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

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

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Alternatives list

  1. Podman icon

    Podman

     58 likes

    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.

    Cost / License

    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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    2
    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

    Podman icon
    Podman icon

    • Almost everyone thinks Podman is a great Docker alternative.

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

    Linux Containers (LXC)

     19 likes

    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

    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

    Platforms

    • Linux
    Distrobox screenshot 1
     
  5. OrbStack icon

    OrbStack

     16 likes

    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

    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 type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    BitNami Application Stacks screenshot 1
     
  7. rkt icon

    rkt

     7 likes

    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

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Linux
     
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    14
  9. containerd icon

    containerd

     6 likes

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

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Self-Hosted
     
  10. ServBay icon

    ServBay

     11 likes

    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
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    reverse proxy
     
  11. CRI-O icon

    CRI-O

     2 likes

    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.

    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.
    CRI-O icon
    CRI-O icon
    • CRI-O is Free and Open SourceDocker is Freemium and Open Source
  12. Colima icon

    Colima

     3 likes

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

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Linux
    Colima screenshot 1
     
  13. BoxBuddy icon

    BoxBuddy

     6 likes

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

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    • Rust
    BoxBuddy screenshot 1
     
  14. Packer icon

    Packer

     5 likes

    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...

    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.
    Packer icon
    Packer icon
    • Packer is Freemium and ProprietaryDocker is Freemium and Open Source
12 of 28 Docker alternatives