Google for Startups Cloud Program (AI tier) vs Qdrant for Startups (2026): Which Is Better for Startups?

Both are AI credits for startups. Here is how Google for Startups Cloud Program (AI tier) and Qdrant for Startups compare on what a startup gets, who qualifies and how to apply, and which one we would pick.

Google for Startups Cloud Program (AI tier)

Up to $350,000 in Google Cloud credits over two years for VC-funded startups building on Gemini.

8.5 /10

Pricing: Up to $350k in credits & perks

Pros

Very large credit amount
Covers Gemini and Gemma plus the wider Google Cloud
No partner code needed

Cons

Requires institutional equity funding
Third-party models not covered by credits

Visit Google for Startups Cloud Program (AI tier) ↗

Qdrant for Startups

20% off Qdrant Cloud for the first year, plus technical advice, co-marketing and partner perks.

6.0 /10

Pricing: Free to join

Pros

Clear, simple terms
Partner perks and technical sessions
Open to bootstrapped teams under $5M

Cons

Discount only, no free credit
Marketplace billing not eligible

Visit Qdrant for Startups ↗

Google for Startups Cloud Program (AI tier) vs Qdrant for Startups at a glance

	Google for Startups Cloud Program (AI tier)	Qdrant for Startups
Editor score	8.5 / 10	6.0 / 10
Pricing model	Free	Free
What you get	Up to $350k in credits & perks	Free to join
Who qualifies	VC-funded startups using Gemini/Google AI at the core of their product; qualifying venture funding from seed to Series A; founded within the last 10 years; no more than $5,000 in prior Google Cloud credits. Eligibility decided at Google Cloud's discretion.	New Qdrant Cloud users; pre-seed to Series A, under five years old, under $5M raised, building an AI product, live website, billed directly by Qdrant.
Partner code needed	No	No
Steps it helps with	claim startup credits, choose your ai coding stack, build your mvp, host and deploy	claim startup credits, choose your ai coding stack, build your mvp, host and deploy
Who it is for	AI startups, VC-backed only, Pre-seed, Seed stage, Series A+	AI startups, Pre-seed, Seed stage, Series A+, Open source
Reader upvotes	0	0
Best for	google-cloud, gemini, vertex-ai	vector-database, rag, qdrant

Our pick

Google for Startups Cloud Program (AI tier) edges it with a score of 8.5 versus 6.0. Google for Startups Cloud Program (AI tier) is the better fit if you value: very large credit amount, covers gemini and gemma plus the wider google cloud. Choose Qdrant for Startups instead if you need: clear, simple terms, partner perks and technical sessions. Many startups can claim both: see credits by value.