Side by side
Docksal vs Rancher Desktop
Both stand on container development environments. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan LinuxMacSelf-hosted+1
Docksal organizes isolated Docker development environments across major desktop operating systems. Its bundled tooling, boilerplates, and service support cover many CMS and framework workflows, but setup requirements and permissions should be reviewed first.
Visit Docksal Free plan APILinuxMac+1
Rancher Desktop brings local container and Kubernetes controls together with supporting command-line tools. Windows requirements and the exposure limit without its privileged service are important setup considerations.
Visit Rancher DesktopThe facts
| Docksal | Rancher Desktop | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Windows | API, Linux, Mac, Windows |
| Lowest paid plan | Not published | Free or on request |
| Plans published | None | 1 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | docksal.io | rancherdesktop.io |
| On container development environments | #18 of 40 | #22 of 40 |
Docksal: what it does well
- Free development environment
- Separates projects and stack versions
- Includes broad PHP and JavaScript tooling
- Supports additional Docker services
- Offers CMS boilerplates
What to know first
- Requires 8 GB or more RAM
- Installer needs administrative privileges
- Windows requires Windows 10 and hardware virtualization
- SSH proxy can expose keys to local users
Rancher Desktop: what it does well
- Choose between containerd and Moby/dockerd.
- Built-in Kubernetes uses k3s with version selection.
- Includes Helm, kubectl, nerdctl, Moby, and Docker Compose.
- Trivy scanning reports vulnerabilities and configuration issues.
- Free and open source.
What to know first
- Windows requires WSL and virtualization capabilities.
- Without the privileged service, exposure is limited to 127.0.0.1.
- Documented macOS requirements include macOS 13 or higher.
- The 2.0 release is an early tech preview, not meant for production.
Alternatives to Docksal Alternatives to Rancher Desktop The whole list