Google Cloud SQL vs Imply comparison

Google and Imply are both solutions in the Database as a Service (DBaaS) category. Google is ranked #4 with an average rating of 7.9, while Imply is ranked #13 with an average rating of 8.0. Google holds a 14.3% mindshare in DS, compared to Imply’s 0.6% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Google users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Imply users who would recommend it.

Google Cloud SQL

Read 22 Google Cloud SQL reviews

2,438 Views
2,197 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Imply

Read 1 Imply review

168 Views
71 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Google Cloud SQL

Imply

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Apr 20, 2025

Google Cloud SQL and Imply are competitors in data analytics and database management. Google Cloud SQL has the upper hand in pricing and support, whereas Imply offers superior analytics features.

Features: Google Cloud SQL provides robust integration with the Google Cloud ecosystem, automated backups, and easy scalability. Imply focuses on real-time data analytics, high-performance queries, and complex data visualization, which is beneficial for businesses seeking advanced data insights.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Google Cloud SQL ensures seamless integration with Google products and has strong customer support. Imply requires more complex deployment due to its rich features but offers substantial customer service for effective implementation and operation.

Pricing and ROI: Google Cloud SQL offers a straightforward pricing structure suitable for smaller budgets, while Imply's pricing reflects its advanced features with a potentially high return on investment for extensive analytics capabilities.

To learn more, read our detailed Database as a Service (DBaaS) Report (Updated: June 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Database as a Service (DBaaS)

June 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:

Categories and Ranking

Google Cloud SQL

Ranking in Database as a Service (DBaaS)

4th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Imply

Ranking in Database as a Service (DBaaS)

13th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

8.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Database as a Service (DBaaS) category, the mindshare of Google Cloud SQL is 14.3%, down from 18.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Imply is 0.6%, up from 0.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Database as a Service (DBaaS)

Featured Reviews

Prathap Sankar

Analytics Delivery Manager at Tredence Inc.

Gain control and flexibility with customizable tools but has slower performance

I am majorly working in Google Cloud SQL for building my applications Google Cloud SQL provides complete customization options, along with a dashboarding tool and a comprehensive suite of tools that can be used to customize and build any application needed. The deployment model allows for…

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Divya Bhanot

Director of Engineering at Paytm

Provides cost efficiency and flexible control over clusters

The managed offering has two models: Polaris and Hybrid. We explored both during the PoC phase. The Hybrid model gives you the flexibility to keep your data safe on your own site but still have a managed service to control your infrastructure. The Polaris model, on the other hand, does not give you an insight into what kind of AWS box you are using. Based on your capacity planning, you can just choose the correct size of the box. It also gives you a dashboard. I would like Imply to include more flexible billing models with added options for superior infrastructure control, flexibility in scaling, and cost-effectiveness, such as choosing the number of CPUs required. We should have more flexibility and control over the infrastructure in terms of upscaling and downscaling. Currently, there are only certain tightly bound options. With more flexible options, more customers will adopt the solution.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"This is a stable solution and offers good performance."

"What I like the most about Google Cloud SQL is that it handles the management, which allows us to concentrate on our applications."

"Google Cloud SQL provides complete customization options, along with a dashboarding tool and a comprehensive suite of tools that can be used to customize and build any application needed."

"The product is scalable."

"I found its storage and security to be the most valuable. It was a good experience. It is also very stable and scalable, and its support is perfect."

"The implementation part of the product was easy."

"The initial setup is straightforward."

"It directly provides robust data safety. It also offers various other storage options, such as Google Cloud Storage. These services ensure data security and redundancy. Furthermore, it includes different storage classes, allowing flexible data management tailored to specific needs."

More Google Cloud SQL pros

"We have not faced any downtime."

"One of the best parts of the solution is the Hybrid model that allows flexibility to keep control over the clusters."

Cons

"For data analysis, the AI area of the product has certain shortcomings where improvements are required."

"I am yet to explore a lot of features that are present in this solution. However, it would be good if more documentation is available for this solution. This would help us in preparing for the certification exam and understand it better. Currently, we don't have much documentation. We do the labs for 20 or 25 minutes, but we can't capture and download anything."

"The purging of the data could be better."

"In the case of Google, they need to work on a more easy interface for users."

"It is hard to do logging with the solution."

"When discussing media files, such as images and audio files, stored in Google Cloud, concerns about handling large amounts of data arise."

"They could improve documentation and dashboard stability for efficient user experience and database management."

"The overall documentation and the connectors need improvement."

More Google Cloud SQL cons

"I would like Imply to include more flexible billing models with added options for superior infrastructure control, flexibility in scaling, and cost-effectiveness, such as choosing the number of CPUs required. We should have more flexibility and control over the infrastructure in terms of upscaling and downscaling. Currently, there are only certain tightly bound options."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution is affordable."

"The pricing is very much an important factor as to why we use this solution."

"It is not expensive, especially considering the significant reduction in database management time."

"From a financial perspective, Google Cloud SQL is on the cheaper side."

"While the platform’s pricing may be higher, it aligns with industry standards, considering the quality of service and features provided."

"It's really cheap. It wouldn't be more than, I believe it's around 50 euro per month for running a cloud SQL."

"You need to pay extra costs for backup and replication."

"Imply pricing is in the middle range. Understanding the data model can help reduce overall system costs."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

16%

Computer Software Company

13%

University

Educational Organization

No data available

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Google Cloud SQL?

The implementation part of the product was easy.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Google Cloud SQL?

The cost is expensive, especially for services like BigQuery, which charge based on query operations. We pay as we use, with no fixed cost.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Google Cloud SQL?

Google Cloud SQL needs to improve its support for high-end I/O operations. On-prem systems with high I/O capabilities perform better, as Google Cloud SQL takes more time to handle the same tasks. T...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Imply?

Imply pricing is in the middle range. Understanding the data model can help reduce overall system costs. If you understand the data model clearly and go in-depth while doing your capacity planning,...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Imply?

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Imply?

We are serving the Ads business for one of the biggest startups in India. Our use case involves capturing events or impressions generated on our app and performing aggregations of the users. If som...

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Comparisons

Microsoft Azure SQL Database vs Google Cloud SQL

Compared 38% of the time

Amazon RDS vs Google Cloud SQL

Compared 36% of the time

MongoDB Atlas vs Google Cloud SQL

Compared 12% of the time

Oracle Database as a Service vs Google Cloud SQL

Compared 8% of the time

Google Cloud Spanner vs Google Cloud SQL

Compared 4% of the time

More Google Cloud SQL Competitors

MongoDB Atlas vs Imply

Compared 54% of the time

SingleStore vs Imply

Compared 46% of the time

More Imply Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Google Cloud SQL

June 2025

Download Google Cloud SQL product report

Buyer's Guide

Database as a Service (DBaaS)

June 2025

Download Imply product report

Overview

Google Cloud SQL is a fully-managed database service that makes it easy to set up, maintain, manage, and administer your relational PostgreSQL and MySQL databases in the cloud. Google Cloud SQL offers high performance, scalability, and convenience. Hosted on Google Cloud Platform, Cloud SQL provides a database infrastructure for applications running anywhere.

Google

Imply provides advanced data analytics and real-time insights that cater to enterprises needing scalable performance and reliable data processing.

Imply offers a powerful analytics engine based on Apache Druid, allowing organizations to process vast amounts of data quickly. It is designed to deliver real-time insights with high scalability and reliability, supporting intricate data exploration and high-speed querying. Ideal for developers and data professionals, Imply ensures seamless integration into diverse IT ecosystems, enhancing data analysis capabilities significantly. Users highlight its proficiency in managing high query loads and its intuitive interface.

What are the essential features of Imply?

Real-Time Analytics: Offers immediate insights by processing data as it streams.
Scalability: Handles large data volumes efficiently for fast querying.
Flexible Integration: Easily integrates within existing IT infrastructures.
High Availability: Ensures consistent uptime and performance.
User-Friendly Interface: Simplifies navigation and data exploration.

What benefits should users consider in reviews?

Cost Efficiency: Reduces infrastructure costs with scalable solutions.
Enhanced Performance: Quickly processes and analyzes large datasets.
Operational Agility: Supports rapid decision-making with real-time data.

Imply is implemented across industries such as finance, digital marketing, and telecommunications, empowering professionals with vital insights. In finance, it helps manage transactional data analysis, while in digital marketing, it optimizes targeting and engagement strategies. Telecommunications professionals leverage it for network performance metrics and customer data insights.

Imply

Sample Customers

BeDataDriven, CodeFutures, Daffodil, GenieConnect, KiSSFLOW, LiveHive, SulAm_rica, Zync

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