The Best Docker AlternativesTop Virtualization Tools and other similar apps like Docker

Docker is described as 'Open-source engine that automates the deployment of any application as a lightweight, portable, self-sufficient container that will run virtually anywhere' and is a very popular Virtualization tool in the system & hardware category. There are more than 25 alternatives to Docker for a variety of platforms, including Linux, Mac, Windows, Self-Hosted and BSD apps. The best Docker alternative is Podman, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like Docker are Linux Containers (LXC), Distrobox, OrbStack and BitNami Application Stacks.

filter to find the best alternatives

Docker alternatives are mainly Virtualization Tools, but if you're looking for Web Servers or Server Management Tools you can filter on that. Other popular filters include FreeBSD, Free, Mac, Windows and Open Source. You can also filter by region, for example EU-based alternatives if you prefer software developed in the European Union. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to Docker.
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Alternatives list

  1. Podman icon

    Podman

     57 likes
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    Podman is a daemon-less container runtime for managing containers, pods, and container images. It is intended as a counterpart to CRI-O, to provide low-level debugging not available through the CRI interface used by Kubernetes.

    11 Podman alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Red Hat
    Manage containers. Part 1 of 3. Supported engines and orchestrators include Podman, Docker, Lima, kind, Red Hat OpenShift, Red Hat OpenShift Developer Sandbox.
     
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    32
    Comments about Podman as an Alternative to Docker
    Guest
    Positive
    6

    Same syntax, runs without socket, more secure

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    rabbit5
    Positive
    0

    Drop-in replacement without the license restrictions of Docker

    Docker Icon
    Podman icon

    • Almost everyone thinks Podman is a great Docker alternative.

    • Podman is the most popular Windows, Mac & Linux alternative to Docker.

    • Podman is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to Docker.

    • Podman is Free and Open SourceDocker is Freemium and Open Source
  2. Linux Containers (LXC) icon

    Linux Containers (LXC)

     19 likes
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    Containers which offer an environment as close as possible as the one you'd get from a VM but without the overhead that comes with running a separate kernel and simulating all the hardware.

    9 Linux Containers (LXC) alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    Linux Containers (LXC) screenshot 1
     
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    13
  4. Distrobox icon

    Distrobox

     22 likes
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    Use any Linux distribution inside your terminal. Enable both backward and forward compatibility with software and freedom to use whatever distribution you’re more comfortable with. Distrobox uses podman or docker to create containers using the Linux distribution of your choice.

    9 Distrobox alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Linux
    Distrobox screenshot 1
     
  5. OrbStack icon

    OrbStack

     15 likes
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    OrbStack is an alternative to Docker Desktop for macOS, designed to offer improved performance for Docker and virtual machines on Linux running on Mac computers. It addresses performance issues that have been experienced in the past, particularly on models with Apple Silicon.

    10 OrbStack alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free Personal
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    OrbStack screenshot 1
     
  6. BitNami Application Stacks icon

    BitNami Application Stacks

     84 likes
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    BitNami Stacks make it incredibly easy to deploy your favorite open source software. BitNami Stacks include an open source application and all of the other software necessary to run it, such as Apache, MySQL, PHP or Ruby.

    44 BitNami Application Stacks alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    BitNami Application Stacks screenshot 1
     

    • BitNami Application Stacks is the most popular Web-based alternative to Docker.

    • BitNami Application Stacks is Free and Open SourceDocker is Freemium and Open Source
  7. rkt icon

    rkt

     7 likes
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    rkt is the next-generation container manager for Linux clusters. Designed for security, simplicity, and composability within modern cluster architectures, rkt discovers, verifies, fetches, and executes application containers with pluggable isolation.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Linux
     
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    14
  9. ServBay icon

    ServBay

     11 likes
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    ServBay is a specially crafted local dev env platform made for web developers. It integrates all the essential components for daily development, including programming languages, SQL/NoSQL databases, web servers, DNS services, email services, SSL certificate, and AI/LLM features.

    35 ServBay alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Pay once)
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    reverse proxy
     
  10. containerd icon

    containerd

     6 likes
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    An industry-standard container runtime with an emphasis on simplicity, robustness and portability

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Self-Hosted
     

    • containerd is the most popular Self-Hosted alternative to Docker.

    • containerd is Free and Open SourceDocker is Freemium and Open Source
  11. BoxBuddy icon

    BoxBuddy

     6 likes
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    An unofficial GUI for managing your Distroboxes. Written with GTK4 + Libadwaita.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    • Rust
    BoxBuddy screenshot 1
     
  12. CRI-O icon

    CRI-O

     2 likes
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    CRI-O is an implementation of the Kubernetes CRI (Container Runtime Interface) to enable using OCI (Open Container Initiative) compatible runtimes. It is a lightweight alternative to using Docker as the runtime for kubernetes.

    7 CRI-O alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Linux
     
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    1
    Comments about CRI-O as an Alternative to Docker
    Guest
    Positive
    0

    It is supported by Red Hat

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Docker Icon
    CRI-O icon
    • CRI-O is Free and Open SourceDocker is Freemium and Open Source
  13. Colima icon

    Colima

     3 likes
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    Container runtimes on macOS (and Linux) with minimal setup.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Linux
    Colima screenshot 1
     
  14. Packer icon

    Packer

     5 likes
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    Packer is a "source available" tool for creating identical machine images for multiple platforms from a single source configuration. Packer is lightweight, runs on every major operating system, and is highly performant, creating machine images for multiple platforms in...

    5 Packer alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Solaris
     
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    2
    Comments about Packer as an Alternative to Docker
    Guest
    Negative
    0

    Packer is NOT an alternative to Docker. it is an API abstraction layer for creating repeatable machine images, not for orchestrating containers

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Negative
    0

    Packer is a system building and provisioning tool. While it can be used to create a virtual machine, it is not itself virtual machine implementation.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Docker Icon
    Packer icon
    • Packer is Freemium and ProprietaryDocker is Freemium and Open Source
12 of 29 Docker alternatives