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Google Cloud Memorystore vs Redis

Google Cloud Memorystore: Google Cloud's managed in-memory family: Valkey, Redis, Redis Cluster and Memcached. Redis: The in-memory data structure server that became the default cache, now with search, JSON and vectors built in.

key differences

  • Licensing: Google Cloud Memorystore is proprietary (Google Cloud service terms); Redis is open source (copyleft) (Tri-license: AGPLv3, RSALv2 or SSPLv1 (Redis 8+)).
  • Only Google Cloud Memorystore has encryption at rest.
  • Only Redis has secondary indexes, full-text search, json.

choose google-memorystore for

  • +Caching for GKE, Cloud Run and App Engine apps
  • +Session storage and rate limiting on Google Cloud
  • +Vector similarity lookups close to app data

best at · Cache, Sessions, Pub/Sub

choose redis for

  • +Application and database query caching
  • +Session storage and user tokens
  • +Rate limiting and distributed locks
  • +Leaderboards and counters

best at · Cache, Sessions, Queue

Google Cloud MemorystoreGoogle Cloud's managed in-memory family: Valkey, Redis, Redis Cluster and Memcached.
RedisThe in-memory data structure server that became the default cache, now with search, JSON and vectors built in.
overview
Primary model
Key-Value
Key-Value
Also supports
Vector
Document, Vector, Time-Series, Search Engine
Type
Managed service
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Google Cloud
Redis Ltd.
First release
2018
2009
Latest version
Valkey 9.1 (preview) (Jul 27, 2026)
8.10.3 (Oct 26, 2026)
License
ProprietaryGoogle Cloud service terms
Open source (copyleft)Tri-license: AGPLv3, RSALv2 or SSPLv1 (Redis 8+)
Free tier
—
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
5.6
84.3
Rank
#377
#2
GitHub stars
–
77.1K
Stack Overflow questions
143
25.4K
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Horizontal scaling
Native
Native
Multi-region
Read replicas
Active active
ACID
Limited
Limited
Consistency
Eventual
Eventual
Schema
Schemaless
Schemaless
Architecture
In memory, Primary replica, Distributed
In memory, Single node, Primary replica, Distributed, Client server
deployment
Self-hosted
—
✓
Vendor-managed cloud
✓
✓
Serverless
—
—
Embedded
—
—
Edge
—
—
Clouds
Google Cloud
AWS, Google Cloud, Azure, DigitalOcean, Heroku, Render
capabilities
Transactions
✓
✓
Joins
—
—
Secondary indexes
—
✓
Full-text search
—
✓
Vector search
✓
✓
Geospatial
✓
✓
JSON
—
✓
Change data capture
—
—
Triggers
—
—
Stored procedures
✓
✓
Materialized views
—
—
TTL / expiry
✓
✓
Pub/Sub
✓
✓
Columnar storage
—
—
In-memory
✓
✓
Durable persistence
✓
✓
Compression
—
—
Encryption at rest
✓
—
Role-based access
✓
✓
Time travel
—
—
Branching
—
—
Online schema changes
—
—
Streaming ingest
✓
✓
Offline sync
—
—
Runs in WebAssembly
—
—
interfaces
Query languages
Redis commands (RESP), Memcached protocol, Lua
Redis commands (RESP), Lua, Redis Query Engine (FT.*)
Client languages
Python, Java, JavaScript, Go, C#, Rust, Ruby, PHP
Python, Java, JavaScript, Go, C#, Rust, Ruby, PHP
Best for
Cache, Sessions, Pub/Sub, Vector search
Cache, Sessions, Queue, Pub/Sub
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

Google Cloud Memorystore vs Redis: FAQ

What is the difference between Google Cloud Memorystore and Redis?

Google Cloud Memorystore: Google Cloud's managed in-memory family: Valkey, Redis, Redis Cluster and Memcached. Redis: The in-memory data structure server that became the default cache, now with search, JSON and vectors built in. Licensing: Google Cloud Memorystore is proprietary (Google Cloud service terms); Redis is open source (copyleft) (Tri-license: AGPLv3, RSALv2 or SSPLv1 (Redis 8+)). Only Google Cloud Memorystore has encryption at rest. Only Redis has secondary indexes, full-text search, json.

When should I choose Google Cloud Memorystore over Redis?

Choose Google Cloud Memorystore for caching for GKE, Cloud Run and App Engine apps; session storage and rate limiting on Google Cloud; and vector similarity lookups close to app data. Choose Redis for application and database query caching; session storage and user tokens; and rate limiting and distributed locks.

Is Google Cloud Memorystore or Redis more popular?

Redis ranks #2 on the WhichDB Score (84.3/100) and Google Cloud Memorystore ranks #377 (5.6/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are Google Cloud Memorystore and Redis open source?

No. Google Cloud Memorystore is proprietary, closed-source software. License: Google Cloud service terms. Yes. Redis is open source. License: Tri-license: AGPLv3, RSALv2 or SSPLv1 (Redis 8+).