Docker vs Kubernetes comparison

Docker and Kubernetes are both solutions in the Container Management category. Docker is ranked #5 with an average rating of 8.9, while Kubernetes is ranked #4 with an average rating of 8.2. Docker holds a 2.6% mindshare in CM, compared to Kubernetes’s 5.5% mindshare. Additionally, 98% of Docker users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 98% of Kubernetes users who would recommend it.

Docker

Read 56 Docker reviews

1,178 Views
678 Comparison Views

98% willing to recommend

Kubernetes

Read 78 Kubernetes reviews

2,804 Views
1,023 Comparison Views

98% willing to recommend

Docker

Kubernetes

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 13, 2024

Docker and Kubernetes are key competitors in the container orchestration category. Kubernetes has a competitive edge due to its robust scalability features and widespread cloud provider support.

Features: Kubernetes is known for its scalability, autoscaling features, and resilience. It integrates well with cloud providers such as AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure. Kubernetes also offers high availability and storage orchestration, which are essential for building cloud infrastructures. Docker, on the other hand, is valued for its simplicity and ease of use. It provides efficient container management with robust security features and straightforward integration, making it accessible to developers.

Room for Improvement: Kubernetes encounters challenges with complex setup procedures, integration, and user-friendly access. Improving debugging interfaces and security features without third-party reliance is necessary. Docker, while user-friendly, could enhance stability and management features. Better documentation and integration with tools like Docker Swarm could improve its scalability and security.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Kubernetes offers deployment flexibility across hybrid, public, and private clouds. However, the initial setup can be complex, with varying support levels depending on distribution. Docker is recognized for its ease of scaling containers across clouds, but users note issues with support effectiveness and documentation. Both platforms benefit from strong community support.

Pricing and ROI: Kubernetes, being open-source, has no licensing fees but requires investments in infrastructure, affecting costs. Efficient management can significantly improve ROI through optimized container use. Docker's open-source nature provides initial cost-effectiveness, but scaling with Docker Swarm can increase expenses. Both can deliver substantial ROI by implementing agile systems for faster time-to-market and cost savings.

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

Buyer's Guide

Docker vs. Kubernetes

June 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

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

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

Kubernetes

Ranking in Container Management

4th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Container Management category, the mindshare of Docker is 2.6%, down from 3.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Kubernetes is 5.5%, down from 8.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Container Management

Featured Reviews

Gur Sannikov

Technical program manager at Intel Corporation

Offers reliability and helps to save on costs

In terms of the impact of container orchestration, I would say that though my company does not currently use a lot of containers, we plan to move to containers. I recommend others to just use the internet than ChatGPT since mostly all issues are already known and very easy to deal with so it is better to use the knowledge from the industry. In terms of the use of Docker for AI projects or workflows, I would say that my company deploys AI applications on Docker, like any other application and pipeline. The tools or practices that have proven to be the most beneficial for our company's AI initiatives are agnostic to Docker. There is nothing special in Docker, and our company just uses it to deploy applications. The value derived from the use of the product revolves around the scalability and the reliability it offers. The product helps with the cost-savings part since it saves time and money linked with the amount of engineers required to spend time on operations. I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

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Venu Boddu

AWS DevOps Engineer at Hexaware Technologies Limited

Manage infrastructure automation and smooth application deployment with robust auto-scaling capabilities

Kubernetes is highly valuable for its node-based setup, which allows for the running of multiple pods. This feature is essential for infrastructure automation and application deployment. Kubernetes also offers rollback control and auto-scaling capabilities, which are crucial for maintaining an application's availability even if nodes or pods go down. Additionally, Kubernetes supports load balancing to distribute traffic efficiently across multiple pods.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"I think the best feature is to replicate anything in our local machine using a simple command."

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

"Docker is convenient and easy to use."

"Docker's containerization property is its main selling point."

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

"It is neat and very flexible."

"The capability of the solution to convert an application into a Docker image is a vital functionality"

"Docker is perfect for what I do...The solution is scalable."

More Docker pros

"I found it to be an excellent solution for application deployment. It's great for containerization."

"I like Kubernetes' scalability, built-in redundancy, and ease of deployment."

"Kubernetes allows us to update without downtime and to easily deploy new software, which is very beneficial for our operations."

"I like the replication center and the configuration."

"The solution is easy to use."

"Kubernetes is highly valuable for its node-based setup, which allows for the running of multiple pods."

"I like that it gives you all the flexibility, for example, auto-scaling. Everything is figured out exactly right. It manages all your workloads without much intervention. It can scale in, scale out, and with security. Everything looks pretty good compared to the old legacy way of working."

"We use it for various large microservice-based architectures and web services. That's the ideal use case, but it's suitable for any kind of service that can be decomposed and needs to be scaled. Of course, it's much easier to deploy services that are stateless. It"

More Kubernetes pros

Cons

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

"I have encountered network issues while connecting with microservices. I want to optimize the application layers over the bucket. It should also have better documentation."

"The stability could be improved."

"Docker could improve by having more advanced features."

"There is always room for improvement. I often refer to forums such as StackOverflow to learn from other developers' experiences and the challenges they have faced while using Docker."

"The command line interface could be more intuitive. I constantly struggle with it."

"Management can be improved with the necessary tools for orchestration."

"I want to see if new architectures have been incorporated in Docker or if we have to wait for another release."

More Docker cons

"The support could be faster at resolving issues."

"One feature I would actually like to see is the network monitoring part. When we talk about communities, it's mostly the computer side. But it does have some enhancements on the networking side which they have recently released. I would like to see more enhancement where we can monitor the networks of the Kubernetes cluster or the Kubernetes workloads."

"Having a thread dump and memory dump, and seeing how many objects were created would be useful."

"Kubernetes could improve security. The security is really hard to deploy with proxies and other elements. Additionally, We have had some issues downloading repos and libraries."

"The user-interface in regards to the other solution can be improved."

"The security of the solution is in its infancy and needs a lot of work."

"They need to focus on more security internally."

"There is room for improvement in this area, as Kubernetes could benefit from having more integrations, such as for scanning vulnerabilities."

More Kubernetes cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

"The solution is an open-source technology and not a commercial product. However, you will have to pay sometimes. The tool's pricing depends on the vendor."

"The product is a free open-source tool."

"Docker is a free open-source solution. However, there is the Docker Enterprise which is a paid solution."

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

"It's free."

"Docker is a free open-source solution."

"There is a license needed to use Docker."

More Docker pricing and cost advice

"The solution is open source and has no fees."

"Microsoft provides reasonable costs for Kubernetes."

"The solution requires a license to use it."

"Pricing isn't a major concern for us. Since we resell Kubernetes services and focus on providing support, integration, and education, we don't usually have pricing issues. Our customers are more concerned with getting the right support and services than the cost. So, the value we provide is more important than the actual pricing. Pricing might change in the future, but it’s not a big issue for us right now."

"Kubernetes is open source. But we have to manage Kubernetes as a team, and the overhead is a bit high. Compared with the platforms like Cloud Foundry, which has a much less operational overhead. Kubernetes, I have to manage the code, and I have to hire the developers. If someone has a product, a developer should know exactly what he's writing or high availability, and all those things may differ the costs."

"In addition to Kubernetes, you have to pay for support."

"There are no licensing fees."

"Kubernetes is open-source. Kubernetes is free, but we're charged for AWS utilization."

More Kubernetes pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

15%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Computer Software Company

14%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Manufacturing Company

Government

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?

Regarding the cost, Mirantis Container Cloud is cheaper than other solutions like Red Hat. The license costs around 10,000 Indian rupees per year.

See all answers

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.

See all answers

What do you like most about Kubernetes?

There are many good features. I feel that the scale-out features, like replica sets, are very good. The number of running containers can be autoscaled.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Kubernetes?

Since we use Kubernetes on-premises, the costs are related to our expertise and the personnel we hire.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Kubernetes?

Although we face issues when migrating to new versions of Kubernetes, such as misunderstandings on using new features or integration with proxy services, these issues can be addressed with proper p...

See all answers

Comparisons

VMware Tanzu Platform vs Docker

Compared 25% of the time

Codespaces vs Docker

Compared 12% of the time

Mirantis Container Runtime vs Docker

Compared 12% of the time

Rancher Labs vs Docker

Compared 9% of the time

Portainer vs Docker

Compared 9% of the time

More Docker Competitors

VMware Tanzu Platform vs Kubernetes

Compared 43% of the time

Nutanix Kubernetes Engine NKE vs Kubernetes

Compared 16% of the time

Portainer vs Kubernetes

Compared 11% of the time

Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform vs Kubernetes

Compared 7% of the time

Nutanix Kubernetes Platform (NKP) vs Kubernetes

Compared 6% of the time

More Kubernetes Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Docker

June 2025

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Buyer's Guide

Kubernetes

June 2025

Download Kubernetes product report

Also Known As

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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 (K8s) is an open-source system for automating deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications.
It groups containers that make up an application into logical units for easy management and discovery. Kubernetes builds upon 15 years of experience of running production workloads at Google, combined with best-of-breed ideas and practices from the community.

Kubernetes

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

China unicom, NetEase Cloud, Nav, AppDirect

Buyer's Guide

Docker vs. Kubernetes

June 2025

Free Report: Docker vs. Kubernetes

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