PocketBase vs Google Cloud (GCP)
A detailed comparison to help you choose between PocketBase and Google Cloud (GCP).
Quick Verdict
4.0/5
PocketBase
0 reviews
3.9/5
Google Cloud (GCP)
0 reviews
PocketBase is rated higher (4.0 vs 3.9). PocketBase is an open source backend consisting of a single executable file with embedded SQLite database, realtime subscriptions, auth, file storage, and an admin dashboard. Known for its data analytics and AI tooling (BigQuery, Vertex AI).
PocketBase Open-source backend with built-in database and real-time APIs | Google Cloud (GCP) Google's cloud — AI/ML and data analytics focus | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Rating | 4.0 (0 reviews)✓ | 3.9 (0 reviews) |
| Pricing model | free and open source (MIT); self-hosted, infrastructure costs only | pay-as-you-go |
| Starting price | Free tier available | Free tier available |
| Best for | Solo developers and small teams who want a self-hosted backend with auth, database, files and realtime — without running multiple services or paying a platform fee | Data- and ML-centric teams already building on BigQuery, GKE, or Vertex AI, and workloads that need a published multi-zone SLA or data residency in one of 43 regions. |
| Features | ||
| IPv6 | ✓ | |
| DDoS protection | ||
| Automated backups | ✓ | |
| Snapshots | ||
| Managed option | ||
| Bare metal | ||
| GPU available | ||
| S3-compatible | ||
| Hourly billing | ✓ | |
| Free tier | ||
| Tags | ||
| Tags | free tieropen sourceself hostable | free tierhourly billingipv6gpu availables3 compatibleeu datacenterus datacenterapac datacenterapi accessterraform providerkubernetes supportarm processors |
| Visit PocketBase → | Visit Google Cloud (GCP) → | |
PocketBase
Pros
- + Complete backend (SQLite, REST API, auth, files, SSE realtime, admin UI) in one MIT-licensed binary
- + Zero software cost and no vendor lock-in: MIT licence explicitly permits commercial reuse and self-hosting
- + Fast local storage and simple deployment — Docker, any VPS, or embedded as a Go framework in your own binary
- + Extensible without Go via JS hooks and migrations; S3-compatible file storage and built-in backup tooling
- + Excellent documentation and a 61.5k-star community; auth covers password, OAuth2, OTP and MFA out of the box
Cons
- - Pre-1.0 with no backward-compatibility guarantee — v0.23 broke the core Go API and hooks
- - Single-node SQLite: no clustering, replication or managed failover; HA and backups are your job
- - Predominantly one maintainer, community support only — no SLA or support contract
- - No official managed hosting (third parties fill that gap), no job queue or cron built in
Google Cloud (GCP)
Pros
- + Best published SLA set in the comparison: 99.99% multi-zone, 99.9% single-instance
- + 43 regions and 130 zones with per-region price variance you can trade against latency
- + Per-second billing and three discount levers — Spot up to 91% off, commitments up to 55–70%
- + Live migration through host maintenance; deep integration with GKE, BigQuery, Vertex AI
- + Real free entry: $300 trial credit that never auto-charges, plus an Always Free e2-micro VM
Cons
- - Poor price-performance for plain VMs versus European VPS specialists; no bundled transfer
- - Egress is expensive ($0.12/GiB Premium) and billed as a separate line item
- - Sustained use discounts don't apply to E2 and N4 — the families entry buyers choose
- - Budgets alert but don't cap Compute Engine spend; human support costs from $29/month
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