Best Container Engines in 2026
Updated
In short: Apptainer is ranked #1 of 31 as of 7 October 2026, ahead of BuildKit and Docker Desktop. The best-ranked option with a free plan is BuildKit. The lowest first paid tier on this page is LXD at $2.08/mo.
Container engines provide ways to build or run container images, with differences in runtime support and compatibility across hosts. Compared on image building, image format, Kubernetes CRI, and runtime interface, these entries also cover rootless mode, supported host operating systems, and Windows containers. Free-plan availability and paid-from pricing are listed as well. Apptainer, BuildKit, and Docker Desktop are among the entries shown, alongside Incus and Podman. Compare the runtime and host details with the workloads you plan to run, and consider whether image building or rootless operation is important in your environment.
31 container engines ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
11 of the 25 here have a free tier you can use, 0 have open-source code on record, and 0 have full bars: free, open, on most of your devices and documented.
| # | App | Signal | Free tier | Open code | Devices | From | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ApptainerWindows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.6 | |
| 2 | BuildKitWindows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.6 | |
| 3 | Docker DesktopWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | $9/mo | 6.6 | |
| 4 | IncusWindows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.6 | |
| 5 | containerdWindows · Linux · Self-hosted | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 6 | LXDWeb · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | $2.08/mo | 6.5 | |
| 7 | PodmanWindows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 8 | BuildahLinux · Self-hosted · API | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.4 | |
| 9 | crunLinux · Self-hosted | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.4 | |
| 10 | gVisorLinux · Self-hosted | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.4 | |
| 11 | Kata ContainersLinux · Self-hosted | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.4 | |
| 12 | MobyWindows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.6 |
| 13 | CRI-OLinux · Self-hosted · API | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.4 |
| 14 | ocijailSelf-hosted | One bar | — | — | 0 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 15 | Apple containerMac | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 16 | balenaEngineLinux | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 17 | CharliecloudLinux | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 18 | EnrootLinux | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 19 | Inclavare ContainersLinux | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 20 | LXCLinux | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 21 | PouchContainerLinux | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 22 | runcLinux | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 23 | runhcsWindows | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 24 | SingularityCELinux | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 25 | SysboxLinux | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
Compare all 25 in a table
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Free plan | Paid from | Rootless mode | Image building |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apptainer | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 2 | BuildKit | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 3 | Docker Desktop | 6.6 | Free plan | $9/mo | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 4 | Incus | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 5 | containerd | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | No |
| 6 | LXD | 6.5 | Free plan | $2.08/mo | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 7 | Podman | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 8 | Buildah | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 9 | crun | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | — |
| 10 | gVisor | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 11 | Kata Containers | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | — |
| 12 | Moby | 5.6 | No | — | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 13 | CRI-O | 5.4 | No | — | Yes | — | — | No |
| 14 | ocijail | 5.3 | No | — | — | — | — | — |
| 15 | Apple container | 5.2 | No | — | Yes | — | — | Yes |
| 16 | balenaEngine | 5.2 | No | — | Yes | — | — | Yes |
| 17 | Charliecloud | 5.2 | No | — | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 18 | Enroot | 5.2 | No | — | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 19 | Inclavare Containers | 5.2 | No | — | Yes | — | — | — |
| 20 | LXC | 5.2 | No | — | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 21 | PouchContainer | 5.2 | No | — | Yes | — | — | Yes |
| 22 | runc | 5.2 | No | — | Yes | — | Yes | No |
| 23 | runhcs | 5.2 | No | — | Yes | — | — | — |
| 24 | SingularityCE | 5.2 | No | — | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 25 | Sysbox | 5.2 | No | — | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
Is your app on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored, and a sponsored row is labelled as paid.
Questions about this list
Which container engine is ranked first on Freedom251?
Apptainer is ranked #1 of 31 with a score of 6.6. BuildKit is second and Docker Desktop third.
How many of these have a free plan?
11 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, LXD has the lowest first paid tier we found: $2.08/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked free-and-open first: a usable free tier and open-source code, then the platforms it runs on and its documentation.