Best runc Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 apps from container engines ranked against runc on the same published basis.
- 1runc vs Apptainer
- 2runc vs BuildKit
- 3runc vs Docker Desktop
- 4runc vs Incus
- 5runc vs containerd
- 6runc vs LXD
- 7runc vs Podman
- 8runc vs Buildah
- 9runc vs crun
- 10runc vs gVisor
- 11runc vs Moby
- 12runc vs Apple container
- 13runc vs balenaEngine
- 14runc vs Charliecloud
- 15runc vs CRI-O
- 16runc vs Enroot
- 17runc vs Inclavare Containers
- 18runc vs Kata Containers
- 19runc vs LXC
- 20runc vs PouchContainer
runc alternatives compared
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apptainer | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows |
| 2 | BuildKit | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows |
| 3 | Docker Desktop | 6.6 | Free plan | $9/mo | Linux, Mac, Web, 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 | Buildah | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, self-hosted |
| 9 | crun | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Linux, self-hosted |
| 10 | gVisor | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Linux, self-hosted |
| 11 | Moby | 5.6 | No | — | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows |
| 12 | Apple container | 5.2 | No | — | Mac |
| 13 | balenaEngine | 5.2 | No | — | Linux |
| 14 | Charliecloud | 5.2 | No | — | Linux |
| 15 | CRI-O | 5.2 | No | — | Linux |
| 16 | Enroot | 5.2 | No | — | Linux |
| 17 | Inclavare Containers | 5.2 | No | — | Linux |
| 18 | Kata Containers | 5.2 | No | — | Linux |
| 19 | LXC | 5.2 | No | — | Linux |
| 20 | PouchContainer | 5.2 | No | — | Linux |
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Questions about runc alternatives
What is the best alternative to runc?
Apptainer, number 1 in container engines with a score of 6.6 out of 10. The others here: BuildKit, Docker Desktop, Incus and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to runc?
Apptainer is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 10 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.