Both Amazon and Google offer a vast array of web services, ranging from virtual servers to push notification services. These companies value security, and design their information technology to be compatible with a wide range of already-existing infrastructure.

Following is an outline of some of the products offered by Amazon and Google, with a focus on lesser-known specialty products. Which company offers better services? It all depends on what you are looking for.

Amazon Glacier is a cloud storage service that stores and backs up data. Storage pricing is $0.004 per gigabyte, and retrieval pricing can range from $0.03 to $0.0025 per gigabyte, depending on speed. Users can store unlimited amounts of data with Amazon Glacier. This service renders uploaded content immutable, which is great for both archival and security purposes. Amazon Glacier sorts archives into containers called “vaults.” Users can control who has access to specific vaults, and there are lots of different vault configuration options.

Amazon Rekognition is an image analysis API. This service uses neural networks to analyze, identify, and label objects and faces; customers can use this API to build visual recognition capabilities into their existing search engines and applications. Pricing for this API is tiered. Depending on number of stored facial feature vectors and number of images analyzed, prices range from approximately $0.40 to $1.00 per 1,000 images processed.
 
Amazon WorkDocs streamlines the process of editing a document. Users can comment on files and upload new drafts seamlessly; this service is designed to eliminate the need for emailing multiple drafts back and forth. This service is able to integrate with existing business applications. Amazon manages the hardware and software implementation of this service, which means users just have to enable Amazon WorkDocs and invite other users.
 
AWS Lambda allows users to run code without servers. This application supports Node.js, Python, Java, and C#. Pricing is based on requests for functions and code executions. AWS Lambda provides the administrative services (like maintenance and scaling), allowing the user to focus on code development. A comparable, though different, service is Amazon EC2.
 
Like Amazon, Google provides a wide range of IT services.
 
Google Allo is a messaging application. This service suggests text and emojis based on past messages and conversations, speeding reply time. Suggestions become better with greater use. Google Allo allows for different type sizes, and lets users edit and draw on photos within the app. The Google Assistant is embedded in the application and can assist users with recommendations from videos to restaurants. Independent artists and illustrators designed the stickers featured in Google Allo. Special privacy settings allow users to encrypt their messages; users can also specify delete time.
 
Google My Business embeds company info—like phone numbers, addresses, and hours open—on Google platforms like Maps and Search. Potential customers get better access to relevant companies, and businesses get tailored access to customers. Businesses can include photos or reviews, and can edit and verify their information to ensure accuracy.
 
Google Expeditions is a tool designed for educators. Teachers can take students on virtual field trips to just about anywhere in the world. Google Expeditions partners with nonprofits like The Wildlife Conservation and the American Museum of Natural History. A combination of 3D images and panoramas allow students to have a multimedia experience, while annotations allow them to learn facts and stats about the places they are virtually visiting. The Google for Education Training Center shows teachers how to add Google Expeditions to their existing curriculum.
 
Google Fonts, an open source technology, offers typography for over 135 different languages. Google Fonts optimizes security and storage, allowing users to use Google’s typeface designs on their commercial and personal websites and applications without overloading their storage capacities or compromising their security.