Alternatives to Google Compute Engine

{"intro": "Google Compute Engine runs self-managed virtual machines on Google infrastructure. Predefined and custom machine types support 1 to 96 vCPUs and up to 8.0 GB of memory per core, with Persistent Disk and Local SSD storage. Managed instance groups can add or replace VMs, while live migration moves a VM to another host in the same zone. Linux and Windows images, Confidential VMs, Shielded VMs, Google Cloud integrations, and REST API control cover infrastructure deployment and administration.\n\nThe free tier is restricted to one non-preemptible e2-micro VM in three US regions, 30 GB-months of standard persistent disk, and 1 GB of eligible outbound transfer; GPUs and TPUs are excluded. Pay-as-you-go charges vary by configuration and usage, with several resources priced separately. Its API, Linux, web, and Windows platforms suit VM operations, but another product may fit better for migration planning, database conversion, application analysis, telemetry, or infrastructure discovery. Compare whether you need to run workloads or assess and move them, along with destination support, monitoring, and trial terms.", "rows": [{"ref": "sw:striim", "name": "Striim", "best_for": "Real-time data integration across databases, applications, and clouds", "pricing": "Free plan; freemium", "key_difference": "Striim integrates and streams data with continuous SQL, while Compute Engine provides self-managed virtual machines.", "choose_when": "Choose it when real-time change-data capture, schema evolution, and pipeline monitoring matter more than running VMs."}, {"ref": "sw:azure-application-insights", "name": "Azure Application Insights", "best_for": "Application telemetry, usage analytics, and.NET diagnostics", "pricing": "Pricing on request; free plan", "key_difference": "Application Insights analyzes application telemetry and usage, while Compute Engine supplies virtual-machine infrastructure.", "choose_when": "Choose it when alerts, logs, user analytics, or.NET diagnostics are your priority instead of VM hosting."}, {"ref": "sw:cast-highlight", "name": "CAST Highlight", "best_for": "SaaS analysis of application portfolios and technical risk", "pricing": "14-day trial; paid", "key_difference": "CAST Highlight assesses source code, cloud readiness, open-source risk, and AI opportunities rather than hosting virtual machines.", "choose_when": "Choose it when you need portfolio analysis, technical-debt reporting, or cloud-planning guidance before changing infrastructure."}, {"ref": "sw:google-cloud-migration-center", "name": "Google Cloud Migration Center", "best_for": "Planning migrations into Google Cloud", "pricing": "Free plan", "key_difference": "Migration Center discovers assets, estimates costs, and plans rehost, replatform, or refactor moves instead of running VMs.", "choose_when": "Choose it when you are assessing workloads and planning a Google Cloud move rather than operating compute instances."}, {"ref": "sw:aws-transform-mgn-formerly-aws-application-migration-service", "name": "AWS Transform MGN (formerly AWS Application Migration Service)", "best_for": "Rehosting servers as native Amazon EC2 instances", "pricing": "90-day trial; paid", "key_difference": "AWS Transform MGN replicates and cuts over physical, virtual, or cloud servers to EC2, unlike Compute Engine's VM service.", "choose_when": "Choose it when block-level replication, minimal-downtime cutover, or migration to Amazon EC2 is required."}, {"ref": "sw:device42", "name": "Device42", "best_for": "Agentless discovery and dependency mapping across hybrid IT", "pricing": "Pricing on request; paid", "key_difference": "Device42 discovers and maps data-center, cloud, and hybrid assets, while Compute Engine runs self-managed virtual machines.", "choose_when": "Choose it when asset, contract, license, or dependency visibility is more important than provisioning compute."}, {"ref": "sw:ispirer-sqlways", "name": "Ispirer SQLWays", "best_for": "Heterogeneous database conversion and migration", "pricing": "From $45/mo · 14-day trial", "key_difference": "SQLWays converts database schemas, data, code, and objects across environments, unlike Compute Engine's infrastructure-focused VM hosting.", "choose_when": "Choose it when database conversion, verification, dependency handling, and migration to Google Cloud or other targets are central."}]}