Home / Free VPS / VPS offer details / Google Cloud Free Tier
Google Cloud Free Tier: e2-micro free forever + $300 trial
Always free x86 Card required 3 US regions only
Google Cloud’s “Google Cloud Free Tier: e2-micro free forever + $300 trial”: 1 non-preemptible e2-micro VM per month; 30 GB-months of standard persistent disk; 1 GB outbound traffic per month from North America to all destinations (excluding China/Australia); plus a $300 welcome credit (90 days). Duration: The Free Tier has no end date (Google reserves the right to change or discontinue it with 30 days’ notice); the $300 trial lasts 90 days. Card: A credit card or other payment method must be provided when signing up for the trial; a temporary hold of $0.00–$1.00, not an actual charge. Using the Free Tier requires a valid Cloud Billing account. Verified 2026-11-12 — check the official page before claiming.
At a glance
| Free allowance | 1 non-preemptible e2-micro VM per month; 30 GB-months of standard persistent disk; 1 GB outbound traffic per month from North America to all destinations (excluding China/Australia); plus a $300 welcome credit (90 days) |
|---|---|
| Provider | Google Cloud |
| Group | Always free |
| Duration | The Free Tier has no end date (Google reserves the right to change or discontinue it with 30 days’ notice); the $300 trial lasts 90 days |
| Card & verification | A credit card or other payment method must be provided when signing up for the trial; a temporary hold of $0.00–$1.00, not an actual charge. Using the Free Tier requires a valid Cloud Billing account. |
| Regions | Free e2-micro is limited to three US regions: us-west1 (Oregon), us-central1 (Iowa), us-east1 (South Carolina); usage is combined across the three regions. |
| Verified | 2026-11-12 |
| Source | Google Cloud official docs · verified against official page (Official page) |
What is free
Per the official Free Tier table, the Compute Engine free amounts are: 1 non-preemptible e2-micro VM instance per month, 30 GB-months of standard persistent disk, and 1 GB outbound traffic per month from North America to all destinations (excluding China and Australia). The e2-micro limit is calculated by time, not instance count: total free hours across all e2-micro instances per month must not exceed the month’s total hours; usage across the three free regions is combined. There is also a $300 welcome credit (90 days), separate from the Free Tier.
Note: the official Free Tier table does not state the e2-micro vCPU count, and that number is not quoted from second-hand sources; spec details per the official page. The forum claim of “200 GB of traffic per month” contradicts the official table’s 1 GB outbound — go by the official table.
Requirements
Signing up for the free trial requires a credit card or other payment method; Google submits a $0.00–$1.00 temporary authorization hold (not an actual charge, usually released within days to a month). Using the Free Tier requires a valid Cloud Billing account. Trial eligibility: you must never have been a paying user of Google Cloud, Google Maps Platform, or Firebase, and must never have registered a free trial.
Region limits
Free e2-micro is limited to three US regions: us-west1 (Oregon), us-central1 (Iowa), and us-east1 (South Carolina). Creating e2-micro in other regions is not covered by the free allowance; over-limit usage is billed at standard prices (offset by the $300 credit during the trial).
What happens when the trial ends / over the limit
The Free Tier itself has no end date, but Google reserves the right to change or discontinue limits with 30 days’ notice; unused Free Tier limits do not roll over. The $300 trial ends at 90 days or when the credit is spent: without upgrading to a paid account, the trial billing account closes, all resources stop, and a 30-day grace period begins — upgrading during the grace period may restore resources, otherwise they are permanently deleted. After upgrading to a paid account, remaining $300 credit stays usable within the original 90 days, and usage beyond the credit and Free Tier starts being billed. During the trial you cannot add GPUs, use Marketplace, or create Windows Server image instances. The $300 credit cannot pay for Gemini API fees in AI Studio; for registrations or upgrades on or after November 16, 2026, it also cannot pay for Gemini platform service fees.
How to claim
Sign up for the Google Cloud free trial → provide a payment method for verification → create an e2-micro instance in one of the three free regions (within 30 GB standard disk) → watch the outbound traffic limit.
Claim on the vendor’s official page →
Notes
- Unused Free Tier limits do not roll over to the next month
- Trial ends without upgrade: resources stop and are permanently deleted after a 30-day grace period
- During the trial you cannot add GPUs, use Marketplace, or create Windows Server image instances
- $300 credit cannot pay for Gemini API fees in AI Studio; from November 16, 2026 it also cannot pay for Gemini platform service fees
- The e2-micro vCPU count is not stated in the official Free Tier table — check the official page
FAQ
Is Google Cloud’s e2-micro free forever?
The Free Tier has no end date, but Google reserves the right to change or discontinue limits with 30 days’ notice; the monthly allowance is 1 e2-micro, 30 GB disk, and 1 GB outbound, in 3 US regions only. Unused limits do not roll over. Verified 2026-11-12.
Is GCP free-tier traffic really only 1 GB? What about the 200 GB people mention in forums?
Per the official Free Tier table, Compute Engine free outbound traffic is 1 GB per month (from North America, excluding China/Australia). The 200 GB-per-month figure in forums does not appear in the official docs and contradicts the official table — go by the official table. Verified 2026-11-12.
Will my machine be deleted when the trial ends?
Yes, if you don’t upgrade. When the trial ends without upgrading to a paid account, resources stop and enter a 30-day grace period; upgrading during the grace period may restore them, otherwise resources are permanently deleted. Decide whether to upgrade or back up data before the trial ends. Verified 2026-11-12.
Disclaimer: this page’s information comes from the vendor official page (verified 2026-11-12); allowances can change or end at any time — check the official page before claiming.