Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

Docker vs Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 11, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
8.0
Organizations achieve significant ROI with Docker by reducing costs and increasing efficiency through streamlined workflows and fast provisioning.
Sentiment score
4.6
Users experienced cost reductions, scalability, and faster deployment with Red Hat OpenShift, despite uncertainty in new sectors.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
4.1
Docker's customer support is well-rated, with users often relying on community resources and documentation for quick issue resolution.
Sentiment score
5.8
Users praise Red Hat OpenShift support for responsiveness but suggest improvements in prioritizing urgent issues and reducing delays.
They should prioritize skilled engineers for urgent issues.
Solaris UNIX Systems Engineer at Standard Bank South Africa
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.5
Docker enables effective manual scaling with Kubernetes integration, aiding small businesses despite disk space and resource limitations.
Sentiment score
7.4
Red Hat OpenShift excels in scalable, flexible resource management for diverse business needs, despite some documentation gaps.
Previously, only one or two applications could run on a server, but now it can handle hundreds of applications, scaling up or down as needed.
Senior Cloud Engineer - AWS at Bytedance
I rate the scalability of Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform as a nine, as I haven't encountered any issues with scaling a cluster or applications.
Solaris UNIX Systems Engineer at Standard Bank South Africa
Scalability is rated nine out of ten.
It Team Lead at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.9
Docker is praised for stability and reliability, especially in Linux, though it faces occasional compatibility and resource challenges.
Sentiment score
7.4
Red Hat OpenShift is highly stable post-4.8, handling upgrades smoothly, reliable for critical workloads with few minor bugs.
There haven't been any issues so far; it remains stable with no downtime or crashes, and even the upgrades are handled seamlessly without issues.
Solaris UNIX Systems Engineer at Standard Bank South Africa
 

Room For Improvement

Docker needs better documentation, enhanced security, intuitive UI, improved support, pricing, integrations, and more robust orchestration and monitoring.
Red Hat OpenShift struggles with networking, deployment, pricing, needing better integration, documentation, and automation while addressing cost concerns.
Docker is a time-tested, proven solution with industry-wide applications.
Senior Cloud Engineer - AWS at Bytedance
In terms of communication between services, perhaps the configuration within networks between containers could be improved.
Software Engineer at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
The solution itself doesn't require a high learning curve; it is actually quite good to manage.
Infrastructure Architect & CEO at Tirzok Private Limited
I would like to see advanced cluster management added in future releases, such as a single pane of glass to manage multiple clusters.
Solaris UNIX Systems Engineer at Standard Bank South Africa
 

Setup Cost

Docker offers both free open-source options and paid enterprise licenses, with some users deterred by rising licensing costs.
Enterprise users acknowledge high pricing of Red Hat OpenShift, considering it valuable, with discounts for long-term commitments despite licensing complexity.
I consider Docker's pricing to be affordable.
Software Engineer at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
The current licensing cost for this solution is around $23,000 per year, per month.
Solaris UNIX Systems Engineer at Standard Bank South Africa
Notably, the platform plus is quite expensive according to the market.
Infrastructure Architect & CEO at Tirzok Private Limited
 

Valuable Features

Docker enhances deployment with security, portability, and ease, offering customization, auto-scaling, lightweight setup, and isolated application environments.
Red Hat OpenShift offers scalability, security, integration, and efficiency for fast application delivery and enterprise-level resource management.
It allows the software to run on various machines without compatibility issues, saving a lot of time.
Senior Cloud Engineer - AWS at Bytedance
The most valuable feature is the simple containerization.
Software Engineer at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
In terms of features in Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform, I find the orchestration itself quite useful for my customers because it integrates with lots of tools.
Infrastructure Architect & CEO at Tirzok Private Limited
It is important for critical systems.
It Team Lead at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
The cluster scaling features, such as the auto-scaling of cluster nodes and application replicas using horizontal and vertical pod auto-scaling, significantly impact our operations.
Solaris UNIX Systems Engineer at Standard Bank South Africa
 

Categories and Ranking

Docker
Ranking in Container Management
4th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
56
Ranking in other categories
Development Platforms (1st), Software Supply Chain Security (3rd), AI Software Development (6th)
Red Hat OpenShift Container...
Ranking in Container Management
1st
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
51
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of December 2025, in the Container Management category, the mindshare of Docker is 4.7%, up from 3.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform is 19.2%, down from 23.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Container Management Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform19.2%
Docker4.7%
Other76.1%
Container Management
 

Featured Reviews

PB
Senior Cloud Engineer - AWS at Bytedance
Time-saving deployment with seamless virtualization for diverse environments
I used Docker to Dockerize Java code. We had a code base, and I needed to create a Docker image from it so that it could be deployed. At the time, we used Docker Compose, which is somewhat similar to Kubernetes Docker allows virtualization at a higher level without the need for a host machine.…
NM
Solaris UNIX Systems Engineer at Standard Bank South Africa
Consistent performance impresses users while technical support needs improvement
I definitely recommend Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform to other organizations due to its high availability, security, ease of use, and all the built-in features it offers. We do no maintenance for Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform since ROSA is fully managed, and that's why it is a bit more expensive than EKS. The fully managed service includes 24/7 support, scheduling, and upgrades; we only need to inform Red Hat support about upgrades, and they manage the process end to end. Overall, I rate Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform as a nine; although I would say ten, I think it's important to allow room for improvement.
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Container Management solutions are best for your needs.
879,259 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
14%
Computer Software Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
8%
University
7%
Financial Services Firm
20%
Computer Software Company
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Government
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business22
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise34
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business14
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise39
 

Questions from the Community

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.
Which is better - OpenShift Container Platform or VMware Tanzu Mission Control?
Red Hat Openshift is ideal for organizations using microservices and cloud environments. I like that the platform is auto-scalable, which saves overhead time for developers. I think Openshift can b...
What do you like most about OpenShift Container Platform?
The tool's most valuable features include high availability, scalability, and security. Other features like advanced cluster management, advanced cluster security, and Red Hat Quay make it powerful...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for OpenShift Container Platform?
Regarding whether Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform is expensive or if the price is reasonable for my customers, to me, the services it provides should incur some costs, but based on market feed...
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Edenor, BMW, Ford, Argentine Ministry of Health
Find out what your peers are saying about Docker vs. Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
879,259 professionals have used our research since 2012.