Google Cloud Monitoring
Google Cloud Monitoring: A broad monitoring service for teams operating primarily in Google Cloud. Ranked #5 of 32 in Infrastructure Monitoring by our editors (9.0/10); pricing: Free plan; best for google Cloud environments.
At a glance
- Editor score9.0 / 10
- PricingFree plan
- Best forGoogle Cloud environments
- Free planYes
- Facts checked23 Sep 2026
Where it wins
- Dashboards, alerts, uptime checks, synthetics, and SLO monitoring
- Native coverage for Google Cloud, Compute Engine, GKE, and Cloud Run
- Supports Prometheus, custom metrics, multicloud scopes, and logging integration
Where it doesn't
- Usage-based pricing is less predictable than fixed-plan billing
- Its strongest ecosystem fit is centered on Google Cloud services
- No free plan is available
Our verdict on Google Cloud Monitoring
Google Cloud Monitoring is a managed observability service for tracking application and infrastructure performance, availability, and health. It is designed for teams running workloads across Google Cloud, hybrid environments, and selected multicloud deployments. The service is available through the Google Cloud console and APIs, with support for web and API access. Core capabilities include dashboards, metrics exploration, alerting policies, uptime checks, synthetic monitoring, service-level objective monitoring, virtual-machine metrics through the Ops Agent, and Managed Service for Prometheus.
Pricing is usage-based rather than organized into fixed plans. Charges apply to selected metrics, API reads, uptime checks, synthetic monitors, and alerting features. This model can fit environments whose monitoring needs change with infrastructure and telemetry volume, but it requires closer cost planning than a simple tiered subscription. Metric retention varies by metric type, including periods of 24 months and 6 weeks. Teams evaluating the service should map expected metric, check, synthetic-monitoring, and API usage to the published pricing structure before standardizing on it.
Its main advantage is ecosystem depth. Google Cloud services, Compute Engine, Google Kubernetes Engine, App Engine, Cloud Run, Cloud Service Mesh, Istio, and Managed Service for Prometheus are included among its integrations, while Amazon EC2 support and multicloud project scopes extend the reach beyond a single project. Linux and Windows virtual machines are covered, and agentless uptime checks can probe URLs and Google Cloud resources. Choose Google Cloud Monitoring when native Google Cloud visibility and a broad monitoring feature set matter most. Teams wanting fixed pricing or a monitoring platform centered outside the Google Cloud ecosystem should consider alternatives.
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Google Cloud Monitoring pricing
Google Cloud Monitoring fact sheet
| Free plan | Yes |
|---|---|
| Paid from | Not verified |
| Included hosts | Not verified |
| VM monitoring | Yes |
| Service monitoring | Yes |
| Metrics retention | Custom |
| Deployment model | Cloud |
| OS coverage | Linux and windows |
| Agentless monitoring | Not verified |
| Deployment | Cloud |
| Platforms | Web |
| Support | Community |
| Built for | Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise (editorial estimate) |
| Pricing | Free plan (source) |
| Website | cloud.google.com |
| Facts checked | 23 Sep 2026 |
Alternatives to Google Cloud Monitoring
- ZabbixA broad monitoring platform with a free self-hosted edition and flexible deployment options.9.4
- CheckmkA broad hybrid-monitoring platform with free open-source coverage and paid automation tiers.9.3
- Datadog Infrastructure MonitoringBroad infrastructure observability for cloud-native teams, with host-based pricing.9.2
See all Google Cloud Monitoring alternatives →
Google Cloud Monitoring vs the competition
- Google Cloud Monitoring vs Zabbix
- Google Cloud Monitoring vs Checkmk
- Google Cloud Monitoring vs Datadog Infrastructure Monitoring
- Google Cloud Monitoring vs Splunk Infrastructure Monitoring
- Google Cloud Monitoring vs SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor
- Google Cloud Monitoring vs Netdata
Compare Google Cloud Monitoring with any tool side by side →
Also Ranked In
Google Cloud Monitoring is ranked in 4 of our directories.
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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
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