Side by side

Google Cloud Memorystore vs Varnish Cache

Both stand on caching software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.

Google Cloud Memorystore

Free trial APIWeb

Memorystore offers multiple engine options with managed operations, private connectivity and monitoring. Check the engine-specific pricing and availability terms against your configuration before choosing a plan.

Visit Google Cloud Memorystore

Varnish Cache

Free plan LinuxSelf-hosted

Varnish Cache combines memory-based response caching with configurable policies, TLS support, and tools for logging and metrics. Check supported releases and assess whether your application needs configuration changes to reach its desired cache hit rate.

Visit Varnish Cache

The facts

	Google Cloud Memorystore	Varnish Cache
Free plan	A free trial	Yes
Open source	Not published	Not published
Runs on	API, Web	Linux, Self-hosted
Lowest paid plan	Memorystore for Redis: $0.05 a month	Free or on request
Plans published	4	1
Maker	Not published	Not published
Website	cloud.google.com	varnish.org
On caching software	#17 of 27	#13 of 27

Google Cloud Memorystore: what it does well

Automates provisioning, replication, failover and patching.
Valkey and Redis Cluster list a 99.99% SLA.
Supports private networking options.
Valkey offers approximate and exact vector search.

What to know first

No free plan is listed.
Pricing varies by engine, region and configuration.

Varnish Cache: what it does well

Free plan listed as free
VCL caching policies compile to native code
Supports in-process TLS termination and dynamic backends
Official container images and Kubernetes Helm chart
Includes structured logs and metrics tools

What to know first

Applications may need changes for a high cache hit rate
Unlisted releases are end-of-life and unsupported
Does not cache data unless it can determine caching is safe

Alternatives to Google Cloud Memorystore Alternatives to Varnish Cache The whole list