The GCP Pricing Calculator is an online tool that allows you to estimate the cost of using various GCP services based on your usage needs. With the calculator, you can select the GCP products and services you want to use, adjust the usage parameters based on your expected workload, and get an estimated cost for your usage.
This blog covers cloud pricing and how GCP charges for using its cloud infrastructure. Additionally, the top three cloud service providers are compared based on pricing criteria, type of pricing models. We will be discussing the following topics.
- Why Choose Google Cloud Platform?
- Factors Influencing Cloud Pricing
- Google Cloud Pricing Features
- Cloud Services For Beginners
- AWS vs GCP vs Azure
Why choose the Google Cloud Platform?
Today’s cloud computing enables hardware and software products to coexist at scale and remotely (in data centers). These items work together to provide certain services. Users can usually access, administer, and use the tools they need using a web-based interface, which is valid for Google Cloud Platform services.
Google Cloud Platform puts this infrastructure and these management resources at your fingertips.
- Google-grade security– The Google security strategy is an end-to-end approach based on more than 15 years of expertise keeping consumers secure when using Google products such as Gmail and Google Apps.
- Machine type billing model– A minimum of 10 minutes is paid on all machine types. If you operate your virtual machine for two minutes, you will be charged for ten minutes of consumption. Instances are charged in 1-minute increments after 10 minutes, rounded up to the closest minute. A 12-minute use fee will be applied to an instance that survives for 11.25 minutes.
- Big data– Google’s big data innovations, such as MapReduce, Bigtable, and Dremel, as well as next-generation breakthrough services and frameworks for cloud data warehousing, advanced machine learning, batch, and real-time data processing, and more.
Factors Influencing Cloud Pricing
The price of the Cloud is influenced by many factors such as:
- For how many years do you commit to using cloud services?
Prices of cloud services are dependent on the commitment of years. For example, Azure and Google Cloud have 3-year commitment plans but AWS offers a fixed average discount of 40% for all 1-year commitment plans irrespective of any instance type. - What is the initial cost of cloud resources?
Different cloud providers do not have the same initial cost of cloud resources. - How many times cloud resources are being used?
Some business applications require cloud resources frequently. Cloud providers have different on-demand cloud resource prices as they follow the pay-per-use method. - QoS (Quality of Services)
- What is the maintenance cost for cloud infrastructure?
Cloud providers charge some amount for maintaining infrastructure. Different cloud infrastructure has their own maintenance cost
Also Check: Our blog post on Google Certified Professional Cloud Architect.
Google Cloud Pricing Features
Start running workloads for free
To see how Google Cloud products perform in real-world settings, create an account. Customers that sign up for the first time get $300 in free credits to run, test, and deploy workloads. Customers can utilize more than 20 items for free, with monthly restrictions.
Only pay for what you use
You only pay for the services you use using Google Cloud’s pay-as-you-go pricing model. There are no upfront costs. There are no cancellation fees. The cost of a product and its use varies; see the comprehensive pricing list for more information.
Save up to 57% on workloads
By automatically saving money depending on monthly consumption and pre-paying for resources at subsidized rates, Google Cloud saves you money over competing providers. Committed usage savings on Compute Engine resources like machine types and GPUs, for example, may save you up to 57 percent.
Stay in control of your spending
Budgets, notifications, quota restrictions, and other free cost management tools can help you keep track of how much you’re spending. Cost-cutting strategies include AI-powered intelligent recommendations and bespoke dashboards that show cost patterns and projections.
Estimate your costs
With the price calculator, you can see how your expenses might change depending on location, workloads, and other factors. Alternatively, contact a sales representative for a bespoke quote.
Also, Check: Our blog post on Google Compute Engine.
Want to explore GCP without paying?
The Google Cloud Free Program has you covered, whether you’re new to Google Cloud and want to learn the basics or you’re an existing user searching for new product improvements.
$300 for 90 days Free Trial: To explore and evaluate Google Cloud and Google Maps Platform goods and services, new Google Cloud and Google Maps Platform customers may take advantage of a 90-day trial period that includes $300 in free Cloud Billing credits. These credits can be applied to any product or a combination of goods.
Free Tier: Select Google Cloud products, such as Compute Engine, Cloud Storage, and BigQuery, are available to all Google Cloud users for free, subject to monthly consumption restrictions. These resources are not debited against your Free Trial credits or to your Cloud Billing account’s payment method after your trial expires if you stay within the Free Tier restrictions.
Google Maps Platform monthly credit: A $200 monthly credit is available on the Google Maps Platform (see Pricing for Maps, Routes, and Places). Each Maps-related Cloud Billing account you create will receive a monthly credit.
Also Check: How to learn GCP.
Are free Services available on GCP?
Google Cloud Platform (GCP) offers several free services for its users. Some of the free services available on GCP include:
- Always Free products: GCP offers a set of “Always Free” products, which includes services such as Google Compute Engine, Google Cloud Storage, Google Cloud Functions, and more. These products provide a limited amount of usage for free each month, giving you the opportunity to test and experiment with GCP without incurring any charges.
- Free Trials: GCP also offers free trials, which give you $300 in credits to use towards any GCP service for up to 90 days. This is a great way to explore the platform and its features, and to determine which services will best meet your needs.
- Free Tier: GCP’s free tier provides limited access to several services, including Google Cloud Storage, BigQuery, and Cloud Functions. This tier is available to all GCP users, and provides a fixed amount of usage each month at no charge.
- Free Training: GCP also offers free training resources, including online courses and certifications, to help users learn how to use GCP effectively.
It’s worth noting that while these services are free, they have usage limits and restrictions, so it’s important to read the terms and conditions carefully to avoid unexpected charges.
Comparison between GCP, AWS, and Azure
Based on the instance type
To compare all these three cloud platforms, let’s consider instances with similar RAM and 4 CPUs. There are four types of instances which are as follows:
- General Purpose
- Compute-optimized
- Memory-optimized
- Accelerated computing
On-demand pricing comparison
Key Insights
- Considering systems that run on general-purpose and memory-optimized cloud instances, Google Cloud and AWS are essentially identical in cost.
- For their respective compute-optimized cloud instances, the pricing difference between AWS and Azure is insignificant. On the other hand, Google Cloud is the most expensive service in this category due to its scalable processors and all-core turbo performance.
- Because, unlike AWS or Azure, Google Cloud does not feature 4vCPUs, the pricing of memory-optimized and accelerated-computing instances is significantly greater. Instead, they offer 40 and 12 virtual CPUs, respectively.
Discounted Pricing Comparison
All cloud service providers offer business discounts on on-demand instances if customers commit to using them for one or more years. For AWS, it’s called “Reserved Instances”(RI); for Azure,” Reserved Savings”, whereas, for GCP, it’s “Commitment Price”.
Key Insights
- Compared to AWS and Azure, Google Cloud has the highest on-demand cost for memory-optimized instances but the lowest 1-year commitment price. This is because Google Cloud gives a one-year commitment to memory-optimized cases on two levels––vCPUs/hour and GBs/hour, which can be employed separately depending on your needs.
- Google Cloud is significantly cheaper than AWS and Azure for computing optimized cloud-based instances. When it comes to instance types of accelerated computing, however, it is more expensive than others.
- For 1-year committed/reserved plans, the general-purpose instances for AWS and Azure are virtually identical.
For your information
AWS offers three reserved instances: Standard RIs, Convertible RIs, and Scheduled RIs.
Azure and GCP provide a 3-year commitment price similar to AWS, but AWS also offers a fixed average discount of 40% for a 1-year commitment irrespective of any instance type.
FAQ’S
How does Google Cloud Platform calculate its pricing?
GCP offers a pay-as-you-go pricing model, which means that you only pay for what you use, and there are no upfront costs or termination fees. The pricing can be calculated using GCP's pricing calculator, which allows you to estimate the cost of different configurations based on your usage requirements.
Are there any free services available on GCP?
Yes, Google Cloud Platform (GCP) offers several free services for its users. Some of the free services available on GCP are included in the blog above.
What is the difference between sustained-use and committed-use discounts?
Sustained-Use Discounts are based on the total amount of time that you use your virtual machines (VMs) in a month, while Committed-Use Discounts are based on the amount of resources that you commit to using over a period of one or three years. Sustained-Use Discounts offer a discount based on your usage, while Committed-Use Discounts offer a higher discount rate, but require you to commit to using a specific amount of resources over a longer period of time. Sustained-Use Discounts are more flexible, while Committed-Use Discounts offer less flexibility but a higher discount rate.
Can I set a budget for my Google Cloud Platform usage?
Yes, you can set a budget for your Google Cloud Platform usage. This can be done through the Google Cloud Console, where you can set up budget alerts and notifications to help you monitor your spending and stay within your budget.
Related References
- GCP Professional Cloud Architect: Everything You Need To Know
- Google Cloud Services & Tools
- Google Professional Cloud Architect: Step-By-Step Hands-on Guides
- GCP Pricing Information
- Google Cloud Console Walkthrough
Next Task For You
If you are also interested and want to know more about the Google Professional Cloud Architect Certification then register for our Free Class.
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