Docker vs Google Kubernetes Engine comparison

Docker and Google are both solutions in the Container Management category. Docker is ranked #5 with an average rating of 8.9, while Google is ranked #10 with an average rating of 8.2. Docker holds a 2.7% mindshare in CM, compared to Google’s 2.1% mindshare. Additionally, 98% of Docker users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 94% of Google users who would recommend it.

Docker

Read 56 Docker reviews

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1,085 Comparison Views

98% willing to recommend

Google Kubernetes Engine

Read 37 Google Kubernetes Engine reviews

1,085 Views
847 Comparison Views

94% willing to recommend

Docker

Google Kubernetes Engine

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 13, 2024

Google Kubernetes Engine and Docker compete in the cloud infrastructure and containerization space. GKE appears to have the upper hand due to its robust infrastructure management and advanced auto-scaling capabilities.

Features: GKE is known for its ease of deployment, seamless multi-cloud support, and advanced auto-scaling capabilities. It integrates well with Google's ecosystem, enhancing its usability for machine learning applications. On the other hand, Docker excels in containerization, providing a flexible and user-friendly environment with fast deployment times. Its simplicity in container orchestration and cross-environment consistency is beneficial for straightforward containerization.

Room for Improvement: Google Kubernetes Engine could enhance application-level security, backup systems, and provide more integrated tools to reduce reliance on third-party software. Improved documentation and support are also necessary. Docker could focus on improving stability and security features, enriching documentation, and offering straightforward management tools. Integration of GPU support and enhancing user interfaces are potential areas for improvement.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: GKE primarily operates on public cloud infrastructure, making it scalable and easy to deploy. However, customer service experiences vary, with noted slow response times and a need for better documentation. Docker offers flexibility with deployments across on-premises, public, private, and hybrid clouds, though its support largely depends on community resources, with professional support available via a paid license.

Pricing and ROI: GKE is a paid service with flexible pricing based on usage, offering excellent operational productivity but potentially higher costs compared to competitors like AWS. Docker is mostly open-source and free, with a paid Enterprise version including additional features. GKE's costs are linked to virtual machine and resource requirements, while Docker offers cost efficiency through its open-source nature. Both provide worthwhile ROI, though cost structures vary; GKE costs are driven by infrastructure needs, whereas Docker remains cost-effective.

To learn more, read our detailed Docker vs. Google Kubernetes Engine Report (Updated: April 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Docker vs. Google Kubernetes Engine

April 2025

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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

Docker

Ranking in Container Management

5th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Development Platforms (1st), Software Supply Chain Security (6th)

Google Kubernetes Engine

Ranking in Container Management

10th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Container Management category, the mindshare of Docker is 2.7%, down from 3.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Google Kubernetes Engine is 2.1%, down from 3.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Container Management

Featured Reviews

Rikin Parekh

Backend Engineer at Northeastern University

Useful to create sandbox environments to run applications and makes it easy to test them

Overall, setting up the Docker environment is quite easy. Many methods exist, such as using Docker Compose and Docker networks to communicate between containers. The main challenge lies in designing the architecture and integrating different frameworks and microservices. I would rate the ease of setting up the tool at around nine out of ten. The time it takes to deploy depends on the scale of the system. For the early-stage startup I'm currently working with, it doesn't take much time. It's just me handling the deployment. In our early-stage startup, we have a couple of teams with around four to five backend APIs and two front-end services. Deploying these doesn't take much time. My focus is more on minimizing costs due to our lean startup structure.

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Immánuel Fodor

Product Manager at Traefik Labs

The auto-scaling feature ensures that we only use resources when needed

The most valuable aspect of Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) is its managed nature, which significantly reduces the burden on our platform team. Features like auto-scaling are highly beneficial for both handling traffic spikes and optimizing costs. Furthermore, Google's promise of good SLA availability, with the service being available in different locations, adds to its robustness.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Docker is convenient and easy to use."

"The most valuable feature of Docker is its portability, ease of security management, and low resource usage."

"Docker is easy to understand and follow. It provides good scalability to the application."

"The scalability of Docker is good."

"Traditional deployments take more time and builds can be inconsistent across different environments. Docker solves these issues."

"It is neat and very flexible."

"We use Docker to facilitate deployment, updates, and management."

"The solution is easy to install."

More Docker pros

"We appreciate that it is quite easy to set up a Kubernetes cluster in Google Cloud, using the managed services within this solution."

"The most valuable feature of Google Kubernetes Engine is how you can automatically scale and load balance."

"Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) takes care of managing Kubernetes, including the main control plane. It also offers solutions for monitoring resources and handling external traffic, which is essential for us. Being a cloud-native solution, it relieves us from worrying about these operational aspects."

"The initial setup process is simpler and more user-friendly than other cloud providers."

"GKE's plugin management and configuration sync are excellent features. The amount of data it provides is good, and I've been able to integrate it with the things I need."

"Google Kubernetes Engine is used for orchestrating Docker containers. We have 30 or 40 customers working with this solution now. We'll probably see 10 to 15 percent growth in the number of customers using Google Kubernetes Engine in the future."

"Google Kubernetes Engine's most valuable features are microservices and its acquisition rate, which is very useful for scaling perspective."

"The product has valuable security features. It can connect with multiple DevOps tools."

More Google Kubernetes Engine pros

Cons

"Sometimes there's a bug or defect in the solution. However, the Docker team works on fixing it."

"Docker can improve the integration with Microsoft Windows. It does not support native installations."

"In terms of communication between services, perhaps the configuration within networks between containers could be improved."

"Sometimes, it can become heavy and cause performance issues."

"As for improving Docker, I would like to see enhancements in its user interface and documentation to make it even more user-friendly and accessible. I believe Docker will expand its scope and reduce limitations to support more applications, both online and offline. For instance, in scenarios like deployments on ships or during upgrades, Docker can continue to offer software services and container-based intelligence."

"I would like to see better management layers."

"Enhancing artificial intelligence capabilities and cluster management should be a priority. It should facilitate some security management."

"The solution is not easy to manage and it is one of the reasons why people introduce orchestration tools to manage it."

More Docker cons

"While the GKE cluster is secure, application-level security is an essential aspect that needs to be addressed. The security provided by GKE includes the security of communication between nodes within the cluster and the basic features of Kubernetes security. However, these features may not be sufficient for the security needs of an enterprise. Additional security measures must be added to ensure adequate protection. It has become a common practice to deploy security tools within a Kubernetes cluster. It would be ideal if these tools were included as part of the package, as this is a standard requirement in the industry. Thus, application-level security should be integrated into GKE for improved security measures."

"t is not very stable."

"Google Kubernetes Engine is less stable in some highly complex deployments with many nodes."

"The console for this solution could be improved because it is very limited."

"Google Kubernetes Engine's cost should be improved because it is high."

"The primary area for improvement would be the complexity involved when working with Google Kubernetes Engine, especially when using Terraform."

"Their documentation is a little here and there. Sometimes, the information is not clear or updated. Their documentation should be a little bit better."

"I would like the solution to integrate with another Kubernetes product. I would also like it to monitor other platforms. It needs to also include scale-up container in the tool's next release."

More Google Kubernetes Engine cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"There is a license needed to use Docker."

"We use the open-source version."

"I use the solution's open-source version."

"The product is not expensive."

"Pricing is based on the number of users."

"The solution offers an open-source version that is free and includes a lot of functionality."

"Docker is open source. To use a Docker enterprise model, we would need to pay for it."

"The offering and service are quite free."

More Docker pricing and cost advice

"We are planning to use external support, and hire a commercial partner for it."

"Initially, Google Kubernetes Engine was a little bit cheaper, but now its prices have been increased compared to the pricing model and the features that are made available by its competitors."

"The price for Google Kubernetes Engine could be lower - I'd rate its pricing at three out of five."

"This is an open source solution, so there is no pricing or licensing."

"The pricing for GKE is dependent on the type of machine or virtual machine (VM) that is selected for the nodes in the cluster. There is a degree of flexibility in choosing the specifications of the machine, such as the number of CPUs, GPUs, and so on. Google provides a variety of options, allowing the user to create the desired cluster composition. However, the cost can be quite steep when it comes to regional clusters, which are necessary for high availability and failover. This redundancy is crucial for businesses and is required to handle an increase in requests in case of any issues in one region, such as jumping to a different region in case of a failure in the Toronto region. While it may be tempting to choose the cheapest type of machines, this may result in a limited capacity and user numbers, requiring over-provisioning to handle additional requests, such as those for a web application."

"Its pricing is good. They bill us only per user. That's nice."

"The product is a little bit expensive."

"Currently, it costs around $1000 per month which sorted our deployment. So once we get more clients, having a huge suffix, costs can go up."

More Google Kubernetes Engine pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

16%

Insurance Company

11%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Government

Financial Services Firm

21%

Computer Software Company

12%

Retailer

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Docker?

We are using Docker to host applications.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Docker?

I consider Docker's pricing to be affordable.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Docker?

In terms of communication between services, perhaps the configuration within networks between containers could be improved.

See all answers

What do you like most about Google Kubernetes Engine?

The product has no downtime.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Google Kubernetes Engine?

The on-demand nodes are quite expensive, so we now use spot machines.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Google Kubernetes Engine?

Gemini could be more integrated with Google Kubernetes Engine ( /products/google-kubernetes-engine-reviews ). For example, it would be helpful if I could easily find log information in a particular...

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Comparisons

VMware Tanzu Platform vs Docker

Compared 29% of the time

Rancher Labs vs Docker

Compared 14% of the time

Codespaces vs Docker

Compared 13% of the time

Mirantis Container Runtime vs Docker

Compared 12% of the time

Nutanix Kubernetes Engine NKE vs Docker

Compared 8% of the time

More Docker Competitors

Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform vs Google Kubernetes Engine

Compared 26% of the time

Akamai Connected Cloud (Linode) vs Google Kubernetes Engine

Compared 23% of the time

VMware Tanzu Platform vs Google Kubernetes Engine

Compared 15% of the time

Rancher Labs vs Google Kubernetes Engine

Compared 12% of the time

Nutanix Kubernetes Engine NKE vs Google Kubernetes Engine

Compared 10% of the time

More Google Kubernetes Engine Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Docker

April 2025

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Buyer's Guide

Google Kubernetes Engine

April 2025

Download Google Kubernetes Engine product report

Also Known As

No data available

GKE

Overview

Docker is a versatile container platform used for running and deploying applications in isolated environments, ensuring consistency across development, testing, and production.

Docker offers solutions for containerizing applications, automating deployments, and managing infrastructure through its robust platform. It supports CI/CD workflows, provides a development platform for container management, and simplifies the setup by using streamlined tools. Organizations leverage Docker for building microservices, running UI applications, deploying web services, and setting up secure environments. It also facilitates managing containers via Kubernetes and creating development stacks for enhanced productivity.

What are Docker's key features?

Security: Offers containment and isolation of applications.
Easy Use: Simplifies the deployment and management of applications.
Documentation: Extensive resources to aid in understanding and implementation.
Customization: Flexible environment configurations.
Scalability: Efficiently handles applications irrespective of scale.
Internal DNS: Manages network configurations within the container ecosystem.
Overlay Networks: Facilitates seamless inter-container communication.
Resource Efficiency: Optimizes usage of system resources.

What benefits should users look for?

Consistency: Ensures homogeneous environments across development, testing, and production stages.
Portability: Allows applications to run consistently on any platform.
Cost-Effectiveness: Reduces overhead costs associated with application deployment.
Speed: Accelerates the build, test, and deployment cycles.
Flexibility: Supports various tools and integrations to adapt to different workflows.

Industries implement Docker for CI/CD pipelines, scaling services, and improving resource utilization. Tech companies use Docker for building and deploying their software in isolated environments. Finance and healthcare sectors deploy applications securely, ensuring compliance with regulatory standards. Educational institutions set up consistent development environments for coding labs and training students in advanced technologies.

Docker

Kubernetes Engine is a managed, production-ready environment for deploying containerized applications. It brings our latest innovations in developer productivity, resource efficiency, automated operations, and open source flexibility to accelerate your time to market.

Google

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

Philips Lighting, Alpha Vertex, GroupBy, BQ

Buyer's Guide

Docker vs. Google Kubernetes Engine

April 2025

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