Ample vs Google Cloud Run: which is simpler for an agent-built app? | Ample

The short version

Google Cloud Run is the better choice for teams already on Google Cloud that want containers in about 43 regions, scaling to zero. Ample is the better choice when a coding agent should deploy alone: no Google account or card, a database, disk and custom domain included instead of separate products, and a cap on by default.

WHO THIS IS FOR

Before you choose

Cloud Run runs containers and scales them with requests; databases, storage, scheduling and domains are separate Google Cloud products. Ample bundles those for an app from a repository.

SIDE BY SIDE

Ample and Google Cloud Run side by side

Ample Google Cloud Run
Free plan $0 with no card. 2 apps running at once, 2 vCPU, 2 GB memory, 3 GB volumes, 1 GB bucket storage, 2 buckets. A monthly free allowance (180,000 vCPU-seconds, 2M requests); a Google Cloud billing account with a payment method is required.
Paid plans Custom plans priced on volume (number of apps, limits, spending caps). No public list price; see pricing. Per-second usage: $0.000024 per vCPU-second and $0.0000025 per GiB-second active, $0.40 per million requests (Tier 1).
Spending limit Free has a hard budget ($5 a month, $2 a day). At the cap, apps stop serving until the account is back under budget; nothing is deleted and nothing is billed. Spend cap budgets became generally available on October 13, 2026 and cover Cloud Run; usage can overshoot the cap because of reporting delay.
How apps run Each app runs as a normal long-running process in its own microVM with its own kernel. Containers in gVisor (gen1) or a microVM (gen2).
Long-running servers and workers Yes. Web services and background workers (--kind worker) run as ordinary processes. Services, jobs (up to 7 days) and worker pools; requests and WebSockets end at 60 minutes at most.
Languages Node, Python, Go, Ruby, PHP, Java, .NET, Elixir, Rust and static sites, detected from the repository. Any language in a container; source deploys use buildpacks for Go, Node.js, Python, Java, .NET, Ruby and PHP.
Docker images No. Ample builds from source; Dockerfile build steps are not run. Yes; containers are the deploy unit.
Databases Managed Postgres, MySQL, Redis and MongoDB, each in its own microVM, created automatically when the code needs one. Separate products: Cloud SQL (MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server), Firestore, Memorystore.
Object storage S3-compatible buckets, optionally published through Ample's CDN. Cloud Storage, a separate product.
Persistent disk Persistent volumes attached to the app. No persistent disk; mount Cloud Storage or NFS.
Custom domains and TLS Custom domains with automatic TLS. Through a paid load balancer, or domain mapping (Preview, 10 regions).
Regions No region choice. About 43 regions.
Scheduled jobs Scheduled jobs: a command or HTTP request on a cron schedule (any time zone) or interval, with retries and run history (ample job create). Cloud Scheduler, a separate product.
Agent access CLI, remote MCP server (OAuth), A2A endpoint and agent skills. Deploys are synchronous and return JSON with an exit code: 0 live, 1 failed, 2 needs input. Remote MCP server at run.googleapis.com/mcp that deploys from images or source; gcloud CLI.
Agent signup without a person Yes. ample auth signup creates an account with no browser, card or CAPTCHA; a person claims it by email within 48 hours. No. A Google identity and a billing account are required.

Competitor facts come from that company's own pricing pages and documentation, checked on the date shown in the sources. Plans change; follow the source links for current numbers.

FIT CHECK

Which one fits

Choose Ample when

Choose Google Cloud Run when

STEP BY STEP

Move a Cloud Run service to Ample

  1. 1

Note the start command and environment

Cloud Run services already listen on PORT, so they usually run unchanged. Move Secret Manager values into environment variables.

  1. 2

Replace Google services

Swap the Cloud SQL Auth Proxy or socket path for a plain connection string, and Cloud Storage clients for an S3-compatible client.

  1. 3

Plan and deploy

Cloud Scheduler jobs become Ample jobs (ample job create).

ample plan --write && ample up
  1. 4

Point your domain

Add the domain to the app, update DNS to the target Ample prints, and keep the old app running until the new one answers on the domain.

ample domain add <app-name> www.example.com

QUESTIONS

Frequently asked questions

Does Cloud Run have a spending cap now?

Yes. Google made spend cap budgets generally available on October 13, 2026 for Cloud Run and a few AI services. Enforcement can lag, so Google suggests setting the cap slightly below your limit.

Can I keep Cloud SQL and use Ample?

Yes, if Cloud SQL accepts connections from outside Google Cloud (public IP with authorized networks or the Auth Proxy). Most apps moving off Cloud Run let Ample create the database instead.

SOURCES

Where these facts come from