AWS Lambda vs Azure Functions vs Google Cloud Functions 2025
Compare AWS Lambda, Azure Functions, and Google Cloud Functions: 2025 performance, pricing, cold starts, and expert guidance from MoonDive.
Overview
Serverless computing has moved beyond the hype cycle into mainstream enterprise adoption, with the market projected to reach $58-90B by 2031 at 15-25% CAGR. As of 2025, 70% of AWS customers, 60% of GCP customers, and 49% of Azure customers use serverless solutions—and choosing the right Function-as-a-Service (FaaS) platform significantly impacts development velocity, operational costs, and scalability. AWS Lambda dominates with 45,705 companies deployed and the most mature ecosystem. Azure Functions leads container adoption growth at 76% YoY, while Google Cloud Functions (now Cloud Run functions) pioneered concurrency-first architecture with 80 concurrent requests per instance by default. At MoonDive, we've helped 50+ clients architect serverless solutions, and the decision between these platforms depends on existing cloud ecosystem, performance requirements, cost optimization needs, and team expertise. This comparison provides 2025 data—current runtime versions, cold start benchmarks in milliseconds, exact pricing models, and real company examples processing billions of requests daily—to help you make an informed decision backed by facts, not marketing.
In-depth Analysis
Market Position and Adoption: AWS Lambda maintains clear market leadership with 70%+ of AWS customers using serverless and 45,705 companies deployed globally. Azure Functions reaches 49% Azure customer adoption with 76% YoY container growth, while Google Cloud Functions achieves 60% GCP customer adoption. The serverless market is projected to grow from $21-27B in 2024 to $58-90B by 2030-2033. Performance Benchmarks: AWS Lambda achieves 39ms latency difference between new and existing instances. SnapStart reduces Java cold starts from 5-10 seconds to sub-200ms. Google Cloud Functions 2nd gen achieves under 1 second with startup CPU boost, with 230ms p99 latency versus 601ms for 1st gen. Cost Analysis: For 1M requests/month with 256MB memory and 300ms execution, AWS Lambda costs ~$2.73/month, Azure Functions ~$18/month, Google Cloud 1st gen ~$7.20/month. Google's 2nd gen with concurrency can achieve 40% cost reduction. AWS ARM offers 20% savings.
When to Use Each
Choose AWS Lambda for: Maximum ecosystem maturity with 1.5M users, ARM cost optimization (34% better price-performance), SnapStart for Java/.NET cold starts, Lambda@Edge for global edge computing, enterprise-grade security. Choose Azure Functions for: Microsoft-centric organizations, Durable Functions v3 for stateful workflows, flexible hosting plans, PowerShell automation, per-function scaling with Flex Consumption. Choose Google Cloud Functions for: Concurrency model (80 requests/instance = 70% fewer instances), sub-second cold starts in 2nd gen, 60-minute timeout for HTTP functions, container-first Cloud Run architecture, CloudEvents standard.
Real World Examples
AWS Lambda: FINRA processes 75 billion events/day with 50% cost reduction. Coca-Cola handles 80M transactions/month with 99.999% availability and 65% cost reduction ($13K→$4.5K/year). Azure Functions: Coca-Cola's AI campaign processed 1M conversations in 26 languages across 43 markets in 60 days using Functions orchestration. Google Cloud Functions: Spotify serves 574M monthly users processing 2M messages/second via Pub/Sub with 300% computing efficiency improvement and 60% infrastructure cost reduction.
Feature Comparison
Cold Start Performance
- Python/Node.js: 200-1,200ms
- Java/.NET: 3-14s (SnapStart reduces to sub-200ms)
- affects <1% of invocations
- ARM/x86 both supported
- Consumption: 2-3s typical, up to 10s max
- Premium Plan: eliminated with always-ready instances
- 53% improvement over 18 months
- NET isolated slower than in-process
- 1st gen: 5-10s typical
- 2nd gen (Cloud Run): <1s with startup CPU boost enabled
- 230ms p99 vs 601ms for 1st gen
- 70% fewer instances needed due to concurrency
Pricing Model (Pay-per-Use)
- $0.20/1M requests
- $0.0000166667/GB-sec (x86)
- $0.0000133334/GB-sec (ARM, 20% cheaper)
- Free: 1M requests + 400K GB-sec/month
- Provisioned Concurrency: $0.0000041667/GB-sec idle
- Consumption: $0.20/1M executions + $0.000016/GB-sec
- Flex: $0.40/1M + $0.000026/GB-sec
- Free: 1M executions + 400K GB-sec/month
- Premium: vCPU-based from $116.80/vCPU/month
- 1st gen: $0.40/1M invocations + $0.0000100/GHz-sec + $0.0000025/GB-sec
- 2nd gen: $0.40/1M requests + $0.000024/vCPU-sec + $0.0000025/GiB-sec
- Free: 2M requests + 180K vCPU-sec/month
Runtime Support (2025)
- Node.js 20/22
- Python 3.9-3.13
- Java 11/17/21
- NET 8/9
- Ruby 3.2-3.4
- Go (custom)
- PHP (custom)
- ARM64 + x86 support
- All runtimes on Amazon Linux 2023
- Node.js 18/20/22
- Python 3.9-3.13
- Java 11/17/21
- NET 8/9
- PowerShell 7.4
- Custom Handlers
- Runtime v4.x current
- In-process .NET retiring Nov 2026
- Node.js 18/20/22/24
- Python 3.10-3.13
- Go 1.18-1.25
- Java 17/21
- NET 6/8
- Ruby 3.2-3.4
- PHP 8.2-8.4
- 2nd gen recommended for new projects
- 1st gen still fully supported
Concurrency & Scaling
- Default 1,000 concurrent executions/region (increase to tens of thousands)
- 1 request per instance
- Burst: 1,000 instances/10 sec
- Reserved & Provisioned Concurrency available
- Consumption: 200 instances (Windows), 100 (Linux)
- Flex: 1,000 instances with per-function scaling
- Premium: 20-100 instances
- 1 request per instance on Consumption
- 1st gen: 1 request/instance (3,000 max concurrent)
- 2nd gen: 1-1,000 requests/instance (default 80)
- max 100-1,000+ instances
- Significantly fewer cold starts with concurrency
Timeout Limits
- Maximum 900 seconds (15 minutes) for all function types
- Cannot be increased
- Sufficient for most serverless workloads
- Consumption: 5 min default, 10 min max
- Premium/Dedicated: 30 min default, unbounded max
- HTTP: 230 sec Azure Load Balancer limit regardless of setting
- 1st gen: 540 sec (9 min)
- 2nd gen HTTP: 3,600 sec (60 min)
- 2nd gen events: 540 sec (9 min)
- 6x longer processing for 2nd gen HTTP functions
Memory & CPU Options
- 128 MB to 10,240 MB (10 GB) in 1 MB increments
- CPU proportional: 1,769 MB = 1 vCPU, 10,240 MB ≈ 6 vCPUs
- Ephemeral storage: 512 MB-10 GB
- Consumption: 1.5 GB max
- Flex: 512 MB
- 2 GB
- or 4 GB
- Premium: EP1 (3.5 GB)
- EP2 (7 GB)
- EP3 (14 GB)
- Memory shared across all functions in app
- 1st gen: 128 MB-8 GB (auto CPU 0.083-2 vCPU)
- 2nd gen: 128 MB-32 GB with 0.08-8 vCPUs configurable
- Greater flexibility in 2nd gen
Make the Right Choice
Compare strengths and weaknesses, then use our quick decision guide to find the perfect fit for your needs.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths
What makes it great
- Market-leading ecosystem with 1.5M users and 45,705 companies deployed
- 80+ native AWS service integrations for event-driven architecture
- SnapStart reduces cold starts by 10x (Java from 5-10s to sub-200ms)
- ARM Graviton2 offers 34% better price-performance with 20% lower duration costs
- Most mature tooling: AWS SAM, CDK, Serverless Framework with 50+ plugins
- Generous free tier: 1M requests + 400K GB-seconds monthly
- Lambda@Edge for global edge computing with <10ms latency
- Proven enterprise scale: FINRA 75B events/day, Coca-Cola 99.999% availability
Weaknesses
Things to Consider
- Steeper learning curve for AWS ecosystem complexity
- 1 request per instance model vs Google's 80 concurrent requests/instance
- 15-minute maximum timeout cannot be increased
- Complex pricing at scale with separate charges for requests, duration, provisioned concurrency
- VPC integration adds cold start latency (65% of users connect to VPCs)
- INIT phase now billable effective August 2025
- Vendor lock-in concerns with deep AWS service integration
Quick Decision Guide
Find your perfect match based on your requirements
Your Scenario
You're already heavily invested in AWS ecosystem (using S3, DynamoDB, RDS, Kinesis, SQS, or API Gateway)
RECOMMENDED
AWS Lambda
Your Scenario
You're a Microsoft-centric organization using .NET, Azure AD, Office 365, or Visual Studio
RECOMMENDED
Azure Functions
Your Scenario
You need stateful workflows with orchestration (function chaining, fan-out/fan-in, human interaction)
RECOMMENDED
Azure Functions
Your Scenario
High-traffic API (>50 RPS) where cost optimization and concurrency matter significantly
RECOMMENDED
Google Cloud Functions
Your Scenario
Your team uses Java or .NET with latency requirements <200ms and cold starts are primary concern
RECOMMENDED
AWS Lambda
Your Scenario
Budget-conscious startup with <1M requests per month and simple event-driven needs
RECOMMENDED
Google Cloud Functions
Your Scenario
Long-running workloads requiring >15 minutes execution time (data processing, batch jobs)
RECOMMENDED
Google Cloud Functions
Your Scenario
Global edge computing for content delivery, authentication, or A/B testing with <10ms latency
RECOMMENDED
AWS Lambda
Your Scenario
Cost optimization is critical and you can use ARM architecture
RECOMMENDED
AWS Lambda
Your Scenario
Financial services, healthcare, or regulated industry requiring proven compliance
RECOMMENDED
AWS Lambda
Frequently Asked Questions
Cold start times vary dramatically by platform and runtime. AWS Lambda: Python/Node.js 200-1,200ms, Java/.NET 3-14 seconds (SnapStart reduces to sub-200ms). Azure Functions Consumption: 2-3 seconds typical, up to 10 seconds (Premium Plan eliminates entirely with always-ready instances). Google Cloud Functions 2nd gen: under 1 second with startup CPU boost (versus 5-10 seconds in 1st gen). In production, cold starts affect less than 1% of AWS Lambda invocations, and 2nd gen Google Cloud requires 70% fewer instances due to concurrency, reducing cold start frequency significantly. For latency-critical APIs serving end users, cold starts matter greatly. For background processing, batch jobs, or async workflows, they're negligible.
Real costs depend on your specific workload. For 1M requests/month with 256MB memory and 300ms execution, AWS Lambda costs ~$2.73/month, Azure Functions Consumption ~$18/month, Google Cloud 1st gen ~$7.20/month. However, Google Cloud 2nd gen with 80 concurrent requests per instance can achieve 40% cost reduction versus 1st gen through instance consolidation. AWS ARM Graviton2 offers 20% cost savings versus x86. Azure Premium plans have minimum always-billed costs but eliminate cold starts. Breakeven point: serverless remains cost-effective up to approximately 66 RPS (170M requests/month) versus traditional compute.
Migration is technically possible but architecturally challenging. All platforms use proprietary event formats, IAM models, and trigger mechanisms. Code written in pure Python/Node.js/Java transfers easily, but integration logic requires rewriting. At MoonDive, we've seen migrations take 2-6 months for non-trivial applications. Best practices: Use Serverless Framework or Terraform with provider abstraction from start, encapsulate cloud-specific logic in separate modules, use CloudEvents standard where possible (Google 2nd gen native support). However, most successful companies commit to one platform and leverage deep integrations rather than maintaining lowest-common-denominator architecture.
It depends on your stack. AWS Lambda has the most mature ecosystem with SAM, CDK, Serverless Framework (50+ plugins), SAM CLI for local testing, CloudWatch + X-Ray for observability, and largest community (1.5M users). Best for teams comfortable with AWS services. Azure Functions excels for .NET/Microsoft developers with full Visual Studio 2022 integration, F5 debugging, Azure Functions Core Tools, and Durable Functions for workflows. Best for Microsoft shops. Google Cloud Functions offers simplest onboarding with clean gcloud CLI, Functions Framework for local development, and 2nd gen Cloud Run integration. Best for teams prioritizing speed to production.
Scaling models differ significantly. AWS Lambda: 1,000 concurrent executions per region default, 1 request per instance, burst capacity 1,000 new instances every 10 seconds. Azure Functions: Consumption 100-200 instances max, Flex Consumption 1,000 instances with per-function scaling. Google Cloud Functions: 1st gen 1 request/instance with 3,000 max concurrent, 2nd gen 1-1,000 concurrent requests per instance (default 80) requiring 70% fewer instances. Real-world: Thomson Reuters handles 4,000 events/second with 2x spike tolerance on Lambda, iRobot manages millions of devices with automatic Christmas spike handling, Coca-Cola scaled 30M→80M transactions without intervention.