Google launched the Google Developer Program in June. It is a free program that gives developers access to tools that will help them make apps that use Google services. Google says that “millions” of developers have signed up, so the company is adding a second, paid level to make the program more business-like.
The premium registration for the Google Developer Program started on Monday. It costs $299 a year and is an upgrade from the regular Google Developer Program. There are a lot of perks that come with it, like being able to talk to Google Cloud experts one-on-one and using Google Cloud Skills Boost’s e-learning programs.
The premium registration to the Google Developer Program comes with $500 in annual Google Cloud credits, a voucher for a certification, and “bonus” Google Cloud credits for developers who pass an annual Google Cloud certification. Along with the standard, free Google Developer Program’s documentation and coding tools driven by AI, early access to new products, and workspaces in Google’s IDX app development platform, this is on top of everything else.
There isn’t a plan like this on Amazon Web Services (AWS) or Azure, two of Google’s main cloud competitors, so the new one stands out. There are paid versions of Microsoft’s free Microsoft 365 Developer Program, which is kind of like Google’s Developer Program. These are mostly for business users, though. There are paid support programs from AWS, but they focus more on design advice and technical help.
It’s strange that customers in the European Economic Region, the UK, and Switzerland can only use their paid Google Developer Program membership “for business or professional use,” as it says in the fine print. That makes it sound like it’s not allowed for personal use in those countries. We’ve asked Google to be more specific.
If you use all the benefits, the premium membership to the Google Developer Program might pay for itself pretty fast. But I think some developers will be disappointed to see that new features will be locked behind a paid tier, since Google didn’t say that it would charge for future updates to the original program.
Google said in a blog post in June, “In the coming months, the Google Developer Program will unlock new tools and resources to help you on your development journey. For example, there will be more training resources and more ways to connect with the community.” “All you have to do to get these benefits is join the Google Developer Program.”
Google is marketing the premium membership in the Google Developer Program as an updated version of its old Cloud Innovators Plus program, which had similar perks and cost $299 a year. Cloud Innovators Plus did not come with Google Cloud Skills Boost, which Google says is worth $299 a year on its own.
Google said in a blog post on Monday, “This new offering is the next step in our commitment to streamlining the developer experience. It also shows that we are continuing to invest in the Google Developer Program as the hub of benefits and resources across all of Google’s developer products and services.”
Also Read: Google Fires People From the Flutter, Dart, and Python Teams Just Weeks Before Its Developer Meeting
Developers may complain, but it looks like they’re also voting for Google with their money. The most recent fiscal quarter for the company was Q3 2024. Google’s cloud business, which includes hardware and software subscriptions, grew 35% year-over-year to $11.35 billion. It grew faster than both Amazon and Microsoft’s cloud businesses, even though Amazon and Microsoft have much bigger market shares.
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