# Google Cloud Run vs Render Canonical: https://inetgeek.com/compare/google-cloud-run-vs-render/ Every value below is read from Google Cloud Run's and Render's own documentation. See https://inetgeek.com/methodology/ for how. ## At a glance | Criterion | Google Cloud Run | Render | | --- | --- | --- | | Free tier | Yes | Yes | | Pricing model | Metered by resource, billed in 100 ms increments, with no monthly minimum. Two billing settings change what is counted: request-based charges CPU only while a request is being processed, instance-based charges for the whole instance lifecycle. Prices vary by region — the location list is split into Tier 1 and Tier 2 pricing — and the free tier is applied as a spending-based discount at Tier 1 rates. | The Hobby plan does not have a monthly fee, so you only pay for usage. | | Git deployment | Supported | Supported | | Docker deployment | Supported | Supported | | Containers | Supported | Supported | | Persistent processes | Limited — instance-based billing keeps CPU allocated | Supported | | Edge network | Limited — deploy per region, add a load balancer | Supported | | Scales to zero | Supported | Supported | | Autoscaling | Supported | Limited | | Regions | 41 regions, counted from Cloud Run's own locations list — Google publishes the list rather than a total. They are split into Tier 1 and Tier 2 pricing, so the region chosen changes the bill as well as the latency. | Oregon, USA; Ohio, USA; Virginia, USA; Frankfurt, Germany; Singapore | ## Where they differ ### Pricing model - Google Cloud Run: Metered by resource, billed in 100 ms increments, with no monthly minimum. Two billing settings change what is counted: request-based charges CPU only while a request is being processed, instance-based charges for the whole instance lifecycle. Prices vary by region — the location list is split into Tier 1 and Tier 2 pricing — and the free tier is applied as a spending-based discount at Tier 1 rates. ([source](https://cloud.google.com/run/pricing)) - Render: The Hobby plan does not have a monthly fee, so you only pay for usage. ([source](https://render.com/docs/new-workspace-plans)) ### Persistent processes - Google Cloud Run: Limited — instance-based billing keeps CPU allocated ([source](https://docs.cloud.google.com/run/docs/configuring/billing-settings)) - Render: Supported ([source](https://render.com/docs/background-workers)) ### Edge network - Google Cloud Run: Limited — deploy per region, add a load balancer ([source](https://docs.cloud.google.com/run/docs/multiple-regions)) - Render: Supported ([source](https://render.com/docs/static-sites)) ### Autoscaling - Google Cloud Run: Supported ([source](https://docs.cloud.google.com/run/docs/about-instance-autoscaling)) - Render: Limited ([source](https://render.com/docs/scaling)) ### Regions - Google Cloud Run: 41 regions, counted from Cloud Run's own locations list — Google publishes the list rather than a total. They are split into Tier 1 and Tier 2 pricing, so the region chosen changes the bill as well as the latency. ([source](https://docs.cloud.google.com/run/docs/locations)) - Render: Oregon, USA; Ohio, USA; Virginia, USA; Frankfurt, Germany; Singapore ([source](https://render.com/docs/regions)) ## Which should you choose? Pick Google Cloud Run if A container you already build, that should cost nothing when nobody is using it. Scales to zero by default and back up on request volume, with a 60-minute ceiling per request that most request-driven platforms do not offer. Pick Render if Workloads that need real background workers and persistent processes alongside web services, deployed from a repository or a Dockerfile. Managed Postgres and static sites run on the same platform. Consider something else: Google Cloud Run — You need a process that stays running between requests, or a disk that survives a deploy. Consider something else: Render — Free web services spin down after 15 minutes without traffic, which makes the free tier unsuitable for anything that must answer immediately. ## Documented by only one - When you exceed a cap: Render: Pipeline minutes: overage is auto-purchased, but with no payment method or once the monthly spend limit is hit, Render stops all pipeline tasks including service builds for the rest of the month (platform-wide, all plans) - Storage (entry plan): Render: No persistent disk is included on any instance type, including the entry `0.5c-512mb` plan; services run on an ephemeral filesystem unless a persistent disk is attached separately - Memory (entry plan): Render: 512 MB RAM (with 0.5 CPU) on the `0.5c-512mb` instance type, the cheapest paid web service compute plan (legacy name: Starter) - Sites or apps included: Render: 25 total services on the Hobby workspace plan (Render's entry workspace tier, compute billed separately); also limited to a single team member - Monthly visits cap: Render: No request-count cap is published; traffic is capped by outbound bandwidth, 5 GB/month included on the Hobby workspace plan (Pro 25 GB, Scale 1 TB) - Included bandwidth: Render: Hobby: 5 GB; Pro: 25 GB; Scale: 1 TB; Enterprise: Custom - Build allowance: Render: 500 build-pipeline minutes a month on Hobby, 1,000 on Pro, 5,000 on Scale. Minutes, not builds — how many deploys that buys depends on how long yours take. - Concurrent builds: Render: One active build per service, platform-wide on all plans; a new build cancels the in-progress one for that service - Max request duration: Google Cloud Run: 5 minutes by default, extendable to 60 minutes per request. - Managed connection pooling: Render: Supported - Scheduled jobs: Render: Supported - Persistent storage: Render: Supported - Managed databases: Render: Supported - SOC 2: Google Cloud Run: Covered under Google Cloud's core SOC 2 Type II reports, issued quarterly for Google Cloud and Google Workspace products generally. - ISO 27001: Google Cloud Run: The Google Cloud Services ISMS holds an accredited ISO/IEC 27001 certification, audited by an independent third party. - HIPAA: Google Cloud Run: Cloud Run is listed as a Covered Product under Google Cloud's HIPAA Business Associate Agreement. - PCI DSS: Google Cloud Run: Cloud Run is listed among the individual Google Cloud products certified against PCI DSS via annual third-party audit. ## Questions this comparison answers **Should I choose Google Cloud Run or Render?** Pick Google Cloud Run if A container you already build, that should cost nothing when nobody is using it. Scales to zero by default and back up on request volume, with a 60-minute ceiling per request that most request-driven platforms do not offer. Pick Render if Workloads that need real background workers and persistent processes alongside web services, deployed from a repository or a Dockerfile. Managed Postgres and static sites run on the same platform.