Load balancing · AWS vs Google Cloud
Application Load Balancer vs Application Load Balancer
Application Load Balancer maps to the Google Cloud Application Load Balancer, global (single anycast IP) or regional, external or internal.
Side-by-side comparison
| Aspect | Amazon Web Services | Google Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Service | Application Load Balancer | Application Load Balancer |
| Lifecycle | Generally available | Generally available |
| What it is | Layer 7 load balancer with host, path, header, and query routing, TLS offload, authentication (OIDC and Cognito), gRPC, WebSockets, and Lambda targets. | Layer 7 proxy load balancer, global (single anycast IP) or regional, external or internal. |
| Pricing model | Per ALB-hour plus per Load Balancer Capacity Unit (LCU)-hour. | Hourly charge per forwarding rule plus per-GiB data processed by region. |
| Docs | Application Load Balancer docs | Application Load Balancer docs |
| Pricing page | Application Load Balancer pricing | Application Load Balancer pricing |
Key differences
- The global external Application Load Balancer runs at Google's edge, combining ALB and some Global Accelerator and CloudFront behavior.
- Cloud Armor and Cloud CDN attach to its backend services.
Pricing summary
Pricing models only. No prices are quoted because they change by region and over time.
- AWS
- Per ALB-hour plus per Load Balancer Capacity Unit (LCU)-hour. Application Load Balancer pricing →
- GCP
- Hourly charge per forwarding rule plus per-GiB data processed by region. Application Load Balancer pricing →
And on Azure?
Direct match Azure's equivalent is Azure Application Gateway (v2), Application Gateway for Containers. AWS vs Azure comparison →
FAQ
What is the Google Cloud equivalent of Application Load Balancer?
Application Load Balancer maps to the Google Cloud Application Load Balancer, global (single anycast IP) or regional, external or internal.
How does pricing compare between Application Load Balancer and Application Load Balancer?
AWS: Per ALB-hour plus per Load Balancer Capacity Unit (LCU)-hour. Google Cloud: Hourly charge per forwarding rule plus per-GiB data processed by region. Check the official pricing pages for current rates.
What is the Azure equivalent?
Azure Application Gateway (v2) and Application Gateway for Containers (direct match). Application Load Balancer maps to Azure Application Gateway v2 (with an optional WAF).