Skip to content
SPECIFICTION
Get listed

Google Cloud VM Manager

cloud.google.com

Free plan WebWindowsLinuxAPI
Visit cloud.google.com
Spec score 8.8 #4 of 49 in Patch Management Software

What it is

Google Cloud VM Manager manages operating systems across Windows and Linux VM fleets running on Compute Engine. Its tools cover patch management, OS inventory and OS policies. Patch jobs apply updates on demand or on a schedule, report compliance, and can use selected approvals and pre- or post-patching scripts. OS inventory collects hostnames, OS and kernel versions, installed packages, available updates, Windows applications and OS vulnerabilities. OS policies centralize software configuration deployment, maintenance and reporting. Teams can use the Google Cloud console, Google Cloud CLI or OS Config API; Terraform can extend scope across projects. The service supports projects inside VPC Service Controls perimeters, but patch jobs operate on VMs in one project at a time. A free tier covers 100 VMs per Cloud Billing account per month, and limited-functionality mode is available at no cost for unlimited VMs. After the free tier, the listed charge is $0.003 per hour per VM with an active OS Config agent.

Spec sheet

What it does
VM Manager is a Google Cloud suite for managing Windows and Linux operating systems across large Compute Engine VM fleets.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.cloud.google.com
Purpose
VM Manager manages operating systems for large Windows and Linux VM fleets running on Compute Engine.Read 7 Oct 2026 · docs.cloud.google.com
Integrations
VM Manager works with the Google Cloud console, Google Cloud CLI, direct OS Config API calls, and Terraform resources.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.cloud.google.com
Compliance
Google Cloud lists auditor-validated offerings including ISO 27001, ISO 27017, ISO 27018, SOC 1, SOC 2, SOC 3, PCI DSS, FedRAMP, and HIPAA-related resources.Read 15 Oct 2026 · cloud.google.com
Support
Google Cloud support packages include options such as 24/7 coverage, phone support and access to a technical support manager; VM Manager questions can also be posted to Stack Overflow.Read 7 Oct 2026 · docs.cloud.google.com
Access control
Creating patch jobs or OS policy assignments requires IAM permissions that Google says can grant the ability to run code on VMs; Google recommends least privilege.Read 7 Oct 2026 · docs.cloud.google.com
Agent requirement
Using VM Manager requires the OS Config API and an active OS Config agent on managed VMs.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.cloud.google.com
Automation
Google says VM Manager uses automation to improve efficiency and reduce the operational burden of maintaining VM fleets.Read 7 Oct 2026 · docs.cloud.google.com
Company founding
Gartner Peer Insights lists Google as founded in 1998 and headquartered in Mountain View, California.Read 15 Oct 2026 · gartner.com
Company headquarters and size
LinkedIn lists Google as a public software-development company headquartered in Mountain View, California, with 10,001-plus employees.Read 15 Oct 2026 · uk.linkedin.com
Company legal name
Crunchbase identifies the maker's legal name as Google LLC and lists it as a subsidiary of Alphabet.Read 15 Oct 2026 · crunchbase.com
Cross-project limitation
Patch jobs run only on VMs within one Google Cloud project, although compliance data can be viewed across projects.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.cloud.google.com
Data retention
OS inventory and vulnerability report data remains until the VM is deleted, but is deleted if the OS Config agent stops reporting for a few days.Read 7 Oct 2026 · docs.cloud.google.com
Documentation depth
The documentation includes overview, setup, operating-system details, patch guides, policy guides, troubleshooting, API reference links, Terraform guides, quotas, and release-note links.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.cloud.google.com
Feature: OS inventory
The OS Config agent collects operating-system inventory that can be reviewed and queried through Google Cloud tooling.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.cloud.google.com
Feature: OS policies
OS policies install, remove, and automatically update software packages while maintaining a declared VM state.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.cloud.google.com
Feature: Patch compliance
Patch compliance reporting compares VM inventory with distribution vulnerability data and shows update severity in the Cloud console.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.cloud.google.com
Feature: Patch deployment
Patch schedules on-demand, one-time, or recurring patch jobs across selected VM instances.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.cloud.google.com
License evidence
The GoogleCloudPlatform/osconfig repository is marked Apache-2.0 licensed; this covers the repository contents and does not state that the hosted VM Manager service is open source.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
Limit: G2 complexity and pricing
G2 reviewers repeatedly mention platform complexity, unclear pricing, unexpected charges, and support difficulty.Read 15 Oct 2026 · g2.com
Limit: Gartner reviewer feedback
Gartner reviewer material includes complaints about billing complexity and difficult interfaces or setup for some advanced workflows.Read 15 Oct 2026 · gartner.com
Limit: Trustpilot billing and support
Trustpilot complaints include incorrect or disputed billing, ineffective collections responses, domain outages, and difficulty obtaining support.Read 15 Oct 2026 · trustpilot.com
Limit: TrustRadius administration
TrustRadius reviewers report that Logs Explorer is difficult to search, permission-group management can become complicated, and customer support could improve.Read 15 Oct 2026 · trustradius.com
Limitations
VM Manager supports only operating systems configured with an English locale; a non-English locale can cause the OS Config agent and VM Manager features to fail.Read 7 Oct 2026 · docs.cloud.google.com
Limited functionality mode
Free limited mode allows viewing OS policy assignments for unlimited VMs but prevents creating OS policy assignments or patch jobs.Read 15 Oct 2026 · cloud.google.com
Notable dated update
Google's Compute Engine release notes dated September 22, 2026 record NVIDIA P100 GPUs reaching end of support and being shut down.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.cloud.google.com
OS inventory
OS inventory collects details including hostname, OS and kernel versions, installed packages, available updates, Windows applications and OS vulnerabilities.Read 7 Oct 2026 · docs.cloud.google.com
OS policies
OS policies automate and centralize deployment, configuration, maintenance and reporting of software configurations on VMs.Read 7 Oct 2026 · docs.cloud.google.com
Patch controls
Patch jobs can use one-time or recurring schedules, selected patch approvals, and pre- and post-patching scripts.Read 7 Oct 2026 · docs.cloud.google.com
Patch customization
Patch jobs support approvals, flexible schedules, pre-patch and post-patch scripts, cancellation, and centralized monitoring.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.cloud.google.com
Patch job scope
Patch jobs can run only on VMs in a single Google Cloud project, although patch compliance data can be viewed across projects.Read 7 Oct 2026 · docs.cloud.google.com
Patch management
Patch applies on-demand or scheduled OS patches and provides patch compliance reporting.Read 7 Oct 2026 · docs.cloud.google.com
Praise: G2 scalability
G2 reviewers praise rapid scale-up and scale-down, global infrastructure, broad tooling, and strong availability.Read 15 Oct 2026 · g2.com
Praise: TrustRadius setup and reliability
TrustRadius reviewers describe Google Cloud as easy to set up, affordable, reliable, and useful for centralized permissions and scaling.Read 15 Oct 2026 · trustradius.com
Public API
Patch deployments are initiated through the VM Manager API, also called the OS Config API.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.cloud.google.com
Rating on G2
The Google Cloud Infrastructure page reports an average based on 15 real user reviews but does not display a numeric aggregate rating.Read 15 Oct 2026 · g2.com
Rating on Gartner Peer Insights
Google Cloud Platform is rated 4.7 out of 5 from 2,035 ratings.Read 15 Oct 2026 · gartner.com
Rating on Trustpilot
google.cloud.com has a TrustScore of 2 out of 5 from 17 reviews.Read 15 Oct 2026 · trustpilot.com
Rating on TrustRadius
Google Cloud Platform scores 9 out of 10 from 59 reviews and ratings.Read 15 Oct 2026 · trustradius.com
Repository dependency
Patch does not host update packages, so VMs must reach distribution repositories or a local repository; private networks may need Cloud NAT, a proxy, or Private Google Access.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.cloud.google.com
Security boundary
VM Manager supports projects within VPC Service Controls service perimeters.Read 7 Oct 2026 · docs.cloud.google.com
Security control
Google warns that patch-job and OS-policy IAM permissions can run code on VMs and recommends least-privilege access.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.cloud.google.com
Security perimeter support
VM Manager supports projects inside VPC Service Controls service perimeters.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.cloud.google.com
Setup requirements
Manual setup enables the API, installs or verifies the agent, sets instance metadata, attaches a service account, and configures private access or proxies when needed.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.cloud.google.com
System limitation
VM Manager supports operating systems configured with an English locale; other locales can cause package-manager parsing failures.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.cloud.google.com
Terraform integration
Google's Terraform provider can provision and manage VM Manager resources, including patch deployments and OS policy assignments.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.cloud.google.com

Plans and prices

Free tier Free monthly usage per Cloud Billing account 100 VMs monthly usage · limited functionality mode is free for unlimited VMs Read 15 Oct 2026 · cloud.google.com
Usage-based VM Manager Free $0.003 per VM-hour after the free tier Charged for each VM with an active OS Config agent · 100-VM monthly allowance per billing account Read 15 Oct 2026 · cloud.google.com
VM Manager Free $0.003 per hour per VM with an active OS Config agent, after the free tier; billed per VM-hour 100 VMs per Cloud Billing account per month free · limited functionality mode has a subset of features at no cost for unlimited VMs Read 7 Oct 2026 · cloud.google.com

Every Google Cloud VM Manager plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Patch jobs can be scheduled and report compliance.
  • Inventory includes packages, updates and vulnerabilities.
  • OS policies centralize configuration and maintenance.
  • Free tier covers 100 VMs per billing account monthly.
  • Management is available through console, CLI and API.

Limits

  • Non-English locales can cause features to fail.
  • Patch jobs are limited to one project each.
  • IAM permissions for jobs can grant code execution on VMs.

Who it suits

It suits teams maintaining Compute Engine VM fleets that need patch scheduling, inventory and centralized software policies. It is relevant to Windows Server and the listed Linux distributions, provided systems use an English locale.

Verdict

VM Manager brings patching, inventory and configuration policies together for Compute Engine fleets, with a defined free tier. Check locale requirements, project-scoped patch jobs and IAM permissions before adopting it.

Where Specifiction places it

Alternatives to Google Cloud VM ManagerAll alternatives →

OPSI From €0.42/mo · Free plan 9.0 Visit