# AWS Shield vs Google Cloud Armor

| Attribute | AWS Shield | Google Cloud Armor |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 49.6 (55% (medium)) | 47.4 (18% (low)) |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"A managed DDoS protection service that provides automatic, real-time defense against distributed denial-of-service attacks. Offers a free standard tier for basic infrastructure protection and a premium tier with advanced threat detection, application-layer defense, and expert incident response. It is indexed under DDOS Protection.","source":"https://aws.amazon.com/sagemaker/pricing/?nc2=h_pr_sgm","question":"What is AWS Shield?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"AWS Shield offers a free tier, so you can start without paying. Paid plans are also available: AWS Shield Standard and AWS Shield Advanced. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://aws.amazon.com/sagemaker/pricing/?nc2=h_pr_sgm","question":"Is AWS Shield free?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have only confirmed a cloud / SaaS deployment for AWS Shield, so it appears to be vendor-hosted. If a self-hosted option exists we have not found it documented publicly.","source":"https://aws.amazon.com/sagemaker/pricing/?nc2=h_pr_sgm","question":"Can AWS Shield be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 8 integrations for AWS Shield, including AWS WAF, Amazon CloudFront, Amazon Route 53, Elastic IP, Elastic Load Balancing, AWS Global Accelerator, Amazon CloudWatch and AWS Firewall Manager. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://aws.amazon.com/sagemaker/pricing/?nc2=h_pr_sgm","question":"What does AWS Shield integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed HIPAA and GDPR for AWS Shield. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as AWS Shield not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://aws.amazon.com/trust-center/?nc1=f_cc","question":"What security certifications does AWS Shield have?","confidence":0.7},{"answer":"AWS Shield is available worldwide. The vendor is headquartered in the United States.","source":"https://aws.amazon.com/sagemaker/pricing/?nc2=h_pr_sgm","question":"Where is AWS Shield available?","confidence":0.75}]` | `[{"answer":"A managed security service that protects applications from volumetric network attacks and application-layer threats using machine learning-based detection. It supports deployments on Google Cloud and hybrid or multicloud architectures, with integrated bot and fraud protection. It is indexed under DDOS Protection.","source":"https://cloud.google.com/armor","question":"What is Google Cloud Armor?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Google Cloud Armor offers a free tier, so you can start without paying. Paid plans are also available: Standard and Enterprise. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://cloud.google.com/armor","question":"Is Google Cloud Armor free?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed browser-based access to Google Cloud Armor. That is the extent of what we could verify from public sources, so it may well offer desktop or mobile clients we have not indexed.","source":"https://cloud.google.com/armor","question":"What platforms does Google Cloud Armor support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Not fully, on what we have confirmed. Google Cloud Armor is offered as cloud / SaaS and hybrid, and a hybrid deployment usually means some components can run on your own infrastructure while the rest stays vendor-hosted. We have not confirmed a completely self-hosted option, so check with the vendor if that is a requirement.","source":"https://cloud.google.com/armor","question":"Can Google Cloud Armor be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 3 integrations for Google Cloud Armor, including reCAPTCHA Enterprise, Google Kubernetes Engine and Cloud Monitoring. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://cloud.google.com/armor","question":"What does Google Cloud Armor integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Google Cloud Armor is available worldwide. Its primary market is the United States.","source":"https://cloud.google.com/armor","question":"Where is Google Cloud Armor available?","confidence":0.5}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true}` | `{"cloud":true,"hybrid":true,"on_prem":true}` |
| description.long | A managed DDoS protection service that provides automatic, real-time defense against distributed denial-of-service attacks. Offers a free standard tier for basic infrastructure protection and a premium tier with advanced threat detection, application-layer defense, and expert incident response. | A managed security service that protects applications from volumetric network attacks and application-layer threats using machine learning-based detection. It supports deployments on Google Cloud and hybrid or multicloud architectures, with integrated bot and fraud protection. |
| features.capabilities | `{"bundled_waf":true,"pricing_model":"freemium","pci_dss_compliant":true,"always_on_mitigation":true,"layer_7_application_protection":true,"layer_3_4_volumetric_protection":true}` | `{"bundled_waf":true,"always_on_mitigation":true,"layer_7_application_protection":true,"layer_3_4_volumetric_protection":true}` |
| integrations.count | 8 | 1 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"AWS WAF"},{"name":"Amazon CloudFront"},{"name":"Amazon Route 53"},{"name":"Elastic IP"},{"name":"Elastic Load Balancing"},{"name":"AWS Global Accelerator"},{"name":"Amazon CloudWatch"},{"name":"AWS Firewall Manager"},{"name":"Amazon EC2","native":true}]` | `[{"name":"reCAPTCHA Enterprise"},{"name":"Google Kubernetes Engine"},{"name":"Cloud Monitoring"}]` |
| market.availability | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | `{"primaryMarkets":["US"],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"web":true}` | `{"web":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"hybrid","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"AWS Shield Standard","features":["Protection against common network and transport layer DDoS attacks","Deterministic packet filtering","Priority-based traffic shaping","Works with CloudFront and Route 53"],"description":"Automatic DDoS protection included at no charge for all AWS customers","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"AWS Shield Advanced","features":["Automatic mitigation of sophisticated DDoS events","Customized detection based on traffic patterns","Application-layer attack detection (HTTP floods, DNS query floods)","Real-time notifications via CloudWatch","24/7 Shield Response Team support","Integration with AWS WAF and Firewall Manager","Health check-based detection optimization"],"description":"Enhanced DDoS protection with customized detection and 24/7 expert support","contactSales":false}],"summary":"Free tier included with AWS account; Advanced tier available (pricing not specified in documentation)","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://aws.amazon.com/sagemaker/pricing/?nc2=h_pr_sgm","retrievedAt":"2026-08-18T21:36:46.444Z"}` | `{"type":"subscription","plans":[{"free":false,"name":"Standard","description":"DDoS and WAF services, curated rule sets, predictable monthly billing"},{"free":false,"name":"Enterprise","description":"Enhanced protection tier for advanced requirements"}],"summary":"Two service tiers with monthly billing. Specific pricing not publicly listed; free credits available via Google Cloud.","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://cloud.google.com/armor","retrievedAt":"2026-08-18T21:37:52.913Z","billingPeriods":["month"]}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | freemium | freemium |
| pricing.price_level | low | low |
| pricing.transparent | yes | no |
| security.disclosure_policy | yes | - |
| security.fedramp | yes | - |
| security.gdpr | yes | - |
| security.hipaa | yes | - |
| security.pci | yes | - |
| security.trust_center | https://aws.amazon.com/compliance/ | - |

## Capabilities (DDOS Protection)

| Capability | AWS Shield | Google Cloud Armor |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Capabilities** |  |  |
| Deployment model | - | - |
| Always on mitigation | ✓ | ✓ |
| On demand bgp diversion | - | - |
| Layer 3 4 volumetric protection | ✓ | ✓ |
| Layer 7 application protection | ✓ | ✓ |
| DNS amplification protection | - | - |
| Unmetered attack bandwidth | - | - |
| Sub second mitigation SLA | - | - |
| Bundled WAF | ✓ | ✓ |
| SIEM log export API | - | - |
| SOC2 type ii | - | - |
| PCI DSS compliant | ✓ | - |
| Pricing model | Freemium | - |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-10-16T20:48:36.567Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*