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Head-to-head · Ubuntu VPS Hosting

Google Compute Engine vs Amazon Lightsail

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 1 check side by side
Higher score Google Compute Engine #2 in Ubuntu VPS Hosting 9.3/10 Free plan Free plan Visit Google Cloud
Amazon Lightsail #6 in Ubuntu VPS Hosting 8.8/10 Paid Try Amazon Lightsail

Google Compute Engine leads on 1 check, Amazon Lightsail on 0, and 0 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 1 yes/no, price and count check where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreGoogle Compute Engine · 9.3/10
  • Free planonly Google Compute Engine

Google Compute Engine scores higher on our rubric for ubuntu vps hosting: 9.3 against 8.8 out of 10; our editors rank them #2 and #6.

Google Compute Engine offers free plan; Amazon Lightsail doesn't.

Google Compute Engine is the better fit for ubuntu workloads needing a scalable cloud platform. Amazon Lightsail is the better fit for low-cost Ubuntu VPS for simple workloads.

  • Google Compute Engine fits best

    Ubuntu workloads needing a scalable cloud platform

  • Amazon Lightsail fits best

    Low-cost Ubuntu VPS for simple workloads

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Side by side

Feature Google Compute Engine 9.3/10 Visit ↗ Amazon Lightsail 8.8/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.3 8.8
Ranking #2 in Ubuntu VPS Hosting #6 in Ubuntu VPS Hosting
Best for Ubuntu workloads needing a scalable cloud platform Low-cost Ubuntu VPS for simple workloads
Pricing model Free plan + paid Paid
Starting price Free plan $3.50/unit/mo
Free plan ✓ (best) —
Free trial — —
Deployment Cloud Cloud, Browser extension
Platforms Web Web
Support Docs, Community · 24/7 Docs
Integrations 4 integrations 90+ integrations
Built for Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Solo, Small business, Mid-market
Specs
vCPU cores Not checked yet Not checked yet
RAM Not checked yet 0.5 GB
NVMe storage Not checked yet Not checked yet
Bandwidth Not checked yet 1 TB/mo
Server locations Not checked yet Not checked yet
Managed support Not checked yet Not checked yet
DDoS protection Not checked yet Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • Autoscaling and load balancing support changing VM workloads
  • Preset or custom machine types suit varied compute requirements
  • Broad regions, zones and storage options support distributed deployments
  • $3.50 monthly Nano Linux bundle with 2 vCPUs and 1 TB transfer
  • Root access, browser SSH, firewall rules, snapshots and metric alarms
  • Lightsail API integration with Amazon EC2 and other AWS resources
Cons
  • Usage-based pricing varies by machine type and configuration
  • Cloud-only deployment limits infrastructure placement choices
  • Proprietary platform rather than an open-source VM service
  • Nano-0.5GB bundle provides only 0.5 GB memory
  • The lowest listed Linux bundle is IPv6-only
  • Support is provided through documentation channels
Our verdict

Google Compute Engine is Google Cloud’s infrastructure-as-a-service offering for creating and running virtual machines. It fits teams managing Linux workloads such as web servers, application servers, databases, containers, analytics and…

Read the review →

Amazon Lightsail is an AWS cloud service for virtual private server instances and related cloud resources. It suits solo developers, small teams and mid-market groups hosting websites, web applications or development environments on…

Read the review →
  1. Google Compute EngineUbuntu VPS Hosting 9.3Free plan
  2. Amazon LightsailUbuntu VPS Hosting 8.8Paid

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Google Compute Engine — where it wins

    • Autoscaling and load balancing support changing VM workloads
    • Preset or custom machine types suit varied compute requirements
    • Broad regions, zones and storage options support distributed deployments

    Where it doesn't

    • Usage-based pricing varies by machine type and configuration
    • Cloud-only deployment limits infrastructure placement choices
    • Proprietary platform rather than an open-source VM service

  • Amazon Lightsail — where it wins

    • $3.50 monthly Nano Linux bundle with 2 vCPUs and 1 TB transfer
    • Root access, browser SSH, firewall rules, snapshots and metric alarms
    • Lightsail API integration with Amazon EC2 and other AWS resources

    Where it doesn't

    • Nano-0.5GB bundle provides only 0.5 GB memory
    • The lowest listed Linux bundle is IPv6-only
    • Support is provided through documentation channels

More comparisons

All ubuntu VPS hosting comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update