Google Cloud VM Manager vs PatchPilot
Google Cloud VM Manager
cloud.google.com
PatchPilot
patch-pilot.appSide by side
| Figure | Google Cloud VM Manager | PatchPilot |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 3 | 0 |
| Spec score · Patch Management Software | 8.8 (#4) | 7.1 (#35) |
| 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. | PatchPilot provides Admin, User, and Read-Only permission levels. |
| Integrations | VM Manager works with the Google Cloud console, Google Cloud CLI, direct OS Config API calls, and Terraform resources. | PatchPilot provides a Prometheus metrics endpoint and says its metrics can be used with Grafana dashboards and alerting pipelines. |
| Purpose | VM Manager manages operating systems for large Windows and Linux VM fleets running on Compute Engine. | PatchPilot is a self-hosted Linux patch management system built for homelab operators and small environments. |
| 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. | The support page directs users to the project documentation and GitHub Issues for setup help, bug reports, and support requests. |
Plans
Google Cloud VM Manager
- Free tierFree
- Usage-based VM ManagerFree
- VM ManagerFree
In their own words
Google Cloud VM Manager
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.
PatchPilot
PatchPilot has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.