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In June, Google announced the Google Developer Program, a free program that gives developers access to resources designed to help them build apps using Google services. Now that “millions” of developers have signed up (according to Google), the company is offering a second, paid layer to market the software.
Google on Monday Fired Google Developer Premium Membership, a $299/year upgrade from the standard Google Developer Program. It adds several benefits, including one-on-one consultations with Google Cloud experts and access to e-learning programs in Google’s on-demand training program, Google Cloud Skills Boost.
In addition to online consultations and training, the Google Developer Program Premier Membership includes $500 in annual Google Cloud credits, a certification voucher, and “bonus” Google Cloud credits for developers who pass annual Google Cloud certification. This is in addition to all the resources available in the standard free Google Developer Program, including AI-powered authentication and coding tools, early access to new products, and workspaces in Google’s IDX application development platform.
The new offering stands out because none of Google’s main cloud competitors, Amazon Web Services (AWS) or Azure, have a developer plan quite like it. Microsoft offers paid alternatives to the free Microsoft 365 Developer program, the company’s rough equivalent of Google Developer, but they are primarily geared toward business users. AWS offers excellent support programs, but focuses more on architectural guidance and technical assistance.
Oddly enough, for customers in the EEA, UK, and Switzerland, Google Developer Program Premium membership is “limited to commercial or professional use,” according to the fine print. This suggests that it is no Allowed for personal use in those countries; We’ve reached out to Google for clarification.
Assuming one takes advantage of all the benefits, a premium membership to the Google Developer Program can pay for itself very quickly. But I have to imagine some developers will be frustrated when they see new features locked behind a paid tier, since Google has given no indication that it plans to charge for future improvements to the original software.
“In the coming months, the Google Developer Program will unlock new tools and resources to help you on your development journey, such as additional training resources and more ways to connect with the community,” Google wrote in a blog post. Blog post In June. “To get these benefits, you’ll just need to sign up for the Google Developer Program.”
Google is promoting the Google Developer Program Premier Membership as an evolution of the now-defunct Membership Cloud Innovators Plus programwhich provided similar benefits at the same price.
“[T]his new offering is the next evolution of our commitment to simplifying the developer experience,” Google wrote in a post today, “and provides continued investment in the Google Developer Program as a hub of benefits and resources across many Google developer products and services.”
Developers may complain — but they’re also voting for Google with their wallets, it seems. In the company’s most recent fiscal quarter (Q3 2024), Google’s cloud business, which includes infrastructure as well as software subscriptions, It grew 35% year on year to $11.35 billion. Its growth has outpaced the cloud divisions of Amazon and Microsoft, both of which are much larger in terms of market share.
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