Quick answer
Koyeb - Koyeb wins for most builders who want a free tier they can use continuously, while Google Cloud wins only if you need broader cloud services and can work within signup credit plus hard monthly quotas.
How the free tiers compare
These free offers solve different problems. Google Cloud is the bigger platform: the free offer mixes a one-time $300 credit with a broad always-free bundle across compute, storage, BigQuery, Cloud Run, Firestore, and more. That makes it better for trying many services or building a small prototype that touches several Google products. The tradeoff is friction and ceiling: the value is spread across many quotas, and once you move beyond them you are on usage-based billing with no simple entry price. Koyeb is narrower but easier to reason about as a hosting platform. Its free tier is built around deployment, with included compute credit, 1 TB bandwidth, free Postgres allowances, custom domains, logs, metrics, and deploy tooling. It is less broad than Google Cloud, but the path to paid usage is cleaner: Pro starts at a fixed monthly fee plus compute, then Scale and Enterprise step up in predictable tiers. For app hosting, Koyeb is usually the simpler free-tier choice.
Google Cloud vs Koyeb free tier, side by side
| Google CloudFTV 58 | KoyebFTV 40 | |
|---|---|---|
| Signup creditGoogle Cloud has a one-time new-customer credit; Koyeb includes compute credit in the free tier. | $300 | $10 compute credit |
| ComputeGoogle Cloud gives a specific VM quota; Koyeb’s compute is credit-based and spent on usage. | 1 e2-micro instance per month | Included compute credit: $10/mo |
| Object storageKoyeb’s free tier lists Postgres storage, not object storage. | 5 GB-months Standard Storage | Not specified |
| Serverless requestsKoyeb lists deployment and scaling features, but no free request quota here. | 2 million Cloud Run requests per month | Not specified |
| DatabaseGoogle Cloud includes Firestore; Koyeb includes a small Postgres allowance. | Firestore: 1 GB storage | Free Postgres: 5 hours per month, 1 GB storage, 0.25 vCPU, 1 GB RAM |
| BandwidthBandwidth is explicitly included in Koyeb’s free tier. | Not specified | 1 TB per month included |
| BuildsThese are different quota styles, so they are not directly comparable. | Cloud Build: 120 build-minutes per day | 5 concurrent builds |
| UsersThis is only the free repo quota on Google Cloud; Koyeb’s user cap is for the platform. | Cloud Source Repositories: up to five users | Up to 10 users |
After you outgrow the free tier
Google Cloud moves from free credits and always-free quotas into pure usage-based billing, so costs scale with whatever compute, storage, networking, or database services you consume. Koyeb’s first paid step is simpler: Pro at $29/mo plus compute, then Scale at $299/mo plus compute, with Enterprise as custom pricing. For small teams, Koyeb is usually more predictable because the base fee is explicit. Google Cloud can stay cheaper for very small or bursty workloads, but once you exceed the free bundle, costs depend on service mix and usage and the page does not give enough rates to model exact spend.
Cost at real usage
| Usage | Google Cloud | Koyeb |
|---|---|---|
| Light app hosting after free quotasGoogle Cloud pricing depends on which services you use; Koyeb starts with a fixed Pro fee plus compute. | varies by usage | $29/mo +compute |
| A small team needing a hosted app with 10 usersKoyeb Pro includes 10 users; Google Cloud does not present a comparable flat team plan here. | varies by usage | $29/mo +compute |
| Usage beyond included free requests/creditsGoogle Cloud costs begin when quotas are exceeded, but the input does not provide unit rates. | varies by usage | $29/mo +compute |
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 to test multiple Google services in one project, like Cloud Run, BigQuery, Firestore, and Storage.
- You are comfortable starting with a one-time $300 credit for a proof of concept.
- You need the broadest menu of cloud infrastructure and managed services, even if each free quota is small.
- You want always-free access to specific Google products such as 2 million Cloud Run requests or 1 TB of BigQuery queries per month.
Pick Koyeb when…
- You want a free tier that is centered on deploying and running an app, not exploring a giant cloud catalog.
- You need included hosting basics like custom domains, bandwidth, logs, metrics, and serverless Postgres.
- You want a clearer paid path after free usage, starting from a known monthly plan instead of pure usage billing.
- You are building APIs, web services, or inference workloads and want automatic scaling and serverless deployment tools.
Bottom line
For most builders comparing free tiers, Koyeb is the better fit if your goal is to deploy and keep running a real app with a simple path into paid usage. Google Cloud is stronger if you need breadth and want to experiment across many managed services, but its free offer is split between a one-time credit and a patchwork of quotas, then shifts into usage-based billing without a simple entry price. If you want hosting first, pick Koyeb. If you want a cloud platform sandbox, pick Google Cloud.
Read the full listings: Google Cloud and Koyeb. Scores use the FTV methodology at /ftv. Browse more head-to-heads on /compare, or see the top-ranked free tiers on /top.