Object access, file access & analytics · AWS vs Google Cloud
Amazon S3 Vectors vs BigQuery vector search
Amazon S3 Vectors has no storage-native equivalent.
Low-cost vector storage on Google Cloud is usually BigQuery vector search; Vector Search on Agent Platform serves low-latency queries.
Side-by-side comparison
| Aspect | Amazon Web Services | Google Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Service | Amazon S3 Vectors | BigQuery vector search |
| Lifecycle | Generally available | Generally available |
| What it is | Vector buckets and vector indexes for storing embeddings and running similarity queries, with subsecond latency for infrequent queries (as low as about 100 ms for frequent ones). Integrates with Bedrock Knowledge Bases and OpenSearch. | Store embeddings in BigQuery tables and run similarity search with the VECTOR_SEARCH function and vector indexes. |
| Pricing model | Per GB-month of vector storage, plus per-request charges for uploads and queries. | BigQuery storage plus query compute (on-demand bytes processed or slots). |
| Docs | Amazon S3 Vectors docs | BigQuery vector search docs |
| Pricing page | Amazon S3 Vectors pricing | BigQuery vector search pricing |
Key differences
- S3 Vectors stores vectors in a bucket type; BigQuery stores embeddings in tables and queries them with VECTOR_SEARCH.
Pricing summary
Pricing models only. No prices are quoted because they change by region and over time.
- AWS
- Per GB-month of vector storage, plus per-request charges for uploads and queries. Amazon S3 Vectors pricing →
- GCP
- BigQuery storage plus query compute (on-demand bytes processed or slots). BigQuery vector search pricing →
And on Azure?
Partial match Azure's equivalent is Azure AI Search. AWS vs Azure comparison →
FAQ
What is the Google Cloud equivalent of Amazon S3 Vectors?
Amazon S3 Vectors has no storage-native equivalent. Low-cost vector storage on Google Cloud is usually BigQuery vector search; Vector Search on Agent Platform serves low-latency queries.
How does pricing compare between Amazon S3 Vectors and BigQuery vector search?
AWS: Per GB-month of vector storage, plus per-request charges for uploads and queries. Google Cloud: BigQuery storage plus query compute (on-demand bytes processed or slots). Check the official pricing pages for current rates.
What is the Azure equivalent?
Azure AI Search (partial match). Amazon S3 Vectors has no Azure storage-layer equivalent.