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AWS Lambda vs Google Cloud Dataflow comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

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

AWS Lambda
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.5
Number of Reviews
83
Ranking in other categories
Compute Service (1st)
Google Cloud Dataflow
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
11
Ranking in other categories
Streaming Analytics (8th)
 

Mindshare comparison

AWS Lambda and Google Cloud Dataflow aren’t in the same category and serve different purposes. AWS Lambda is designed for Compute Service and holds a mindshare of 20.8%, down 26.3% compared to last year.
Google Cloud Dataflow, on the other hand, focuses on Streaming Analytics, holds 7.7% mindshare, up 6.8% since last year.
Compute Service
Streaming Analytics
 

Featured Reviews

Wai L Lin O - PeerSpot reviewer
A serverless solution with easy integration features
We use AWS Lambda because it provides a solution for our needs without requiring us to manage our infrastructure. With the tool, we only pay for the resources we use. Additionally, it is straightforward to implement and integrates with other services like API Gateway. The tool's serverless nature has had the most significant impact on our workflow. I find it particularly attractive because it eliminates the need for managing servers. In my previous experience, managing upgrades and updates was quite challenging. The solution's integration process with other AWS services was relatively easy. We primarily use AWS services such as EventBridge for scheduling processes and log management.
Jana Polianskaja - PeerSpot reviewer
Build Scalable Data Pipelines with Apache Beam and Google Cloud Dataflow
As a data engineer, I find several features of Google Cloud Dataflow particularly valuable. The ability to test solutions locally using Direct Runner is crucial for development, allowing me to validate pipelines without incurring the costs of full Dataflow jobs. The unified programming model for both batch and streaming processing is exceptional - requiring only minor code adjustments to optimize for either mode. This flexibility extends to language support, with robust implementations in both Java and Python, allowing teams to leverage their existing expertise. The platform's comprehensive monitoring capabilities are another standout feature. The intuitive interface, Grafana integration, and extensive service connectivity make troubleshooting and performance tracking highly efficient. Furthermore, seamless integration with Google Cloud Composer (managed Airflow) enables sophisticated orchestration of data pipelines.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"What I like most about AWS Lambda is that it's very easy to deploy."
"The initial setup of AWS Lambda is very straightforward and quick."
"What I like best about AWS Lambda is that it's feature-rich, and I appreciate that. I also like that it's stable and supports many languages."
"We have no issues with the technical support."
"The serverless computing feature eliminates the need to manage servers, provision, or scale."
"I have found all of the features valuable. It's an easy and cheap solution."
"AWS Lambda is serverless."
"The most valuable feature of this solution is the API Gateway."
"The most valuable features of Google Cloud Dataflow are scalability and connectivity."
"It allows me to test solutions locally using runners like Direct Runner without having to start a Dataflow job, which can be costly."
"The solution allows us to program in any language we desire."
"The most valuable features of Google Cloud Dataflow are the integration, it's very simple if you have the complete stack, which we are using. It is overall very easy to use, user-friendly friendly, and cost-effective if you know how to use it. The solution is very flexible for programmers, if you know how to do scripts or program in Python or any other language, it's extremely easy to use."
"I would rate the overall solution a ten out of ten."
"Google Cloud Dataflow is useful for streaming and data pipelines."
"The support team is good and it's easy to use."
"It is a scalable solution."
 

Cons

"The tool changes its UI every month which is very frustrating for me. I don’t know why AWS keeps changing the UI. They can’t stick to a specific one"
"The overall performance of this solution could be improved. We would also like to have better integration with other AWS features."
"The feature to attach external storage, such as an S3 or elastic storage, must be added to AWS Lambda. This is its area for improvement."
"AWS Lambda could be improved by increasing the size of the payload. Also, sometimes Lambda doesn't implement well for bigger solutions."
"Its performance can be improved. There should also be more dynamic security permissions."
"I would like the layers to have a bigger volume. I would like to be able to add more. I don't want to be limited by the layer."
"My opinion is that the integration could be improved in this solution. We have had some difficulties integrating the EC2 module, but we found a solution for that by ourselves."
"There's room for improvement in the solution's warm start, which refers to the minimum time it takes to start up a Lambda function if you haven't been running it."
"The deployment time could also be reduced."
"Google Cloud Data Flow can improve by having full simple integration with Kafka topics. It's not that complicated, but it could improve a bit. The UI is easy to use but the experience could be better. There are other tools available that do a better job."
"The authentication part of the product is an area of concern where improvements are required."
"Promoting the technology more broadly would help increase its adoption."
"When I deploy the product in local errors, a lot of errors pop up which are not always caught. The solution's error logging is bad. It can take a lot of time to debug the errors. It needs to have better logs."
"There are certain challenges regarding the Google Cloud Composer which can be improved."
"They should do a market survey and then make improvements."
"The solution's setup process could be more accessible."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price of AWS Lambda is priced very low."
"I think the price is okay. However, if they add more functionality, they can have better prices. In fact, they should have better and more flexible packages for clients who have greater consumption of Lambda."
"The cost is based on runtime."
"The solution's price is average."
"AWS Lambda license is paid on a monthly basis."
"AWS Lambda cost is pretty decent."
"Its pricing is on the higher side."
"I would rate the tool’s pricing a nine out of ten. The solution’s pricing works on a pay-as-you-go basis."
"The solution is not very expensive."
"The price of the solution depends on many factors, such as how they pay for tools in the company and its size."
"Google Cloud is slightly cheaper than AWS."
"The tool is cheap."
"On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive, I rate the solution's pricing a seven to eight out of ten."
"On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive, I rate Google Cloud Dataflow's pricing a four out of ten."
"The solution is cost-effective."
"Google Cloud Dataflow is a cheap solution."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
67%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Computer Software Company
4%
Manufacturing Company
3%
Financial Services Firm
17%
Retailer
12%
Manufacturing Company
12%
Computer Software Company
12%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

Which is better, AWS Lambda or Batch?
AWS Lambda is a serverless solution. It doesn’t require any infrastructure, which allows for cost savings. There is no setup process to deal with, as the entire solution is in the cloud. If you use...
What do you like most about AWS Lambda?
The tool scales automatically based on the number of incoming requests.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for AWS Lambda?
AWS Lambda is cheaper compared to running an instance continuously. You only pay for what you use, making it cost-effective.
What do you like most about Google Cloud Dataflow?
The product's installation process is easy...The tool's maintenance part is somewhat easy.
What needs improvement with Google Cloud Dataflow?
The authentication part of the product is an area of concern where improvements are required. For some common users, the solution's authentication part is difficult to use. The scalability of the p...
 

Also Known As

No data available
Google Dataflow
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Netflix
Absolutdata, Backflip Studios, Bluecore, Claritics, Crystalloids, Energyworx, GenieConnect, Leanplum, Nomanini, Redbus, Streak, TabTale
Find out what your peers are saying about Amazon Web Services (AWS), Apache, Spot by NetApp and others in Compute Service. Updated: January 2025.
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