Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Google Cloud Functions VS AWS Amplify

Compare Google Cloud Functions VS AWS Amplify and see what are their differences

Google Cloud Functions logo Google Cloud Functions

A serverless platform for building event-based microservices.

AWS Amplify logo AWS Amplify

JavaScript library for app development using cloud services
  • Google Cloud Functions Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-25
  • AWS Amplify Landing page
    Landing page //
    2024-07-18

Google Cloud Functions features and specs

  • Scalability
    Google Cloud Functions automatically scale up or down as per demand, allowing you to handle varying workloads efficiently without manual intervention.
  • Cost-effectiveness
    You only pay for the actual compute time your functions use, rather than for pre-allocated resources, making it a cost-effective solution for many use cases.
  • Easy Integration
    Seamless integration with other Google Cloud services like Cloud Storage, Pub/Sub, and Firestore simplifies building complex, event-driven architectures.
  • Simplified Deployment
    Deploying functions is straightforward and does not require managing underlying infrastructure, reducing the operational overhead for developers.
  • Supports Multiple Languages
    Supports various programming languages including Node.js, Python, Go, and Java, offering flexibility to developers to use the language they are most comfortable with.

Possible disadvantages of Google Cloud Functions

  • Cold Start Latency
    Functions may experience cold start latency when they have not been invoked for a while, leading to higher initial response times.
  • Limited Execution Time
    Cloud Functions have a maximum execution timeout (typically 9 minutes), making them unsuitable for long-running tasks or processes.
  • Vendor Lock-In
    Heavily relying on Google Cloud Services can make it difficult to migrate to other cloud providers, leading to potential vendor lock-in.
  • Complexity in Local Testing
    Testing cloud functions locally can be challenging and may not fully replicate the cloud environment, complicating the development and debugging process.
  • Limited Customization
    Less control over the underlying infrastructure might pose challenges if you require specific customizations that are not supported by Cloud Functions.

AWS Amplify features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    AWS Amplify provides a straightforward and user-friendly interface, making it easier for developers to deploy, manage, and scale full-stack applications.
  • Integration with AWS Services
    Amplify seamlessly integrates with a wide range of AWS services such as DynamoDB, S3, Lambda, and more, allowing developers to leverage the power of the AWS ecosystem.
  • Speed of Deployment
    It enables rapid deployment of web and mobile applications, reducing the time to market for new features and updates.
  • Automated Workflows
    With features like CI/CD, Amplify automates many aspects of the development workflow, particularly deploying and hosting applications, which saves time and reduces manual effort.
  • Scalability
    Amplify inherits AWS's robust scalability features, enabling your application to handle a growing number of users seamlessly.
  • Custom Domain Management
    The service offers easy management of custom domains and SSL certificates, enhancing the security and professionalism of your application.
  • Real-time and Offline Support
    Provides built-in support for real-time data and offline functionality, which is important for modern web and mobile applications.

Possible disadvantages of AWS Amplify

  • Cost
    While Amplify offers a range of pricing plans, costs can accumulate quickly depending on the usage of various AWS services, especially for startups and small businesses.
  • Vendor Lock-in
    Using Amplify extensively can lead to significant dependency on AWS services, making it difficult to migrate to other cloud providers in the future.
  • Learning Curve
    Although it's user-friendly, there can still be a learning curve for those unfamiliar with the wider AWS ecosystem, which might require an investment in training and education.
  • Limited Customization
    While it covers a broad range of functionalities, some developers find the customization options limited compared to setting up and managing AWS services independently.
  • Complexity for Simple Apps
    For simpler applications, the full suite of AWS Amplify's features might be overkill, introducing unnecessary complexity.
  • Debugging Challenges
    Debugging issues can sometimes be more complicated due to the abstraction layers that Amplify adds, which can make it less transparent compared to traditional setups.

Analysis of Google Cloud Functions

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Google Cloud Functions is a good choice for developers who need a reliable and scalable serverless platform. Its integration with the Google Cloud ecosystem and support for multiple trigger types make it a versatile tool for building applications quickly and efficiently.

Why this product is good

  • Google Cloud Functions is a serverless execution environment that allows you to run your code in response to events without the complexity of managing servers. It is known for its ease of use, scalability, and seamless integration with other Google Cloud services. The pay-as-you-go pricing model makes it cost-effective for applications with variable workloads. Additionally, it supports multiple programming languages, enabling developers to use their preferred technology stack.

Recommended for

  • Developers looking for a serverless compute solution.
  • Teams building microservices and event-driven architectures.
  • Organizations that prefer a pay-per-use pricing model to optimize cost.
  • Projects requiring automatic scaling to handle varying loads.
  • Developers wanting to integrate easily with other Google Cloud services.

Google Cloud Functions videos

Google Cloud Functions: introduction to event-driven serverless compute on GCP

More videos:

  • Review - Building Serverless Applications with Google Cloud Functions (Next '17 Rewind)

AWS Amplify videos

Delivering Mobile Apps Using AWS Mobile Services

More videos:

  • Review - Firebase vs AWS Amplify
  • Review - What is AWS Amplify
  • Tutorial - AWS Amplify with React Tutorial - 1. Setup
  • Review - What is AWS Amplify? Pros and Cons?
  • Tutorial - AWS Amplify in Plain English | Getting Started Tutorial for Beginners

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Google Cloud Functions and AWS Amplify)
Cloud Computing
100 100%
0% 0
Developer Tools
12 12%
88% 88
Cloud Hosting
100 100%
0% 0
Realtime Backend / API
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Google Cloud Functions and AWS Amplify

Google Cloud Functions Reviews

Top 7 Firebase Alternatives for App Development in 2024
Google Cloud Functions is a natural choice for those looking to migrate from Firebase while staying within the Google Cloud ecosystem.
Source: signoz.io

AWS Amplify Reviews

Top 7 Firebase Alternatives for App Development in 2024
Amazon Web Services (AWS) Amplify is a comprehensive development platform designed to provide the tools necessary to build scalable mobile and web applications. AWS Amplify offers a suite of services that mirror many of the core functionalities of Firebase, such as authentication, analytics, and storage, while leveraging the robust infrastructure of AWS.
Source: signoz.io
Best Serverless Backend Tools of 2023: Pros & Cons, Features & Code Examples
AWS Amplify packs several tools in the Amazon ecosystem to allow you to build full-stack web and mobile apps in hours.
Source: www.rowy.io
What is AWS Amplify? - AWS Amplify Alternatives
This article briefly introduces you to "What is AWS Amplify." All aspects of AWS Amplify, including its features, integrations, pricing models, benefits, and drawbacks, will be explored in detail by the end of this article. We'll also explain how it may be applied to develop and launch applications quickly. Here, you'll know exactly what AWS Amplify is and whether it's a...
Source: mindmajix.com
2023 Firebase Alternatives: Top 10 Open-Source & Free
AWS Amplify is acknowledged as one of the best Firebase alternatives because of its full-stack development products. Amazon Web Services launched this cloud platform in 2017, and it has the ability to confer huge support to build the backend and client side of mobile and web applications. Similarly, the developer team can also benefit from the outstanding hosting of this CSP.
Exploring alternatives to Vercel: A guide for web developers
AWS Amplify is a powerful platform that goes beyond static site hosting, offering a full suite of tools for building, deploying, and managing modern web and mobile applications. Amplify is part of the broader AWS ecosystem, providing deep integration with other AWS services.
Source: fleek.xyz

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Google Cloud Functions seems to be a lot more popular than AWS Amplify. While we know about 48 links to Google Cloud Functions, we've tracked only 2 mentions of AWS Amplify. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Google Cloud Functions mentions (48)

  • Top 10 Programming Trends and Languages to Watch in 2025
    Serverless architectures are revolutionizing software development by removing the need for server management. Cloud services like AWS Lambda, Google Cloud Functions, and Azure Functions allow developers to concentrate on writing code, as these platforms handle scaling automatically. - Source: dev.to / 14 days ago
  • Exploring Serverless APIs: A Guide for Developers
    Google Cloud Functions bases pricing on Invocations, runtime, and memory with competitive free tier options. - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
  • Get Started with Serverless Architectures: Top Tools You Need to Know
    Google Cloud Functions Google Cloud Functions is a scalable serverless execution environment for building and connecting cloud services. It provides triggers automatically, with out-of-the-box support for HTTP and event-driven triggers from GCP services. There are two types of Google Cloud Functions: API cloud functions and event-driven cloud functions. The API cloud functions are invoked from standard HTTP... - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • Stay Compliant, Mitigate Risks: Understanding AML/KYC as a technologist
    Ensure that the processing and throughput requirements of your AML/KYC solutions can handle appropriately sized volumes of data and transactions for your organization’s needs efficiently. A microservices architecture using tools like Docker or Kubernetes for proprietary systems can help to ensure scalability, allowing you to scale individual components as needed. Exploit load balancing and caching mechanisms to... - Source: dev.to / 10 months ago
  • Next.js Deployment: Vercel's Charm vs. GCP's Muscle
    Data-Driven Projects: Seamless integration with Google's data and AI/ML services (like Cloud Functions and Cloud SQL) streamlines development workflows for data-driven applications. - Source: dev.to / 11 months ago
View more

AWS Amplify mentions (2)

  • Comprehensive Guide for Understanding the Self-Taught Web Developer Path in 2025
    Mastering fundamental skills is essential. Focus on HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, ensuring confidence in areas like Flexbox, responsive design, and jQuery. Practical experience is gained through personal projects, which should be original and functional. Start with a portfolio site, ensuring performance and accessibility using tools like Lighthouse, and expand to projects like utility apps leveraging APIs. Hosting on... - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • Advance Features and Deploying the Project (Nerd Streetwear Online Store) Part III
    AWS Amplify: Strengths: AWS Amplify is a robust platform for deploying full-stack applications. It’s backed by AWS infrastructure and offers scalability and a wide range of services, including hosting, authentication, and real-time data. Integration: Amplify integrates with popular Git services and offers a CI/CD pipeline that supports automatic deployments. - Source: dev.to / 8 months ago
  • Remix Authentication with Amazon Cognito
    Many guides for integrating Amazon's Cognito service recommend using AWS's Amplify library. While Amplify works well for the traditional, client-side rendered single-page application (SPA), it doesn't yet support newer SSR paradigms. At the time of this writing, AWS Amplify doesn't support SSR in Remix source, though Amplify's Hosting service recently added support for SSR in Next versions 12 and greater. While... - Source: dev.to / about 2 years ago
  • DC Bat Cowls with Amplify Gen 2 Fullstack Typescript
    I built an application that helps users find the DC Bat Cowls trait rarity using Amplify Gen 2 with Typescript. What a Bat Cowl is can be found here. The marketplace for them is here. Summary on Bat Cowls is a really cool project that has enabled me to create our own DC Comic... And created our own super villain within the DC Universe. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • Build a React genAI APP with Amazon Bedrock & AWS SDK
    In this blog you will learn how to use Amazon Cognito credentials and IAM Roles to invoke Amazon Bedrock API in a react-based application with JavaScript and the CloudScape design system. You will deploy all the resources and host the app using AWS Amplify. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Google Cloud Functions and AWS Amplify, you can also consider the following products

Google App Engine - A powerful platform to build web and mobile apps that scale automatically.

Firebase - Firebase is a cloud service designed to power real-time, collaborative applications for mobile and web.

Salesforce Platform - Salesforce Platform is a comprehensive PaaS solution that paves the way for the developers to test, build, and mitigate the issues in the cloud application before the final deployment.

Parse - Build applications faster with object and file storage, user authentication, push notifications, dashboard and more out of the box.

AWS Lambda - Automatic, event-driven compute service

Amazon AWS - Amazon Web Services offers reliable, scalable, and inexpensive cloud computing services. Free to join, pay only for what you use.