Microsoft Azure vs Google Cloud (GCP)

Azure and GCP provide nearly identical entry points for managed PostgreSQL and MySQL instances, though their resource allocations vary under the hood. Azure starts at $7.59/mo for a base tier including 1 GB of RAM and 4 GB of storage. GCP undercuts this slightly at $7.11/mo, providing the same 1 GB of RAM but a more generous starting storage block of 10 GB. Scaling to the top of these specific tiers, Azure reaches $280.00/mo for 16 GB of RAM and 250 GB of disk, while GCP peaks at $230.00/mo for the same 16 GB of RAM but caps out at 200 GB of storage. Both platforms utilize standard x86 and ARM-based virtual machine backends similar to those found in private cloud setups.

• GCP maintains a more aggressive storage overage rate at $0.08/GB, whereas Azure charges $0.12/GB for additional disk space.
• Both providers align on network egress, charging a consistent $0.09/GB for outbound traffic beyond included limits.
• Memory limits are locked at 16 GB across these specific tiers, meaning high-concurrency workloads requiring larger connection pools will eventually force a move into higher-tier dedicated hardware.
• Azure’s storage ceiling of 250 GB provides a bit more headroom for data-heavy applications before needing to jump to enterprise-grade disk configurations.

GCP offers a lower price floor and reduced storage overage costs, making it a functional choice for smaller databases where storage growth is steady. Azure provides more initial disk capacity in its higher tiers, which is useful for teams that want to avoid resizing volumes prematurely. Both providers rely on standard replication protocols to ensure high availability, though the underlying disk IOPS performance depends heavily on the specific machine family selected during provisioning.