We Are Mobile First
After years of building production applications on both Google Cloud Platform and AWS, we've made our choice clear. While AWS offers incredible power and flexibility, GCP and Firebase let us ship real products in a fraction of the time. Here's why we've gone all-in on Google's ecosystem—with real comparisons of what it takes to build the same features on both platforms.
On GCP with Firestore:Real-time synchronization is built directly into the database. Your app updates instantly across all connected clients without any additional setup. It just works out of the box.
On AWS:You'll need to architect and configure DynamoDB for storage, API Gateway for endpoints, Lambda functions for logic, AWS IoT Core or AppSync for WebSocket connections, CloudFormation to wire it together, custom reconnection logic, DynamoDB Streams for change detection, and Lambda triggers for broadcasting updates. That's eight different services to configure before you can achieve what Firestore does by default.
On GCP with Cloud Run:Deploy your containerized app with a single command. Auto-scaling, load balancing, and SSL certificates are included automatically. Zero configuration required.
On AWS:The equivalent requires creating an ECR repository, building and pushing images, setting up an ECS or EKS cluster, writing task definitions, configuring Application Load Balancers, creating target groups and health checks, setting up auto-scaling policies with CloudWatch, managing SSL certificates, configuring Route 53, and creating VPCs with proper networking. Each step requires deep AWS knowledge and careful configuration.
On GCP with App Check:Enable enterprise-grade API protection with a single toggle. Your APIs are automatically protected from abuse, bots, and unauthorized access. Mobile and web attestation included.
On AWS:Achieving the same protection requires implementing reCAPTCHA manually, creating Lambda authorizers, managing tokens in DynamoDB, implementing rate limiting with usage plans, adding WAF rules, creating CloudWatch alarms, and building custom attestation logic. What's a configuration toggle on GCP becomes a multi-sprint project on AWS.
On GCP:Every Cloud Run and Firebase service includes Google's global DDoS protection—the same infrastructure that protects YouTube and Google Search. No additional configuration or cost required.
On AWS:Basic protection comes with Shield Standard, but real protection requires Shield Advanced at $3,000/month plus CloudFront setup, WAF configuration, Route 53 health checks, and Lambda@Edge for custom filtering. Google's protection is built-in; AWS's is an expensive add-on.
On GCP:Cloud Run scales from zero to thousands of instances automatically. Firestore handles one user or one million without any configuration. Firebase Hosting includes global CDN distribution. No setup, no tuning, no maintenance.
On AWS:Auto-scaling requires configuring Auto Scaling Groups (which can't scale to zero on EC2), setting up multiple scaling policies, creating CloudWatch alarms, defining health checks, and constantly tuning thresholds. For databases, you'll need read replicas and sharding strategies. For global distribution, you'll configure CloudFront manually. Every aspect requires explicit configuration and ongoing maintenance.
On GCP with Firebase Auth:A complete authentication system out of the box: user management, password reset, email verification, SMS authentication, social logins, anonymous auth, and custom tokens. Everything is integrated and ready to use.
On AWS with Cognito:You'll need to understand the difference between User Pools and Identity Pools, configure OAuth flows, set up Lambda triggers, implement token refresh logic, build verification workflows, and create API Gateway authorizers. What should be simple becomes an exercise in complexity.
Getting to production on GCP:
Getting to production on AWS:
The difference isn't just in the number of steps—it's in the depth of expertise required for each one.
AWS monthly operational overhead:
GCP monthly operational overhead:
The real cost isn't just in the initial setup. Every feature you add on AWS requires touching multiple services, updating IAM policies, and ensuring all the integrations still work. On GCP, features compose naturally—add a new API endpoint, and it automatically inherits your security, scaling, and monitoring setup.
Choose AWS if:
Choose GCP and Firebase if:
AWS gives you infinite flexibility at the cost of infinite complexity. Every feature requires assembling multiple services, writing policies, and managing integrations. It's powerful for organizations with specialized needs and dedicated infrastructure teams.
GCP and Firebase give you a cohesive platform where everything works together by default. Real-time sync, authentication, scaling, and security aren't features you add—they're foundations you build upon.
For We Are Mobile First, the math is simple: every hour spent configuring AWS services is an hour not spent building features for users. GCP lets us maintain startup velocity while delivering enterprise reliability. In a world where speed to market determines success, that advantage is everything.
The most telling comparison? The time it takes to read AWS documentation for setting up a basic production environment is longer than it takes to actually deploy on GCP. When infrastructure becomes invisible, innovation becomes inevitable.