# Colima vs K3s

| Attribute | Colima | K3s |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 47.6 (55% (medium)) | 51 (44% (low)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 6 | 49 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 4 | 11 |
| adoption.github_stars | 31,196 | 34,199 |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"Colima provides a lightweight way to run container runtimes locally on macOS and Linux machines, enabling Docker, Kubernetes, Containerd, and Incus workloads with low overhead. It supports multiple isolated instances, customizable resource allocation, and GPU acceleration for machine learning workloads on Apple Silicon. It is indexed under Container Orchestration Tools.","source":"https://colima.run/","question":"What is Colima?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Colima is open source, so it can be self-hosted and used at no licence cost. It is released under the MIT licence. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://colima.run/","question":"Is Colima free to use?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Colima supports macOS, Linux and a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://colima.run/","question":"What platforms does Colima support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Colima can be deployed self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://colima.run/","question":"Can Colima be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 8 integrations for Colima, including Docker, Kubernetes, k3s, Containerd, nerdctl, Incus, Ollama and HuggingFace. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://colima.run/","question":"What does Colima integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Colima is published under the MIT licence, a permissive licence that generally allows commercial use and modification. Licence terms can change between releases, so verify against the repository for the version you intend to use.","source":"https://github.com/abiosoft/colima","question":"Is Colima open source?","confidence":0.95}]` | `[{"answer":"K3s is a certified Kubernetes implementation that maintains full conformance while streamlining deployment through bundled components, simplified storage options, and a single-binary installation model suitable for resource-constrained environments and edge computing scenarios. It is indexed under Container Orchestration Tools.","source":"https://k3s.io","question":"What is K3s?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"K3s is open source, so it can be self-hosted and used at no licence cost. It is released under the Apache-2.0 licence. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://k3s.io","question":"Is K3s free to use?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"K3s supports Linux and a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://k3s.io","question":"What platforms does K3s support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. K3s can be deployed cloud / SaaS, on-premise and self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://k3s.io","question":"Can K3s be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 9 integrations for K3s, including Traefik, CoreDNS, Helm, etcd, Local Path Provisioner, MariaDB, MySQL and PostgreSQL, plus 1 more. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://k3s.io","question":"What does K3s integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. K3s is published under the Apache-2.0 licence, a permissive licence that generally allows commercial use and modification. Licence terms can change between releases, so verify against the repository for the version you intend to use.","source":"https://github.com/k3s-io/k3s","question":"Is K3s open source?","confidence":0.95}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"self_hosted":true}` | `{"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | An open-source tool that provides a unified environment for executing containerized applications using Docker, Containerd, Kubernetes, or Incus runtimes. It includes GPU acceleration and AI model inference support on Apple Silicon devices. | K3s is a minimal Kubernetes distribution designed for production use in resource-constrained environments like edge devices and IoT appliances. |
| features.capabilities | `{"hosting":"self","arm_support":true,"oci_compliant":true,"orchestration":"single_host","gpu_scheduling":true,"k8s_conformant":true,"stateful_workloads":true}` | `{"hosting":"self","rootless":true,"arm_support":true,"cncf_maturity":"sandbox","orchestration":"kubernetes","k8s_conformant":true,"stateful_workloads":true,"managed_control_plane":false,"built_in_networking_cni":true}` |
| integrations.count | 7 | 9 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Docker"},{"name":"Kubernetes"},{"name":"k3s"},{"name":"Containerd"},{"name":"nerdctl"},{"name":"Incus"},{"name":"Ollama"},{"name":"HuggingFace"},{"name":"Docker AI Registry"}]` | `[{"name":"Traefik"},{"name":"CoreDNS"},{"name":"Helm"},{"name":"etcd"},{"name":"Local Path Provisioner"},{"name":"MariaDB"},{"name":"MySQL"},{"name":"PostgreSQL"},{"name":"SQLite"}]` |
| language.primary | Go | Go |
| license.spdx | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true,"mac":true,"linux":true}` | `{"linux":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"open_source","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://colima.run/","retrievedAt":"2026-08-13T23:02:15.232Z"}` | `{"type":"open_source","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://k3s.io","retrievedAt":"2026-08-03T14:26:35.599Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | open_source | commercial |
| pricing.price_level | free | free |
| release.cadence_days | 10 | - |
| release.history | `[{"url":"https://github.com/abiosoft/colima/releases/tag/v0.10.3","date":"2026-06-04T17:14:15Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.10.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/abiosoft/colima/releases/tag/v0.10.2","date":"2026-06-03T13:35:43Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.10.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/abiosoft/colima/releases/tag/v0.10.1","date":"2026-02-22T07:55:36Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.10.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/abiosoft/colima/releases/tag/v0.10.0","date":"2026-02-10T20:11:53Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.10.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/abiosoft/colima/releases/tag/v0.9.1","date":"2025-09-25T11:07:53Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.9.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/abiosoft/colima/releases/tag/v0.9.0","date":"2025-09-24T09:50:08Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.9.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/abiosoft/colima/releases/tag/v0.8.4","date":"2025-08-06T16:08:08Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.8.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/abiosoft/colima/releases/tag/v0.8.3","date":"2025-08-05T13:21:41Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.8.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/abiosoft/colima/releases/tag/v0.8.2","date":"2025-07-31T22:53:15Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.8.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/abiosoft/colima/releases/tag/v0.8.1","date":"2024-12-16T10:30:15Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.8.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/abiosoft/colima/releases/tag/v0.8.0","date":"2024-11-08T03:40:38Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.8.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/abiosoft/colima/releases/tag/v0.7.6","date":"2024-10-30T10:33:34Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.7.6"},{"url":"https://github.com/abiosoft/colima/releases/tag/v0.7.5","date":"2024-08-26T16:40:46Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.7.5"},{"url":"https://github.com/abiosoft/colima/releases/tag/v0.7.4","date":"2024-08-25T10:31:41Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.7.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/abiosoft/colima/releases/tag/v0.7.3","date":"2024-08-13T11:10:37Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.7.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/abiosoft/colima/releases/tag/v0.7.2","date":"2024-08-13T08:22:11Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.7.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/abiosoft/colima/releases/tag/v0.7.1","date":"2024-08-10T07:57:37Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.7.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/abiosoft/colima/releases/tag/v0.7.0","date":"2024-07-30T09:01:58Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.7.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/abiosoft/colima/releases/tag/v0.6.10","date":"2024-07-20T20:05:27Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.6.10"},{"url":"https://github.com/abiosoft/colima/releases/tag/v0.6.9","date":"2024-05-18T05:52:24Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.6.9"}]` | `[{"url":"https://github.com/k3s-io/k3s/releases/tag/v1.37.1%2Bk3s1","date":"2026-09-30T16:10:38Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.37.1+k3s1"},{"url":"https://github.com/k3s-io/k3s/releases/tag/v1.37.1-rc2%2Bk3s1","date":"2026-09-24T19:02:03Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.37.1-rc2+k3s1"},{"url":"https://github.com/k3s-io/k3s/releases/tag/v1.36.5%2Bk3s1","date":"2026-09-30T16:10:03Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.36.5+k3s1"},{"url":"https://github.com/k3s-io/k3s/releases/tag/v1.36.5-rc2%2Bk3s1","date":"2026-09-24T19:00:17Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.36.5-rc2+k3s1"},{"url":"https://github.com/k3s-io/k3s/releases/tag/v1.35.9%2Bk3s1","date":"2026-09-30T16:09:21Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.35.9+k3s1"},{"url":"https://github.com/k3s-io/k3s/releases/tag/v1.35.9-rc2%2Bk3s1","date":"2026-09-24T19:00:13Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.35.9-rc2+k3s1"},{"url":"https://github.com/k3s-io/k3s/releases/tag/v1.34.12%2Bk3s1","date":"2026-09-30T16:09:32Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.34.12+k3s1"},{"url":"https://github.com/k3s-io/k3s/releases/tag/v1.34.12-rc2%2Bk3s1","date":"2026-09-24T18:59:34Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.34.12-rc2+k3s1"},{"url":"https://github.com/k3s-io/k3s/releases/tag/v1.37.1-rc1%2Bk3s1","date":"2026-09-24T01:46:13Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.37.1-rc1+k3s1"},{"url":"https://github.com/k3s-io/k3s/releases/tag/v1.36.5-rc1%2Bk3s1","date":"2026-09-24T01:44:31Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.36.5-rc1+k3s1"},{"url":"https://github.com/k3s-io/k3s/releases/tag/v1.35.9-rc1%2Bk3s1","date":"2026-09-24T01:44:28Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.35.9-rc1+k3s1"},{"url":"https://github.com/k3s-io/k3s/releases/tag/v1.34.12-rc1%2Bk3s1","date":"2026-09-24T01:44:22Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.34.12-rc1+k3s1"},{"url":"https://github.com/k3s-io/k3s/releases/tag/v1.37.0%2Bk3s1","date":"2026-09-14T15:50:04Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.37.0+k3s1"},{"url":"https://github.com/k3s-io/k3s/releases/tag/v1.37.0-rc5%2Bk3s1","date":"2026-09-11T20:09:46Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.37.0-rc5+k3s1"},{"url":"https://github.com/k3s-io/k3s/releases/tag/v1.37.0-rc4%2Bk3s1","date":"2026-09-09T21:09:01Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.37.0-rc4+k3s1"},{"url":"https://github.com/k3s-io/k3s/releases/tag/v1.37.0-rc3%2Bk3s1","date":"2026-09-03T18:45:51Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.37.0-rc3+k3s1"},{"url":"https://github.com/k3s-io/k3s/releases/tag/v1.37.0-rc2%2Bk3s1","date":"2026-09-02T21:07:12Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.37.0-rc2+k3s1"},{"url":"https://github.com/k3s-io/k3s/releases/tag/v1.37.0-rc1%2Bk3s1","date":"2026-09-02T17:37:12Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.37.0-rc1+k3s1"},{"url":"https://github.com/k3s-io/k3s/releases/tag/v1.36.4%2Bk3s1","date":"2026-08-27T15:53:55Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.36.4+k3s1"},{"url":"https://github.com/k3s-io/k3s/releases/tag/v1.36.4-rc1%2Bk3s1","date":"2026-08-21T17:10:45Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.36.4-rc1+k3s1"}]` |
| security.scorecard | 5.8 | 8 |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=go&package_name=github.com%2Fabiosoft%2Fcolima&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` | `{"count":3,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=go&package_name=github.com%2Fk3s-io%2Fk3s&per_page=100","last_12m":1,"max_severity":"HIGH"}` |

## Capabilities (Container Orchestration Tools)

| Capability | Colima | K3s |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Orchestration scope | None / single-host | Kubernetes |
| **Deployment** |  |  |
| Hosting | Self-hosted only | Self-hosted only |
| **Standards** |  |  |
| OCI / CRI compliant | ✓ | - |
| CNCF Certified Kubernetes conformant | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Security** |  |  |
| Rootless operation | - | ✓ |
| **Architecture** |  |  |
| Daemonless architecture | - | - |
| **Platform** |  |  |
| Windows containers | - | - |
| ARM architecture support | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Workloads** |  |  |
| GPU scheduling | ✓ | - |
| Stateful workloads | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Networking** |  |  |
| Built-in networking / CNI | - | ✓ |
| **Ops** |  |  |
| Vendor-managed control plane | - | ✗ |
| **Ecosystem** |  |  |
| CNCF maturity | - | Sandbox |
| **UX** |  |  |
| GUI dashboard | - | - |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-10-16T20:01:13.898Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*