Compare serverless function platforms (Lambda, Azure Functions, Cloud Functions).
Last verified: April 2026
| Feature | AWS | Azure | GCP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service | AWS Lambda | Azure Functions | Cloud Functions |
| Runtime support | Node.js, Python, Java, Go, Ruby, .NET, Rust (custom runtime) | Node.js, Python, Java, C#, PowerShell, TypeScript | Node.js, Python, Java, Go, Ruby, .NET, PHP |
| Feature | AWS | Azure | GCP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Max execution time | 15 minutes | 230 minutes (Consumption plan); unlimited on Premium/Dedicated | 9 minutes (1st gen); 60 minutes (2nd gen) |
| Max memory | 10,240 MB | 14 GB (Premium plan) | 32 GB |
| Deployment package size | 250 MB (unzipped); 50 MB zipped direct upload | Unlimited (Consumption plan uses remote build) | 100 MB (1st gen compressed source); 32 GB via Artifact Registry (2nd gen) |
| Feature | AWS | Azure | GCP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing per million invocations | $0.20 | $0.20 | $0.40 |
| Pricing per GB-second | $0.0000166667 | $0.000016 | $0.0000025 |
| Free tier | 1M requests + 400K GB-seconds per month | 1M requests + 400K GB-seconds per month | 2M invocations + 400K GB-seconds per month |
| Feature | AWS | Azure | GCP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cold start mitigation | Provisioned Concurrency (pre-warmed instances) | Premium Plan (pre-warmed instances; always-ready) | Minimum instances setting (2nd gen) |
| Concurrency model | One invocation per instance; reserved concurrency up to 1,000 default | One invocation per instance (C#/Java can opt into multi-concurrency) | Up to 1,000 concurrent requests per instance (2nd gen); 1 per instance (1st gen) |
| Feature | AWS | Azure | GCP |
|---|---|---|---|
| VPC access | Native VPC integration with ENI; VPC-only or dual access | VNet integration on Premium/Dedicated plans; private endpoints | Serverless VPC Access connector or Direct VPC egress (2nd gen) |
| Triggers/events | 200+ event sources via EventBridge, S3, SQS, API Gateway, DynamoDB Streams, etc. | Bindings for Blob Storage, Cosmos DB, Event Grid, Service Bus, HTTP, Timer, etc. | HTTP, Pub/Sub, Cloud Storage, Firestore, Eventarc (2nd gen), Cloud Scheduler, etc. |
| Feature | AWS | Azure | GCP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Container image support | Yes; up to 10 GB container images from ECR | Yes; custom container images on Premium/Dedicated plans | Yes (2nd gen via Cloud Run); deploy from Artifact Registry |
| Local testing | SAM CLI (sam local invoke); Docker-based local emulation | Azure Functions Core Tools (func start); full local debugging | Functions Framework for local development; gcloud emulators |
| Layers/dependencies | Lambda Layers (up to 5 layers, shared across functions) | No layer concept; dependencies bundled in deployment package | No layer concept; dependencies specified in requirements.txt/package.json |
[
{
"feature": "Service",
"category": "Service Overview",
"aws": "AWS Lambda",
"azure": "Azure Functions",
"gcp": "Cloud Functions"
},
{
"feature": "Runtime support",
"category": "Service Overview",
"aws": "Node.js, Python, Java, Go, Ruby, .NET, Rust (custom runtime)",
"azure": "Node.js, Python, Java, C#, PowerShell, TypeScript",
"gcp": "Node.js, Python, Java, Go, Ruby, .NET, PHP"
},
{
"feature": "Max execution time",
"category": "Resource Limits",
"aws": "15 minutes",
"azure": "230 minutes (Consumption plan); unlimited on Premium/Dedicated",
"gcp": "9 minutes (1st gen); 60 minutes (2nd gen)"
},
{
"feature": "Max memory",
"category": "Resource Limits",
"aws": "10,240 MB",
"azure": "14 GB (Premium plan)",
"gcp": "32 GB"
},
{
"feature": "Deployment package size",
"category": "Resource Limits",
"aws": "250 MB (unzipped); 50 MB zipped direct upload",
"azure": "Unlimited (Consumption plan uses remote build)",
"gcp": "100 MB (1st gen compressed source); 32 GB via Artifact Registry (2nd gen)"
},
{
"feature": "Pricing per million invocations",
"category": "Pricing",
"aws": "$0.20",
"azure": "$0.20",
"gcp": "$0.40"
},
{
"feature": "Pricing per GB-second",
"category": "Pricing",
"aws": "$0.0000166667",
"azure": "$0.000016",
"gcp": "$0.0000025"
},
{
"feature": "Free tier",
"category": "Pricing",
"aws": "1M requests + 400K GB-seconds per month",
"azure": "1M requests + 400K GB-seconds per month",
"gcp": "2M invocations + 400K GB-seconds per month"
},
{
"feature": "Cold start mitigation",
"category": "Cold Start & Scaling",
"aws": "Provisioned Concurrency (pre-warmed instances)",
"azure": "Premium Plan (pre-warmed instances; always-ready)",
"gcp": "Minimum instances setting (2nd gen)"
},
{
"feature": "Concurrency model",
"category": "Cold Start & Scaling",
"aws": "One invocation per instance; reserved concurrency up to 1,000 default",
"azure": "One invocation per instance (C#/Java can opt into multi-concurrency)",
"gcp": "Up to 1,000 concurrent requests per instance (2nd gen); 1 per instance (1st gen)"
},
{
"feature": "VPC access",
"category": "Networking & Integration",
"aws": "Native VPC integration with ENI; VPC-only or dual access",
"azure": "VNet integration on Premium/Dedicated plans; private endpoints",
"gcp": "Serverless VPC Access connector or Direct VPC egress (2nd gen)"
},
{
"feature": "Triggers/events",
"category": "Networking & Integration",
"aws": "200+ event sources via EventBridge, S3, SQS, API Gateway, DynamoDB Streams, etc.",
"azure": "Bindings for Blob Storage, Cosmos DB, Event Grid, Service Bus, HTTP, Timer, etc.",
"gcp": "HTTP, Pub/Sub, Cloud Storage, Firestore, Eventarc (2nd gen), Cloud Scheduler, etc."
},
{
"feature": "Container image support",
"category": "Developer Experience",
"aws": "Yes; up to 10 GB container images from ECR",
"azure": "Yes; custom container images on Premium/Dedicated plans",
"gcp": "Yes (2nd gen via Cloud Run); deploy from Artifact Registry"
},
{
"feature": "Local testing",
"category": "Developer Experience",
"aws": "SAM CLI (sam local invoke); Docker-based local emulation",
"azure": "Azure Functions Core Tools (func start); full local debugging",
"gcp": "Functions Framework for local development; gcloud emulators"
},
{
"feature": "Layers/dependencies",
"category": "Developer Experience",
"aws": "Lambda Layers (up to 5 layers, shared across functions)",
"azure": "No layer concept; dependencies bundled in deployment package",
"gcp": "No layer concept; dependencies specified in requirements.txt/package.json"
}
]Your company is adopting a multi-cloud strategy and needs to decide where to run serverless workloads. The Java team wants Lambda SnapStart for fast cold starts, the Python team prefers Cloud Functions for its GCP ecosystem integration, and the .NET team wants Azure Functions for its native bindings. You use the comparison to show leadership that splitting by team expertise is viable because pricing is comparable across all three, and the real differentiator is ecosystem integration.
The Multi-Cloud Functions Compare tool provides a detailed comparison of serverless function platforms across AWS (Lambda), Azure (Functions), and GCP (Cloud Functions). It covers runtime support, execution limits, scaling behavior, pricing models, cold start characteristics, and developer experience. The tool helps you evaluate which platform best fits your serverless architecture.
The comparison engine normalizes specifications across providers into a common schema covering execution limits, pricing tiers, runtime support, and scaling behavior. It pulls from a curated dataset of each platform's current capabilities and presents them in aligned columns, highlighting differences where the platforms diverge in feature availability or pricing structure.
Cold start times vary wildly by runtime. Java on Lambda without SnapStart can take 5-10 seconds; Python on Cloud Functions 2nd gen cold-starts in under 500ms. If cold starts matter, benchmark your specific runtime on each platform before choosing a provider.
Lambda is the only platform that charges zero for idle time by default. Azure Consumption plan also scales to zero but Premium pre-warmed instances always cost money. Cloud Functions 2nd gen with minimum instances also charges for idle. Factor in your traffic pattern when comparing total cost.
Do not compare just the function service in isolation. Lambda integrates tightly with API Gateway, SQS, and DynamoDB Streams. Azure Functions has native bindings for Service Bus and Cosmos DB. Cloud Functions ties into Pub/Sub and Eventarc. The real comparison is the entire serverless ecosystem around the function.
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