AWS vs Google Cloud: Which One to Choose?

The ‘which vs which’ in the cloud computing universe has extended and become a more heated topic of debate with all the major players in the industry competing to take the number one position by providing more and more services. This article will try to find which one out of AWS and Google Cloud is the better one.

Before we understand the differences between the two, let’s understand what is cloud computing?

What is Cloud Computing?

Cloud computing was considered one of the most revolutionary areas in technology at the beginning of the 21st century. Today the buzz is still growing, with many businesses taking advantage of it.

To simply put, cloud computing is the delivery of on-demand computing services like computer networks, servers, storage, applications, and services on a pay-for-use basis. Cloud computing has proved to be beneficial to organizations that are looking to focus on their business side while keeping the cost of hardware and upgrades to a minimum. Let’s discuss the AWS and Google Cloud differences.

Now, let’s jump in:

What is AWS (Amazon Web Services)?

AWS is a subsidiary of Amazon.com and was launched in the year 2006. It has become one of the most popular cloud computing services providers in the world and has earned a profit of more than $3 Billion on revenues of more than $12 Billion in the year 2016. It comprises more than 70 services spanning a wide range of services and operates from 16 geographical locations.

Also Read: Top AWS Interview Questions and Answers

What is Google Cloud Platform?

Google Cloud Platform was started in the year 2011 by Google and offers a suite of cloud computing services that runs on the same infrastructure that it uses internally.

AWS vs Google Cloud

Both of the service providers are big in terms of name and popularity. However, both of them have their own pros and cons. Let’s check out:

• Pricing – If you are one of those mid-level enterprises or start-ups, pricing can be a huge difference for you. In this matter, there is only one clear winner as Google Cloud is the outright winner in this category. Apart from the cost being lower than AWS, Google Cloud also offers a better cost structure than its counterpart. As far as pricing is concerned, AWS is suitable for general purpose and memory-optimized instances. On the other hand, Google Cloud is cheaper for compute-optimized. However, Google Cloud offers almost half the quantity of RAM.

Also Read: Different Levels of AWS Certifications Explained

Winner: Google Cloud

• Services – Though Google Cloud is increasing its number of services in recent years, it is still nowhere near to the number of services offered by AWS. As mentioned above, AWS has more than 200 fully-featured services worldwide to cater to the different needs of the customers. If someone is looking for a single vendor for the long term, then AWS is the best option as their services are very comprehensive.

Also Read: Why Learn AWS – Services, Benefits and Top Reasons to Learn AWS

Winner: AWS

• Locations – When using cloud services, it is sometimes good to have the data center close to your users so that there is minimum latency. In this area, GCP is the winner with 85 zones in 200+ countries & territories whereas AWS has 81 availability zones in 25 geographic regions.

Winner: GCP

• Volume Size – The volume size of AWS is 500 GB to 16 TB while that of Google Cloud is 1 GB to 64 TB. The highest volume size that AWS offers is 16TB whereas GCP offers a maximum of 64TB.

Winner: GCP

The Verdict

From the above points, one can see that there are advantages on both sides and there is no clear winner. It all depends on the user. If you want a cloud service with cost on your mind then Google Cloud is your choice, while AWS offers a wide variety of services for those who need something more comprehensive.

Also Read: AWS Database Services: Uses and Benefits

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