Stape: an alternative to Google Cloud Platform (GCP) for server GTM hosting

Naturally, customers research different options when choosing a server-side tracking solution. Some of the main points they pay attention to are global infrastructure and secure access. Let’s see what a popular Stape alternative - Google Cloud Platform (GCP) - offers. We hope this comparison helps you decide which Google Tag Manager hosting works best.

Google Cloud Platform is arguably the top Stape alternative customers consider. It is one of the most widely used platforms worldwide, trusted by countless users.

The platform offers various services, including computing, networking, storage, big data, machine learning, and management. This post will focus on the pros and cons of GCP's tagging server and Cloud Run.

Check out the advantages and disadvantages when choosing to work with the GCP:

As one of the top players, GCP has many benefits beyond the major ones mentioned above. As with any other service, some drawbacks are naturally present. However, the competition is strong. Let's look at one alternative to Google Cloud Platform, which stands out among all other cloud providers.

Stape is considered the best Google Cloud alternative. It is the easiest solution for organizing server-side tracking and maintaining secure data processing. It reduces the technical barrier often associated with server-side tagging, making it understandable for everyone it may concern.

Stape has the right tools to set up server-side tracking quickly and effectively. You don't have to worry about your coding and tech skills, as the service is meant for marketers and business owners rather than tech guys.

Stop worrying about third-party cookies and relying on client-side JavaScript. We automated everything possible to make server-side tagging clear and comprehensive, even if you have zero tech background. Stape is called the best alternative to Google Cloud not in vain.

When you start working with Google Tag Manager, you can either keep hosting your server Google Tag Manager on the Google Cloud or move it to custom hosting. Hosting with Stape, one of the best Google Cloud alternatives, has a lot of advantages. We will share the most clear description of all the main features here.

• Predictable pricing. Stape's hosting is around five times cheaper than Google Cloud services. We created a pricing calculator where you can check our billing plans and choose one that best fits your budget and needs. There is also a free plan that does not require adding a credit card to your account. Paid plans start at $20, without any hidden costs. The only thing Stape misses now in this domain is on demand pricing, but it is only a question of time and necessity.
• Support. The Stape support team is available 24/7!
• EU cloud environments (Scaleway cloud server provider). To be hosted in the EU, select EU when registering.
• No need to worry about server monitoring. We do that for you.
• Ability to sign custom documents (Service agreement, DPA, BAA, etc.).
• Transparent pricing. You pay for the subscription plan. The price is not based on usage, which can be unpredictable.
• Security compliance. We are ISO 27001, SOC2, HIPPA certified, and GDPR-compliant.
• Autoscaling. When our monitoring systems see spikes in traffic, we autoscale servers and add more CPU or memory, guaranteeing the system's high performance.
• Ability to bypass adblockers. Depending on the website industry, the average number of people with an adblocker is around 30% (according to GWI, a market research company). With the Stape custom loader, you can bypass adblockers.
• Simplicity. Stape is the leading GCP alternative because setting up a tagging server URL takes… well, no-one counted, but less clicks than with GCP, making its integration capabilities limitless. By the way, if we are mentioning integration, Stape can be connected to your custom domain via Entri API, decreasing the need for manual configuration to minimum.
• Free global CDN. It uses Cloudflare platform to load JS files (gtm.js, gtag.js, analytics.js, etc.) from a server closer to your site visitors.
• You can access Logs for free, while on Google Cloud services, logs come with extra costs, which can be as much as the price of servers. You can check access logs, request logs, and response logs.
• The Stape database is included in the subscription plan, while on GCP, you need to pay for Firestore on top. The price of sGTM servers can double or triple for websites with high traffic volumes.
• Monitoring feature. You can create a set of rules that will notify you in case of anomalies, not only with your sGTM but also with server-side tracking in general. For example, you may receive an email if the number of purchases in GA4 is 50% less than usually, when Facebook CAPI sends a 500 response code, etc.
• Power-ups. Stape created many power-ups for your server Google Tag Manager container. We prepared a short description of the main ones.

- Anonymizer. With this power-up, you can remove or anonymize user data from Google Analytics 4.

- Cookie Keeper. Extend cookies when a person uses any browser with the latest version of ITP, which shortens cookies' lifespans for responses from third-party IPs.

- Multi Domains. Payment plans starting from Business allow you to map several subdomains to one server container.

- Preview Header. This power-up lets you see requests from the webhooks in the Google Tag Manager server container preview mode.

- Personal/ agency access and billing. You can either create a personal account or manage and create containers for clients via an agency account.

We also have a step-by-step guide on switching server GTM hosting from Google Cloud to Stape. 

Here’s a more visual comparison of Stape and Google Cloud Platform:

In a nutshell, Stape is one of the top alternatives to GCP. If you choose Stape instead of the famous cloud service provider, you can get the most out of server-side tracking while planning your budget accurately and accessing a robust community and support.

Of course, you may look at Stape alternatives. Still, by doing so, you are missing many of our benefits: attractive and predictable pricing, intuitive UI, high performance and fast setup, professional support 24/7, data protection, and cloud environments (servers) working under EU jurisdiction. Do not hesitate to try Stape for free to see what it can do for your business.