AWS Credits vs GCP Credits
GCP credits offer better value at the entry level ($45 for $300 vs $15 for AWS free trial), while AWS credits unlock more services and larger tier options ($100K). GCP credits are typically cheaper per dollar at equivalent tiers. The "better" credit depends on which services you need.
When comparing AWS and Google Cloud credits, the key dimensions are: price paid per dollar of credit, service coverage, restrictions, and what you can actually accomplish with each amount.
Price Comparison (from Cloud Accounts)
| Credit Amount | AWS Cost | GCP Cost | Winner | |---|---|---|---| | ~$300 | $15 (free trial) | $45 ($300 credit) | AWS by price | | $400–$500 | Not available | $55 | GCP | | $1,000 | $250 | $199 | GCP | | $5,000 | $999 | $499 | GCP | | $10,000 | $2,499 | $999 | GCP | | $25,000 | $4,999 | $1,499 | GCP | | $100,000 | $13,000 | Not available | AWS |
GCP credits are consistently cheaper per dollar than AWS at equivalent tiers ($1K–$25K range).
What You Can Do With Each
*$1,000 AWS credits ($250):* Run a t3.medium EC2 for ~1.5 years, or store 20 TB in S3 for 8 months, or make 50 million Lambda invocations.
*$1,000 GCP credits ($199):* Run an e2-standard-2 VM for ~10 months, or process 200 TB in BigQuery, or make 500 million Cloud Functions calls.
Service Coverage
AWS credits cover all 200+ AWS services without restrictions (on Cloud Accounts accounts). GCP credits cover all GCP services including TPU instances, BigQuery, and Vertex AI.
AI/ML Value
For AI workloads, GCP credits are more valuable — access to TPU v4 pods and Vertex AI that have no AWS equivalent at similar price points.
Buying cloud credits from Cloud Accounts is typically 60–80% cheaper than retail rates from AWS, GCP, or Azure. For immediate access without application processes or waiting periods, it's the fastest path to cloud infrastructure.
Also Asked
At equivalent dollar amounts ($1K–$25K), yes — GCP credits from Cloud Accounts cost $199–$1,499 vs AWS equivalents at $250–$4,999. GCP is 20–70% cheaper per dollar of credit at these tiers.