# Podman vs Portainer

| Attribute | Podman | Portainer |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 42.6 (50% (medium)) | 56 (32% (low)) |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 0 | - |
| adoption.github_stars | 10 | - |
| deployment.options | `{"self_hosted":true}` | `{"cloud":true,"hybrid":true,"on_prem":true,"air_gapped":true,"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | Podman is an open-source tool for creating, configuring, and managing containerized applications on Linux, Windows, and macOS. It supports rootless operation, integrates with systemd and Kubernetes, and provides features for container image handling, volume management, and networking. | A container orchestration management platform that provides centralized governance, deployment automation, and operational control across multi-cluster Kubernetes, Docker Swarm, and edge environments. It enables IT and operations teams to manage containerized applications at scale with simplified workflows, role-based access control, and GitOps integration. |
| features.capabilities | `{"hosting":"self","rootless":true,"oci_compliant":true,"orchestration":"single_host","stateful_workloads":true,"built_in_networking_cni":true}` | `{"hosting":"self","gui_dashboard":true,"orchestration":"kubernetes","windows_containers":true}` |
| integrations.count | 7 | 18 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Kubernetes"},{"name":"Docker Compose"},{"name":"systemd"},{"name":"Red Hat OpenShift"},{"name":"netavark"},{"name":"crun"},{"name":"conmon"}]` | `[{"name":"Active Directory"},{"name":"LDAP"},{"name":"OAuth"},{"name":"Helm"},{"name":"Git repositories"},{"name":"Kubernetes (EKS, AKS, GKE)"},{"name":"Docker"},{"name":"Swarm"},{"name":"Podman"},{"name":"Talos"},{"name":"Omni"},{"name":"S3-compatible storage"},{"name":"OPC connectivity"},{"name":"MQTT"},{"name":"Argo"},{"name":"Flux"},{"name":"Docker Hub"},{"name":"Matomo Analytics"}]` |
| language.primary | Go | - |
| license.spdx | MIT | - |
| market.availability | - | `{"hqCountry":"NZ","primaryMarkets":["US","EU"],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true,"mac":true,"linux":true,"windows":true}` | `{"web":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"open_source","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://podman.io","retrievedAt":"2026-08-13T23:01:43.753Z"}` | `{"type":"subscription","plans":[{"free":false,"name":"Starter","summary":"$105/month or $1045/year, annual commitment. Limited to organizations ≤$50M revenue.","features":["Community support","Max 16 vCPUs per node","Online purchase only"],"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":105,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},{"kind":"fixed","amount":1045,"period":"year","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Small teams getting started with container management","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"max_vCPUs_per_node":"16"}},{"free":false,"name":"Scale","summary":"$209/month or $2095/year, annual commitment. Limited to organizations ≤$100M revenue.","features":["9x5 next business day support","Vendor onboarding","Reseller purchases","Max 24 vCPUs per node"],"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":209,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},{"kind":"fixed","amount":2095,"period":"year","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Growing teams requiring higher performance and team support","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"max_vCPUs_per_node":"24"}},{"free":false,"name":"Enterprise","summary":"Custom pricing via contact sales","features":["Prioritized 9x5 support","Production/Non-production node options","Customizable license agreement","Assigned support engineer","Security assessment report","TAA compliance certificate","Managed platform services option","24/7 support option"],"description":"Business-critical deployments with priority support and compliance coverage","contactSales":true,"includedLimits":{"max_vCPUs_per_node":"32 to unlimited"}}],"summary":"From $105/month. Business Edition free for 3 nodes. Annual commitment required.","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://www.portainer.io/business-iiot-pricing","retrievedAt":"2026-08-13T22:39:31.629Z","startingPrice":{"amount":105,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month","year"]}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | open_source | freemium |
| pricing.price_level | free | high |
| pricing.transparent | - | yes |
| release.cadence_days | 1 | - |
| release.history | `[{"url":"https://github.com/LaunchPlatform/oci-hooks-archive-overlay/releases/tag/2.0.4","date":"2023-07-02T23:23:36Z","type":"stable","version":"2.0.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/LaunchPlatform/oci-hooks-archive-overlay/releases/tag/2.0.2","date":"2023-07-01T05:05:31Z","type":"stable","version":"2.0.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/LaunchPlatform/oci-hooks-archive-overlay/releases/tag/2.0.1","date":"2023-06-30T21:12:15Z","type":"stable","version":"2.0.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/LaunchPlatform/oci-hooks-archive-overlay/releases/tag/2.0.0","date":"2023-06-29T18:46:19Z","type":"stable","version":"2.0.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/LaunchPlatform/oci-hooks-archive-overlay/releases/tag/1.0.2","date":"2023-06-24T21:27:41Z","type":"stable","version":"1.0.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/LaunchPlatform/oci-hooks-archive-overlay/releases/tag/1.0.1","date":"2023-06-18T02:03:21Z","type":"stable","version":"1.0.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/LaunchPlatform/oci-hooks-archive-overlay/releases/tag/1.0.0","date":"2023-06-18T01:57:26Z","type":"stable","version":"1.0.0"}]` | - |
| reliability.status_page | yes | - |
| security.gdpr | - | yes |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=go&package_name=github.com%2Flaunchplatform%2Foci-hooks-archive-overlay&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` | - |

## Capabilities (Container Orchestration Tools)

| Capability | Podman | Portainer |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **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 | - | - |
| **UX** |  |  |
| GUI dashboard | - | ✓ |

*Source: Vioscale. Generated 2026-09-01T16:57:26.294Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*