Google Kubernetes Engine Reviews

Name: Google Kubernetes Engine
Brand: Google
Rating: 4.0 (36 reviews)

4.0 out of 5

36 reviews
94% willing to recommend

What is Google Kubernetes Engine?

Kubernetes Engine is a managed, production-ready environment for deploying containerized applications. It brings our latest innovations in developer productivity, resource efficiency, automated operations, and open source flexibility to accelerate your time to market.

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Google Kubernetes Engine is the #9 ranked solution in Container Management software. PeerSpot users give Google Kubernetes Engine an average rating of 8.0 out of 10. Google Kubernetes Engine is most commonly compared to VMware Tanzu Platform: Google Kubernetes Engine vs VMware Tanzu Platform. Google Kubernetes Engine is popular among the large enterprise segment, accounting for 70% of users researching this solution on PeerSpot. The top industry researching this solution are professionals from a financial services firm, accounting for 22% of all views.

Buyer's Guide

Google Kubernetes Engine

January 2025

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Featured reviews

Abhilash Gopidas

Deployment Manager at HealthEdge Software, Inc.

The product has no downtime. Automated scaling is a valuable feature. During peak hours, the datasets are on a higher volume. We need scaling in place. Otherwise, there's a degradation in the performance. We might sometimes miss data, or there will be no data sync between systems. Auto-scaling helps deal with performance needs during peak hours. There's no lag time for processing data.

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Immánuel Fodor

Product Manager at Traefik Labs

The most valuable aspect of Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) is its managed nature, which significantly reduces the burden on our platform team. Features like auto-scaling are highly beneficial for both handling traffic spikes and optimizing costs. Furthermore, Google's promise of good SLA availability, with the service being available in different locations, adds to its robustness.

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Javad_Talebi

Cloud architect at Vodafone

The customer service and support are good. There is also the AI support. There were instances when I needed help with configurations, and the AI support was instrumental in validating the correctness of my setups. It also provided good information on pricing and even helped estimate costs through AI. My experiences with Google Cloud Platform's AI support have been highly successful and satisfactory.

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Google Kubernetes Engine mindshare

As of January 2025, the mindshare of Google Kubernetes Engine in the Container Management category stands at 2.8%, down from 3.7% compared to the previous year, according to calculations based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Container Management

PeerAnalyst reports

Type	Title	Date
Category	Container Management	Jan 15, 2025	Download
Product	Reviews, tips, and advice from real users	Jan 15, 2025	Download
Comparison	Google Kubernetes Engine vs Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform	Jan 15, 2025	Download
Comparison	Google Kubernetes Engine vs Amazon EKS	Jan 15, 2025	Download
Comparison	Google Kubernetes Engine vs VMware Tanzu Platform	Jan 15, 2025	Download

Title	Rating	Mindshare	Recommending
VMware Tanzu Platform	4.0	N/A	100%	20 interviews Add to research
Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform	4.2	31.5%	96%	48 interviews Add to research

Valuable Features

Google Kubernetes Engine offers features like horizontal staging of applications, easy deployment, advanced autoscaling, integration with multiple clouds, and effective management of infrastructure. Users appreciate its managed service aspects, microservices support, intuitive user interface, and security features. The platform's ability to automate scaling and load balancing enhances scalability and reliability, significantly reducing downtime. GKE's openness to global networks provides seamless deployment across regions, optimizing performance and simplifying management for organizations.

"I highly recommend it to others due to its comprehensive features and cost-effectiveness for various company sizes."
"The most valuable aspect of Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) is its managed nature, which significantly reduces the burden on our platform team."
"GKE is easier to understand and use than Elastic Kubernetes Service."

Room for Improvement

Google Kubernetes Engine needs enhancement in security, user interface, and monitoring features. The documentation is not comprehensive, and support lacks reliability. Users find network configuration and auto-scaling complex and require a more intuitive interface. Application-level security and cluster updates need focus, while software integration and pricing could be improved. Backup functionalities require further development, and there is a demand for better application development tools directly within the engine.

"The management UI could be improved. When looking at the web interface, it feels kind of slow due to the many features involved."
"The management UI could be improved."
"Log observability could be made easier so someone from high school can use it without having technological expertise."

ROI

Google Kubernetes Engine generally delivers positive ROI, with many citing cost savings and operational efficiency improvements. Some have seen ROI diminish due to stronger competitive offerings, and initial costs can challenge startups despite GKE Autopilot easing some expenses. Google Kubernetes Engine's value can be substantial for some, though others find AWS cheaper for services like Compute Engine. GCP's integration with multiple cloud providers enhances flexibility for diverse needs.

Pricing

Enterprises evaluating Google Kubernetes Engine find it competitive but potentially costly, especially for regional clusters requiring redundancy for high availability. Pricing is usage-based, dependent on compute resources such as CPUs, GPUs, and RAM, with offerings in monthly and yearly subscriptions. GKE costs approximately $3000 monthly for multiple projects, although prices can rise with increased deployments. The pricing model offers flexibility yet can become expensive, rated variably from six to nine out of ten, highlighting cost considerations in small deployments.

"The tool's licensing costs are yearly."
"Initially, Google Kubernetes Engine was a little bit cheaper, but now its prices have been increased compared to the pricing model and the features that are made available by its competitors."
"I rate the product's price a six on a scale of one to ten, where one is low price and ten is high price. The product is competitively priced."

Popular Use Cases

Organizations primarily use Google Kubernetes Engine for deploying and managing microservices applications. It serves as an orchestration engine for containers, supporting CI/CD pipelines, and facilitating a seamless cloud migration. GKE simplifies handling data workloads, enables containerization, aids in scaling applications, and integrates with Google's cloud services. It supports running AI models for tasks like anomaly detection, and provides a robust infrastructure for hosting, testing, and training purposes within production clusters.

Service and Support

Many users find Google Kubernetes Engine's customer service good, though some note slow response times. Users often rely on forums or solve issues independently without contacting support. Google's AI support receives positive feedback for its utility in configurations and cost estimations. Others express difficulty accessing tech support or prefer alternatives like Amazon for faster assistance. Several users emphasize that their teams' expertise reduces the need for external help, rating support experience highly variable.

Deployment

Users find Google Kubernetes Engine's initial setup generally straightforward, with quick deployment possible for many. It may present complexities, particularly in larger or more complex configurations. Automation through tools like Terraform is commonly used to simplify the process. Some encounter errors requiring restarts, while others rate the ease high and appreciate integrations with CI/CD. Effective deployment demands good networking knowledge, and ongoing learning can improve the setup experience.

Scalability

Users express satisfaction with Google Kubernetes Engine's scalability. It supports both horizontal and vertical scaling, making it ideal for various applications. The platform easily manages different workloads and can automatically scale resources, providing dynamic elasticity. Users benefit from GKE's flexibility and adaptability, enabling businesses to handle increasing demands effectively. While some note challenges with cluster-based applications, many rate GKE's scalability highly, highlighting features such as auto-scaling and resource allocation for seamless operation.

Stability

Google Kubernetes Engine is generally described as stable, with many finding stability excellent, reliable, and cloud-native. Frequent updates support its robustness. Most report minimal issues, scoring it eight or nine out of ten, though some complex deployments may face challenges. Regular versioning and subscriptions assist users in adapting efficiently. Occasional downtimes or delays in support are noted by some. Despite minor issues, users convey confidence in its continued advancements.

These insights are based on the in-depth reviews provided by peers to help you make a better buying decision.

Download our Google Kubernetes Engine Buyer's Guide for additional reliable information.