Best Container Engines in 2026
Updated
In short: LXD is ranked #1 of 31 as of 5 October 2026, ahead of BuildKit and Docker Desktop. The best-ranked option with a free plan is BuildKit. The lowest first paid tier on this page is LXD at $2.08/mo.
Container engines help you build and run software in containers, with differences in image handling, runtimes, and host support. Compared on free plan, image building, image format, Kubernetes CRI, runtime interface, rootless mode, supported host OS, and Windows containers, the entries also show paid-from details. Consider which interfaces and formats your workflows require, and whether your hosts need Windows container support or rootless operation. LXD, BuildKit, and Docker Desktop are among the entries shown; compare their listed capabilities against the environments you use and the work you need the engine to do.
31 container engines ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
Container Engines, ranked on how quickly a newcomer can get going. 11 of the 25 on this page can be tried for free.
- 1 LXDPaid from $2.08/mo
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: yes
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 2 BuildKitFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 3 Docker DesktopPaid from $9/mo
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 4 IncusFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 5 ApptainerFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 6 gVisorFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 7 BuildahFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 8 containerdFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 9 crunFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 10 PodmanFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 11 Kata ContainersFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 12 Moby
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 13 ocijail
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 14 runc
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: not on record
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 15 SingularityCE
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 16 Sysbox
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: not on record
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 17 youki
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 18 Apple container
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: not on record
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 19 balenaEngine
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: not on record
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 20 Charliecloud
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: not on record
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 21 CRI-O
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: not on record
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 22 Enroot
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: not on record
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 23 Inclavare Containers
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: not on record
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 24 LXC
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: not on record
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 25 Mirantis Container Runtime
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
Compare all 25 in a table
| # | Platform | Score | Free plan | From | Free plan | Paid from | Rootless mode | Image building |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LXD | 7.7 | Free plan | $2.08/mo | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 2 | BuildKit | 7.4 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 3 | Docker Desktop | 7.4 | Free plan | $9/mo | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 4 | Incus | 7.4 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 5 | Apptainer | 7.3 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 6 | gVisor | 7.1 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 7 | Buildah | 6.9 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 8 | containerd | 6.9 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | No |
| 9 | crun | 6.9 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | — |
| 10 | Podman | 6.9 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 11 | Kata Containers | 6.7 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | — |
| 12 | Moby | 6.3 | No | — | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 13 | ocijail | 6.1 | No | — | — | — | — | — |
| 14 | runc | 5.9 | No | — | Yes | — | Yes | No |
| 15 | SingularityCE | 5.9 | No | — | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 16 | Sysbox | 5.9 | No | — | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 17 | youki | 5.9 | No | — | Yes | — | Yes | No |
| 18 | Apple container | 5.8 | No | — | Yes | — | — | Yes |
| 19 | balenaEngine | 5.8 | No | — | Yes | — | — | Yes |
| 20 | Charliecloud | 5.8 | No | — | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 21 | CRI-O | 5.8 | No | — | Yes | — | — | No |
| 22 | Enroot | 5.8 | No | — | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 23 | Inclavare Containers | 5.8 | No | — | Yes | — | — | — |
| 24 | LXC | 5.8 | No | — | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 25 | Mirantis Container Runtime | 5.8 | No | — | No | — | Yes | Yes |
Is your platform on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored, and a sponsored row is labelled as paid.
Questions about this list
Which container engine is ranked first on The Geeks Club?
LXD is ranked #1 of 31 with a score of 7.7. BuildKit is second and Docker Desktop third.
How many of these have a free plan?
11 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, LXD has the lowest first paid tier we found: $2.08/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked on how quickly a newcomer can get going: documentation depth, a free tier or trial, and the platforms it runs on.