Google Compute Engine vs Microsoft Azure comparison

Google and Microsoft are both solutions in the Infrastructure as a Service Clouds (IaaS) category. Google is ranked #14 with an average rating of 8.3, while Microsoft is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.3. Google holds a 1.2% mindshare in ISI, compared to Microsoft’s 10.8% mindshare. Additionally, 93% of Google users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 95% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

Google Compute Engine

Read 16 Google Compute Engine reviews

836 Views
694 Comparison Views

93% willing to recommend

Microsoft Azure

Read 323 Microsoft Azure reviews

18,565 Views
9,839 Comparison Views

95% willing to recommend

Google Compute Engine

Microsoft Azure

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 16, 2024

Microsoft Azure and Google Compute Engine compete in the cloud services category. Azure holds the upper hand due to its extensive global reach and a broad array of services.

Features: Microsoft Azure provides global data center availability, supports multiple languages, and offers robust application interface services. It's compatible with different frameworks and excels in hybrid cloud capabilities. Google Compute Engine focuses on flexibility and automation, key strengths being customizable VM configurations and cost-effective machine learning and storage options.

Room for Improvement: Microsoft Azure could improve its pricing model clarity, integrations, and security features. Users seek more consistent console experience and better developer tools. Google Compute Engine may enhance its usability for non-technical users, multi-region support, and UI navigation for certain tasks.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Azure is recognized for quick deployment in hybrid and public cloud setups, though its feature complexity is noted. Customer support tends to be inconsistent. Google Compute Engine is praised for straightforward deployment and efficient customer service for technical issues.

Pricing and ROI: Azure's pricing is flexible but can become expensive without careful management; integration with Microsoft licenses offers cost reductions. Google Compute Engine uses a competitive pay-as-you-go model, having a cost advantage for specific workloads.

To learn more, read our detailed Google Compute Engine vs. Microsoft Azure Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Google Compute Engine vs. Microsoft Azure

December 2025

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

ROI

Sentiment score

6.3

Compute Engine offers initial cost savings and performance boosts, but financial benefits and precise savings remain challenging to gauge.

Sentiment score

6.1

Microsoft Azure is favored for reducing costs, offering flexible scalability, and enhancing service reliability while shifting expenses to operational.

No quotes available

For more quotes and insights, download the Google Compute Engine report

The value for money is good, and Microsoft Azure has positively impacted our operational costs.

HafizMuhammad

IT Support Specialist at Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi

When we use Microsoft Azure, it provides enhanced security from our perspective, though I am not certain about the financial return on investment or benefits for our users as I do not have that information.

Flamur Prapashtica

Head of Security Management at Ipko Telecommunications

For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Azure report

Customer Service

Sentiment score

6.3

Google Compute Engine support receives mixed reviews; some praise responsiveness while others note inadequate assistance and delayed responses.

Sentiment score

6.5

Microsoft Azure's support is responsive and knowledgeable, but speed and accessibility vary with the service level purchased.

No quotes available

For more quotes and insights, download the Google Compute Engine report

Microsoft needs to engage L3 and L2 in support when specified in service tickets.

Syed Abid

Snr. Infrastructure Architect (Data Centre) at LogicEra

We eventually get the resolution we seek.

Sumit_Gupta

Freelancer at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees

I would rate their technical support a ten because we have various support channels available.

reviewer1791999

Solutions Architect at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Azure report

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score

8.0

Google Compute Engine is scalable and versatile, suitable for varying workloads, with strong network and security features.

Sentiment score

7.6

Microsoft Azure is highly rated for its scalable resource management, suitable for businesses of all sizes and workloads.

No quotes available

For more quotes and insights, download the Google Compute Engine report

Microsoft Azure is not just one product; it is a platform with multiple products within Microsoft Azure, and I would say it is scalable and would rate it a nine.

Jurgens Els

Director at Apeiros Solutions

The scalability of Microsoft Azure is excellent for growth and adaptation, depending on company requirements.

Flamur Prapashtica

Head of Security Management at Ipko Telecommunications

It has different kinds of designs that allow for management and deployment in multi-zones, offering both scalable and non-scalable options.

Syed Abid

Snr. Infrastructure Architect (Data Centre) at LogicEra

For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Azure report

Stability Issues

Sentiment score

8.3

Google Compute Engine is highly reliable with a 99.99% SLA, frequently surpassing performance expectations and stability compared to competitors.

Sentiment score

7.7

Microsoft Azure is generally stable with high uptime, though users note occasional issues and some prefer AWS for reliability.

No quotes available

For more quotes and insights, download the Google Compute Engine report

We noticed a few critical servers went down due to a Microsoft Azure-end hardware issue.

reviewer1561173

Senior Associate at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees

We are now migrating clients without the zoning into mandatory multi-zone deployments, so if one zone goes down, their application and database remain live.

Syed Abid

Snr. Infrastructure Architect (Data Centre) at LogicEra

Microsoft Azure is quite stable, but recent outages and security issues have slightly decreased my confidence.

reviewer3261598

Works at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Azure report

Room For Improvement

Google Compute Engine users seek UI enhancements, expanded options, improved security, synchronization, and better support and marketing focus.

Azure users seek a user-friendly interface, better pricing, enhanced support, compatibility improvements, and additional customization with security enhancements.

No quotes available

For more quotes and insights, download the Google Compute Engine report

Recent outages and security issues are also a concern, causing a decrease in confidence, especially when partnering with third-party companies.

reviewer3261598

Works at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees

The administrative side is suitable for technical people, but our finance and HR super users find it less user-friendly, as they prefer drag-and-drop features to build their own solutions without contacting IT.

HafizMuhammad

IT Support Specialist at Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi

There is still room for improvement in terms of pricing.

Jurgens Els

Director at Apeiros Solutions

For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Azure report

Setup Cost

Google Compute Engine offers competitive, flexible pricing, often cheaper than Azure and AWS, with savings possible through resource optimization.

Microsoft Azure's competitive pricing and flexible options attract users, despite concerns about long-term cost predictability and specific charges.

No quotes available

For more quotes and insights, download the Google Compute Engine report

Microsoft solutions might be cheaper than some services like AWS, but some solutions may be more expensive depending on the services compared.

reviewer3261598

Works at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees

Copilot is expensive based on recent pricing for our POC.

HafizMuhammad

IT Support Specialist at Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi

They have discounts and also provide promotions for a three-year reservation which comes with significant discounts on the infrastructure part.

Syed Abid

Snr. Infrastructure Architect (Data Centre) at LogicEra

For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Azure report

Valuable Features

Google Compute Engine offers customizable VMs, scalability, cost-effectiveness, security features, and diverse compute and storage options.

Microsoft Azure excels in scalability, integration, security, and cost-effectiveness, enhancing development and operational efficiency with robust support.

In GCP, there's a custom configuration feature unlike AWS and Azure.

reviewer2602254

Senior Cloud Engineer at a tech vendor with 1,001-5,000 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Google Compute Engine report

Power BI, another feature of Azure, is extremely elegant and has robust features that support forecasting using R and Python.

reviewer3261598

Works at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees

If Microsoft gives a report, such as a server performance report in a detailed way, which shows what is consuming more CPU, memory, and disk IO, and network utilization during a particular time, it would be helpful to visualize that information.

reviewer1561173

Senior Associate at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees

What is very interesting in terms of scalability is the automatic possibilities to provision some new machines to be able to absorb the number of users we have in the system.

Sylvain CAILLAU

Technical Director / Market Evangelist at CAST Software

For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Azure report

Categories and Ranking

Google Compute Engine

Ranking in Infrastructure as a Service Clouds (IaaS)

14th

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Microsoft Azure

Ranking in Infrastructure as a Service Clouds (IaaS)

1st

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

323

Ranking in other categories

PaaS Clouds (1st)

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Infrastructure as a Service Clouds (IaaS) category, the mindshare of Google Compute Engine is 1.2%, up from 0.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Azure is 10.8%, down from 19.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Infrastructure as a Service Clouds (IaaS) Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Microsoft Azure	10.8%
Google Compute Engine	1.2%
Other	88.0%

Infrastructure as a Service Clouds (IaaS)

Featured Reviews

WahyuKurniawan

Head of Software Engineering at Abarobotics.com

Reasonably priced and offers high availability features

The synchronization between two tools, meaning if I have another server outside Google Cloud, as far as I know, I cannot mimic the server in Google Cloud to another server outside Google Cloud. I don't know if Google has the above-mentioned features or not, and if it does have them, then maybe Google can help us set things right and how to make a server mimic either of the servers outside Google. With the hot swap features or if Google Cloud itself is down, we can replace the services with another server. Right now, I have another server outside Google as a backup of a production server. There should be synchronization between servers inside Google and those outside it. The high availability features in Google are only available in Google Compute Engine in different regions. If I have another server outside Google, the high availability features in Google cannot synchronize with such a server.

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Syed Abid

Snr. Infrastructure Architect (Data Centre) at LogicEra

Versatile integrations and reliable customer satisfaction elevate cloud service experience

For Microsoft Azure improvement, they need to enhance their support system. The first level of support should be improved in terms of quality and response time. They need more technical support at the first level, as there are currently only one or two technical people among five to ten staff members at this level. They should ensure that the first level support is more technical because we normally provide services to technical users ourselves. When an issue arises, it usually escalates to the second or third level. When facing first level support, they may have limited knowledge and only collect screenshots to forward to their seniors. They should ensure that the first level support is aligned with L2 and L3 to better assist us, especially since we mention in the ticket that our issues are related to specific problems and require that sort of support.

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Aug 14, 2013

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Manufacturing Company

31%

Financial Services Firm

Comms Service Provider

Performing Arts

Financial Services Firm

13%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Computer Software Company

University

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	5
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	7

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	140
Midsize Enterprise	53
Large Enterprise	150

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Google Compute Engine?

Google resources are cheaper compared to AWS and Microsoft Azure. Among the three, Google is the cheapest option.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Google Compute Engine?

Google has a lack of focus on their products. They have many products in various areas of the market, but they do not productize or appeal to the market effectively. They should concentrate on prod...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Google Compute Engine?

The main use case is for deploying any standard application. I simply use Compute Engine, which is comparable to a virtual machine. It is essentially a VM machine.

See all answers

Which is preferable - IBM Public Cloud or Microsoft Azure?

IBM Public Cloud is IBM’s Platform-as-a-Service. It aims to provide organizations with a secure cloud environment to manage data and applications. One of the features we like is the cloud activity ...

See all answers

Which is better - SAP Cloud Platform or Microsoft Azure?

One of the best features of SAP Cloud Platform is that it is web-based and you can log in from anywhere in the world. SAP Cloud Platform is suitable for companies of any size; it works well with bo...

See all answers

How does Microsoft Azure compare to Google Firebase?

I would recommend Google Firebase instead of Microsoft Azure, simply for the array of features that it has to offer. In particular, the Firebase library grants you access to a shared data structure...

See all answers

Comparisons

VMware Cloud Foundation vs Google Compute Engine

Compared 27% of the time

SAP S4HANA on AWS vs Google Compute Engine

Compared 11% of the time

Tencent Cloud vs Google Compute Engine

Compared 11% of the time

Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) vs Google Compute Engine

Compared 9% of the time

Pivotal Cloud Foundry vs Google Compute Engine

Compared 7% of the time

More Google Compute Engine Competitors

Alibaba Cloud vs Microsoft Azure

Compared 11% of the time

Amazon AWS vs Microsoft Azure

Compared 10% of the time

Pivotal Cloud Foundry vs Microsoft Azure

Compared 9% of the time

Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) vs Microsoft Azure

Compared 8% of the time

Red Hat OpenShift vs Microsoft Azure

Compared 7% of the time

More Microsoft Azure Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Google Compute Engine

January 2026

Download Google Compute Engine product report

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Azure

December 2025

Download Microsoft Azure product report

Also Known As

No data available

Windows Azure, Azure, MS Azure

Overview

Google Compute Engine delivers virtual machines running in Google's innovative data centers and worldwide fiber network. Compute Engine's tooling and workflow support enable scaling from single instances to global, load-balanced cloud computing.

Compute Engine's VMs boot quickly, come with persistent disk storage, and deliver consistent performance. Our virtual servers are available in many configurations including predefined sizes or the option to create Custom Machine Types optimized for your specific needs. Flexible pricing and automatic sustained use discounts make Compute Engine the leader in price/performance.

Google

Microsoft Azure integrates services and offers flexibility, ensuring compatibility with diverse environments. Its scalability, security, and cost-efficient features enhance deployment and management, making it ideal for infrastructure services and application hosting.

Azure provides a comprehensive suite of tools for application deployment, virtual machine management, and data analytics. It allows seamless integration with Power BI and offers a user-friendly interface supported by detailed documentation and technical support. Though users appreciate its capabilities, they sometimes face challenges with costs, setup, and interface complexity, alongside integration and performance issues. Frequent updates and a learning curve are also noted, though Azure's cloud-based security and scalability remain critical for disaster recovery and business continuity.

What are Azure's key features?

Integrated Services: Ensures compatibility with Microsoft and non-Microsoft environments.
Scalability: Supports growing business demands with flexible computing power.
Security: Offers robust cloud-based security features for data protection.
Cost Efficiency: Provides options that optimize costs for diverse requirements.
Application Deployment: Facilitates quick rollout of apps and services.

What benefits should users expect from Azure?

Operational Optimization: Allows companies to streamline processes effectively.
Innovative Efficiency: Empowers businesses to innovate with powerful tools.
Reliable Support: Backed by strong technical support and comprehensive documentation.
Flexible Cloud Solutions: Offers a range of options for cloud migrations and infrastructure management.

Microsoft Azure is widely implemented in industries like financial services, healthcare, and logistics for hosting enterprise applications and vital services. Companies utilize its capabilities for IoT applications, DevOps, and Kubernetes clusters, benefiting from its cloud migrations, data analytics, and active directory support.

Microsoft

Sample Customers

Allthecooks, BetterCloud, Bluecore, Cosentry, Evite, Ezakus, HTC, Infectious Media, iStreamPlanet, Mendelics, SageMathCloud, Sedex, Treeptik, Wibigoo, Wix, zulily, Zync

BMW, Toyota, easyJet, NBC Sports, HarperCollins, Aviva, TalkTalk Business, Avanade, and Telenor.

Buyer's Guide

Google Compute Engine vs. Microsoft Azure

December 2025

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