AWS Systems Manager State Manager vs Google Cloud VM Manager

AWS Systems Manager State Manager9.1Visit Google Cloud VM Manager9.0Visit

Higher score AWS Systems Manager State Manager #2 in Configuration Management Tools 9.1/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 4 features Visit AWS

vs

Google Cloud VM Manager #3 in Configuration Management Tools 9.0/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 4 features Visit Google Cloud

• AWS Systems Manager State Manager fits best

  AWS-heavy teams wanting free managed-state control

• Google Cloud VM Manager fits best

  Google Cloud VM patch and policy operations

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Side by side

Feature	AWS Systems Manager State Manager 9.1/10 Visit ↗	Google Cloud VM Manager 9.0/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.1	9.0
Ranking	#2 in Configuration Management Tools	#3 in Configuration Management Tools
Best for	AWS-heavy teams wanting free managed-state control	Google Cloud VM patch and policy operations
Pricing model	Free	Free plan + paid
Starting price	Free plan	$0.003/device usage-based
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud	Cloud
Platforms	Web	Web
Support	Docs	Community, Docs
Integrations	8 integrations	4 integrations
Built for	Mid-market, Enterprise	Mid-market, Enterprise
Features AWS Systems Manager State Manager 4/4 · Google Cloud VM Manager 4/4
Drift detection	✓	✓
Patch management	✓	✓
Policy as code	✓	✓
Compliance reporting	✓	✓
Specs
Deployment model	Cloud	Cloud
Agent model	Agent_based	Agent_based
Supported platforms	Linux, macOS on Amazon EC2, Windows Server	Windows Server, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Rocky Linux, CentOS, Debian, Ubuntu, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server
Our review
Pros	Free State Manager service with scheduled desired-state associations Targets AWS, on-premises, virtual, and edge systems Includes drift management, patching, and compliance reporting	Patch deployment, compliance dashboards, and vulnerability reporting Declarative OS policies with validation and enforcement modes Terraform, API, CLI, and console management options
Cons	Its scope is centered on AWS and Systems Manager Associated AWS resources may incur separate charges Configuration work is organized around associations and documents	Requires the OS Config agent on managed VMs Designed for Compute Engine virtual-machine fleets Supports English-locale operating systems
Our verdict	AWS Systems Manager State Manager is a cloud configuration management service for AWS customers. It uses associations and Systems Manager documents to define desired configurations and repeatedly apply them to managed nodes and other AWS… Read the review →	Google Cloud VM Manager is a cloud-based configuration management suite for Windows and Linux virtual machines running on Compute Engine. It is aimed at teams managing operating-system updates, software packages, configuration policies,… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• AWS Systems Manager State Manager — where it wins

  • Free State Manager service with scheduled desired-state associations
  • Targets AWS, on-premises, virtual, and edge systems
  • Includes drift management, patching, and compliance reporting

  Where it doesn't

  • Its scope is centered on AWS and Systems Manager
  • Associated AWS resources may incur separate charges
  • Configuration work is organized around associations and documents

• Google Cloud VM Manager — where it wins

  • Patch deployment, compliance dashboards, and vulnerability reporting
  • Declarative OS policies with validation and enforcement modes
  • Terraform, API, CLI, and console management options

  Where it doesn't

  • Requires the OS Config agent on managed VMs
  • Designed for Compute Engine virtual-machine fleets
  • Supports English-locale operating systems

• AWS Systems Manager State Manager9.1/10 · Free plan

  A free AWS service for scheduled configuration, drift management, patching, and compliance reporting.

  Visit AWSFull verdict →
• Google Cloud VM Manager9.0/10 · Free plan

  A focused Google Cloud tool for patching, policy enforcement, and VM compliance.

  Visit Google CloudFull verdict →