Yes. Portainer is still free in 2026, but there are two different free routes. Community Edition (CE) is open source, needs no license key and has no Portainer licensing charge. Business Edition (BE) is also available at no cost for up to three nodes, but it is a separate product that requires a license key and includes commercial features. Larger deployments, and some commercial uses, require a paid licence.
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The important detail is how Portainer counts infrastructure: licensing is based on nodes, not users. A node can be a physical server, virtual machine, Raspberry Pi, desktop, laptop, industrial computer or embedded device that runs Portainer or is managed by it.
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Portainer has two editions with no-cost options, and they are free for different reasons.
Community Edition (CE)
CE is the straightforward free choice. It is open source under the zlib licence, requires no licence key, sends no telemetry according to Portainer’s published statement, and does not depend on Portainer’s licensing infrastructure. You can run it in a home lab or other environment without entering a subscription or registering a free entitlement.
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CE is the appropriate route when you value an open-source installation and do not need Business Edition features or business support. The absence of a licence key also means there is no free-key expiry process to manage.
Business Edition (BE)
BE has a “free forever” allowance for up to three nodes. Neil Cresswell of Portainer stated on January 5, 2026: “Portainer Business Edition is free forever for up to 3 nodes.” This is not the same as CE: BE remains a commercially developed edition, uses a licence key and provides features intended for business and larger operational environments.
To use the free BE allowance, request the eligible key from Portainer and apply it to your Portainer Server. The licence is still node-based, even though the price for the first three nodes is zero.
CE and BE compared
| Question | Community Edition | Business Edition |
|---|---|---|
| Is it free? | Yes, with no licence key required. | Yes for up to three nodes; paid licensing applies beyond the free allowance. |
| Open-source requirement | Fully open source under the zlib licence. | Not the open-source CE distribution; it is the commercial edition. |
| Maximum no-cost deployment | There is no stated node limit for CE in the supplied licensing information. | Three nodes under the free-forever programme. |
| Licence key | Not required. | Required, including for the free three-node allowance. |
| Commercial use | Use the open-source edition according to its licence and your organisation’s policies. | Designed to supply commercial features; larger commercial deployments need an appropriate paid licence. |
| Support | Community support channels. | Free users use community support; paid plans add business support and stronger service levels. |
| Feature set | Core Portainer functionality in the open-source edition. | Commercial features and support options not provided by CE. |
Portainer’s current pricing is not calculated by the number of people logging in. The relevant unit is the node, so adding users does not create a separate per-seat charge in the published model.
How Portainer defines a node
Use Portainer’s definition before deciding whether three nodes are enough. A node is a physical server, virtual machine, Raspberry Pi, desktop, laptop, industrial computer or embedded device capable of running containers that is running Portainer Server or managed by it.
- A standalone Portainer Server counts as one node when it also runs an agent.
- In Docker Swarm, the agents on each server count as nodes.
- In Kubernetes, the cluster’s nodes count.
- A virtual machine is a separate node even when several VMs share one physical host.
- A small device such as a Raspberry Pi still consumes one node; its size does not create a special exemption.
This definition matters when combining environments. For example, one Portainer Server on a laptop, two managed VMs and a three-machine Swarm would exceed the free BE allowance even if only one person administers everything.
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Up to three nodes with BE
The permanent BE no-cost programme covers up to three nodes. It is the useful option when you want BE’s commercial feature set but your installation remains at three nodes or fewer. You must obtain and install a licence key, and you should keep the key and its associated account details available for renewal or migration tasks.
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CE and node count
CE does not require a licence key. The supplied Portainer licensing information does not state a CE node ceiling, so do not present a specific maximum as an official limit. Your practical constraints will instead be the resources and architecture of the environments you manage, plus the terms of the open-source licence.
Temporary extended trial
Portainer also advertises an extended enterprise trial covering up to 15 nodes for 45 days. Treat this as a time-limited evaluation, not as a permanent free plan. It is useful for testing BE features across a larger topology before selecting a paid plan.
Current paid Portainer plans
The following figures are the prices displayed for 2026. Portainer’s pricing and eligibility can change, so verify the live pricing page before committing to a purchase.
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $1,045 per year | 5, 10 or 15 nodes | Community support | Up to 16 vCPUs per node |
| Scale | $2,095 per year | 5 to 25 nodes | Next-business-day support | Up to 24 vCPUs per node |
| Enterprise | Custom pricing | Business-critical deployments | Enterprise service level, as agreed | Not stated in the supplied pricing details |
Portainer states that one licence covers all orchestrators and runtimes across the licensed nodes, with no additional fee for using Docker, Swarm and Kubernetes together. That does not remove the node limit: every node in those environments still has to fit within the quantity purchased.
Does Portainer charge per server, node or user?
Portainer charges by node. “Server” is an everyday term, but a server can host multiple virtual machines, and each VM can be a separately counted node. Conversely, one physical machine may host Portainer Server and an agent and count as one node under Portainer’s definition.
There is no published per-user price in the current model. A team can therefore have several administrators without multiplying the licence count merely because more people sign in. The deployment topology, not the number of accounts, determines the required plan.
Is BE free for a homelab?
For a homelab of three nodes or fewer, BE can be used free forever through the three-node programme, provided you request and apply the licence key. CE is the simpler alternative if you want to avoid a key or prefer the open-source edition.
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If your homelab grows beyond three nodes, do not assume that the free BE allowance scales automatically. Portainer documents a separate five-node renewal route for eligible non-commercial users who still need more than three nodes. Users with three or fewer nodes can move to the three-node-free programme instead.
Those renewal terms are restricted to non-commercial use. A company, paid service, consultancy or other commercial deployment should not rely on a non-commercial free entitlement; choose a commercial licence that matches the node count and support requirement.
Home & Student: a separate non-commercial option
Portainer’s licensing FAQ lists a Home & Student plan at $149 per year for up to 15 nodes, with community support and non-commercial-use restrictions. The FAQ was last updated in 2026, but the figure is separate from the three-node-free BE offer and should be rechecked on the live documentation before publication or purchase because Portainer’s programmes are subject to change.
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Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What happens when a free licence expires?
CE has no licence key, so there is no free CE key to expire. The free BE allowance and other BE licences do involve licence administration.
For the five-node-free renewal arrangement, Portainer’s renewal FAQ says a non-commercial user who still needs more than three nodes may apply for another five-node licence. If the deployment has three or fewer nodes, the documented path is to switch to the three-node-free programme. The eligibility condition matters: the renewal route is not a general free extension for commercial installations.
Keep a record of the licence account, key and node inventory. Before a key reaches its end date, count the nodes Portainer is actually managing, remove retired machines, and decide whether CE, the three-node BE programme, a non-commercial Home & Student plan or a paid Business plan fits the current use.
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Choosing the right edition
Choose CE when open source and no licence administration are priorities
- You want a no-key installation.
- You are comfortable with community support.
- You do not require BE-only commercial features.
- You want Portainer’s open-source zlib-licensed edition.
Choose free BE when you need BE features on three nodes
- Your deployment has no more than three counted nodes.
- You accept requesting and installing a licence key.
- You want the commercial edition’s feature set without a subscription charge at this size.
Consider Home & Student when a non-commercial lab needs more capacity
- You are an individual or student using the environment only for non-commercial purposes.
- You need more than three and up to 15 nodes.
- You have confirmed the current $149 annual price and eligibility in Portainer’s live FAQ.
Use a paid plan for commercial or larger deployments
- Starter covers the displayed 5-, 10- or 15-node choices at $1,045 per year and allows up to 16 vCPUs per node.
- Scale covers 5 to 25 nodes at $2,095 per year, with next-business-day support and up to 24 vCPUs per node.
- Enterprise uses custom pricing for business-critical requirements.
A practical node-counting checklist
- List every physical server, VM, Raspberry Pi, desktop, laptop or embedded device that runs Portainer or is managed by it.
- For Swarm, include each server running a Portainer agent.
- For Kubernetes, count each cluster node.
- Count a Portainer Server with its own agent as one node, not two.
- Separate lab equipment from systems handling paid or organisational workloads.
- Compare the resulting count with the three-node BE allowance, any eligible non-commercial programme or the paid plan ranges.
- Recount after adding a VM, joining a cluster or replacing a host; those changes can alter the licence requirement.
Common pricing mistakes
Confusing CE with free BE
CE is open source and keyless. Free BE is a commercial edition with a free allowance and a required key. Calling both simply “the free version” hides the operational difference.
Counting users instead of nodes
Adding administrators does not add licence units in the published model. Adding managed machines does.
Assuming a physical host equals one node
Several VMs or cluster members can consume several nodes even when they share one chassis.
Using a non-commercial offer for business workloads
The five-node renewal terms and Home & Student plan are restricted to non-commercial use. A business should not treat those conditions as a commercial licence.
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Treating a trial as permanent
The 15-node, 45-day enterprise trial is for evaluation. It does not replace a continuing licence after the trial period.
Bottom line for 2026
Portainer remains free in 2026: CE is the open-source, no-key option, while BE is free forever for up to three nodes with a licence key. Beyond three nodes, eligibility, commercial status and support needs determine whether a non-commercial programme or a paid Starter, Scale or Enterprise plan is appropriate. Because prices and free-license rules can change, verify the live Portainer pricing and licensing pages immediately before deployment or renewal.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
