Docker vs VMware Tanzu Platform comparison

Docker and VMware are both solutions in the Development Platforms category. Docker is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.9, while VMware is ranked #3 with an average rating of 8.5. Docker holds a 42.7% mindshare in DP, compared to VMware’s 23.7% mindshare. Additionally, 98% of Docker users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of VMware users who would recommend it.

Docker

Read 56 Docker reviews

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73 Comparison Views

98% willing to recommend

VMware Tanzu Platform

Read 22 VMware Tanzu Platform reviews

251 Views
205 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Docker

VMware Tanzu Platform

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 15, 2025

Docker and VMware Tanzu Platform compete in the realm of containerization and cloud management solutions. Docker seems to have the upper hand in terms of cost-effectiveness and ease of use, while VMware Tanzu excels with its integration within the VMware ecosystem and robust cloud capabilities.

Features: Docker offers strong security, user-friendly documentation, and simplicity in deployment, making it highly popular for containerized applications. It is known for its portability and cost-effectiveness, which are enhanced by seamless integrations. VMware Tanzu Platform stands out with its native integration with VMware products, comprehensive management for Kubernetes clusters, and multi-cloud support, providing a full-stack cloud solution.

Room for Improvement: Docker could improve its firewall setup, security vulnerability reporting, and integration with Microsoft Windows. Enhancements are also suggested for its UI and command line interface. VMware Tanzu Platform users see integration with non-VMware ecosystems and its high cost as areas to address. Additional granular networking controls and improved disaster recovery features are also desired.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Docker offers a variety of deployment options and is praised for its comprehensive documentation and active community support. Support experiences vary but are generally positive. VMware Tanzu Platform supports diverse environments but is more complex due to its integration within the VMware suite. Support is responsive with positive customer engagement.

Pricing and ROI: Docker is cost-effective with its open-source model, providing significant ROI through reduced development times. Its Enterprise version offers more features but remains competitive. VMware Tanzu Platform, being pricier, targets larger enterprises, delivering ROI through its full-featured management capabilities and integration, yet its high cost can be a disadvantage for smaller businesses.

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

Buyer's Guide

Docker vs. VMware Tanzu Platform

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 Development Platforms

1st

Ranking in Container Management

5th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Software Supply Chain Security (5th)

VMware Tanzu Platform

Ranking in Development Platforms

3rd

Ranking in Container Management

3rd

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Build Automation (13th), PaaS Clouds (13th), Cloud Management (25th), Service Mesh (7th), Agile and DevOps Services (2nd)

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the Development Platforms category, the mindshare of Docker is 42.7%, up from 38.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of VMware Tanzu Platform is 23.7%, up from 20.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Development Platforms

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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DarshanChaudhari

Solutions Architect Hybrid Cloud Practice US/Europe at Tech Mahindra Limited

Empowers seamless connectivity and integration through APIs while offering robust auto-scaling

I am involved in IT services and we provide a solution to customers. We work with VMware, Nutanix, OpenShift, and Microsoft Hyper-V The Tanzu platform is highly available, scalable, and flexible. It offers native services for autoscaling and integrations through APIs, allowing seamless…

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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

"The lift and shift creates a lightweight image."

"We are able to stop our containers or stop the service with a single command."

"When used in conjunction with Kubernetes, it is seamless because it integrates very well."

"The most valuable feature of Docker is its integration with other solutions, such as KVM and AlmaLinux."

"The most valuable feature is that it gives you the same environment as on a developer machine as well as a production machine relevant to specifications."

"In our line of work, we've been involved in various sectors, such as industrial products, transportation, client engineering, telecom, and medical. For instance, we're currently developing an IT platform. One key use case we're tackling is device management."

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

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

More Docker pros

"The most popular feature of VMware Tanzu Mission Control is its graphical user interface for describing network policies on the Service Mesh, which is highly integrable with other tools commonly used in supply chains such as security."

"The most valuable feature of the solution is the ability to check the flow of all the different variants within our applications."

"We never experienced any problems with scalability."

"The most important thing about the solution is its flexibility."

"The Tanzu platform is highly available, scalable, and flexible."

"The multi-tenancy with the VCD is great."

"The initial setup is easy."

"The most valuable feature of VMware Tanzu Mission Control is the management functionality of the cluster life cycle. Additionally, the solution integrates well with other vendors, such as Velero for backups and Sonobuoy for compliance. Additionally, it works well in multi-cluster environments."

More VMware Tanzu Platform pros

Cons

"The stability could be improved."

"Unfortunately, base images are not currently available."

"We'd like knowledge transfer to be easier."

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

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

"We are facing multiple issues with the solution's stability."

"The vendor should release a monitoring tool or include monitoring capabilities in Docker"

"The security layer is very vulnerable, although they are working to improve the system hardening and email hardening."

More Docker cons

"The infrastructure is quite challenging."

"Cost is always a concern. Smaller companies might find the price a bigger issue."

"The implementation is not easy, it is very complex and can take a day or two to complete."

"It is not easy to build a solution with containers. It has a graphical user interface, but you need to have a lot of knowledge of Linux and how to work in the command mode. Its support can also be improved. Currently, its biggest disadvantage is that it is a new product, and the clients prefer to go for a solution that has been in the market for a long time. There are not that many people who know this product."

"The solution's initial setup process was complex...The solution could benefit from improved customization and visibility for its users."

"Tanzu provides better manageability as compared to OCP, but when it comes to tagging it with other products, it's a bit rigid. If I have to bring in any new product or something out of the box from a different vendor, working with Tanzu becomes a little difficult. For example, if I want to use the F5 services, I have to add one more layer of Avi, but I don't want to do that. If I have a list of the products that I want to use, such as for firewall services, with Tanzu, I will have to go through another layer, which creates complexity."

"Tanzu could provide more granular control over whatever networking is being done on the containers. I would also like to see a slightly more detailed view of application-level tracing. I'm referring to the connections between different microservices. If they added a service-matching feature, that would be helpful for the customers to build or be more effective."

"LYNX is a managed cluster solution that takes care of specific details within a cluster, such as sequences or services. I haven't seen this feature in Tanzu Mission Control."

More VMware Tanzu Platform cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The offering and service are quite free."

"We are using the open-source version of the solution."

"The current cost for us is nothing as an open source."

"Docker's price is good."

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

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

"There is a license needed to use Docker."

"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."

More Docker pricing and cost advice

"It is not the most expensive option, and I believe the capabilities align well with the value it provides."

"I would recommend that businesses look into the full price for their requirements. The price is high, but there are some open-source add-ons that can be used for customization while keeping costs down, although these might not be suitable for everyone."

"The solution is only for large or medium size enterprises because it is expensive."

"The price of VMware Tanzu Mission Control is greater than that of Red Hat's competitor solution"

"There are different licenses available. You have to upgrade your license if you want to scale the solution more."

"VMware Tanzu Mission Control is cheaper than Red Hat OpenShift."

"Since we were at a large data center, the price might not have been a concern for us."

"The licensing cost is expensive."

More VMware Tanzu Platform pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

15%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Government

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

16%

Computer Software Company

15%

Manufacturing Company

11%

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

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...

See all answers

What do you like most about VMware Tanzu Mission Control?

It definitely gives the end customer a good overview and perspective of running applications in terms of overall workload footprint. TMC provides a very detailed description of your cloud-native ap...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for VMware Tanzu Mission Control?

The price of VMware Tanzu Mission Control is greater than that of Red Hat's competitor solution. I would rate the pricing of VMware Tanzu Mission Control as four out of ten.

See all answers

Comparisons

Codespaces vs Docker

Compared 12% of the time

Mirantis Container Runtime vs Docker

Compared 12% of the time

Rancher Labs vs Docker

Compared 10% of the time

Portainer vs Docker

Compared 8% of the time

AWS Cloud Development Kit (CDK) vs Docker

Compared 6% of the time

More Docker Competitors

Rancher Labs vs VMware Tanzu Platform

Compared 15% of the time

Kubernetes vs VMware Tanzu Platform

Compared 14% of the time

Nutanix Kubernetes Engine NKE vs VMware Tanzu Platform

Compared 11% of the time

Red Hat OpenShift vs VMware Tanzu Platform

Compared 9% of the time

Pivotal Cloud Foundry vs VMware Tanzu Platform

Compared 5% of the time

More VMware Tanzu Platform Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Docker

June 2025

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Buyer's Guide

VMware Tanzu Platform

June 2025

Download VMware Tanzu Platform product report

Also Known As

No data available

Tanzu Application Catalog, Application Platform, Application Service, Hub, Mission Control, Service Mesh, Build Service, Concourse for VMware Tanzu

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

VMware Tanzu Platform is designed for cloud-native development and management of Kubernetes, CI/CD processes, microservices, and containerized workloads. It supports deployments both on cloud and on-premises, providing centralized management via Mission Control.

VMware Tanzu Platform offers seamless integration with vSphere, ESX, and vSAN, supporting centralized cluster management and lifecycle management. The platform provides a GUI for monitoring CI/CD pipelines and network policies, enhancing multi-tenancy and Day 2 operations. Users can easily manage Kubernetes clusters, monitor applications, and integrate with tools such as GitHub, GitLab, Cloud Foundry, and Azure. It ensures compliance and security for service providers, financial institutions, and businesses.

What are the key features of VMware Tanzu Platform?

Integration with vSphere, ESX, and vSAN: Enhances compatibility and flexibility.
Seamless Cluster Management: Centralized control over Kubernetes clusters.
CI/CD Pipelines and Network Policies: Simplifies monitoring and management.
Multi-tenancy Support: Facilitates resource sharing among multiple users.
Comprehensive Lifecycle Management: Streamlines deployment and scalability.
Observability Platform: Provides enhanced visibility and control.

What benefits and ROI should users look for in VMware Tanzu Platform reviews?

Centralized Management: Simplifies operations and reduces manual effort.
Enhanced Compliance and Security: Meets regulatory requirements.
Flexibility in Deployment: Supports both cloud and on-premises options.
Seamless Integration: Works with multiple vendors and tools.
Developer-Friendly Environment: Improves productivity and innovation.

Industries such as financial institutions, service providers, and businesses requiring rigorous compliance and security deploy VMware Tanzu Platform. These entities benefit from centralized management, streamlined DevOps processes, and integrated tools, enhancing their capabilities in cloud-native developments and containerized workloads.

VMware

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

Verizon, Cerner, Zipcar, Avarteq

Buyer's Guide

Docker vs. VMware Tanzu Platform

June 2025

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