Google Compute Engine free tier includes Always Free: 1 non-preemptible e2-micro VM (us-west1, us-central1, or us-east1), 30 GB standard… Verified November 2026.
Limits, pricing history. Verified November 2026. Last updated 2026-11-02.
Google Compute Engine's free tier offers Always Free: 1 non-preemptible e2-micro VM (us-west1, us-central1, or us-east1), 30 GB standard persistent disk, 1 GB… We rate it stable. The one record we hold was our own error and has been withdrawn.
The day we last read the vendor's page, and the day we last confirmed the terms we publish.
Free Tier Details
Always Free: 1 non-preemptible e2-micro VM (us-west1, us-central1, or us-east1), 30 GB standard persistent disk, 1 GB of outbound data transfer a month from North America to all destinations except China and Australia. GPUs/TPUs excluded.
Google Compute Engine runs its own MCP server. "The Compute Engine remote MCP server is enabled when you enable the Compute Engine API." (From https://docs.cloud.google.com/compute/docs/use-compute-engine-mcp, read 2026-10-20.) The endpoint is https://compute.googleapis.com/mcp, the transport is HTTP, and authentication uses OAuth 2.0 with Identity and Access Management (IAM), for any Google Cloud identity.
A new Google Cloud user gets the billing account by signing up for the Free Trial, which requires a credit card or other payment method. Google uses it to verify identity and reduce fraud. (From docs.cloud.google.com/free/docs/free-cloud-features, read 2026-10-23.)
The e2-micro instance limit is by time, not by instance: all e2-micro instances together are free for the number of hours in the month. (From docs.cloud.google.com/free/docs/free-cloud-features, read 2026-10-04.)
An external IPv4 address in use on a VM, including the free e2-micro, costs $0.005 an hour. The free tier covers one hour a month. A VM running all month pays about $3.65 for it. External IPv6 addresses are free. (From cloud.google.com/vpc/network-pricing, read 2026-10-11.)
The free tier covers 30 GB-months of standard persistent disk. A disk created in the Google Cloud console defaults to balanced persistent disk, which the free tier does not cover. Choose Standard persistent disk, or create the VM with the gcloud CLI, which defaults to standard. (From docs.cloud.google.com/compute/docs/disks/persistent-disks, read 2026-10-11.)
If you do not upgrade to a Paid billing account by the end of the 90-day trial or after spending the $300 credit, your Free Trial billing account closes and all its resources stop, including a free e2-micro VM. They are permanently deleted after a 30-day grace period without an upgrade. After upgrading, the Free Tier still applies. (From docs.cloud.google.com/free/docs/free-cloud-features, read 2026-11-02.)
The free 1 GB a month covers traffic from a VM in us-west1, us-central1 or us-east1 to visitors anywhere except China and Australia, including Europe, the rest of Asia, South America and Africa. (From docs.cloud.google.com/free/docs/free-cloud-features, read 2026-11-05.)
While a billing account is a Free Trial account, you cannot add GPUs, use Google Cloud Marketplace, request a quota increase or create Windows Server VMs. Upgrading to a Paid billing account removes these restrictions. (From docs.cloud.google.com/free/docs/free-cloud-features, read 2026-11-05.)
After upgrading to a Paid billing account, the remaining $300 credit can still be used within the original 90 days from sign-up. (From docs.cloud.google.com/free/docs/free-cloud-features, read 2026-11-05.)
When You'll Outgrow Google Compute Engine's Free Tier
Usage beyond the Free Tier's monthly limits is billed at standard rates.
Retracted — this record was our error (2026-10-04). Retracted 2026-10-04: no change. Google's Free Tier page still states the Compute Engine free tier we list: 1 non-preemptible e2-micro VM instance per month in us-west1, us-central1 or us-east1, 30 GB-months standard persistent disk and 1 GB of outbound data transfer from North America a month, with GPUs and TPUs excluded. The $300 credit the reading describes is the separate Free Trial. Source ↗
We do not push notifications. Every change we record is readable the moment it lands, and the JSON answer carries an ETag — send it back as If-None-Match and an unchanged answer costs one 304.
Yes, Google Compute Engine offers a free tier: Always Free. Always Free: 1 non-preemptible e2-micro VM (us-west1, us-central1, or us-east1), 30 GB standard persistent disk, 1 GB of outbound data transfer a month from North America to all destinations except Ch... Google Compute Engine runs its own MCP server. "The Compute Engine remote MCP server is enabled when you enable the Compute Engine API." (From https://docs.cloud.google.com/compute/docs/use-compute-engine-mcp, read 2026-10-20.) The endpoint is https://compute.googleapis.com/mcp, the transport is HTTP, and authentication uses OAuth 2.0 with Identity and Access Management (IAM), for any Google Cloud identity.
What is Google Compute Engine's free tier?
Google Compute Engine's free tier is called "Always Free". Always Free: 1 non-preemptible e2-micro VM (us-west1, us-central1, or us-east1), 30 GB standard persistent disk, 1 GB of outbound data transfer a month from North America to all destinations except China and Australia. GPUs/TPUs excluded. Google Cloud's Free Tier requires a billing account. (From https://docs.cloud.google.com/free/docs/free-cloud-features, read 2026-10-07.) A new Google Cloud user gets the billing account by signing up for the Free Trial, which requires a credit card or other payment method. Google uses it to verify identity and reduce fraud. (From https://docs.cloud.google.com/free/docs/free-cloud-features, read 2026-10-23.) Usage beyond the Free Tier's monthly limits is billed at standard rates. (From https://docs.cloud.google.com/free/docs/free-cloud-features, read 2026-10-07.) The e2-micro instance limit is by time, not by instance: all e2-micro instances together are free for the number of hours in the month. (From https://docs.cloud.google.com/free/docs/free-cloud-features, read 2026-10-04.) An external IPv4 address in use on a VM, including the free e2-micro, costs $0.005 an hour. The free tier covers one hour a month. A VM running all month pays about $3.65 for it. External IPv6 addresses are free. (From https://cloud.google.com/vpc/network-pricing, read 2026-10-11.) The free tier covers 30 GB-months of standard persistent disk. A disk created in the Google Cloud console defaults to balanced persistent disk, which the free tier does not cover. Choose Standard persistent disk, or create the VM with the gcloud CLI, which defaults to standard. (From https://docs.cloud.google.com/compute/docs/disks/persistent-disks, read 2026-10-11.) If you do not upgrade to a Paid billing account by the end of the 90-day trial or after spending the $300 credit, your Free Trial billing account closes and all its resources stop, including a free e2-micro VM. They are permanently deleted after a 30-day grace period without an upgrade. After upgrading, the Free Tier still applies. (From https://docs.cloud.google.com/free/docs/free-cloud-features, read 2026-11-02.) The Free Tier has no end date. Google may change or eliminate its usage limits with 30 days' advance notice. (From https://docs.cloud.google.com/free/docs/free-cloud-features, read 2026-11-02.) The free 1 GB a month covers traffic from a VM in us-west1, us-central1 or us-east1 to visitors anywhere except China and Australia, including Europe, the rest of Asia, South America and Africa. (From https://docs.cloud.google.com/free/docs/free-cloud-features, read 2026-11-05.) An e2-micro VM has 2 vCPUs that together sustain 25% of CPU time. It has 1 GB of memory and can burst to 100% for short periods. (From https://docs.cloud.google.com/compute/docs/general-purpose-machines, read 2026-11-05.) While a billing account is a Free Trial account, you cannot add GPUs, use Google Cloud Marketplace, request a quota increase or create Windows Server VMs. Upgrading to a Paid billing account removes these restrictions. (From https://docs.cloud.google.com/free/docs/free-cloud-features, read 2026-11-05.) After upgrading to a Paid billing account, the remaining $300 credit can still be used within the original 90 days from sign-up. (From https://docs.cloud.google.com/free/docs/free-cloud-features, read 2026-11-05.) Google Compute Engine runs its own MCP server. "The Compute Engine remote MCP server is enabled when you enable the Compute Engine API." (From https://docs.cloud.google.com/compute/docs/use-compute-engine-mcp, read 2026-10-20.) The endpoint is https://compute.googleapis.com/mcp, the transport is HTTP, and authentication uses OAuth 2.0 with Identity and Access Management (IAM), for any Google Cloud identity.
Is Google Compute Engine's free tier reliable?
Google Compute Engine's free tier is considered stable. The one record we hold was our own error and has been withdrawn. See the pricing history below.
Is Google Compute Engine's free tier good for production?
Google Compute Engine's free tier can be suitable for small production workloads and side projects. We rate it stable and it offers Always Free: 1 non-preemptible e2-micro VM (us-west1, us-central1, or us-east1), 30 GB standard persistent disk, 1 GB…, so it's a reasonable starting point. The one record we hold was our own error and has been withdrawn. Monitor your usage against the limits and have an upgrade plan ready.
What changed in Google Compute Engine's pricing?
The one record we hold was our own error and has been withdrawn.
When will I outgrow Google Compute Engine's free tier?
Usage beyond the Free Tier's monthly limits is billed at standard rates.
What category is Google Compute Engine in?
Google Compute Engine is categorized under Cloud IaaS on AgentDeals.