Google Cloud Platform (GCP) Free Plan 2026: What's Included & What's Not
Honest breakdown of the free tier limits and features
Google Cloud Platform (GCP) pricing varies by team size and features, ranging from $300 to $999 per month in 2026. Your actual cost depends on the tier you choose, contract length, and negotiated discounts.
Use the interactive pricing calculator to estimate your exact cost based on team size and requirements.
- Free tier: No free tier available
- Billing: Monthly and annual (save 15-20%)
- Hidden costs: Add ~35% for implementation, support, and training
Google Cloud Platform (GCP)'s free plan is available indefinitely with no time limit.
What's Included in the Free Plan
- $300 credit for first 90 days
- 1 e2-micro VM instance/month (always free in select regions)
- 5 GB Cloud Storage (always free)
- 1 GB Cloud Functions invocations/month
- 2 million Cloud Run requests/month
- 10 GB BigQuery queries/month (always free)
- 30 GB Cloud Shell storage
- Always-free tier for 20+ products
What's NOT Included (Paid Only)
- 0.25 shared vCPUs, 1 GB memory
- Per-second billing (1-minute minimum)
- Automatic sustained use discounts (up to 30%)
- Available in 40+ regions globally
- Custom machine type support
- Live migration for zero-downtime maintenance
- Integrated with Cloud Monitoring
You'll Need to Upgrade When...
- You exceed the user limit
- You need features like 0.25 shared vCPUs, 1 GB memory or Per-second billing (1-minute minimum)
- You require premium support or SLA guarantees
- You need to remove branding or watermarks
- You need advanced integrations or API access
Hidden Restrictions on Free Plan
- Google Cloud Platform (GCP) branding may appear on your content or communications
- Support is limited to community forums or email with longer response times
- Export options may be restricted or include watermarks
- API access is typically limited or not available
- Advanced reporting and analytics require paid plans
Free vs Paid: Which Do You Need?
Free Plan is Enough If...
- You're an individual or very small team
- You need only basic features
- You don't mind usage limits
- Branding on output is acceptable
- Community support is sufficient
You Need Paid If...
- Your team is growing beyond limits
- You need advanced features
- Professional branding is required
- You need priority support
- Integrations/API access is critical
Free vs On-Demand (e2-micro) Plan Comparison
| Free Tier $0 | On-Demand (e2-micro) $6.12/month | |
|---|---|---|
| Features | 8 included | 7+ included |
| Support | Community/Email | Priority Support |
| Branding | Google Cloud Platform (GCP) branding | Your branding |
| Best For | Developers exploring GCP, data analytics experimentation, and serverless prototyping | Micro-services, lightweight APIs, and small development instances |
Frequently Asked Questions
01 Is Google Cloud Platform (GCP) free?
Yes, Google Cloud Platform (GCP) offers a forever free plan with 8 core features included. However, there are limits on users and features that may require upgrading.
02 What's included in Google Cloud Platform (GCP)'s free plan?
Google Cloud Platform (GCP)'s free plan includes: $300 credit for first 90 days, 1 e2-micro VM instance/month (always free in select regions), 5 GB Cloud Storage (always free), 1 GB Cloud Functions invocations/month, 2 million Cloud Run requests/month, and 3 more features. Key limits include basic usage caps.
03 What's NOT included in Google Cloud Platform (GCP)'s free plan?
The free plan excludes: 0.25 shared vCPUs, 1 GB memory, Per-second billing (1-minute minimum), Automatic sustained use discounts (up to 30%), Available in 40+ regions globally, Custom machine type support. You'll also have Google Cloud Platform (GCP) branding and limited support options.
04 When should I upgrade from Google Cloud Platform (GCP)'s free plan?
Consider upgrading when: you hit user or storage limits, need features like 0.25 shared vCPUs, 1 GB memory or Per-second billing (1-minute minimum), require premium support, or want to remove branding. The cheapest paid plan starts at $6.12/month.
05 Is Google Cloud Platform (GCP)'s free plan really free forever?
Yes, Google Cloud Platform (GCP)'s free plan is available indefinitely with no time limit. However, feature and usage limits may restrict what you can do without upgrading to a paid plan.
Get Google Cloud Platform (GCP) pricing updates
We'll notify you when pricing changes or new free features are added.