Software · head to head
Tencent Cloud vs Google Cloud Platform
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Tencent Cloud standard SA5 2-core instance in Beijing is priced at 1567 CNY per year while an 8-core Standard S6 in Shanghai runs 5719 CNY per year; Google Cloud Platform the $300 Free Trial credit expires 90 days from signup, whichever comes first with spending it
- They diverge on capability: Tencent Cloud covers CVM - Cloud Virtual Machines, Google Cloud Platform covers Compute Engine.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Tencent Cloud and Google Cloud Platform actually diverge.
| Attribute | Tencent Cloud | Google Cloud Platform |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Linux, Windows, Api, Cli | Web, Api, Cli |
| Founded | 2010 | 2008 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (usage-based), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Tencent Cloud
- CVM - Cloud Virtual Machines
- COS - Cloud Object Storage
- TencentDB
- SCF - Serverless Computing
- CDN
- Load Balancer
- VPC
- API Gateway
Only in Google Cloud Platform
- Compute Engine
- App Engine
- Cloud Run
- Cloud Storage
- Cloud SQL
- BigQuery
- Dataflow
- Cloud Pub/Sub
Both cover
- Terraform
- Docker
- Kubernetes
- Cloud deployment
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Tencent Cloud
- Gaming platformsnot Google Cloud Platform
- Social medianot Google Cloud Platform
- Video streamingnot Google Cloud Platform
- Asia-Pacific deploymentnot Google Cloud Platform
- Mobile applicationsnot Google Cloud Platform
Google Cloud Platform
- Running compute, storage and managed data services on Google's cloudnot Tencent Cloud
- Hosting Kubernetes workloads on GKE alongside BigQuery analyticsnot Tencent Cloud
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Tencent Cloud
- Standard SA5 2-core instance in Beijing is priced at 1567 CNY per year while an 8-core Standard S6 in Shanghai runs 5719 CNY per year
Google Cloud Platform
- The $300 Free Trial credit expires 90 days from signup, whichever comes first with spending it
- Free Tier Compute Engine is limited to one non-preemptible e2-micro instance per month and only in the us-west1, us-central1 or us-east1 regions
- Free Tier Compute Engine includes only 30 GB-months of standard persistent disk and 1 GB of outbound North America data transfer per month
- Free Tier Cloud Storage covers 5 GB-months of regional storage in US regions only, 5,000 Class A and 50,000 Class B operations per month
- Free Tier outbound data transfer allowances exclude destinations in China and Australia
- Compute Engine resources are governed by allocation quotas that require a quota increase request to exceed
Pricing, plan by plan
Tencent Cloud
Free- Free TrialFree
- Free trial credits
- CVM instances
- Cloud storage
- Pay-as-You-GoFree
- Flexible pricing
- No long-term contracts
- Global infrastructure
Google Cloud Platform
Free- Free TierFree
- Compute Engine 744 hours/month
- Cloud Storage 5GB
- Cloud SQL 250MB storage
Which should you pick?
Choose Tencent Cloud if
- You need cvm - cloud virtual machines.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Linux, Windows, Api, Cli.
- You also want cos - cloud object storage.
Choose Google Cloud Platform if
- You need compute engine.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Api, Cli.
- You also want app engine.
Questions people ask
- Is Tencent Cloud or Google Cloud Platform better?
- Neither clearly leads. Tencent Cloud starts at Free and Google Cloud Platform at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Tencent Cloud or Google Cloud Platform?
- Tencent Cloud starts at Free and Google Cloud Platform at Free.
- Does Tencent Cloud or Google Cloud Platform run on more platforms?
- Tencent Cloud runs on Linux, Windows, Api, Cli. Google Cloud Platform runs on Web, Api, Cli.
- Can I use Tencent Cloud for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Tencent Cloud best used for?
- Tencent Cloud is most often used for gaming platforms, social media, video streaming, asia-pacific deployment. Of those, gaming platforms and social media are not what Google Cloud Platform is typically brought in for.
- What can Tencent Cloud do that Google Cloud Platform cannot?
- Tencent Cloud covers CVM - Cloud Virtual Machines, COS - Cloud Object Storage, TencentDB, SCF - Serverless Computing. Google Cloud Platform covers Compute Engine, App Engine, Cloud Run, Cloud Storage. Both handle Terraform, Docker, Kubernetes, Cloud deployment.