vioscaleAI
Comparison

Docker vs Portainer

On the evidence we track, Docker leads this comparison with a composite score of 70/100. Scores are only directly comparable because these tools share a category; the full breakdown and every source is below.

Docker full profile →Portainer full profile →
Machine formatsMarkdownJSONGraphQLMarkdown is open. JSON and GraphQL need a free key.
★Docker70
Portainer55
Score
vioscaleAI score
Docker70 / 100medium · 61%
Portainer55 / 100low · 21%
Pricing
Free tier
Docker✓
Portainer✓
Model
Dockeropen_source
Portainerfreemium
Price level
Dockerfree
Portainerhigh
Starting price
Docker–
Portainer$1,045
Transparent
Docker✓
Portainer✓
Integrations
Count
Docker–
Portainer8
Security
Certifications
Docker–
PortainerTAA Compliance
Disclosure policy
Docker✓
Portainer✓
Gdpr
Docker✓
Portainer✓
Iso27001
Docker✓
Portainer–
Scorecard
Docker9.1
Portainer–
Soc2
Docker✓
Portainer–
Trust center
Vulnerabilities
Reliability
Status page
Docker✓
Portainer–
Adoption
Dependent repos
Docker1,657
Portainer–
Github stars
Docker72,148
Portainer–
Activity
Commits last 30d
Docker100
Portainer–
Release
Cadence days
Docker2
Portainer–
History
Docker20 items
Portainer–
License
Spdx
DockerApache-2.0
Portainer–
Language
Primary
DockerGo
Portainer–
Market
Availability
Content
Faq
Docker7 items
Portainer7 items

Capabilities

Feature-by-feature on the axes that matter for container orchestration tools. “-” means undocumented, not absent.

Core
Orchestration scope
DockerSwarm / Compose
PortainerKubernetes
Deployment
Hosting
DockerCloud + self-hosted
PortainerSelf-hosted only
Standards
OCI / CRI compliant
Docker-
Portainer-
CNCF Certified Kubernetes conformant
Docker-
Portainer-
Security
Rootless operation
Docker✓
Portainer-
Architecture
Daemonless architecture
Docker-
Portainer-
Platform
Windows containers
Docker✓
Portainer✓
ARM architecture support
Docker-
Portainer✓
Workloads
GPU scheduling
Docker-
Portainer-
Stateful workloads
Docker-
Portainer✓
Networking
Built-in networking / CNI
Docker✓
Portainer-
Ops
Vendor-managed control plane
Docker-
Portainer✓
Ecosystem
CNCF maturity
Docker-
Portainer-
UX
GUI dashboard
Docker✓
Portainer✓

What each one is

The product in its own terms, so the numbers below have context.

Docker

Leader

An open-source project providing toolkit components for containerization, designed for engineers and developers to modify, experiment with, and build container-based systems. It includes container build tools, registries, orchestration, runtimes, and other components that work together but can be independently swapped.

Independently observed

Portainer

Portainer provides centralized governance of Kubernetes, Docker Swarm, and Podman across multiple clusters and environments. It includes role-based access control, GitOps deployment workflows, centralized authentication, and audit logging from a single management console.

Independently observed

Pricing

List pricing as published by each vendor, with the date we read it. Always verify at the source before you buy.

Docker

Leader
from $9/moHybridFree tier

From free (Personal tier) to $24/seat/month (Business). Docker Hardened Images starting at $5k/repo (Select tier).

  • Docker PersonalFree
    • Docker Desktop
    • Docker Engine + Kubernetes
    • Docker Hub
    • Docker Scout
    • Docker Debug
  • Docker Pro$9/seat/month (monthly billing) or $11/seat/month (annual billing)
    • Docker Build Cloud
    • Testcontainers Cloud
    • Synchronized File Shares
    • Docker Scout health scores visibility
    • 5 business day support
  • Docker Team$15/seat/month (monthly billing) or $16/seat/month (annual billing)
    • Add users in bulk
    • Audit logs
    • Docker Hub role-based access control
    • 2 business day support
  • Docker BusinessContact sales
    • Hardened Docker Desktop
    • Single Sign-On (SSO)
    • SCIM user provisioning
    • Image and Registry Access Management
    • Desktop Insights Dashboard
    • +3 more
as of verify ↗

Portainer

from $1045/yrSubscriptionFree tier45-day trial

From $1,045/year. Free tier: 3 nodes.

  • Starter$1,045/year
    • Community support
    • Online purchase only
  • Scale$2,095/year
    • 9x5 next business day support
    • Vendor onboarding
    • Available through resellers
  • EnterpriseContact sales
    • 9x5 support with 24/7 option
    • Assigned support engineer
    • Security assessment report
    • TAA compliance certificate
    • Production and non-production nodes
    • +2 more
as of verify ↗

Platform & deployment

Where each product runs and how it can be hosted. A dash means undocumented, not unsupported.

Platforms
Web
Docker✗
Portainer✓
Windows
Docker✓
Portainer✗
Linux
Docker✓
Portainer✗
CLI
Docker✓
Portainer✗
Deployment
Self-hosted
Docker✓
Portainer✓
On-premise
Docker✗
Portainer✓
Hybrid
Docker✗
Portainer✓

Integrations

What each product connects to. Counts come from the vendor's own integration directory where one exists.

Docker

Leader

Not documented yet.

Portainer

30 total
  • Active Directory
  • LDAP
  • OAuth
  • Helm
  • Git repositories
  • Kubernetes (EKS, AKS, GKE)
  • Docker
  • Swarm
  • Podman
  • Talos
  • Omni
  • S3-compatible storage
  • OPC connectivity
  • MQTT
  • Argo
  • Flux
  • Docker Hub
  • Matomo Analytics
  • Kubernetes
  • Docker Swarm
  • Git
  • OPA Gatekeeper
  • Slack
  • Matomo
  • +6 more
Independently observed
Still deciding?

Docker or Portainer: which one depends on you

A composite score cannot know your constraints. Describe them and both get re-weighted against what you actually need, with the evidence behind every position.

Free to run, no account needed to start. How the evaluation works

Comparison generated from independently-sourced facts. Every value links to its source and retrieval date. See the method.