Google Cloud SQL vs SQL Server 2014 Express comparison

Google and Cognosys Inc Hardened Images are both solutions in the Relational Databases Tools category. Google is ranked #19 with an average rating of 7.8, while Cognosys Inc Hardened Images is ranked #30 with an average rating of 7.0. Additionally, 100% of Google users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Cognosys Inc Hardened Images users who would recommend it.

Google Cloud SQL

Read 23 Google Cloud SQL reviews

1,988 Views
636 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

SQL Server 2014 Express

Read 2 SQL Server 2014 Express reviews

176 Views
60 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Google Cloud SQL

SQL Server 2014 Express

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Google Cloud SQL and SQL Server 2014 Express based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

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January 2026

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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 Relational Databases Tools

19th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Database as a Service (DBaaS) (6th), Database Management Systems (DBMS) (6th)

SQL Server 2014 Express

Ranking in Relational Databases Tools

30th

Average Rating

7.0

Reviews Sentiment

5.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Featured Reviews

Victor Danso

Database Engineer at Springer Nature

Migration to cloud eases management but needs better support for high I/O operations

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. There is also difficulty in changing the time zone after the database is set up. Moreover, some features available in MSSQL on-prem are missing on Google Cloud SQL, affecting migration potential.

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Rajneesh Prajapati

Senior Rpa Consultant at Accely Consulting

Reliable data storage has boosted automation logs and now needs fewer limits for growing workloads

The best features SQL Server 2014 Express offers are that it is free and reliable. The biggest advantage is that it is free and very stable, which makes it ideal for small scale and non-critical workloads. It integrates easily with .NET applications, automation tools, and reporting solutions. Setting up the installation and basic configuration is straightforward even for a small team. The integration with .NET applications and automation tools helps my team and projects by allowing me to record and store large amounts of data quickly. It processes very fast, stores very fast, reads the data, searches the data, and executes queries very quickly. However, in Excel, it does not work when the data is large. SQL Server 2014 Express has impacted my organization positively because it is time-saving. When I try to read Excel with a large amount of data, it is slow and sometimes it does not open because there is a lot of data. Sometimes Excel crashes. When I use SQL Server 2014 Express, it is very quick and time-saving, properly visible, and I can track where the data is breaking. It is reliable and cost-efficient for small use cases, but scalability and feature limitations prevent a higher rating.

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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

"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."

"From a database management perspective, it provides services without the need for me to worry about backups, scaling, or other operational issues."

"The deployment model allows for significant control and flexibility."

"It supports different databases, like Postgres and MySQL."

"The setup was straightforward. Just a couple of clicks, and we were done."

"Google Cloud SQL is very easy to use and easy to set up; it brings the benefits of being simple to perform queries, store data that I needed to store, and extract data when I needed to extract it quite quickly, without having to set up a full database and queries around it."

"The initial setup is straightforward."

"The implementation part of the product was easy."

More Google Cloud SQL pros

"SQL Server 2014 Express has impacted my organization positively because it is time-saving."

"SQL Server 2014 Express has positively impacted my organization by improving my knowledge in SQL coding and making my work faster."

Cons

"The monitoring part could be better."

"The performance compared to AWS is not as fast, and the technical support could be better as they don't have a dedicated team, but mostly AI handles the support now."

"Google Cloud SQL needs to improve its support for high-end I/O operations."

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

"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 product's user interface could be more user-friendly to improve the overall user experience."

"The purging of the data could be better."

"I would appreciate more flexibility with specific extensions applicable to engines like PostgreSQL. This would enhance the capabilities of Google Cloud SQL."

More Google Cloud SQL cons

"SQL Server 2014 Express can be improved by increasing the maximum 10 gigabytes for a database, as it would be better if this limit were increased."

"SQL Server 2014 Express can be improved as there are some resource limits. There are limitations on database size, memory, and CPU usage which restrict scalability."

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

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

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

"The solution is affordable."

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

"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."

Information not available

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

15%

Computer Software Company

11%

Educational Organization

University

No data available

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	9
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	9

No data available

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Google Cloud SQL?

The implementation part of the product was easy.

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

We have set up automated patch management for Google Cloud SQL, and it does on a daily basis what needs to be done, so it is pretty good overall for maintaining our database security.

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What needs improvement with Google Cloud SQL?

Sometimes the sharing with third parties or configuring that in Google Cloud SQL is not the most intuitive. From a user perspective, if Google Cloud SQL integrated AI directly into the query so tha...

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What needs improvement with SQL Server 2014 Express?

SQL Server 2014 Express can be improved by increasing the maximum 10 gigabytes for a database, as it would be better if this limit were increased.

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What is your primary use case for SQL Server 2014 Express?

My main use case for SQL Server 2014 Express is querying with SQL code. I use SQL Server 2014 Express in my work for analyzing the data set, so I can learn how to use SQL code and how to correctly ...

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What advice do you have for others considering SQL Server 2014 Express?

The advice I would give to others looking into using SQL Server 2014 Express is to be careful about the size of the database. I would rate this product a 7.

See all answers

Comparisons

Microsoft Azure SQL Database vs Google Cloud SQL

Compared 31% of the time

Amazon RDS vs Google Cloud SQL

Compared 28% of the time

MongoDB Atlas vs Google Cloud SQL

Compared 15% of the time

Oracle Database as a Service vs Google Cloud SQL

Compared 6% of the time

Google Cloud Spanner vs Google Cloud SQL

Compared 4% of the time

More Google Cloud SQL Competitors

No data available

Product Reports

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Google Cloud SQL

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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

SQL Server 2014 Express is a free, feature-rich database that provides capabilities for lightweight data-driven applications. It offers seamless integration, making it ideal for developers who need a reliable and manageable environment.

Designed for small-scale applications, SQL Server 2014 Express delivers a robust platform for developers. Its architecture supports efficient data management and application development without additional costs. With features like advanced security and scalability, it caters to complex needs with ease, providing tools for data storage and dynamic application growth.

What are the key features of SQL Server 2014 Express?

Advanced Security: Ensures data integrity with strong authentication and authorization.
Data Scalability: Efficiently handles growing amounts of data without compromising performance.
Full-Text Search: Provides powerful search capabilities within text data.
Integration Services: Simplifies data transformation and importing tasks.

Why should users review SQL Server 2014 Express?

Cost-Effectiveness: Offers substantial features at no cost, reducing operational expenses.
Performance: Optimized for quick data retrieval and processing, enhancing application speed.
Manageability: Provides simple configuration and management tools.
Reliability: Ensures consistent data availability and uptime.

SQL Server 2014 Express is widely implemented across industries like retail and healthcare, where reliable, scalable data management systems are essential. Its support for application development and data handling helps businesses innovate efficiently and maintain competitive operations.

Cognosys Inc Hardened Images

Sample Customers

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

Information Not Available

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January 2026

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