Google Cloud vs Public Cloud Comparison

Why choose Google Cloud

• Has a free plan (Public Cloud does not)
• Higher Analytics score (9/10 vs 3/10)
• Higher Scalability score (10/10 vs 6/10)
• Better fit for enterprise (9/10 vs 5/10)

Why choose Public Cloud

• Higher Cost score (8/10 vs 5/10)

Google Cloud

Pros

• Very broad managed catalogue that spans VMs, GKE, serverless, several database engines, a CDN and Cloud Armor, so most infrastructure can come from one vendor.
• Global footprint, which Wikipedia put at 40 regions and 121 zones in early 2024, helps teams deploy close to users and across zones.
• A 300 USD, 90-day credit plus a permanent Always Free tier, including a small VM, lets developers prototype at no cost.
• Capterra reviewers credit its scalability with helping them adapt quickly to changing client demand.

Cons

• Capterra reviewers repeatedly say the billing is complex, hard to audit and sometimes produces unexpected charges.
• Technical support requires a paid plan priced as a percentage of spend, and Premium starts at 15,000 USD a month.
• Reviewers report a steep learning curve and inconsistent documentation.
• The free e2-micro VM is limited to three US regions, so other regions incur standard charges.

Public Cloud

Pros

• Owned data centers located only in Switzerland, which supports data-sovereignty requirements
• Built on standard OpenStack, so existing tooling works and moving to another provider is easier
• Hourly billing that excludes most charges for stopped instances
• CHF 300 of free credit for the first 3 months
• S3-compatible object storage, encrypted block storage and DDoS protection

Cons

• All regions are in Switzerland, so there is no wider geographic footprint
• Invoices can only be paid by credit card
• Third-party benchmarks note missing monitoring charts and reverse DNS
• Very few independent user reviews on G2 or Capterra