Quick answer
Google Cloud - Google Cloud gives you a bigger signup credit and higher always-free ceilings on compute, serverless requests, and analytics. IBM Cloud Free Tier spreads its always-free access across more individual products, including CI/CD and Watson's AI APIs, at Lite-plan limits that never expire.
How the free tiers compare
Both clouds combine a one-time signup credit with a separate list of always-free product limits. Google's credit is larger ($300 against IBM's $200) and its always-free tier goes deeper on fewer named products: one e2-micro instance, a terabyte of BigQuery queries, and two million Cloud Run requests a month. IBM's always-free list is wider instead, covering more than 40 Lite-plan products at smaller individual limits, and its signup credit expires after 30 days where Google's page states no expiration for its always-free product limits.
Google Cloud vs IBM Cloud Free Tier free tier, side by side
| Google CloudFTV 59 | IBM Cloud Free TierFTV 37 | |
|---|---|---|
| Signup credit | $300 for new customers | USD 200 for first-time Pay-As-You-Go accounts, available for 30 days |
| Always-free compute | 1 e2-micro Compute Engine instance per month | 40+ always-free Lite-plan products that never expire |
| Always-free storage | 5 GB-months Cloud Storage | 1 GB Cloudant data storage |
| Always-free serverless requests | 2,000,000 Cloud Run requests per month | 50,000 API Connect calls per month |
| Always-free data/analytics | 1 TB of BigQuery queries per month | Scan up to 30 GB per day with Cloud SQL Query |
| Always-free CI/CD | 120 Cloud Build minutes per day | 500 Continuous Delivery pipeline jobs |
After you outgrow the free tier
Both clouds meter paid usage per service rather than charging one flat platform fee, so the total cost depends entirely on which products and volumes you use. Google Cloud's $300 signup credit gives more initial room to experiment than IBM's $200 credit, and IBM's credit expires in 30 days where Google's page states no expiration for its separate always-free product limits. Neither publishes a single 'next plan' price the way a SaaS product does.
Cost at real usage
| Usage | Google Cloud | IBM Cloud Free Tier |
|---|---|---|
| A new account testing several products at onceGoogle's credit is larger; IBM's has a shorter, published expiration window. | $300 signup credit | USD 200 signup credit, expires after 30 days |
| Running many small always-free services long-term, no signup credit involvedIBM spreads always-free access across more distinct products; Google's always-free limits go deeper on the products it covers. | Always-free limits on a shorter, named list of products (Compute Engine, Cloud Storage, BigQuery, Cloud Run, and others) | Always-free Lite plans across 40+ named products |
Estimates, not quotes. Usage-based rates change - verify with the vendor's pricing page before committing.
When to pick each one
Pick Google Cloud when…
- You want a large, well-known signup credit: $300 versus IBM's $200.
- You want serverless compute with a high always-free request ceiling: 2 million Cloud Run requests a month.
- You want an analytics warehouse included free up to 1 TB of BigQuery queries a month.
- You want one virtual machine (e2-micro) running for free every month without touching the signup credit.
Pick IBM Cloud Free Tier when…
- You want the widest spread of always-free Lite products: more than 40 services that never expire.
- You want a fixed daily data-scan allowance (30 GB) through Cloud SQL Query rather than a metered credit.
- You want built-in CI/CD with a free monthly pipeline-job allowance (500) rather than a separate paid add-on.
- You want free-tier API access to Watson's AI services, including 10,000 Assistant calls a month, alongside general infrastructure.
Bottom line
Pick Google Cloud for a bigger signup credit and deeper always-free limits on core compute and analytics. Pick IBM Cloud Free Tier for the widest spread of always-free products, including AI APIs and CI/CD, at Lite-plan limits that never expire.
Read the full listings: Google Cloud and IBM Cloud Free Tier. Scores use the FTV methodology at /ftv. Browse more head-to-heads on /compare, or see the top-ranked free tiers on /top.