Best Docker Engine Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 apps from container engines ranked against Docker Engine on the same published basis.
- 1Docker Engine vs Docker Desktop
- 2Docker Engine vs Apptainer
- 3Docker Engine vs BuildKit
- 4Docker Engine vs Incus
- 5Docker Engine vs containerd
- 6Docker Engine vs LXD
- 7Docker Engine vs Podman
- 8Docker Engine vs Apple container
- 9Docker Engine vs Buildah
- 10Docker Engine vs Charliecloud
- 11Docker Engine vs crun
- 12Docker Engine vs Enroot
- 13Docker Engine vs gVisor
- 14Docker Engine vs Kata Containers
- 15Docker Engine vs SingularityCE
- 16Docker Engine vs Sysbox
- 17Docker Engine vs youki
- 18Docker Engine vs LXC
- 19Docker Engine vs Moby
- 20Docker Engine vs CRI-O
Docker Engine alternatives compared
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Docker Desktop | 6.7 | Free plan | $9/mo | Linux, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 2 | Apptainer | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows |
| 3 | BuildKit | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows |
| 4 | Incus | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows |
| 5 | containerd | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Linux, self-hosted, Windows |
| 6 | LXD | 6.5 | Free plan | $2.08/mo | API, Linux, self-hosted, Web |
| 7 | Podman | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows |
| 8 | Apple container | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Mac, self-hosted |
| 9 | Buildah | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, self-hosted |
| 10 | Charliecloud | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Linux, self-hosted |
| 11 | crun | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Linux, self-hosted |
| 12 | Enroot | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Linux, self-hosted |
| 13 | gVisor | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Linux, self-hosted |
| 14 | Kata Containers | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Linux, self-hosted |
| 15 | SingularityCE | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Linux, self-hosted |
| 16 | Sysbox | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Linux, self-hosted |
| 17 | youki | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Linux |
| 18 | LXC | 6.3 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, self-hosted |
| 19 | Moby | 5.6 | No | — | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows |
| 20 | CRI-O | 5.4 | No | — | API, Linux, self-hosted |
Make your app an alternative to Docker Engine
See the priceThe sponsored alternative slot on this page is labelled Sponsored.
Questions about Docker Engine alternatives
What is the best alternative to Docker Engine?
Docker Desktop, number 1 in container engines with a score of 6.7 out of 10. The others here: Apptainer, BuildKit, Incus and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to Docker Engine?
Docker Desktop is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 18 of the 20 alternatives here publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
How are these alternatives ranked?
Ranked free-and-open first: a usable free tier and open-source code, then the platforms it runs on and its documentation.