# Docker vs Minikube

**Leader by Vioscale score:** Docker

| Attribute | Docker | Minikube |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 71.1 (66% (medium)) | 47.1 (78% (high)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 100 | 100 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 1,657 | 4 |
| adoption.github_stars | 72,001 | 32,069 |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true,"self_hosted":true}` | `{"cloud":true,"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | Docker provides a complete containerization ecosystem combining open-source components and tools (via the Moby project) with commercial products. It allows applications and their dependencies to be bundled into containers for consistent deployment across cloud and on-premise environments, with both managed and self-hosted deployment options. | Minikube enables developers to run a local Kubernetes cluster on their machine for development and testing. It supports multiple operating systems and container runtimes, with GPU acceleration for AI workloads. |
| features.capabilities | `{"hosting":"both","rootless":true,"gui_dashboard":true,"orchestration":"swarm","windows_containers":true,"built_in_networking_cni":true}` | `{"hosting":"both","gui_dashboard":true,"orchestration":"kubernetes","gpu_scheduling":true,"stateful_workloads":true,"managed_control_plane":false,"built_in_networking_cni":true}` |
| integrations.count | - | 2 |
| integrations.list | - | `[{"name":"Google Cloud Build"},{"name":"GitHub"}]` |
| language.primary | Go | Go |
| license.spdx | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| market.availability | `{"primaryMarkets":["US"],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | - |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true,"web":true,"linux":true,"windows":true}` | `{"cli":true,"mac":true,"web":true,"linux":true,"windows":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"hybrid","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"Docker Personal","summary":"Free","features":["Docker Desktop","Docker Engine + Kubernetes","Docker Hub","Docker Scout","Docker Debug"],"minSeats":1,"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":0,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"For individual developers who need the essential tools to build and deploy containers.","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"scout_repos":"1","private_hub_repos":"1","hub_pulls_per_hour":"100"}},{"free":false,"name":"Docker Pro","summary":"$9/seat/month (monthly billing) or $11/seat/month (annual billing)","features":["Docker Build Cloud","Testcontainers Cloud","Synchronized File Shares","Docker Scout health scores visibility","5 business day support"],"minSeats":1,"commitment":"monthly","components":[{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"seat","amount":9,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"For individual professionals who require more advanced features and additional resources.","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"scout_repos":"2","build_cloud_minutes":"200","testcontainers_cloud_minutes":"100"}},{"free":false,"name":"Docker Team","summary":"$15/seat/month (monthly billing) or $16/seat/month (annual billing)","features":["Add users in bulk","Audit logs","Docker Hub role-based access control","2 business day support"],"commitment":"monthly","components":[{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"seat","amount":15,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"For small teams that need collaborative tools to make working together more efficient.","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"users":"Up to 100","org_tokens":"10","scout_repos":"Unlimited","hub_organizations":"1","private_hub_repos":"Unlimited","build_cloud_minutes":"500","testcontainers_cloud_minutes":"500"}},{"free":false,"name":"Docker Business","summary":"$24/seat/month","features":["Hardened Docker Desktop","Single Sign-On (SSO)","SCIM user provisioning","Image and Registry Access Management","Desktop Insights Dashboard","Enhanced Container Isolation (ECI)","Purchase via invoice","1 business day support response"],"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"seat","amount":24,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"For enterprises desiring robust security, control, and compliance features.","contactSales":true,"includedLimits":{"users":"No cap","org_tokens":"100","scout_repos":"Unlimited","hub_organizations":"Unlimited","private_hub_repos":"Unlimited","build_cloud_minutes":"1500","testcontainers_cloud_minutes":"1500"}}],"addOns":[{"name":"Docker Hardened Images (DHI) - Community","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":0,"currency":"USD"}]},{"name":"Docker Hardened Images (DHI) - Select","components":[{"kind":"one_time","amount":5000,"currency":"USD"}]},{"name":"Docker Hardened Images (DHI) - Enterprise"}],"summary":"From free (Personal tier) to $24/seat/month (Business). Docker Hardened Images starting at $5k/repo (Select tier).","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://www.docker.com","retrievedAt":"2026-08-05T14:07:34.514Z","startingPrice":{"amount":9,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month","year"]}` | `{"type":"open_source","sourceUrl":"https://minikube.sigs.k8s.io","retrievedAt":"2026-08-21T13:46:05.166Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | commercial | open_source |
| pricing.price_level | low | free |
| pricing.transparent | yes | - |
| release.cadence_days | 3 | 65 |
| release.history | `[{"url":"https://github.com/moby/moby/releases/tag/docker-v29.7.2","date":"2026-08-06T10:35:19Z","type":"stable","version":"docker-v29.7.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/moby/moby/releases/tag/docker-v29.7.1","date":"2026-07-31T17:36:24Z","type":"stable","version":"docker-v29.7.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/moby/moby/releases/tag/docker-v29.7.0","date":"2026-07-30T21:38:11Z","type":"stable","version":"docker-v29.7.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/moby/moby/releases/tag/client/v0.5.1","date":"2026-07-27T19:09:03Z","type":"stable","version":"client/v0.5.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/moby/moby/releases/tag/docker-v29.7.0-rc.1","date":"2026-07-28T09:01:20Z","type":"prerelease","version":"docker-v29.7.0-rc.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/moby/moby/releases/tag/docker-v29.6.2","date":"2026-07-16T16:55:29Z","type":"stable","version":"docker-v29.6.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/moby/moby/releases/tag/v25.0.17","date":"2026-08-13T00:25:05Z","type":"stable","version":"v25.0.17"},{"url":"https://github.com/moby/moby/releases/tag/docker-v29.6.1","date":"2026-06-26T12:29:14Z","type":"stable","version":"docker-v29.6.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/moby/moby/releases/tag/docker-v29.6.0","date":"2026-06-18T20:43:10Z","type":"stable","version":"docker-v29.6.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/moby/moby/releases/tag/client/v0.5.0","date":"2026-06-18T19:36:11Z","type":"stable","version":"client/v0.5.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/moby/moby/releases/tag/api/v1.55.0","date":"2026-06-18T19:16:53Z","type":"stable","version":"api/v1.55.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/moby/moby/releases/tag/docker-v29.6.0-rc.1","date":"2026-06-12T18:43:50Z","type":"prerelease","version":"docker-v29.6.0-rc.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/moby/moby/releases/tag/client/v0.5.0-rc.1","date":"2026-06-12T16:53:15Z","type":"prerelease","version":"client/v0.5.0-rc.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/moby/moby/releases/tag/api/v1.55.0-rc.1","date":"2026-06-12T16:29:36Z","type":"prerelease","version":"api/v1.55.0-rc.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/moby/moby/releases/tag/docker-v29.5.3","date":"2026-06-03T18:50:17Z","type":"stable","version":"docker-v29.5.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/moby/moby/releases/tag/docker-v29.5.2","date":"2026-05-20T18:02:30Z","type":"stable","version":"docker-v29.5.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/moby/moby/releases/tag/docker-v29.5.1","date":"2026-05-18T17:10:35Z","type":"stable","version":"docker-v29.5.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/moby/moby/releases/tag/docker-v29.5.0","date":"2026-05-14T21:37:30Z","type":"stable","version":"docker-v29.5.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/moby/moby/releases/tag/v25.0.16","date":"2026-08-13T00:17:23Z","type":"stable","version":"v25.0.16"},{"url":"https://github.com/moby/moby/releases/tag/docker-v29.5.0-rc.1","date":"2026-05-11T20:07:07Z","type":"prerelease","version":"docker-v29.5.0-rc.1"}]` | `[{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes/minikube/releases/tag/v1.38.1","date":"2026-02-19T19:41:07Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.38.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes/minikube/releases/tag/v1.38.0","date":"2026-01-29T07:22:18Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.38.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes/minikube/releases/tag/v1.37.0","date":"2025-09-09T21:54:31Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.37.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes/minikube/releases/tag/v1.36.0","date":"2025-05-22T18:26:34Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.36.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes/minikube/releases/tag/v1.35.0","date":"2025-01-16T01:12:16Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.35.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes/minikube/releases/tag/v1.34.0","date":"2024-09-09T18:48:05Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.34.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes/minikube/releases/tag/v1.33.1","date":"2024-05-13T21:35:46Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.33.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes/minikube/releases/tag/v1.33.0","date":"2024-04-19T23:21:32Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.33.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes/minikube/releases/tag/v1.33.0-beta.0","date":"2024-03-26T16:39:49Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.33.0-beta.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes/minikube/releases/tag/v1.32.0","date":"2023-11-08T17:21:51Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.32.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes/minikube/releases/tag/v1.32.0-beta.0","date":"2023-10-28T01:28:10Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.32.0-beta.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes/minikube/releases/tag/v1.31.2","date":"2023-08-16T22:32:44Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.31.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes/minikube/releases/tag/v1.31.1","date":"2023-07-20T17:46:01Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.31.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes/minikube/releases/tag/v1.31.0","date":"2023-07-18T17:25:06Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.31.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes/minikube/releases/tag/v1.30.1","date":"2023-04-04T22:19:15Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.30.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes/minikube/releases/tag/v1.30.0","date":"2023-04-03T18:11:21Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.30.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes/minikube/releases/tag/v1.29.0","date":"2023-01-27T19:37:21Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.29.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes/minikube/releases/tag/v1.28.0","date":"2022-11-04T20:54:32Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.28.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes/minikube/releases/tag/v1.27.1","date":"2022-10-08T03:28:08Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.27.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes/minikube/releases/tag/v1.27.0","date":"2022-09-15T21:28:09Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.27.0"}]` |
| reliability.status_page | yes | yes |
| security.disclosure_policy | yes | - |
| security.gdpr | yes | - |
| security.iso27001 | yes | - |
| security.scorecard | 9.1 | 4.8 |
| security.soc2 | yes | - |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"count":13,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=go&package_name=github.com%2Fmoby%2Fmoby&per_page=100","last_12m":4,"max_severity":"HIGH"}` | `{"count":1,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=go&package_name=k8s.io%2Fminikube&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":"HIGH"}` |

## Capabilities (Container Orchestration Tools)

| Capability | Docker | Minikube |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Orchestration scope | Swarm / Compose | Kubernetes |
| **Deployment** |  |  |
| Hosting | Cloud + self-hosted | 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: Vioscale. Generated 2026-09-01T17:02:57.046Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*