Difference Between Amazon Web Service (AWS) and Google Cloud Platform (GCP)

calendarSep 11, 2022 · 6 min read  ·
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Before we start with the comparison of the Amazon Web Service and the Google Cloud Platform, it is important to understand what cloud computing means.

To put it in the simplest of terms, cloud computing means availing all kinds of computing services like storage, databases, servers, networking software, analytics, etc. over the internet. Over the years, cloud computing has become extremely popular with big and small companies alike. The reason for that is cloud computing saves companies and users from problems that come with on-premise computing like lack of flexibility, storage, scaling, accessing data, and difficulty collaborating. Unlike in on-premise computing, where a company needs to hire a professional to avoid breaches and improve security standards, with cloud computing all these services are provided by the server itself and there is no need to hire any professional.

Amazon Web Service (AWS) Vs Google Cloud Platform (GCP)

The main difference between Amazon Web Service and Google Cloud Platform is that while Google Cloud Platform provides an encrypted data transmission service, Amazon Web Service on the other hand provides a general data transmission service. AWS is also costlier than GCP but they have a lot more storage options than GCP. AWS is also the most popular cloud computing service while GCP ranks third.

Amazon Web Services is the first modern cloud computing service. It is also the most preferred cloud computing service as it has more than a million users, the most for an cloud computing service provider. It has a pay-as-you-go payment model and they charge the user by the hour.

Google Cloud Platform, on the other hand was launched after Amazon Web Service. GCP ranks third when after Amazon Web Service and azure, when it comes to number of users it has. It also has a pay-as-you-go payment model, but they charge the user by the second.

Comparison Table Between Amazon Web Service and Google Cloud Platform

  Parameters of         ComparisonsAmazon Web Service (AWS)Google Cloud Platform (GCP)
Company of originAmazonGoogle
Year of LaunchThe Amazon Web Service was launched in the year 2006The Google Cloud Platform was launched in the year 2008, however, it was made available for the general customers in 2011
Payment ModelPay-as-you-go payment modelPay-as-you-go payment model.
StorageAmazon Web Service has multiple storage providing services.Google Cloud Platform has lesser options.
NetworkingAmazon Web Service uses amazon virtual private cloud (VCP).Google Cloud Platform uses a cloud virtual network.
Number of usersWhile the Amazon Web Service does not release its user number, it is safe to say that it has over a million users.Google cloud platform also does not give the numbers out, it is also safe to say, that it has a lesser number of users than both AWS and azure.  
Shares OwnedAWS owns 32% public cloud market share.GCP owns about 7% public cloud market share.
Recovery ServicesAWS provides cloud-based disaster recovery service.GCP provides complete backup services.
Data transmissionAWS provides general data transmission.GCP provides encrypted data transmission.

What is Amazon Web Service?

Amazon Web Service is provided by Amazon. It was launched in the year 2006. It was the first company to provide a modern cloud infrastructure service. They launched the Amazon Web Service under the name Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud in August of the year 2006. AWS provides a wide variety of services. It is used by start-ups, multinational companies, and even some government agencies. Today it has more than a million users, the most number for any cloud computing service. 33% of the websites on the internet are hosted by AWS. It has 77 availability zones in 24 geographical regions. It also owns 32% of the public cloud market share.

Simple Storage Service (S3), Elastic Block Storage (EBS), and Elastic File System (EFS) are among some of Amazon Web Service’s storage options. AWS follows the pay-as-you-go option, but they charge you by the hour.

In the second quarter of this year (Q2’21) Amazon Web Service earned a total revenue of 14.809 billion dollars.

Some of Amazon Web Service’s biggest clients include Netflix, Twitch, LinkedIn, and Facebook.

What is Google Cloud Platform?  

The Google Cloud Platform is a cloud computing service provided by Google. It was launched in the year 2008 but made available to the general public in the year 2011. Today, three out of ten telecommunication companies and seven out of ten media and entertainment companies use Google Cloud.  According to Google, their main focus is on providing services for retail, manufacturing, health, and life services. Google Cloud Platform is the third largest cloud computing service after Amazon and Azure. It is available in 73 availability zones and 28 geographical regions. GCP also owns 7% of the public cloud market share.

Google Cloud Platform provides Cloud Storage as a storage option. GCP also uses the pay-as-you-go payment model, however, they charge you by the second.

In the second quarter of 2021 (Q2’21) Google Cloud Platform earned a total revenue of 4.63 billion dollars.

Some of Google Cloud Service’s biggest clients are Toyota, Spotify, LG, and Verizon.

Main Differences Between Amazon Web Service and Google Cloud Platform

  • Amazon Web Service is provided by amazon while the google cloud program is provided by Google.
  • Amazon Web Service was launched in the year 2006, while Google Cloud Platform was available to users by 2011. This gives AWS a 5-year head start over GCP.
  •  While both AWS and GCP have a pay-as-you-go payment model, AWS charges by the hour, which means you have to pay for the complete hour even if you have used the server just for a minute. Whereas GCP charges by the second, after completing one minute. Thus, these payment structures make AWS more expensive than GCP.
  • AWS provides you with a lot of options when it comes to storage services like Simple Storage Service (S3), Elastic Block Storage (EBS), and many more, while GCP provides you only with cloud storage.
  • AWS provides services for a varied group of users. From start-ups to multinational companies, even a few government agencies, AWS caters to everybody. GCP on the other hand is focused on retail, manufacturing, health, and life services.
  • AWS owns the largest amount of public cloud market share as it owns 32% of it. GCP on the other hand ranks third (after azure) as it owns 7% of the public cloud market share.
  • While GCP provides a complete backup service, AWS provides only cloud-based disaster recovery service.
  • While AWS has 77 availability zones in 24 regions, GCP has 23 availability zones in 28 regions.

    • Conclusion

    Both AWS and GCP provide credible computing services.

    While AWS is more expensive than GCP it does provide a lot more services than GCP does. AWS is also the first and the oldest modern cloud computing service.

    Also, because AWS is in a sense the pioneer of modern cloud computing services, they do have a lot more experience than GCP. However, GCP is a fast developing and rapidly increasing services.

    If you are small business owner GCP could be more your speed, as it is cheaper than AWS and provides the necessary services. But if you own a big business or a multinational company or have to use the servers for hours together AWS could be beneficial. While it is more expensive than GCP, it have a lot more variety in its services than GCP does.

    AWS also has more availability zones but GCP has more geographical regions.

    References

  • http://eprints.eudl.eu/id/eprint/2890/
  • https://cloud.google.com/files/esg-whitepaper.pdf

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