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AWS App Runner vs Docker comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

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

AWS App Runner
Ranking in Development Platforms
6th
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Docker
Ranking in Development Platforms
1st
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
56
Ranking in other categories
Container Management (5th), Software Supply Chain Security (6th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Development Platforms category, the mindshare of AWS App Runner is 0.5%. The mindshare of Docker is 43.9%, up from 37.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Development Platforms
 

Featured Reviews

reviewer2677686 - PeerSpot reviewer
Automated processes have led to significant cost savings and efficiency improvements
There are too many technical details for a single developer to know, making it overwhelming. It would benefit from a roadmap wizard or templates to guide developers. AWS App Runner should have a wizard and templates to simplify creating a REST service. Developers need clearer guidance to avoid spending excessive time understanding the system.
Rikin Parekh - PeerSpot reviewer
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.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"I like that the solution is easy to start with."
"Our company realized tremendous cost savings by eliminating the need for a separate DevOps team."
"Docker's containerization property is its main selling point."
"Docker is convenient and easy to use."
"Feature-wise, Docker is very user-friendly...The solution's initial setup process was straightforward."
"The solution is easy to deploy for clients so it saves a lot of hassle."
"The most valuable feature of Docker is the dedicated QA environment for connecting the team members. Additionally, there are many core features available and it is highly secure when we are imaging a client's server."
"The capability of the solution to convert an application into a Docker image is a vital functionality"
"The lift and shift creates a lightweight image."
"I think the best feature is to replicate anything in our local machine using a simple command."
 

Cons

"When you try to deploy some code that you've written and tested on other platforms, you should also tell the system what your configuration would be."
"There are too many technical details for a single developer to know, making it overwhelming."
"Docker could improve by providing the ability to use the GPU for parallel processing. If there was the capability of using the GPU it would improve the machine learning that I want to use."
"The solution’s documentation could improve a bit."
"The solution needs to be more scalable for local machines."
"We'd like knowledge transfer to be easier."
"I advise new users to review their website, commands, and the steps for creating images."
"There can be challenges with port mapping, however, that's not related to Docker itself."
"The command line interface could be more intuitive. I constantly struggle with it."
"Sometimes, it can become heavy and cause performance issues."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"You pay as much as your infrastructure and provision are running."
"Docker is open source. To use a Docker enterprise model, we would need to pay for it."
"Docker is cost-effective and open-source."
"This is an open-source solution, so there are no licensing costs."
"There is a license needed to use Docker."
"Regarding pricing, we primarily use AWS for our deployments since we have funding for it. We don't spend much on Docker-specific services, just the containerization product. Docker Hub isn't particularly expensive either, so overall, the pricing is pretty reasonable."
"It's an open-source solution, so it doesn't cost anything"
"Pricing is based on the number of users."
"Docker is a free open-source solution. However, there is the Docker Enterprise which is a paid solution."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Computer Software Company
16%
Insurance Company
12%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Government
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for AWS App Runner?
To get AWS App Runner up and running, significant resources and expertise are necessary. One individual must have sufficient knowledge, which can be costly for startups but feasible for larger comp...
What needs improvement with AWS App Runner?
There are too many technical details for a single developer to know, making it overwhelming. It would benefit from a roadmap wizard or templates to guide developers. AWS App Runner should have a wi...
What is your primary use case for AWS App Runner?
I use AWS App Runner as a development platform. I create a service locally with Docker containers, and then I'm able to start it up to test. If I need to make a backup, I just put it on a different...
What do you like most about Docker?
We are using Docker to host applications.
What needs improvement with Docker?
In terms of communication between services, perhaps the configuration within networks between containers could be improved.
 

Comparisons

No data available
 

Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about AWS App Runner vs. Docker and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
848,989 professionals have used our research since 2012.