# GitHub Container Registry vs Zot

**Leader by vioscaleAI score:** Zot

| Attribute | GitHub Container Registry | Zot |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 37.2 (74% (medium)) | 53.6 (75% (high)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | - | 67 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | - | 0 |
| adoption.github_stars | - | 2,865 |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"GitHub Actions enables automated workflows for building, testing, and deploying code directly from GitHub. It supports multiple programming languages and operating systems, with flexible execution options including GitHub-hosted runners or self-hosted infrastructure deployed in cloud or on-premises environments. It is indexed under Container Registries.","source":"https://ghcr.io","question":"What is GitHub Container Registry?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"GitHub Container Registry offers a free tier, so you can start without paying. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://ghcr.io","question":"Is GitHub Container Registry free?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"GitHub Container Registry supports Windows, macOS and Linux. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://ghcr.io","question":"What platforms does GitHub Container Registry support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. GitHub Container Registry can be deployed cloud / SaaS, on-premise and self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://ghcr.io","question":"Can GitHub Container Registry be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 3 integrations for GitHub Container Registry, including Jira, npm and GitHub Packages. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://ghcr.io","question":"What does GitHub Container Registry integrate with?","confidence":0.6}]` | `[{"answer":"A lightweight, self-contained registry for managing container images that fully implements OCI standards. It runs as a single binary without elevated privileges and includes built-in security scanning, access control, garbage collection, and image deduplication. It is indexed under Container Registries.","source":"https://zotregistry.dev","question":"What is Zot?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Zot 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://zotregistry.dev","question":"Is Zot free to use?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Zot supports macOS, Linux and a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://zotregistry.dev","question":"What platforms does Zot support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Zot can be deployed cloud / SaaS and self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://zotregistry.dev","question":"Can Zot be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Zot 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/project-zot/zot","question":"Is Zot open source?","confidence":0.95}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true,"hybrid":true,"on_prem":true,"self_hosted":true}` | `{"cloud":true,"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | A workflow automation platform integrated with GitHub that allows you to automatically build, test, and deploy code directly from your repository. Supports multiple programming languages and execution environments including containers, virtual machines, and various operating systems. | A lightweight, self-contained registry for managing container images that fully implements OCI standards. It runs as a single binary without elevated privileges and includes built-in security scanning, access control, garbage collection, and image deduplication. |
| features.capabilities | `{"web_ui":true}` | `{"rbac":true,"hosting":"both","oci_compliant":true,"private_repos":true,"artifact_types":"images","vulnerability_scanning":true}` |
| integrations.count | 2 | 1 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Jira"},{"name":"npm"},{"name":"GitHub Packages","native":true},{"name":"Docker","native":false}]` | `[{"name":"Stacker"}]` |
| language.primary | - | Go |
| license.spdx | - | Apache-2.0 |
| platform.support | `{"web":true}` | `{"cli":true,"mac":true,"linux":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"hybrid","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://ghcr.io","retrievedAt":"2026-09-04T13:22:59.458Z"}` | `{"type":"open_source","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://zotregistry.dev","retrievedAt":"2026-08-03T13:02:43.251Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | freemium | open_source |
| pricing.price_level | low | free |
| pricing.transparent | no | yes |
| release.cadence_days | - | 31 |
| release.history | - | `[{"url":"https://github.com/project-zot/zot/releases/tag/v2.1.22","date":"2026-10-06T16:50:05Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.1.22"},{"url":"https://github.com/project-zot/zot/releases/tag/v2.1.21","date":"2026-09-06T18:44:38Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.1.21"},{"url":"https://github.com/project-zot/zot/releases/tag/v2.1.20","date":"2026-08-04T17:51:30Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.1.20"},{"url":"https://github.com/project-zot/zot/releases/tag/v2.1.19","date":"2026-08-04T06:46:22Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.1.19"},{"url":"https://github.com/project-zot/zot/releases/tag/v2.1.18","date":"2026-06-24T15:30:19Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.1.18"},{"url":"https://github.com/project-zot/zot/releases/tag/v2.1.17","date":"2026-05-18T05:44:37Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.1.17"},{"url":"https://github.com/project-zot/zot/releases/tag/v2.1.16","date":"2026-04-19T06:26:29Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.1.16"},{"url":"https://github.com/project-zot/zot/releases/tag/v2.1.15","date":"2026-03-08T22:31:57Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.1.15"},{"url":"https://github.com/project-zot/zot/releases/tag/v2.1.14","date":"2026-01-25T17:14:38Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.1.14"},{"url":"https://github.com/project-zot/zot/releases/tag/v2.1.13","date":"2025-12-23T10:14:48Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.1.13"},{"url":"https://github.com/project-zot/zot/releases/tag/v2.1.12","date":"2025-12-21T20:45:14Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.1.12"},{"url":"https://github.com/project-zot/zot/releases/tag/v2.1.11","date":"2025-11-20T20:14:44Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.1.11"},{"url":"https://github.com/project-zot/zot/releases/tag/v2.1.10","date":"2025-10-18T18:46:36Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.1.10"},{"url":"https://github.com/project-zot/zot/releases/tag/v2.1.9","date":"2025-10-14T16:18:49Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.1.9"},{"url":"https://github.com/project-zot/zot/releases/tag/v2.1.8","date":"2025-09-01T19:20:42Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.1.8"},{"url":"https://github.com/project-zot/zot/releases/tag/v2.1.7","date":"2025-08-03T16:35:59Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.1.7"},{"url":"https://github.com/project-zot/zot/releases/tag/v2.1.6","date":"2025-07-27T01:14:14Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.1.6"},{"url":"https://github.com/project-zot/zot/releases/tag/v2.1.5","date":"2025-06-17T18:04:11Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.1.5"},{"url":"https://github.com/project-zot/zot/releases/tag/v2.1.4","date":"2025-06-06T02:31:04Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.1.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/project-zot/zot/releases/tag/v2.1.3","date":"2025-05-22T17:04:49Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.1.3"}]` |
| reliability.status_page | yes | - |
| security.scorecard | - | 8 |
| security.vulnerabilities | - | `{"count":1,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=go&package_name=zotregistry.io%2Fzot&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":"MODERATE"}` |

## Capabilities (Container Registries)

| Capability | GitHub Container Registry | Zot |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Deployment** |  |  |
| Hosting | - | Cloud + self-hosted |
| **Standards** |  |  |
| OCI Distribution Spec compliant | - | ✓ |
| **Scope** |  |  |
| Artifact types | - | Container images only |
| **Security** |  |  |
| Built-in vulnerability scanning | - | ✓ |
| Image signing (Cosign/Notation) | - | - |
| SBOM generation / storage | - | - |
| **Access** |  |  |
| Fine-grained RBAC / robot accounts | - | ✓ |
| Private repositories | - | ✓ |
| **Distribution** |  |  |
| Geo-replication / mirroring | - | - |
| Pull-through cache / proxy | - | - |
| **Integration** |  |  |
| Native cloud IAM integration | - | - |
| **Pricing** |  |  |
| Pull-rate limits | - | - |
| **UX** |  |  |
| Web UI / console | ✓ | - |
| **Ops** |  |  |
| High-availability deployment | - | - |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-10-16T19:00:06.297Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*