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

The best open source alternative to Docker is Podman. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 25 alternatives to Docker and many of them is open source so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting open source alternatives to Docker are Linux Containers (LXC), Distrobox, BitNami Application Stacks and rkt.

filter to find the best alternatives

Docker alternatives are mainly Virtualization Tools, but if you're looking for Server Management Tools or Operating Systems you can filter on that. 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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Docker is an open-source engine that automates the deployment of any application as a lightweight, portable, self-sufficient container that will run virtually anywhere.

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Docker alternatives page was last updated May 7, 2025
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  1. Podman icon

    Podman

     51 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

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    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.

    Podman Features

    1.  Secure containerization
    2.  No Root Required
    3.  Self-hosted
    4.  Container Virtualization
    5.  Docker Container
    6.  Container Orchestration
    7.  Kubernetes

    Podman VS Docker

     
    Comments about Podman as an Alternative to Docker
    Guest
    Positive Aug 1, 2020
    6

    Same syntax, runs without socket, more secure

    rabbit5
    Positive Jun 14, 2023
    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)

     16 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.

    8 Linux Containers (LXC) alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    Linux Containers (LXC) screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Command line interface
    2.  Container Virtualization
    3.  Sandbox

    Linux Containers (LXC) VS Docker

     
  4. Distrobox icon

    Distrobox

     15 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.

    8 Distrobox alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Country of Origin

    • IT flagItaly
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Linux
    Distrobox screenshot 1

    Distrobox Features

    1.  Container Virtualization
    2.  Command line interface
    3. Docker icon  Support for Docker
    4.  Docker Container

    Distrobox VS Docker

     
  5. BitNami Application Stacks icon

    BitNami Application Stacks

     82 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.

    43 BitNami Application Stacks alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

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

    BitNami Application Stacks Features

    1.  Package Installing
    2.  One click installation
    3.  LAMP

    BitNami Application Stacks VS Docker

     

    • 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
  6. rkt icon

    rkt

     6 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.

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    Discontinued

    According to their Github page at https://github.com/rkt/rkt, the project has been discontinued. The repository has been archived.

    rkt VS Docker

     
  7. containerd icon

    containerd

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

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Self-Hosted

    containerd Features

    1.  Container Virtualization

    containerd VS Docker

     

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

    • containerd is Free and Open SourceDocker is Freemium and Open Source
  9. CRI-O icon

    CRI-O

     1 like
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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.

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Linux

    CRI-O Features

    1.  Container Virtualization

    CRI-O VS Docker

     
    Comments about CRI-O as an Alternative to Docker
    Guest
    Positive Dec 25, 2020
    0

    It is supported by Red Hat

    Docker Icon
    CRI-O icon
    • CRI-O is Free and Open SourceDocker is Freemium and Open Source
  10. Colima icon

    Colima

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

    4 Colima alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Linux
    Colima screenshot 1

    Colima Features

    1. Docker icon  Support for Docker
    2.  Kubernetes

    Colima VS Docker

     
  11. Apache Mesos icon

    Apache Mesos

     20 likes
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    Apache Mesos is a cluster manager that simplifies the complexity of running applications on a shared pool of servers.

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Linux
    Apache Mesos screenshot 1

    Apache Mesos Features

    1.  VPS
    2.  Hypervisor

    Apache Mesos VS Docker

     
  12. Pods icon

    Pods

     2 likes
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    Pods is a frontend for podman. It uses libadwaita for its user interface and strives to meet the design principles of GNOME.

    10 Pods alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Country of Origin

    • DE flagGermany
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Flathub
    Pods screenshot 1

    Pods Features

    1.  Container Virtualization
    2.  Rust

    Pods VS Docker

     
  13. Singularity icon

    Singularity

     9 likes
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    Singularity is a container solution with a focus on building reproducible software stacks and running them most efficiently on existing HPC, scientific, compute farm and even enterprise architectures.

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Screenshot of singularity building an hello-world container

    Singularity Features

    1.  Container Virtualization
    2.  Single file container

    Singularity VS Docker

     
    Comments about Singularity as an Alternative to Docker
    Luca Gibelli
    Positive Apr 9, 2018
    0

    Lightweight, very easy to setup. Moving containers between servers is as easy as copying a file.

    Docker Icon
    Singularity icon

    • Almost everyone thinks Singularity is a great Docker alternative.

    • Singularity is Free and Open SourceDocker is Freemium and Open Source
  14. OpenVZ icon

    OpenVZ

     11 likes
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    OpenVZ is container-based virtualization for Linux.

    OpenVZ creates multiple secure, isolated Linux containers (otherwise known as VEs or VPSs) on a single physical server enabling better server utilization and ensuring that applications do not conflict.

    Each container performs.

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Linux
    OpenVZ screenshot 1

    OpenVZ Features

    1.  Container Virtualization
    2.  Linux-based

    OpenVZ VS Docker

     
12 of 22 Docker alternatives