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Codespaces vs Docker comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jul 14, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Codespaces
Ranking in Development Platforms
5th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
5.0
Number of Reviews
5
Ranking in other categories
IDE (1st)
Docker
Ranking in Development Platforms
1st
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
56
Ranking in other categories
Container Management (5th), Software Supply Chain Security (6th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Development Platforms category, the mindshare of Codespaces is 10.8%, up from 6.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Docker is 42.0%, up from 38.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Development Platforms
 

Featured Reviews

Yshay Yaacobi - PeerSpot reviewer
Enabling a consistent remote environment with seamless integration and a consistent developer experience
We use Codespaces as a remote working environment as it provides a consistent working environment and compatibility across devices. Initially, I started using it because I was working on an Apple Silicon device, and my tools weren't compatible with that architecture. The remote environment offered…
AnandanB - PeerSpot reviewer
Pre-built images can be pulled and used instantly, saving time and effort
Docker volumes. When I integrated volumes, I faced challenges. I have not essentially used add volumes to the existing instances. Maybe, I am not familiar with adding volumes to the existing Docker images. That might be a challenge, but it should be fairly straightforward. I'm just not aware of it. So just for me personally, it is a challenge. Docker has all the major support already. They should publish all the build images of Docker on an open-source resource like Github. They should support all the stuff. For example, now Docker supplies all these standard images, like database images or whatever image that the standard application is related to. Whenever there is Docker Compose information available on an open-source community project, that image should also be maintained and supported by Docker itself instead of the dev team doing it. Docker should take an interest in building those images and maintaining them for the public community projects that are hosted.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"The integration with Visual Studio Code offers a good and fast user experience that feels like a local experience."
"The product allows us to implement feature-related changes or improvements on time. Whenever I write a section of the code or create a new code, it automatically integrates with the former code."
"Codespaces' most valuable feature is the repository, which helps the developers to work together. Its data commands are also useful."
"The developer experience is consistent, and its pricing makes sense since it optimizes the resources."
"The most valuable features of the solution are Copilot and Advanced Security."
"The solution's most valuable feature is having containers independent of the operating system or environment."
"The solution is easy to deploy for clients so it saves a lot of hassle."
"Docker is highly scalable."
"Docker is very reliable. It's easy to scale, and it's very stable."
"The most valuable feature of Docker is the dedicated QA environment for connecting the team members. Additionally, there are many core features available and it is highly secure when we are imaging a client's server."
"I have seen end-to-end performance with Docker. It's a great tool, and it's the most popular container service in the market."
"The lift and shift creates a lightweight image."
"It is neat and very flexible."
 

Cons

"When I close the laptop and open it in a different place, the state of the environment disappears, and I need to rerun several commands. This context switch affects productivity."
"We get merge conflict errors and need to resolve them."
"The product indicates incorrect statistics."
"The technical support could respond faster."
"The main issue is related to state preservation on a disconnection. When I close the laptop and open it in a different place, the state of the environment disappears, and I need to rerun several commands."
"Enhancing artificial intelligence capabilities and cluster management should be a priority. It should facilitate some security management."
"The solution could improve with a GUI instead of only a command line interface. Having to use the command line interface can be a hassle."
"Docker management is very difficult when we have a large number of nodes."
"Sometimes, it can become heavy and cause performance issues."
"The learning curve with Docker is huge and extensive"
"We have found that it is not easy to install it into a Windows system."
"The stability could be improved."
"It could be easier to create images and save them on reports. Just improved development workflow, just quicker, like some better user experience creating the images for the Docker containers."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"From what I've seen, the solution doesn't seem like it's overly expensive for what you get."
"I am using the product’s free version."
"I would rate the pricing of Docker as ten out of ten"
"Docker's price is good."
"Its convenience edition is free of cost."
"For commercial use, it's about $30 per month. The license itself isn't expensive, but if there are many users, the price becomes high."
"Docker is open source. To use a Docker enterprise model, we would need to pay for it."
"It's free."
"Since Docker is an open-source solution, it is free of cost."
"The solution offers an open-source version that is free and includes a lot of functionality."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
12%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Educational Organization
11%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Computer Software Company
15%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Government
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Codespaces?
The most valuable features of the solution are Copilot and Advanced Security.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Codespaces?
Using Codespaces for a single station is cost-effective. However, I am not well-versed in the broader licensing considerations.
What needs improvement with Codespaces?
I don't recognize what compute resources are in relation to my projects in Codespaces. I'm looking at Codespaces to help myself express what I mean regarding pre-configured environments. I don't th...
What do you like most about Docker?
We are using Docker to host applications.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Docker?
Regarding the cost, Mirantis Container Cloud is cheaper than other solutions like Red Hat. The license costs around 10,000 Indian rupees per year.
What needs improvement with Docker?
Mirantis Container Cloud should have AI integration tools, which are not available right now. These tools should assist in app scalability and deployment error handling.
 

Comparisons

 

Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about Codespaces vs. Docker and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.
862,624 professionals have used our research since 2012.