# Colima vs Rancher

| Attribute | Colima | Rancher |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 47.6 (55% (medium)) | 50.8 (32% (low)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 6 | 100 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 4 | 96 |
| adoption.github_stars | 31,196 | 25,977 |
| 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":"A management platform that helps teams deploy and operate Kubernetes instances across diverse infrastructure—from on-premises data centers to public clouds and edge environments. It centralizes administrative controls and operational tools. It is indexed under Container Orchestration Tools.","source":"https://rancher.com/pricing","question":"What is Rancher?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Rancher supports the web and a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://www.rancher.com","question":"What platforms does Rancher support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Rancher can be deployed cloud / SaaS, on-premise and self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://rancher.com/pricing","question":"Can Rancher be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed GDPR for Rancher. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as Rancher not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://www.rancher.com/privacy","question":"What security certifications does Rancher have?","confidence":0.7},{"answer":"Yes. Rancher 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/rancher/rancher","question":"Is Rancher open source?","confidence":0.95},{"answer":"Rancher is available worldwide. Its primary market is the United States. The vendor is headquartered in Germany.","source":"https://www.rancher.com","question":"Where is Rancher available?","confidence":0.75}]` |
| 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. | An open source solution that enables organizations to manage container deployments and simplify Kubernetes operations across different environments. Designed to help teams maintain infrastructure standards while supporting DevOps practices at scale. |
| features.capabilities | `{"hosting":"self","arm_support":true,"oci_compliant":true,"orchestration":"single_host","gpu_scheduling":true,"k8s_conformant":true,"stateful_workloads":true}` | `{"hosting":"both","gui_dashboard":true,"orchestration":"kubernetes"}` |
| integrations.count | 7 | - |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Docker"},{"name":"Kubernetes"},{"name":"k3s"},{"name":"Containerd"},{"name":"nerdctl"},{"name":"Incus"},{"name":"Ollama"},{"name":"HuggingFace"},{"name":"Docker AI Registry"}]` | - |
| language.primary | Go | Go |
| license.spdx | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| market.availability | - | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| 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://www.rancher.com","retrievedAt":"2026-10-13T15:08:50.312Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | open_source | open_source |
| pricing.price_level | free | free |
| pricing.transparent | - | no |
| 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/rancher/rancher/releases/tag/v2.15.2","date":"2026-09-23T21:02:27Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.15.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/rancher/rancher/releases/tag/v2.15.2-rc1","date":"2026-09-23T13:44:04Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v2.15.2-rc1"},{"url":"https://github.com/rancher/rancher/releases/tag/v2.14.6","date":"2026-09-23T19:38:38Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.14.6"},{"url":"https://github.com/rancher/rancher/releases/tag/v2.14.6-rc1","date":"2026-09-23T13:19:24Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v2.14.6-rc1"},{"url":"https://github.com/rancher/rancher/releases/tag/v2.13.10","date":"2026-09-23T20:27:24Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.13.10"},{"url":"https://github.com/rancher/rancher/releases/tag/v2.13.10-rc1","date":"2026-09-23T13:44:07Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v2.13.10-rc1"},{"url":"https://github.com/rancher/rancher/releases/tag/v2.12.14","date":"2026-09-23T20:27:10Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.12.14"},{"url":"https://github.com/rancher/rancher/releases/tag/v2.12.14-rc1","date":"2026-09-23T13:44:10Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v2.12.14-rc1"},{"url":"https://github.com/rancher/rancher/releases/tag/v2.11.18","date":"2026-09-23T20:26:59Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.11.18"},{"url":"https://github.com/rancher/rancher/releases/tag/v2.11.18-rc1","date":"2026-09-23T13:44:14Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v2.11.18-rc1"},{"url":"https://github.com/rancher/rancher/releases/tag/v2.15.1","date":"2026-08-28T00:18:33Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.15.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/rancher/rancher/releases/tag/v2.15.1-rc2","date":"2026-08-27T23:42:59Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v2.15.1-rc2"},{"url":"https://github.com/rancher/rancher/releases/tag/v2.14.5","date":"2026-08-26T22:25:08Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.14.5"},{"url":"https://github.com/rancher/rancher/releases/tag/v2.14.5-rc2","date":"2026-08-26T20:10:57Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v2.14.5-rc2"},{"url":"https://github.com/rancher/rancher/releases/tag/v2.13.9","date":"2026-08-26T23:05:46Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.13.9"},{"url":"https://github.com/rancher/rancher/releases/tag/v2.13.9-rc2","date":"2026-08-26T23:05:58Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v2.13.9-rc2"},{"url":"https://github.com/rancher/rancher/releases/tag/v2.14.5-rc1","date":"2026-08-25T22:54:12Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v2.14.5-rc1"},{"url":"https://github.com/rancher/rancher/releases/tag/v2.13.9-rc1","date":"2026-08-25T22:22:07Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v2.13.9-rc1"},{"url":"https://github.com/rancher/rancher/releases/tag/v2.12.13","date":"2026-08-26T20:55:27Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.12.13"},{"url":"https://github.com/rancher/rancher/releases/tag/v2.12.13-rc1","date":"2026-08-25T20:28:06Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v2.12.13-rc1"}]` |
| reliability.status_page | - | yes |
| security.gdpr | - | yes |
| security.scorecard | 5.8 | 6.7 |
| 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":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=go&package_name=github.com%2Francher%2Francher%2Fpkg%2Fapis&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` |

## Capabilities (Container Orchestration Tools)

| Capability | Colima | Rancher |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Orchestration scope | None / single-host | Kubernetes |
| **Deployment** |  |  |
| Hosting | Self-hosted only | Cloud + self-hosted |
| **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 | - | - |
| **UX** |  |  |
| GUI dashboard | - | ✓ |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-10-22T04:24:00.710Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*