AppFog vs Google App Engine: What are the differences?

What is AppFog? Simple PaaS for Java, Python, Node, .Net, Ruby, PHP, MySQL, Mongo, and PostgreSQL. AppFog provides the infrastructure web developers need to build apps without worrying about IT tasks or having to wait days to get servers ready for writing code. AppFog’s web application technologies include PHP, NodeJS, Ruby, Python, Java, .NET, MySQL, and PostgreSQL.

What is Google App Engine? Build web applications on the same scalable systems that power Google applications. Google has a reputation for highly reliable, high performance infrastructure. With App Engine you can take advantage of the 10 years of knowledge Google has in running massively scalable, performance driven systems. App Engine applications are easy to build, easy to maintain, and easy to scale as your traffic and data storage needs grow.

AppFog and Google App Engine can be categorized as "Platform as a Service" tools.

Some of the features offered by AppFog are:

• Launches fast, runs fast- Varnish Cache and op-code caching run applications with less server load and accelerated performance.
• Reduces ops work- No more configuring servers, firewalls, Apache, security, or installing frameworks.
• Plays well with any SCM- Versioning is critical. AppFog is compatible with code management systems like git, svn, and mercurial.

On the other hand, Google App Engine provides the following key features:

• Zero to sixty: Scale your app automatically without worrying about managing machines.
• Supercharged APIs: Supercharge your app with services such as Task Queue, XMPP, and Cloud SQL, all powered by the same infrastructure that powers the Google services you use every day.
• You're in control: Manage your application with a simple, web-based dashboard allowing you to customize your app's performance.

"The basic plan is free" is the top reason why over 3 developers like AppFog, while over 140 developers mention "Easy to deploy" as the leading cause for choosing Google App Engine.