AWS Step Functions vs Google Cloud Workflows
AWS Step Functions
aws.amazon.com
Google Cloud Workflows
cloud.google.comSide by side
| Figure | AWS Step Functions | Google Cloud Workflows |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $0.01/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 3 | 6 |
| Spec score · Process Orchestration Software | 7.9 (#11) | 8.8 (#6) |
| Spec score · IT Orchestration Software | 7.9 (#12) | 8.8 (#2) |
| Spec score · Workflow Orchestration Software | 7.9 (#19) | 8.8 (#7) |
| Compliance | Third-party auditors assess Step Functions under AWS compliance programs that include SOC, PCI, FedRAMP, and HIPAA. | Google lists Workflows as compliant with C5:2020, FedRAMP High, HIPAA, HITRUST CSF, ISO 27001/27017/27018, PCI DSS, and SOC 1/2/3, excluding Preview features. |
| Execution limits | Standard workflow executions can run for up to one year, while Express workflow executions can run for up to five minutes. | A workflow execution can contain up to 100,000 steps and run for at most one year. |
| Integrations | Service integrations connect workflows to over 200 AWS services, and AWS SDK integrations can invoke over 9,000 API actions from over 200 services. | Connectors integrate workflows with Google Cloud APIs and handle request formatting, retries, and long-running operations; examples include Pub/Sub, Firestore, and Secret Manager. |
| Monitoring | Users can review execution history in the Step Functions console, analyze executions with CloudWatch Logs, and trace them with AWS X-Ray. | Workflows integrates with Cloud Logging and Cloud Monitoring for execution logs, volume, error rates, and execution time. |
| Security | Step Functions uses IAM to control access to AWS services and resources, and AWS requires TLS 1.2 while recommending TLS 1.3 for network clients. | Workflows runs in a sandboxed environment without code or library dependencies that require security patches, and it can use Secret Manager to store and retrieve secrets. |
| What it does | AWS Step Functions is a visual workflow service for orchestrating AWS services and HTTPS endpoints, including SaaS applications, into scalable, reliable applications. | Google Cloud Workflows orchestrates Google Cloud services, custom Cloud Run services or functions, and HTTP APIs into serverless applications and pipelines without infrastructure management. |
Plans
AWS Step Functions
- Free TierFree
- Express WorkflowsPrice not published
- Standard WorkflowsPrice not published
Google Cloud Workflows
- Always FreeFree
- Always Free external stepsFree
- Always Free internal stepsFree
- Internal steps$0.01 a month
- Pay as you go$0.01 a month
- External steps$0.03 a month
In their own words
AWS Step Functions
AWS Step Functions is a cloud workflow service for coordinating AWS services and HTTPS endpoints, including SaaS applications. Workflows are state machines written in Amazon States Language, with Workflow Studio providing a visual designer. Definitions can branch, run steps in parallel, set timeouts, retry failures, and handle errors with try/catch or rollback patterns. Service integrations connect to over 200 AWS services, while AWS SDK integrations can invoke over 9,000 API actions. HTTPS endpoint integration connects directly to HTTP-based services. Distributed Map can process large datasets, including Amazon S3 data, with up to 10,000 parallel child executions in one Map Run. Execution history, CloudWatch Logs, and AWS X-Ray support review and tracing. Standard executions can run for up to one year; Express executions can run for up to five minutes. Task, state, or execution input and output is limited to 256 KiB. A Free Tier plan is listed at free indefinitely; Standard and Express plans bill usage.
Google Cloud Workflows
Google Cloud Workflows is a managed orchestration platform for running Google Cloud services, custom services, and HTTP APIs in a chosen sequence. Workflow definitions use YAML or JSON and can combine ordered steps with conditions, loops, parallel work, and reusable subworkflows. Start an execution manually, through client libraries or REST, or on a schedule with Cloud Scheduler. Connectors link workflows to Google Cloud APIs such as Pub/Sub, Firestore, and Secret Manager, while workflow steps can also call custom or private HTTP and HTTPS endpoints. Reliability features include retries, polling, error handling, callbacks, and waits of up to one year. A single execution can run up to 100,000 steps and last no more than one year. IAM controls access; Secret Manager can store and retrieve secrets. Cloud Logging and Cloud Monitoring surface execution logs, volume, errors, and duration. Pricing is based on executed steps, including failed and retried steps, while idle workflows incur no charges. The free plan includes 5,000 internal and 2,000 external steps; paid usage starts at $0.01 per month, with rates that vary by step type and volume.