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Amazon Lightsail vs Google Cloud comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 15, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Amazon Lightsail
Ranking in PaaS Clouds
11th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
9
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Google Cloud
Ranking in PaaS Clouds
5th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
74
Ranking in other categories
Infrastructure as a Service Clouds (IaaS) (5th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2025, in the PaaS Clouds category, the mindshare of Amazon Lightsail is 1.6%, up from 1.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Google Cloud is 7.2%, up from 6.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
PaaS Clouds
 

Featured Reviews

Vitor Gabriel Reis Lux Barboza - PeerSpot reviewer
Provides preconfigured templates for common setups and allows for easy configuration of firewall settings directly from the console
There were templates for Ubuntu, for instance, that I used. I used it if I remember, going to 20.04, I guess. It was ready, and I just used the template and it worked well. There is a template for Windows Server, but I didn't test them. Also, the configurations over the firewall in the console work very good for the purpose that we need to isolate it from the internet but allow the connection from specific IP addresses in specific ports. So the filtering in the Lightsail Firewall works good. And I am able to isolate the virtual machine well from the internet in order to avoid DDoS attacks and stuff like that.
RaidHammouri - PeerSpot reviewer
Monitoring solution enhances cost efficiency with good internal tools
In terms of Google services, providing more hypervisors would be beneficial. Currently, in my region, they don't offer many services as they have just started. They have some local instances, yet improvements are needed in the tools and offers provided to customers. I currently only use, for example, a native hybrid. VMware is not available, and other hypervisors are still not there. They need to wait on that.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"The initial setup is pretty easy."
"The instances optimized for WordPress are very lightweight and straightforward in configuration."
"I find Lightsail particularly valuable for hosting WordPress as it is easier to set up than a bare metal server, which requires extensive configuration and package installations."
"Implementations are completed with a few clicks, allowing efficient transitions to other development stages, and setup is easy whether for online support or basic business requirements."
"In Lightsail, they simplified to do it in as few clicks as possible. So, around ten clicks, I have a virtual machine deployed."
"EC2 instances are pre-configured and upgraded, so you can simply select and instantly pay for an EC2 instance to set up WordPress, Node.js, or a server container using Docker."
"We use Amazon Lightsail for hosting security components in-house and AI modules."
"One of the product's most valuable features is its fixed pricing, which makes it ideal for small projects and websites that do not require scaling."
"The initial setup is very straightforward."
"We can share documents with the whole class. Sharing information Using Google Drive and Google Cloud is very common."
"I like the simple features that allow me to share documents with others."
"The solution has improved our web apps so that we can have a canary deployment. GCP also helps us upload new features and changes to our software without impacting a lot of users with the network. The AI features have improved the software as well."
"The most valuable feature of Google Cloud is its security."
"Google Cloud performs well."
"It's easy to deploy next-generation applications on Google Cloud. Customers can also use various cloud tools to optimize their operations and generate more insights to do business much smarter."
"The solution's features are very good and our staff loves using them."
 

Cons

"I don't see this solution as enterprise-ready, for bigger companies like banks."
"To improve, I feel the disk management is too basic. I can't easily partition the disk for the operating system. I have to follow the main configuration that is already set up in the template. To partition the disk, I would need to deploy the operating system first and then make changes, but it's not an ideal method. I would recommend improving the disk management."
"Currently, there is limited support available while installing or configuring it, and resources are primarily available through community-contributed articles."
"When you need to add some custom rules to Amazon Lightsail, the auto scaling feature is a bit difficult."
"It would be beneficial if Lightsail allowed easier upgrade and change processes, similar to EC2 instances, without needing to fully back up and reinstall configurations."
"The solution could be smoother than it is."
"The product's network features need enhancement."
"Backward compatibility and the flexibility to choose software versions while installing would be improvements."
"Google Cloud should provide more introductory videos on how to get started. Currently, very few of these resources are available. Additionally, training on Google Cloud products is not very well streamlined. Users have to search for training, which can be quite complex."
"If there were more documentation and training, it would be very helpful in explaining the underlying processes."
"They could integrate artificial intelligence into the applications."
"The solution could be a bit cheaper."
"I find it hard to download items, especially on their operating system."
"There are issues with stability."
"Google Cloud could improve the integration with other solutions."
"Google Cloud does not have many build pipelines like Azure does."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The services that it provides are good for the price."
"The prices are better than EC2 machines, for instance, because they are simplified management, but it works well, and I am able to run everything that I need on it."
"The affordability of starting at five dollars makes it an attractive option for startups and medium-sized companies, aligning with budget considerations while offering essential cloud services."
"Amazon Lightsail is a bit cheaper than Amazon EC2."
"Lightsail is available at an affordable cost starting from five dollars per month."
"It's very cheap."
"A few months ago, Lightsail's pricing increased, likely due to the addition of the new VPC feature."
"We pay for a license."
"Google cloud is less expensive than other comparable solutions."
"The licensing for Google Cloud seems to be quite cheap and they're actually quite reasonable in comparison to Azure, which, as it turns out, is quite expensive. Even though Azure has a data center in South Africa it's still quite costly. There's no scaling, so if you go with the VM, you pay 2500 Rand. When you add another VM, it's another 2500 Rand even though you don't use the whole thing. With Google, you can go up as incrementally as you need to, even if it's just 30 Rand."
"The pricing is rated a six out of ten."
"It is not easy to calculate the price of the solution from the pricing table since they are not standard rates. However, I find the solution’s prices to be fair and reasonable."
"The cost might be $10 a month per user, which is about $300 a month in total."
"The solution is cheaper than AWS."
"Pricing for Google Cloud could be improved. It would be better if it were lower."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
20%
Educational Organization
11%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Educational Organization
51%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Computer Software Company
5%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Amazon Lightsail?
In Lightsail, they simplified to do it in as few clicks as possible. So, around ten clicks, I have a virtual machine deployed.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Amazon Lightsail?
Lightsail is available at an affordable cost starting from five dollars per month. This cost may increase with additional features like a static IP.
What needs improvement with Amazon Lightsail?
The main area for improvement in Lightsail is the difficulty in scaling down resources. While it is easy to scale up, scaling down is not straightforward and involves additional complexities.
What do you like most about Google Cloud?
Google Cloud is perceived as a cost-effective and user-friendly option, especially compared to AWS. The current affordability and ease of use make it suitable for medium-sized companies. While the ...
What needs improvement with Google Cloud?
In terms of Google services, providing more hypervisors would be beneficial. Currently, in my region, they don't offer many services as they have just started. They have some local instances, yet i...
What is your primary use case for Google Cloud?
My platform offers a monitoring solution for the virtual machines hosted in GCP. GCP is one of the firms that I work with. For customers who use GCP as an infrastructure service, software as a serv...
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Expedia, Intuit, Royal Dutch Shell, Brooks Brothers
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about Amazon Lightsail vs. Google Cloud and other solutions. Updated: March 2025.
842,388 professionals have used our research since 2012.