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AWS Lambda alternatives: Azure, Google Cloud and open source

Lambda runs your code when something happens.

The smallest unit of your own platform. You write the function; there is no machine, no operating system and no patching.

  • From my own projects
  • Sources linked
  • Updated September 2026

The same job on four platforms

The same task, a different bill and a different console. The layer does not change.

AWS

AWS Lambda[1]

Lambda runs your code when something happens.

AWS documentation →[2]

Microsoft Azure

Azure Functions[3]

Official documentation →

Google Cloud

Cloud Run functions[4]

Official documentation →

Open source / run it yourself

Knative[5]

Serverless on your own Kubernetes, scales to zero, CNCF graduated, Apache 2.0.

OpenFaaS[6]

Functions on your own Kubernetes. The Community Edition is open source with limits; check the licence for commercial use.

What AWS Lambda does

You sendA function, and an event that triggers it
AWS Lambda

Lambda runs your code when something happens.

You get backWhatever your code returns, plus a log line and a duration
What it costsPer request and per millisecond of running time. Nothing between invocations.
Who operates itAWS runs everything under your code. You own the code, the memory setting and the timeout.
When it is the wrong choiceWhen the job runs longer than fifteen minutes, or needs a GPU. That is a container or a batch job.

AWS calls it: “Serverless compute for every workload”[1]

How I use it

Pipeline steps and small services. In my video pipeline it is the two lines of glue that start the workflow when footage lands.

AI use cases on AWS →All AWS services in my projects →
Linda Mohamed

Linda Mohamed, AI and cloud consultant and AWS Community Hero in Vienna. I build these pipelines for clients and teach them at FH Burgenland.

Read more on ai-solutions.wiki

My open knowledge base, with longer comparisons and more sources.

Questions

What is the Azure equivalent of AWS Lambda?

Azure Functions.

What is the Google Cloud equivalent of AWS Lambda?

Cloud Run functions.

What is the open-source alternative to AWS Lambda?

Knative: Serverless on your own Kubernetes, scales to zero, CNCF graduated, Apache 2.0. OpenFaaS: Functions on your own Kubernetes. The Community Edition is open source with limits; check the licence for commercial use.

How is AWS Lambda billed?

Per request and per millisecond of running time. Nothing between invocations.

When should you not use AWS Lambda?

When the job runs longer than fifteen minutes, or needs a GPU. That is a container or a batch job.

Sources

  1. AWS Lambda product page. https://aws.amazon.com/lambda/
  2. AWS Lambda documentation. https://docs.aws.amazon.com/lambda/latest/dg/welcome.html
  3. Azure Functions documentation. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-functions/functions-overview
  4. Cloud Run functions documentation. https://cloud.google.com/functions/docs
  5. Knative. https://knative.dev/docs/
  6. OpenFaaS. https://www.openfaas.com/
  7. AWS Lambda for AI Pipelines, ai-solutions.wiki. https://ai-solutions.wiki/tools/aws-lambda/
  8. Azure Functions: Serverless Compute for Event-Driven AI Pipelines, ai-solutions.wiki. https://ai-solutions.wiki/tools/azure-functions/
  9. Knative: Serverless Platform for Kubernetes, ai-solutions.wiki. https://ai-solutions.wiki/tools/knative/
  10. OpenFaaS: Serverless Functions Made Simple, ai-solutions.wiki. https://ai-solutions.wiki/tools/openfaas/
  11. AWS Lambda vs Fargate for AI Workloads, ai-solutions.wiki. https://ai-solutions.wiki/comparisons/lambda-vs-fargate-ai/
  12. Linda Mohamed, course slides “The projects”, MASE-3, FH Burgenland, September 2026.

Links checked September 2026. Product names and availability change: check the linked pages before you decide.

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