AWS Cloud9 vs Google Cloud Workstations

AWS Cloud99.0Visit Google Cloud Workstations8.8Visit

Higher score AWS Cloud9 #2 in Cloud IDEs 9.0/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 5 features Visit AWS Cloud9

vs

Google Cloud Workstations #4 in Cloud IDEs 8.8/10 Paid ✓ 1 of 5 features Visit Google Cloud

• AWS Cloud9 fits best

  Existing AWS users with browser-based development needs

• Google Cloud Workstations fits best

  Enterprise teams using custom cloud workstations

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Side by side

Feature	AWS Cloud9 9.0/10 Visit ↗	Google Cloud Workstations 8.8/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.0	8.8
Ranking	#2 in Cloud IDEs	#4 in Cloud IDEs
Best for	Existing AWS users with browser-based development needs	Enterprise teams using custom cloud workstations
Pricing model	Free	Paid
Starting price	Not published	Not published
Free plan	✓ (best)	—
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud, Self-hosted	Cloud
Platforms	Web, Linux	Web, Windows, macOS, Linux
Support	Docs, Community	Live chat, Phone, Community, Docs
Integrations	15 integrations	12 integrations
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features AWS Cloud9 0/5 · Google Cloud Workstations 1/5
Devcontainer support	Not published	Not published
Live collaboration	Not published	Not published
Preview URLs	Not published	Not published
Workspace prebuilds	Not published	✓ (best)
AI coding assistance	Not published	Not published
Our review
Pros	Combines editor, terminal, code hints, and debugging in a browser Supports collaborative editing, chat, and SSH to Linux servers Includes AWS Lambda development and local debugging tools	Custom Docker images, startup scripts, and persistent home-directory storage Browser, VS Code, JetBrains, SSH, and tunnel access options GPU configurations, image streaming, and pooled workstations
Cons	No longer available to new customers EC2 compute and storage resources are billed separately Support channels are documentation and community	There is no free plan. A control-plane fee applies whether or not workstations are in use. Compute, storage, GPU, network, and other charges can add to the fees.
Our verdict	AWS Cloud9 brings a code editor, terminal, debugger, and language tooling into a browser-based development environment. It is aimed at developers working with AWS services, including solo users and teams, who want AWS CLI access and… Read the review →	Google Cloud Workstations provides managed cloud development environments for software teams. It is aimed at organizations that want administrators to define workstation configurations around container images, machine types, storage,… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• AWS Cloud9 — where it wins

  • Combines editor, terminal, code hints, and debugging in a browser
  • Supports collaborative editing, chat, and SSH to Linux servers
  • Includes AWS Lambda development and local debugging tools

  Where it doesn't

  • No longer available to new customers
  • EC2 compute and storage resources are billed separately
  • Support channels are documentation and community

• Google Cloud Workstations — where it wins

  • Custom Docker images, startup scripts, and persistent home-directory storage
  • Browser, VS Code, JetBrains, SSH, and tunnel access options
  • GPU configurations, image streaming, and pooled workstations

  Where it doesn't

  • There is no free plan.
  • A control-plane fee applies whether or not workstations are in use.
  • Compute, storage, GPU, network, and other charges can add to the fees.

• AWS Cloud99.0/10 · Free plan

  A free browser IDE with deep AWS tooling, but new customers can no longer access it.

  Visit AWS Cloud9Full verdict →
• Google Cloud Workstations8.8/10 · Paid

  A configurable cloud workstation service for teams that need control over their development environments.

  Visit Google CloudFull verdict →