kitio.aiGoogle Cloud Vision AI vs Custom Vision
A side-by-side look at pricing plans, free tiers, features, pros and cons, updated for 2026. Google Cloud Vision AI starts at See pricing page and Custom Vision starts at See pricing page. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
At a glance
Best for
Category
Pricing model
Starting price
Free plan
Made by
Based in
Rating
Key features
- Label and object detection
- OCR for text and documents
- Face and landmark detection
- Logo detection
- Safe search filtering
- No-code custom models
- Image classification training
- Object detection models
- Assisted image tagging
- Model evaluation in the portal
- REST prediction API
| Feature | Google Cloud Vision AI | Custom Vision |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Google Cloud APIs for image labeling, OCR and visual analysis | Microsoft service for training custom image recognition models |
| Category | Models & APIs | Models & APIs |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | See pricing page | See pricing page |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Made by | Microsoft | |
| Based in | United States | United States |
| Rating | No ratings yet | No ratings yet |
| Key features |
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Pricing compared
Google Cloud Vision AI starts at See pricing page and Custom Vision starts at See pricing page. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
Free plan
Cheapest paid plan
Top plan
Free trial
3 plans
Free tier
Free
- First 1,000 units per feature monthly
Label detection
$1.50 / 1K units
- Up to 5M units a month
- $1.00 / 1K above 5M
Web detection
$3.50 / 1K units
- Billed after the free 1,000 units
Prices in USD, checked Oct 29, 2026 or later. Plans change often, so confirm on each tool's site before you buy.
Pros and cons
Google Cloud Vision AI
- Wide range of ready-made vision features
- Monthly free usage for each feature
- Scales with Google Cloud
- Pricing differs for every feature
- Requires a Google Cloud account and billing
- Costs add up at high volume
Custom Vision
- Needs only a few labeled images
- No machine learning expertise required
- Backed by Azure infrastructure
- Requires an Azure account
- Portal looks dated
- Limited to image tasks
Which one should you choose?
Choose Google Cloud Vision AI if you want:
- Wide range of ready-made vision features
- Monthly free usage for each feature
- Scales with Google Cloud
Watch out: pricing differs for every feature.
Choose Custom Vision if you want:
- Needs only a few labeled images
- No machine learning expertise required
- Backed by Azure infrastructure
Watch out: requires an azure account.
Google Cloud Vision AI vs Custom Vision FAQ
What is the difference between Google Cloud Vision AI and Custom Vision?
Google Cloud Vision AI: Google Cloud APIs for image labeling, OCR and visual analysis. Custom Vision: Microsoft service for training custom image recognition models. Both are models & apis tools.
Is Google Cloud Vision AI or Custom Vision cheaper?
Google Cloud Vision AI starts at See pricing page and Custom Vision starts at See pricing page. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
Do Google Cloud Vision AI and Custom Vision have free plans?
Google Cloud Vision AI: Yes. Custom Vision: Yes.
Who makes Google Cloud Vision AI?
Google Cloud Vision AI is made by Google, based in United States.
Who makes Custom Vision?
Custom Vision is made by Microsoft, based in United States.
Which should I choose, Google Cloud Vision AI or Custom Vision?
Choose Google Cloud Vision AI if you value wide range of ready-made vision features and monthly free usage for each feature. Choose Custom Vision if you value needs only a few labeled images and no machine learning expertise required.