Google Cloud vs AWS vs Azure : The Ultimate Showdown


Businesses all around the world are shifting to the cloud to become more agile, cost-effective, and imaginative in their systems. Cloud computing has become the only viable option for businesses. But the question arises as to which cloud computing service to choose. 

No doubt that there are a lot of cloud computing platforms these days, of which 3 are top-of-the-line service providers. 

  • Google Cloud Platform (GCP)

  • Amazon Web Services (AWS)

  • Azure

You may have heard a lot about these platforms and wondered, “What’s the difference between them?” This article is for you if you want to select the finest cloud service provider for your company. 

However, you must first comprehend how Google Cloud compares to AWS, Azure, and other cloud services. In order to determine the best fit for your business, we will compare various cloud service providers in this post.

Google Cloud vs AWS vs Azure: A Complete Feature Comparison

Let’s compare Google Cloud, AWS, and Azure so you get a better understanding.

1. Definition

We'll compare them, starting with what is arguably the first modern cloud computing platform (at least in terms of cloud computing as it is currently understood). Let's first define these service providers in more detail.

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definition

The phrase "cloud computing" refers to the delivery of computing resources like processing power and app storage on demand via the internet. All of these tools can be found online, but they all require a fee per use.


In terms of cloud computing platforms, Amazon Web Services is the market leader. AWS offers a wide range of services to almost everyone, including private citizens, small businesses, and even governments.


Azure is a group of Microsoft's cloud computing services that can be used to develop, test, deploy, and administer cloud-based applications and remotely host and manage Microsoft-exclusive technology.

2. Open Source and History

When contrasting cloud service providers, history is crucial. Because your power will increase as you gain experience. 

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Open Source and History

Google Cloud Platform launched in the market in the Year 2008.

AWS launched in the market in the Year 2006.

Azure launched in the market in the Year 2010.

Google Cloud offers managed open-source services that are seamlessly integrated with Google Cloud.

AWS has always been supportive of the open-source model.

The relationship between Azure and the open-source community is not great.

3. Availability Zones & Regions 

Today, there are several places throughout the globe where AWS is hosted. Google Cloud Platform and Azure, on the other hand, are both hosted in various places, although the availability zones vary.

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Availability Zones & Regions

GCP has 27 regions and 82 zones in total.

AWS has over 81 availability zones spread across 24 regions.

There are 60 regions in the world and 140 countries where Azure is accessible.

4. Who Uses Them 

Most companies have been using these cloud service providers for years. Let's talk about their famous potential customers. 

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Renowned Customers 

  • Twitter
  • Unilever
  • Toyota
  • Nintendo
  • Target
  • The Home Depot
  •  Spotify
  • Paypal
  • UPS
  • Coca-Cola
  • Coinbase
  • The FDA
  • Expedia
  • Netflix
  • Airbnb
  • Lyft
  • Intuit
  • Coursera
  • Starbucks
  • The CDC
  • Mitsubishi Electric
  • HSBC
  • Asos
  • McKesson Group
  • Walgreens
  • Renault
  • HP

5. Services & Service Integration 

The main difference between the three platforms under consideration is the number of services offered. Due to the wide range of services they provide, cloud platforms are appropriate for a wide range of businesses. 

services

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compute services

IaaS

Google Compute Engine

Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud

Azure Virtual Machines

paaS

Google App Engine

AWS Elastic Beanstalk

App Service

Container

Google Kubernetes Engine

AWS Elastic Container/Kubernetes Service

Azure Kubernetes Service

Serviceless Computing

Google Cloud Functions

AWS Lambda

Azure Functions

DATABASE services

NoSQL

BigTable, Cloud Datastore

Amazon DynamoDB

Table Storage

RDBMS

Cloud SQL

amazon Relational Database Service

SQL Database

storage services

File Storage

Google Filestore

Elastic File System

Azure File Storage

Cold Storage

Google Cloud Storage Nearline

Amazon Glacier

Azure Archive Blob Storage

Networking Services

Virtual Network

Virtual Private Cloud

Virtual Private Cloud

Virtual Networks (VNets)

Peering

Google Cloud Interconnect

Direct Connect

ExpressRoute

Load Balancing

Google Cloud Load Balancing

Elastic Load Balancer

Azure Load Balancer

Service Integration

Cell

Users of GCP can integrate services like Compute Engine, Cloud SQL, and Cloud Storage.

Users of AWS can easily integrate services such as Beanstalk, Amazon EC2, and Amazon S3.

Users can easily integrate services such as Azure VM, Azure App Service, SQL databases, etc. using Azure.

Specialized Services

DevOps

CloudBuild, Artifact Registry, and GCP DevOps

CodeStar, CodeBuild, CodeDeploy, and CodePipeline

Artifacts, Boards, Pipelines, Repos, Test Plans, and Azure

AI & ML

Cloud vision, Vertex AI, AutoML, Dataflow CX, and Virtual Agents

SageMaker, Comprehend, Lex, and Polly

Databricks, Cognitive Search, Bot Service, ML, and Cognitive Services

AR & VR

ARCore

Sumerian

Mixed Reality

IoT

Google Cloud IoT Core

SiteWise, FreeRTOS, IoT Core, Greengrass, and IoT Analytics

Azure Sphere, Azure RTOS, IoT Edge, and Azure IoT Hub/Central

6. Hybrid and Multi-Cloud Computing Options

Although none of the three cloud service providers are currently making significant investments in hybrid and multi-cloud offerings, they all provide a range of tools to give customers more flexibility.

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Hybrid & Multi-Cloud Computing Options

  • Looker
  • Traffic Director
  • Cloud Build
  • Operations
  • Anthos
  • Cloud Run for Anthos
  • AWS Snowball
  • Amazon ECS 
  • AWS Local Zones
  • Amazon EKS 
  • AWS Outposts
  • AWS Snowcone
  • AWS Wavelength
  • Azure Backup
  • Azure Stack
  • Azure AD
  • Azure SC
  • Azure Centinel
  • Azure Blob Storage
  • Azure Arc

What Are the Unique Strengths of Each Cloud Platform?

Let’s discuss the unique strengths of each cloud service provider in our comparison of Google Cloud vs AWS vs Azure.

Google Cloud

Despite having the smallest market share, Google Cloud is a fierce competitor in the cloud services industry.


The platform excels at providing users with access to dependable scaling and load-balancing features and high-computing services like big data, analytics, and machine learning.


GCP, which offers flexible contracts and encourages collaboration, is the most affordable option. The platform was created specifically for businesses that operate only online.

AWS

AWS continues to dominate the cloud computing market, accounting for the largest market share of the three cloud giants we took into consideration for our review.

This platform keeps growing and attracting users thanks to its more than 200 services and ease of use. Due to its flexibility, scalability, and integrated security, AWS continues to be the most well-known and enterprise-ready provider of cloud services.

Its users benefit from significant increases in organizational productivity and business growth as a result of using AWS.

Azure

Azure comes in second place in terms of cloud providers. By transferring its on-premises services, including Windows Server, Office, SQL Server, Sharepoint, and others, to the cloud, this platform entered the cloud computing market.

Azure's cloud services are integrated with other programs that are frequently used by businesses, which gives it an advantage over competitors.

Azure is the best choice for startups and developers because of its extensive feature set, significant customer discounts, and platform adaptability and security.

Cloud Pricing Comparison: How Do They Compare in Terms of Pricing?

Businesses all over the world are moving to the cloud in large part due to cost savings. In fact, one of the main advantages of cloud computing that attracts more and more businesses to it every year is the ability to save money.

According to Flexera, cost savings are one of the primary justifications given by businesses for using the cloud, which is used by 94% of them. Let's compare the prices of Google Cloud, AWS, and Azure.

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minimum instance

GCP's most basic instance offers 2 virtual CPUs and 8 GB of RAM.

It will costs you around $52/month.

With regard to AWS, a basic instance with 2 virtual CPUs and 8 Gb of RAM will run you about $69 per month.

The least expensive instance of this platform, which costs about $70 per month, has 2 vCPUs and 8 Gb of RAM.

maximum instance

It takes the lead when it comes to the largest instance, providing 3.75 TB of RAM and 160 vCPUs for about $5.32/hour.

The most expensive instance provided by this cloud provider costs about $3.07/hour and has 3.89 TB of RAM and 128 virtual CPUs.

Azure's maximum instance comes with 3.89 TB of RAM and 128 virtual CPUs. The hourly rate is about $6.79.

AWS vs Azure vs GCP Market Share: Who is the Winner?

AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud combined for 66% of the $57.5 billion spent on cloud services in the third quarter of 2022.

Let's examine the market shares and growth rates of each of these cloud service providers as we move forward with our comparison of Google Cloud vs AWS vs Azure.

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azure

market share

Google Cloud has 9.5% of the market share.

AWS has 34% of the market share.

Azure has 22% of the market share.

AWS is the undisputed “WINNER” in this case, with the largest market share.

Which Cloud Platform is Right for Your Business Needs?

Now, the time has come when you have to decide which cloud platform is right for your business. Let’s discuss the pros and cons of each cloud platform to make the right decision. 

Google Cloud vs AWS vs Azure Pros

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Big data and machine learning are two high-computing offerings that GCP specializes in.

AWS is the industry leader in Stabilize.

Azure welcomes hybrid cloud architectures.

Simple integration with additional Google Cloud Services like Compute Engine, Kubernetes Engine, or App Engine.

High Transfer Stability: Very little data loss when moving between servers and storage.

Microsoft tools and software are easily integrated.

Well-documented, including an API reference guide.

Data is easily accessible, and users can choose to keep it nearby.

Azure has a deeper understanding of business requirements.

Google Cloud vs AWS vs Azure Cons

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azure

Java, Python, PHP, and Google Go are the only languages supported by Google's App Engine.

Ineffective and incomplete hybrid strategy.

Integration with third-party systems is challenging.

Data downloads from Google Cloud Storage are relatively expensive.

The evidence for hybrid cloud outputs is still in its infancy.

Platform Restrictive, Less Versatile with Non-Windows Server Platforms.

The silver class, which provides the most fundamental services, has a rather pricey support fee of about $150 per month.

Large-scale, intricate offerings that can be manipulative.

Low-quality support.

So which one should you choose?

These 3 cloud service providers have their own benefits and drawbacks. We hope that this complete comparison will help you make the right choice according to your business needs.

Ultimately, you want to boost your company's productivity and streamline all of your revenue-generating procedures. Being the market leader and providing better reliability and features make AWS a straightforward choice.

Businesses should only use Google Cloud because it offers the most affordable pricing for the infrastructure that supports Google Search and YouTube. The Azure cloud, however, makes more sense for many businesses that use Microsoft products.

Final Thoughts

Despite the fact that Amazon Web Services (AWS), the industry leader in terms of storage and services, is currently facing stiff competition from Google Cloud and Azure.

Particularly, Azure, which has a strong enterprise focus, is gaining ground on AWS. In the meantime, Google's reach expands thanks to its integration with open-source software and outside companies.

Of course, in the end, everything depends on your business’s particular use case. As the market develops, the majority of businesses are looking for multi-cloud solutions that let them benefit from each cloud service without being reliant on a single one. 

About the author

Youssef

Youssef is a Senior Cloud Consultant & Founder of ITCertificate.org

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