Traditionally, a cloud is used in flowcharts and network diagrams to represent the Internet. In today’s terms, cloud computing means using software development platforms, servers, network infrastructure, storage, and resources over the Internet.

There is a similarity between web hosting and cloud computing. While web hosting usually applies to a single client, cloud computing offers multi-tenant support. This allows for better use of network resources, scalability, and attractive pricing. Cloud computing is internet-based, on-demand access to computing resources.

In this guide, we will look at the two giants: Google Cloud Platform Vs Amazon Web Service.

What is cloud computing?

Cloud computing offers myriad benefits like security, scalability, reduction in cost, environmental impact, and flexibility. There are many reasons to use the cloud as a business. However, the transition is more challenging than it used to be.

Thousands of companies provide these services, but a few always climb the ladder faster than anyone else and establish themselves as market leaders. The three leading names that have done the same are Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services, and Google Cloud Platform.

However, this guide will focus purely on the topic of Google Cloud Platform Vs Amazon Web Services.

Google Cloud Platform Vs Amazon Web Services: A Quick Glance At Both Establishments

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Amazon Web Services (AWS), the offspring of Amazon, offers its users an on-demand Cloud Computing Platform on a subscription basis. AWS was launched in 2006 and provided services like Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3), Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2), etc. 

By the end of 2009, Elastic Block Store (EBS) was made public as well, and services such as Content Delivery Network (CDN) and Amazon CloudFront, and with it, more formally joined the AWS Cloud Computing Service offerings.

Amazon was the first primary cloud provider, and thanks to the timing, it has much more experience in the cloud domain than any other competitor. This has eventually led to the establishment of a more significant user base and trust and reliability factors.

Google Cloud Platform (GCP)

Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Google’s cloud solution, is a suite of cloud computing solutions that runs on the same core that Google uses for its end-user products, like the Google Search engine and YouTube.

As a world leader in web search, video streaming and sharing, email service, and more, Google has already proven its expertise in running data centers.

After the launch of Amazon Web Services, Google also used this data center expertise to launch a suite of cloud computing services.

However, Google began its journey as a Cloud Computing giant by offering PaaS as its first Cloud Computing platform, unlike Amazon, which started its journey with IaaS offerings.

The Google Cloud Platform was launched after AWS. However, despite being late to the party, Google Cloud made up for the lost time with its cost-efficient and reliable cloud computing solutions.

Now, except that one was launched before the other. The fundamental difference between these two giants is the zones in which they provide their service, aka the availability zones.

Let’s now dive into the availability zones in GCP and AWS!

Google Cloud vs AWS: Availability Zones

The ability to provide robust services with the least to no outages is what every organization looks for in cloud providers. 

Regions and availability zones directly impact the occurrence of outages, which is why availability zones have to be one of the primary factors to keep in mind while looking for the right cloud computing solution.

Amazon Web Services

AWS has had much time to expand its infrastructure as the first of its kind. AWS is available in 21 geographic regions all around the globe. 

Every AWS region is subdivided into multiple small geographic areas known as availability zones. Currently, AWS has 66 availability zones, with 12 more on their way to join the others.

Amazon Web Services:

• Regions: 24 Launched and 3 announced
• Availability Zones: 76+
• Countries served: 245

Google Cloud Platform

GCP has been made available in 20+ regions worldwide, with 3 more on the way. There are a total of 61 zones that provide the GCP services.

Now, you might see the true scale comparison at which these two giants operate. However, AWS is the clear winner here as it has many more availability zones than GCP, which, on the other hand, is quite ahead in the race and even the first preference of many enterprises.

Google Cloud Platform:

• Regions: 22
• Availability Zone: 61+
• Countries served: 35+

GCP vs AWS: Who Uses Them?

Amazon Web Services

Since AWS was established much before GCP and many cloud providers, it has more implementation and experience in the cloud domain, resulting in more prominent and robust community support. 

This is why AWS houses some of the most high-profile customers, like: 

• McDonald’s
• Netflix
• Unilever
• Airbnb
• BMW
• ESPN
• Samsung
• MI
• Zinga

Google Cloud Platform

On the other hand, GCP has gained its share of customers and user base as it offers the same infrastructure they use for YouTube, Google Search Engine, and other Google products. 

This was a good enough reason for many top organizations to opt for GCP. A few prominent names include:

• Snapchat
• Bloomberg
• HSBC
• Domino’s
• 20th Century Fox
• HTC
• Phillips

When we talk about who uses the platforms AWS and GCP, we are talking about the high-profile organizations, and we’ve seen that the scale tips on either of the sides! So, this area of comparison results in a tie.

Service Comparison: Google Cloud Platform Vs Amazon Web Service

Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud Platform both provide numerous cloud computing services that comprise a considerable chunk of the market. This is how their service numbers appear:

Services	AWS	GCP
No. of Services	212	60+

Since these cloud computing giants provide so many solutions, these services are classified into domains or subcategories for ease.

Computer Services: Google Cloud Platform Vs Amazon Web Services

When we compare the computing services, AWS has all the praise for EC2, which has gained quite a lot of popularity in the cloud computing market. It also supports add services like touch containers, PaaS, and serverless computing services. However, in terms of “Google Cloud Platform Vs Amazon Web Services,” Google Cloud lacks a little compared with AWS in this sector. Here is a list for your better understanding.

Services	Amazon Web Service	Google Cloud
Infrastructure as a Service	Amazon EC2	Google Compute Engine
Platform as a Service	AWS Elastic Beanstalk	Google App Engine
Container Services	Amazon Elastic Container Service	Google Kubernetes Engine
Serverless Computing	Amazon Lambda	Cloud Functions

Storage Services: Google Cloud Platform Vs Amazon Web Services

Storage is an essential service for cloud computing because it is only after you store your data that you think of using the other services that help process it. Let us quickly examine how these two service providers manage cloud storage.

Amazon Web Services

AWS covers everything, whether you are looking for an object, Block, or file storage. Not just that, it takes storage to a different level as it provides services like Amazon Storage Gateway, Snowball, and Snowmobile.  

These services ensure you are covered even if you require hybrid storage or want to move your data physically. Hence, Amazon Web Services has you covered here.

Google Cloud Platform

Google Cloud provides users with a Persistent Disk Storage option and a unified object storage service. Like Amazon Snowball, it provides a Data Transfer Application and supports online Data transfer services, which is quite good!

Here is a list of some popular services these platforms provide:

Services	Amazon Web Services	Google Cloud
Object Storage	Amazon S3	Google Cloud Storage
Block Store	Amazon EBS	Google Compute Engine (Persistent Disks)
Archival/Cold Storage	Amazon Glacier	Google Nearline
File System Storage	Amazon EFS	Google ZFS/Avere

Also Read: Understanding The Security Features And Best Practices Of DigitalOcean, GCP, And AWS

Pricing: Google Cloud Platform Vs Amazon Web Service

Pricing is one of the most complicated measures to compare these cloud service providers. The reason is that the pricing varies vastly when comparing them based on small to mid-term investments or short-sized services. However, let us still do that.

As far as short-term investment is concerned, Google gives far better options. Here is one example of the same. Let us consider small-sized virtual instances with minimum RAM and CPU requirements. 

Google Cloud will cost around $50-55 per month. Amazon Web Services will cost you $69 per month. That’s approximately a $15 to $20 difference.

But as we zoom out, we get a completely different picture of the same thing. For this instance, let us consider an example if your business needs you to purchase 128 Virtual CPUs and 4TB of RAM. 

In that case, Amazon Web Services offers the best price here. With Amazon, it will cost you around $2700 to $3000 per month. Whereas with Google, costs can go up to $3800 to 4000 monthly, significantly more than Amazon’s.

By now, it is clear that Google Cloud services are cheaper in the short term; however, if your business is looking for a long-term investment, Amazon Web Services will be economical. Google Cloud charges its users per second, whereas Amazon Web Services on a per-minute basis.

Google fares well in terms of short-term investments, providing cheaper prices. So, choosing a provider based on pricing can be tricky and purely depends on the business requirements.

Also Read: Exploring The Cost-Effectiveness Of Cloud Providers: Vultr Bare Metal, DigitalOcean, GCP, And AWS

Conclusion

So, the tricky question? Google Cloud Platform Vs Amazon Web Services. Which is better? Google Cloud or AWS? Regarding the first impression, both of them are the market leaders. 

Both cloud computing solutions offer quite a range of cloud products and services, which make up one of the latest advancements of the 21st century. Whoever you choose, you can unlock some excellent premium services and features at reasonably competitive prices.

As far as the progression is concerned, Google is taking many leaps. This recent year has been quite favorable for Google regarding deriving revenue from its cloud computing services. 

But as this guide ends, it depends on your goals; Google Cloud is the answer if you are looking for short-term solutions. However, if you are looking for cost-effective solutions for the long term, AWS will be an excellent economic option for you. 

You can try the AWS or Google Cloud solutions if the budget is restricted. The choice entirely depends on your unique business needs and goals—this simple Google Cloud Platform Vs guide. Amazon Web Service has helped you somehow.

In the comments below, let me know your thoughts about either of these services. By the way, Google Cloud Platform Vs Amazon Web Services who’s the winner in your opinion?

Also Read: Also Read: AWS Vs. Vultr Bare Metal: A Comparison Of Performance, Pricing, And Support

FAQs: Google Cloud Platform Vs Amazon Web Service

What is the primary difference between Google Cloud Platform and Amazon Web Services?

GCP and AWS are versatile cloud computing platforms, but the primary difference lies in their launch times. AWS is the early bird that first set its foot in the market five years before GCP!

How do pricing models differ between GCP and AWS?

Both platforms offer a pay-as-you-go pricing model. However, the specifics of pricing models, discounts, and instance types vary. AWS is considered economical for long-term investment, whereas GCP is short-term. 

Can applications easily be migrated between GCP and AWS?

While both platforms support common standards, application migration requires adjustments due to differences in features and services. Tools like Google’s Anthos and AWS’s Migration Hub can assist in the migration process.

How does customer support differ between GCP and AWS?

Both GCP and AWS offer various support plans with different levels of service. With its longer market presence, AWS may have a more extensive support ecosystem, but GCP is also well-known for its responsiveness and customer-centric approach.