Web Services) is Amazon's cloud platform: more than 200 pay-as-you-go services for servers, storage, databases and much more.

Read the page on AWS
DevOps & Cloudp. 29

Google Cloud

Google Cloud Platform

Google Cloud is Google's public cloud platform, offering compute, storage, data and AI services on the global infrastructure behind Google's own products.

Read the page on Google Cloud

AWS and Google Cloud compared

AspectAWSGoogle Cloud
Launched2006, with S3 and EC22008, with App Engine
Virtual machinesEC2Compute Engine
Object storageS3Cloud Storage
ServerlessLambdaCloud Run and Cloud Run functions
Managed KubernetesEKSGKE
Data warehouseRedshiftBigQuery
Resource organizationAccounts, grouped with AWS OrganizationsProjects, grouped in folders under an organization
Known forThe broadest catalog and the largest ecosystemData analytics, AI, Kubernetes and its global network

The difference, explained

Amazon Web Services launched its core services in 2006 and became the first large public cloud. Google Cloud grew from App Engine, launched in 2008, into a full platform running on the same infrastructure as Google's own products. Both offer virtual machines, containers and Kubernetes, serverless functions, object storage, managed databases, networking, analytics and AI in regions around the world.

Their core services map closely. EC2 corresponds to Compute Engine, S3 to Cloud Storage, Lambda to Cloud Run functions, EKS to GKE, RDS to Cloud SQL, DynamoDB to Firestore or Bigtable, and Redshift to BigQuery. They organize resources differently: AWS groups them in accounts, often many per company under AWS Organizations, while Google Cloud groups them in projects, each with its own permissions, enabled APIs and billing.

Each has its strengths. AWS offers the widest range of services and the largest community, partner network and pool of experienced engineers, so third-party tools and tutorials often target it first. Google Cloud stands out in data and AI with BigQuery and Vertex AI, in containers with GKE, since Kubernetes started at Google, and in running traffic over its private global network.

A common misconception is that one is simply cheaper or better. Prices depend on the exact services, region, usage pattern and discounts, and both run reliably at huge scale. The choice usually follows the team's skills, the services a project depends on, such as BigQuery or a particular AWS service, and where partners and existing systems already run.

Which one should you use?

Choose AWS when…

  • You want the widest choice of services and third-party integrations.
  • Your team, partners or hiring market already know AWS.
  • You rely on a specific service that is most mature on AWS.

Choose Google Cloud when…

  • Analytics on large datasets with BigQuery is central to your work.
  • You run containers on Kubernetes or Cloud Run and want them well managed.
  • You build with Google's AI models and tools through Vertex AI.
  • You already use Firebase, which runs on Google Cloud projects.

The same tasks with each command-line tool

AWSbash
# AWS CLI: resources live in a region of your account
aws s3 mb s3://example-reports --region eu-central-1
aws s3 cp ./report.pdf s3://example-reports/

aws ec2 run-instances \
  --image-id ami-0123456789abcdef0 \
  --instance-type t3.micro \
  --region eu-central-1
Google Cloudbash
# gcloud CLI: resources live in a project, which also carries billing
gcloud config set project example-shop
gcloud storage buckets create gs://example-reports --location=europe-west3
gcloud storage cp ./report.pdf gs://example-reports/

gcloud compute instances create web-1 \
  --machine-type=e2-micro \
  --zone=europe-west3-a

Readers ask

Is Google Cloud the same as GCP?

Yes. Google Cloud Platform, or GCP, is the older name that many people still use for Google Cloud's infrastructure and services.

Which is cheaper, AWS or Google Cloud?

Neither is cheaper in general. Costs depend on the services, region, usage and discounts, and both offer free tiers and lower prices for committed use, so compare estimates for your own workload.

Can I use AWS and Google Cloud together?

Yes. Some companies run their main systems on AWS and their analytics in BigQuery, for example. Tools such as Terraform and Kubernetes keep deployments consistent, though moving data between clouds adds cost and complexity.

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