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 8.7. 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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390 Comparison Views

98% willing to recommend

VMware Tanzu Platform

Read 21 VMware Tanzu Platform reviews

267 Views
215 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Docker

VMware Tanzu Platform

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 9, 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: April 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Docker vs. VMware Tanzu Platform

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 Development Platforms

1st

Ranking in Container Management

5th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Software Supply Chain Security (6th)

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 (12th), Cloud Management (24th), Service Mesh (7th), Agile and DevOps Services (2nd)

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.

Read full review

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

"Kubernetes is the primary container orchestration tool I use with this solution. Docker provides a complete solution for deploying and managing workloads across multiple nodes. Container orchestration has significantly impacted my workload by automating tasks and streamlining operations. The availability of systems like Kubernetes is crucial for planning and managing complete clusters and computing environments. Every client's needs are different, and not one solution fits all."

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

"The ability to use an image with the software built into it, rather than just the software, is beneficial."

"The solution is stable."

"There are ways of using Docker where you have absolutely no dependencies on the environment that you work in. This allows us to deploy Docker anywhere anytime and this has been most valuable."

"The stability is excellent."

"Docker allows you to run multiple virtual machines independently."

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

More Docker pros

"There are a lot of services available in VMware Tanzu Application Service, such as databases and application servers. You have everything you need in one application and you do not need to search outside of the solution."

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

"The most important feature of Tanzu Mission Control is its integration with the other products, especially with ESX and vSAN. This is a strong part of Tanzu Mission Control. In other solutions, such as OpenShift or Kubernetes, you can find similar features, but they don't have similar integration. With Tanzu Mission Control, you get a total solution with only one provider. You have the integration with the infrastructure, virtualization of networking, and virtualization of storage. You have a natural integration, and you don't have the problem of integrating it with different products or providers. Sometimes, different companies have good integration, but it is not always guaranteed. For example, many years ago, Cisco and VMware were good partners in networking, but when VMware started to sell ESX, the relationship was broken. This is the problem that you can face when you are using solutions from two different companies."

"VMware Tanzu Mission Control has many valuable features, such as ease of use and customization."

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

"The solution is integrated very well with a lot of other systems. Also, its GUI is very good."

"Defining security metrics has proven beneficial for customers in maintaining a safe environment."

"A feature we find valuable is that other products can also be integrated with Mission Control. This means that we can see the status of specific clusters, as well as view the monitoring application logs all from one point."

More VMware Tanzu Platform pros

Cons

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

"If you install Docker on a host, it creates its own firewalls. It can become an issue. Usually, when you want to install Docker, you need to restart the firewall or restart the active tables on the machine, but this is not the case with Kubernetes. It uses the default set up by the next administrator, but with Docker, you have to restart the firewall and restart Docker before the firewall on the system will be okay. If you do not the rules will not be created."

"The solution’s documentation could improve a bit."

"Docker could improve by having security vulnerability reports."

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

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

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

"Marketing of Docker is one area that needs to improve."

More Docker cons

"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."

"The network control and security policies must be improved."

"The product should support integration with Google Cloud Platform (GCP)"

"The infrastructure is quite challenging."

"I would like to see additional support for things outside of Cloud Foundry."

"Addressing the high upfront costs could improve the product. Implementing a subscription-based model with tiered service options could make it more accessible to a broader range of customers."

"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."

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

More VMware Tanzu Platform cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Pricing is based on the number of users."

"This is an open-source solution, so there are no licensing costs."

"We use the open-source version."

"Since Docker is an open-source solution, it is free of cost."

"Docker is a free open-source solution."

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

"Docker is cost-effective and open-source."

"Docker is a free open-source solution."

More Docker pricing and cost advice

"Its pricing is very competitive. We get around 70% or 75%, sometimes even 80%, discount on the product. I would rate it a four out of five in terms of pricing."

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

"One of our Spanish customers told us that VMware Tanzu Service Mesh is a very expensive product for their data center."

"The solution is bundled in with Cloud Foundry so the pricing is not independent."

"The licensing cost is expensive."

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

"The product is not expensive, but it is not cheap."

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

More VMware Tanzu Platform 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

16%

Computer Software Company

16%

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?

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

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

Rancher Labs vs Docker

Compared 13% of the time

Codespaces vs Docker

Compared 12% of the time

Mirantis Container Runtime vs Docker

Compared 12% of the time

Nutanix Kubernetes Engine NKE vs Docker

Compared 7% of the time

AWS Cloud Development Kit (CDK) vs Docker

Compared 7% of the time

More Docker Competitors

Rancher Labs vs VMware Tanzu Platform

Compared 17% of the time

Kubernetes vs VMware Tanzu Platform

Compared 13% of the time

Nutanix Kubernetes Engine NKE vs VMware Tanzu Platform

Compared 11% of the time

Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform vs VMware Tanzu Platform

Compared 8% 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

May 2025

Download Docker product report

Buyer's Guide

VMware Tanzu Platform

April 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

April 2025

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