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Google Cloud Dataflow Reviews

Vendor: Google
4.0 out of 5
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What is Google Cloud Dataflow?

Google Dataflow is a unified programming model and a managed service for developing and executing a wide range of data processing patterns including ETL, batch computation, and continuous computation. Cloud Dataflow frees you from operational tasks like resource management and performance optimization.
Get the Google Cloud Dataflow Buyer's Guide and find out what your peers are saying about Google Cloud Dataflow, Databricks, Confluent and more!
Google Cloud Dataflow is the #7 ranked solution in Streaming Analytics tools. PeerSpot users give Google Cloud Dataflow an average rating of 8.0 out of 10. Google Cloud Dataflow is most commonly compared to Databricks: Google Cloud Dataflow vs Databricks. Google Cloud Dataflow is popular among the large enterprise segment, accounting for 72% of users researching this solution on PeerSpot. The top industry researching this solution are professionals from a financial services firm, accounting for 17% of all views.
Buyer's Guide
Google Cloud Dataflow
August 2025
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Google Cloud Dataflow mindshare

As of August 2025, the mindshare of Google Cloud Dataflow in the Streaming Analytics category stands at 6.0%, down from 7.7% compared to the previous year, according to calculations based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Streaming Analytics Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Google Cloud Dataflow6.0%
Apache Flink14.5%
Databricks13.5%
Other66.0%
Streaming Analytics

PeerResearch reports based on Google Cloud Dataflow reviews

TypeTitleDate
CategoryStreaming AnalyticsAug 27, 2025Download
ProductReviews, tips, and advice from real usersAug 27, 2025Download
ComparisonGoogle Cloud Dataflow vs DatabricksAug 27, 2025Download
ComparisonGoogle Cloud Dataflow vs Amazon KinesisAug 27, 2025Download
ComparisonGoogle Cloud Dataflow vs ConfluentAug 27, 2025Download
Suggested products
TitleRatingMindshareRecommending
Databricks4.113.5%96%91 interviewsAdd to research
Confluent4.18.3%95%23 interviewsAdd to research
 
 
Key learnings from peers

Valuable Features

Google Cloud Dataflow offers valuable features such as seamless integration, flexibility with programming languages, and user-friendliness. It supports Apache Beam's open-source framework and provides excellent scalability, connectivity, and cost-efficiency. Teams appreciate its unified batch and streaming model, local testing via Direct Runner, and strong support for Java and Python. Its intuitive interface, paired with monitoring tools like Grafana, eases troubleshooting and performance tracking. Integration with Google Cloud Composer supports complex data pipeline orchestration.
  • "Google's support team is good at resolving issues, especially with large data."
  • "The integration within Google Cloud Platform is very good."
  • "I would rate the overall solution a ten out of ten."

Room for Improvement

Google Cloud Dataflow needs improved integration with Kafka topics, error logging, and debugging processes. The setup process and startup time could be more efficient. Authentication and scalability are challenging for users. It should include cost optimization and better integration with related services. Adding features from Java SDK to Python SDK, addressing schema design consistency, increasing community engagement for Apache Beam, and implementing automated AI-based suggestions for scalability are areas for enhancement.
  • "The system could function in an automated fashion and provide suggestions based on past transactions to achieve better scalability."
  • "I would like to see improvements in consistency and flexibility for schema design for NoSQL data stored in wide columns."
  • "Occasionally, dealing with a huge volume of data causes failure due to array size."

ROI

Users express positive financial outcomes from using Google Cloud Dataflow. Despite being at an early stage, startups mention cost savings. They highlight its value for money and emphasize time savings, estimating a 70 percent reduction in time spent for their organization.

Pricing

Google Cloud Dataflow is considered cost-effective and affordable compared to similar solutions like AWS, although pricing varies significantly based on company size, payment methods, compute resources, data volume, and pipeline complexity. Most users find the pricing reasonable, with some evaluating it as inexpensive. Despite variations in cost due to resource usage, the solution is generally part of a broader Google package, contributing to its perceived affordability.
  • "The solution is not very expensive."
  • "On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive, I rate the solution's pricing a seven to eight out of ten."
  • "On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive, I rate Google Cloud Dataflow's pricing a four out of ten."

Popular Use Cases

Organizations primarily use Google Cloud Dataflow for data pipeline creation, processing batch and streaming data, and analytics integration with Pub/Sub and BigQuery. It facilitates big data computation, event stream processing, and building data pipelines in Python, supporting data transmission and storage. Entities employ it for migrating workloads, cleansing data, extracting from APIs, and for running batch jobs. It supports data analytics workflows and model preparation, enabling data-driven decisions.

Service and Support

Customer service and support for Google Cloud Dataflow shows mixed feedback. Google's team responds quickly and is effective with large data issues, providing good assistance. Organizations appreciate their dedicated managers for handling technical issues. However, some find support response time slow and hard to reach. Google's proactive updates ensure users often don't need additional help. Generally, users find support satisfactory, with easy consultation available for any technical concerns.

Deployment

Google Cloud Dataflow's initial setup is easy and fast for many, often taking minutes due to serverless deployment. However, some find it intricate if unfamiliar with Google Cloud, involving permissions and billing setup. With proper guidance or additional infrastructure support, the process is manageable, though it can extend from hours to days. Security issues might necessitate IT involvement. Users appreciate direct configuration, some rating it high for ease of setup.

Scalability

Google Cloud Dataflow provides impressive scalability on the cloud, easily handling large data processing for real-time streaming workloads. Users highlight its ability to dynamically optimize resources with intelligent autoscaling, allowing fine-tuning of performance and cost-efficiency. It supports varied organizational usage, from small teams to those planning broader adoption across departments, with users frequently rating its scalability highly. Many emphasize its flexibility and capacity to manage increasing demands without issues.

Stability

Google Cloud Dataflow is consistently described as stable by users who rate it between six to nine out of ten for its reliability. Many have experienced flawless operation due to Google's infrastructure, noting no issues during several months of usage. Automatic scaling aids stability, though there can be errors with complex jobs. Users consult colleagues if minor difficulties arise. Despite occasional challenges, stability is praised by many.
These insights are based on the in-depth reviews provided by peers to help you make a better buying decision.
Download our Google Cloud Dataflow Buyer's Guide for additional reliable information.

Review data by company size

By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business3
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise8
By reviewers
By visitors reading reviews
Company SizeCount
Small Business81
Midsize Enterprise55
Large Enterprise342
By visitors reading reviews

Top industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
17%
Manufacturing Company
12%
Retailer
11%
Computer Software Company
9%
Healthcare Company
7%
Educational Organization
5%
Comms Service Provider
5%
Insurance Company
5%
University
4%
Performing Arts
3%
Media Company
3%
Recreational Facilities/Services Company
2%
Real Estate/Law Firm
2%
Energy/Utilities Company
2%
Wholesaler/Distributor
1%
Government
1%
Hospitality Company
1%
Non Profit
1%
Logistics Company
1%
Transportation Company
1%
Outsourcing Company
1%
Construction Company
1%
Marketing Services Firm
1%
Aerospace/Defense Firm
1%
Venture Capital & Private Equity Firm
1%

Compare Google Cloud Dataflow with alternative products

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Learn more about Google Cloud Dataflow

Google Cloud Dataflow was previously known as Google Dataflow.

Google Cloud Dataflow customers

Absolutdata, Backflip Studios, Bluecore, Claritics, Crystalloids, Energyworx, GenieConnect, Leanplum, Nomanini, Redbus, Streak, TabTale

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Product Categories

Product Categories
Streaming Analytics

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Google Cloud Dataflow Reviews Summary
Author infoRatingReview Summary
Data Engineer at Accenture5.0I use Google Cloud Dataflow for batch processing and streaming, valuing its local testing capability and language flexibility with Java and Python. It integrates well with tools like Grafana and Airflow Composer, though broader adoption outside Google Cloud is needed.
Senior Data Engineer at Accruent4.5We use Google Cloud Dataflow primarily for event stream processing to detect real-time alerts and integrate data from various sources. It’s excellent for data preparation and machine learning support, though it could improve in schema design flexibility for NoSQL databases.
Senior Software Engineer at Dun & Bradstreet3.5We use Google Cloud Dataflow to automate data processing into BigQuery, leveraging its seamless integration within Google Cloud Platform. While effective, handling large data volumes can occasionally lead to failures, a potential issue with third-party components, not Dataflow itself.
SPM at Infosys4.0I've used Azure Databricks on Microsoft Azure for 3–4 years to export and analyze customer data, find behavioral patterns, and improve targeting. It's scalable, integrates well, but could benefit from AI-based automation for better efficiency.
Associate Consultant (Data Engineer) at MediaAgility4.0I use Google Cloud Dataflow primarily for batch pipelines, such as moving workloads from on-premise to BigQuery or Storage Bucket. Its scalability and connectivity are highly valuable, though I believe cost optimization could be improved.
Satellite System Engineer at NARSS3.5I use Google Cloud Dataflow for data transmission and storage, valuing its capacity and speed. However, the authentication process should be improved, and it could be more affordable. It saves us significant time despite its scalability issues.
Data Analyst Manager at a retailer with 10,001+ employees4.0We use Google Cloud Dataflow for data streaming analytics due to its suitability for any environment and its customization capabilities. However, the setup process needs improvement. We have not considered any alternative solutions or specific cloud providers.
System Architect at a financial services firm with 5,001-10,000 employees4.0I use Google Cloud Dataflow to build data pipelines in Python, appreciating its flexibility to program in any language. While technical support could improve, I've experienced cost savings and seen continuous feature enhancements, such as the addition of data flow notebooks.