Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

Google Cloud vs Google Compute Engine comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 16, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
5.1
Transitioning to Google Cloud boosts efficiency with faster deployments and reduced costs, despite unclear measurable returns.
Sentiment score
5.6
Some businesses achieved over 90% cost savings by switching to cloud and cheaper analytic tools despite budget challenges.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.1
Users have mixed experiences with Google Cloud support; some praise efficiency, while others rely on external resources or partners.
Sentiment score
6.4
Google Compute Engine's customer service is positively rated for responsiveness, with various support tiers and effective online support channels.
Google's technical support is highly expert and proficient.
IT Service Delivery Manager at NGK
Cloud support directly is not strong, but via partners is strong.
Senior Account Lead at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
We have consulted Google support several times, and we received a quick response.
Technology Manager at Publicis Sapient
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.7
Google Cloud provides excellent scalability and integration, allowing businesses to easily manage growth, despite potential extra costs.
Sentiment score
7.8
Google Compute Engine offers scalable resources and supports diverse workloads, with managed instances aiding easy scaling for businesses.
Google Cloud is highly scalable, and we have not faced any issues with its scalability.
IT Service Delivery Manager at NGK
If I had to rate scalability from one to ten, I would rate it a nine as we have never faced any issues with scalability.
Technology Manager at Publicis Sapient
This solution is suitable for enterprise-level organizations, particularly in finance and healthcare domains where there is substantial data volume.
RPA developer at a healthcare company with 10,001+ employees
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.2
Google Cloud is highly stable, with users rating it highly despite occasional notifications and varying service speeds.
Sentiment score
8.2
Google Compute Engine is highly stable, achieving 99.99% uptime and favorable comparisons to other servers with minimal downtime.
The stability of Google Compute Engine is on par with other servers, akin to using instances from AWS, as no one needs any downtime.
Cloud Engineer at Global Payments Inc.
 

Room For Improvement

Users criticize Google Cloud for its complexity, pricing, security, and integration, seeking enhanced usability, support, and cost efficiency.
Google Compute Engine needs better user experience, automation, security, multi-region support, and simplified licensing for non-technical users.
If the hierarchy or similarities were the same, that would help developers more conveniently migrate from a traditional SQL server to BigQuery.
RPA developer at a healthcare company with 10,001+ employees
Providing more hypervisors would be beneficial.
Presales Engineer at 2P - Perfect Presentation
Everything is up and running smoothly, and we are working on integrating a couple of projects, including business intelligence and AI tools.
IT Service Delivery Manager at NGK
I have noticed a positive impact since the deployment of Google Compute Engine; it is simpler.
Cloud Engineer at Global Payments Inc.
 

Setup Cost

Google Cloud offers competitive, flexible pricing with reasonable costs, though some users seek better cost transparency and more storage options.
Google Compute Engine is cost-effective with pay-as-you-go pricing, but affordability varies by region and usage patterns.
Compared to buying new hardware, Google Cloud offers flexible options for scaling up or down, making it more convenient.
IT Service Delivery Manager at NGK
As far as I know, it is a little more expensive compared to other cloud options.
Presales Engineer at 2P - Perfect Presentation
It is difficult to recommend GCP due to its complex architecture.
Cloud Engineer at Global Payments Inc.
 

Valuable Features

Google Cloud excels with ease of use, scalability, and robust security, supporting diverse applications and efficient data analytics.
Google Compute Engine offers flexible, cost-effective virtual machines with rich features, high availability, and seamless integration with Google Cloud services.
The most valuable features of Google Cloud for us are the integration with Kubernetes, IAM, Istio integration, and Terraform capabilities.
Technology Manager at Publicis Sapient
Kubernetes is one of the most successful orchestration platforms to manage applications.
Engineering Manager at a hospitality company with 11-50 employees
We mainly use Google Cloud products that are centered around Data Warehouse, specifically BigQuery.
Senior Account Lead at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
In GCP, there's a custom configuration feature unlike AWS and Azure.
Senior Cloud Engineer at a tech vendor with 1,001-5,000 employees
What I like the most about Google Compute Engine is SSH access and the different price categories.
Cloud Engineer at Global Payments Inc.
 

Categories and Ranking

Google Cloud
Ranking in Infrastructure as a Service Clouds (IaaS)
4th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
79
Ranking in other categories
PaaS Clouds (4th)
Google Compute Engine
Ranking in Infrastructure as a Service Clouds (IaaS)
14th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
17
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Infrastructure as a Service Clouds (IaaS) category, the mindshare of Google Cloud is 4.2%, down from 8.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Google Compute Engine is 1.2%, up from 0.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Infrastructure as a Service Clouds (IaaS) Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Google Cloud4.2%
Google Compute Engine1.2%
Other94.6%
Infrastructure as a Service Clouds (IaaS)
 

Featured Reviews

Saurav Singh - PeerSpot reviewer
Technology Manager at Publicis Sapient
Integration with Kubernetes and flexibility improve our application deployment process
The logging could be improved; there's currently no intuitive way to filter logs on the Google console, especially for individuals who are not familiar with query languages. Our non-technical users find it difficult to access logs. Additionally, the user interface could be more user-friendly and intuitive compared to our previous experience with AWS.
AK
Cloud Engineer at Global Payments Inc.
SSH access has simplified my backend deployments but setup and architecture still need improvement
Currently, I have not found much value in the features or capabilities of Google Compute Engine because I only use SSH access, as I have not used many of their services. It is already set up by a different team, and I have been using them as it is a normal case, similar to a normal Linux server. I have noticed a positive impact since the deployment of Google Compute Engine; it is simpler. However, for those who are not very much familiar with Google Cloud, it can, at times, be difficult. Also, the freebies are not much from Google's side, referring to the credits, so that users can become more familiar since there is a limited amount or it is case-dependent. Without trying Google Compute Engine totally, I cannot tell you much about it. From my personal perspective, I suggest that while setting up Google Compute Engine, the process is hard compared to AWS. The complexity increases, especially if we want to access the things over the API; we need to explicitly set up things and can only access the CLI environment of GCP, which is sometimes a hectic task.
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Infrastructure as a Service Clouds (IaaS) solutions are best for your needs.
881,036 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
16%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Comms Service Provider
7%
University
7%
Manufacturing Company
32%
Performing Arts
7%
Financial Services Firm
7%
University
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business42
Midsize Enterprise8
Large Enterprise32
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business5
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise8
 

Questions from the Community

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?
Currently, there are no specific functionalities or features I would like to see improved in Google Cloud. Everything is up and running smoothly, and we are working on integrating a couple of proje...
What is your primary use case for Google Cloud?
Our primary use case for Google Cloud involves infrastructure management. We host several virtual machines (VMs), manage network infrastructure, and use Google Workspace along with a few applicatio...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Google Compute Engine?
Google resources are cheaper compared to AWS and Microsoft Azure. Among the three, Google is the cheapest option.
What needs improvement with Google Compute Engine?
Google has a lack of focus on their products. They have many products in various areas of the market, but they do not productize or appeal to the market effectively. They should concentrate on prod...
What is your primary use case for Google Compute Engine?
The main use case is for deploying any standard application. I simply use Compute Engine, which is comparable to a virtual machine. It is essentially a VM machine.
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Allthecooks, BetterCloud, Bluecore, Cosentry, Evite, Ezakus, HTC, Infectious Media, iStreamPlanet, Mendelics, SageMathCloud, Sedex, Treeptik, Wibigoo, Wix, zulily, Zync
Find out what your peers are saying about Google Cloud vs. Google Compute Engine and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
881,036 professionals have used our research since 2012.