Container platforms & registries · AWS vs Google Cloud
Amazon ECS Express Mode / AWS App Runner vs Cloud Run
App Runner and ECS Express Mode map to Cloud Run, which deploys a container or source code to an HTTPS URL with autoscaling.
Side-by-side comparison
| Aspect | Amazon Web Services | Google Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Service | Amazon ECS Express Mode AWS App Runner Maintenance | Cloud Run |
| Lifecycle | Generally available Closed to new customers (availability change announced Mar 31, 2026). Existing customers can keep creating services, but no new features are planned. AWS recommends ECS Express Mode. | Generally available |
| What it is | One API call (container image plus two IAM roles) creates a Fargate ECS service with an HTTPS URL, ALB with TLS, auto scaling, monitoring, and networking. No extra charge. Fully managed web app and API service from source code or a container image, with automatic HTTPS, scaling, and load balancing. | Fully managed platform for running containers, functions, and source code as services, jobs, or worker pools, with request-based autoscaling and scale to zero. |
| Pricing model | ECS Express Mode has no extra charge. You pay for Fargate, the ALB, and other resources. App Runner bills per vCPU and GB for active and provisioned instances. | Request-based billing (default) charges vCPU-seconds and GiB-seconds while instances handle requests, plus a per-request fee; instance-based billing charges for the whole instance lifetime. A monthly free tier applies. |
| Docs | Amazon ECS Express Mode docs AWS App Runner docs | Cloud Run docs |
| Pricing page | Amazon ECS Express Mode pricing AWS App Runner pricing | Cloud Run pricing |
Key differences
- Cloud Run scales to zero by default; App Runner keeps provisioned instances warm.
- App Runner is in maintenance on AWS; Cloud Run is Google's primary app platform.
Pricing summary
Pricing models only. No prices are quoted because they change by region and over time.
- AWS
- ECS Express Mode has no extra charge. You pay for Fargate, the ALB, and other resources. App Runner bills per vCPU and GB for active and provisioned instances. Amazon ECS Express Mode pricing → AWS App Runner pricing →
- GCP
- Request-based billing (default) charges vCPU-seconds and GiB-seconds while instances handle requests, plus a per-request fee; instance-based billing charges for the whole instance lifetime. A monthly free tier applies. Cloud Run pricing →
And on Azure?
Partial match Azure's equivalent is Azure Container Apps, Azure App Service. AWS vs Azure comparison →
FAQ
What is the Google Cloud equivalent of Amazon ECS Express Mode and AWS App Runner?
App Runner and ECS Express Mode map to Cloud Run, which deploys a container or source code to an HTTPS URL with autoscaling.
How does pricing compare between Amazon ECS Express Mode and AWS App Runner and Cloud Run?
AWS: ECS Express Mode has no extra charge. You pay for Fargate, the ALB, and other resources. App Runner bills per vCPU and GB for active and provisioned instances. Google Cloud: Request-based billing (default) charges vCPU-seconds and GiB-seconds while instances handle requests, plus a per-request fee; instance-based billing charges for the whole instance lifetime. A monthly free tier applies. Check the official pricing pages for current rates.
What is the Azure equivalent?
Azure Container Apps and Azure App Service (partial match). On AWS this is now Amazon ECS Express Mode, since App Runner is closed to new customers.