--- title: "Amazon S3 vs Google Cloud Storage: Which is Better in 2026? | App Stack Builder" description: "Amazon S3 vs Google Cloud Storage compared for 2026: pricing, free tiers, features, pros & cons. See which object storage tool is the better fit for your startup." source: https://appstackbuilder.com/compare/amazon-s3-vs-google-cloud-storage retrieved: 2026-11-10 --- ![](https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=aws.amazon.com&sz=128) vs ![](https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=cloud.google.com&sz=128) # Amazon S3 vs Google Cloud Storage: Which is Better in 2026? Object Storage [Amazon S3](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/amazon-s3) and [Google Cloud Storage](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/google-cloud-storage) are both Object Storage tools, made for different people. Amazon S3 is for anyone building on AWS, and data teams whose tools all expect an S3 bucket. Google Cloud Storage is for teams on Google Cloud, especially those using BigQuery, that want buckets in the same platform. Quick verdict There’s no single winner; pick on your constraint. Choose Amazon S3 if your stack already runs on AWS. Choose Google Cloud Storage if your warehouse is BigQuery. ## Amazon S3 vs Google Cloud Storage: Side by Side | | Amazon S3 | Google Cloud Storage | | -------------- | --------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------- | | Category | Object Storage | Object Storage | | What it is | Object storage (AWS) | Object storage (Google Cloud) | | Storage price | $0.023 per GB-month (first 50 TB, US East) | Per GB-month by class and location | | Egress | Paid after 100 GB a month | Paid; from $0.12 per GiB | | Free access | AWS Free Tier credits | Always Free, 5 GB-months | | API | Native S3 | Google Cloud Storage API | | Pricing | From $0.023/mo | Free · then usage-based | | Starting price | From $0.023/mo | Free tier available | | Free tier | — | ✓ | | Rating | 4.7 | 4.5 | | Best for | Object Storage: AWS, data lakes, integrations | Object Storage: Google Cloud, BigQuery, storage classes | Ratings are App Stack Builder’s editorial score out of 5, not an average of user reviews. ## Pros & Cons ![](https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=aws.amazon.com&sz=128) [Amazon S3](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/amazon-s3) * ✓Every data tool integrates with it * ✓Many storage classes for cold data * ✓Mature security and lifecycle rules * ✗Egress fees add up for public downloads * ✗Request costs surprise small-file workloads * ✗Pricing has many line items ![](https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=cloud.google.com&sz=128) [Google Cloud Storage](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/google-cloud-storage) * ✓Integrates directly with BigQuery * ✓Four storage classes * ✓Always Free tier * ✗Egress is billed * ✗Storage price depends on location and class * ✗Google Cloud only ## Key Features Compared ### Amazon S3 * ✓S3 Standard: $0.023 per GB-month for the first 50 TB in US East (N. Virginia), falling to $0.021 above 500 TB * ✓PUT, COPY, POST and LIST: $0.005 per 1,000 requests; GET: $0.0004 per 1,000 * ✓First 100 GB a month of data transfer out free, aggregated across AWS * ✓New customers since July 15 2025 get up to $200 in Free Tier credits ### Google Cloud Storage * ✓Standard, Nearline, Coldline and Archive classes, priced per GB-month by location * ✓Single-region Standard: Class A $0.005 per 1,000 operations, Class B $0.0004 per 1,000 * ✓Always Free: 5 GB-months Standard storage in us-west1, us-central1 or us-east1; 5,000 Class A and 50,000 Class B operations * ✓100 GB a month of data transfer from North America free * ✓Internet egress from $0.12 per GiB for the first 10 TiB to most destinations ### Choose Amazon S3 if… * ✓Your stack already runs on AWS. * ✓You need lifecycle rules and cheaper classes for ageing data. * ✓You want the bucket every data tool supports out of the box. [Amazon S3 review & pricing ](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/amazon-s3) ### Choose Google Cloud Storage if… * ✓You want to start free. Google Cloud Storage has a free tier and Amazon S3 does not. * ✓Your warehouse is BigQuery. * ✓You want regional, dual-region or multi-region buckets. * ✓You want a small always-free allowance for side projects. [Google Cloud Storage review & pricing ](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/google-cloud-storage) ## Frequently Asked Questions Is Amazon S3 better than Google Cloud Storage?⌄ There’s no single winner; pick on your constraint. Choose Amazon S3 if your stack already runs on AWS. Choose Google Cloud Storage if your warehouse is BigQuery. What is the difference between Amazon S3 and Google Cloud Storage?⌄ What it is. Amazon S3: Object storage (AWS). Google Cloud Storage: Object storage (Google Cloud). Storage price. Amazon S3: $0.023 per GB-month (first 50 TB, US East). Google Cloud Storage: Per GB-month by class and location. Egress. Amazon S3: Paid after 100 GB a month. Google Cloud Storage: Paid; from $0.12 per GiB. Free access. Amazon S3: AWS Free Tier credits. Google Cloud Storage: Always Free, 5 GB-months. API. Amazon S3: Native S3\. Google Cloud Storage: Google Cloud Storage API. Amazon S3 vs Google Cloud Storage: which is cheaper?⌄ Amazon S3 pricing: From $0.023/mo. Google Cloud Storage pricing: Free · then usage-based. Confirm current pricing on each tool's official site, as plans change. Which is rated higher, Amazon S3 or Google Cloud Storage?⌄ On our editorial score, Amazon S3 is 4.7 out of 5 and Google Cloud Storage is 4.5 out of 5, so Amazon S3 is slightly ahead. This is our own score, not an average of user reviews. When should I skip both Amazon S3 and Google Cloud Storage?⌄ Skip Amazon S3 if your users download a lot of what you store. Cloudflare R2 charges no egress. Skip Google Cloud Storage if your files are downloaded a lot. Cloudflare R2 has no egress fees. Sources · tool facts checked November 2026 1. 1.[Amazon S3 pricingaws.amazon.com ](https://aws.amazon.com/s3/pricing/) 2. 2.[AWS price list API (S3, us-east-1)pricing.us-east-1.amazonaws.com ](https://pricing.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/offers/v1.0/aws/AmazonS3/current/us-east-1/index.json) 3. 3.[Cloud Storage pricingcloud.google.com ](https://cloud.google.com/storage/pricing) See more options in our guide to the [best object storage tools for startups](https://appstackbuilder.com/categories/object-storage). ## Still not sure which to pick? Get a free, AI-powered tech stack, including the best object storage pick for your budget and team, in 60 seconds. [Build my stack free ](https://appstackbuilder.com/build-stack)