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Docker vs Google Kubernetes Engine comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 13, 2024

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
7.4
Number of Reviews
55
Ranking in other categories
Development Platforms (1st), Software Supply Chain Security (5th)
Google Kubernetes Engine
Ranking in Container Management
9th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.6
Number of Reviews
36
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2025, in the Container Management category, the mindshare of Docker is 3.4%, down from 4.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Google Kubernetes Engine is 2.8%, down from 3.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Container Management
 

Featured Reviews

Renat Babin - PeerSpot reviewer
Easy to deploy with an impressive networking feature
The volumes for persistent storage could be more user friendly right out of the box. I would like an option to just use it as local storage or some kind of NSF or CIF. Or to mount the volume straight to a Google Drive or through a particular cloud storage. It's not that these things are impossible, but you have to do some extra work or configurations.
Abhilash Gopidas - PeerSpot reviewer
The auto-scaling feature helps during peak hours, but the support is not great
The product has no downtime. Automated scaling is a valuable feature. During peak hours, the datasets are on a higher volume. We need scaling in place. Otherwise, there's a degradation in the performance. We might sometimes miss data, or there will be no data sync between systems. Auto-scaling helps deal with performance needs during peak hours. There's no lag time for processing data.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Docker is very reliable. It's easy to scale, and it's very stable."
"It is a quite mature technology."
"The ability to use an image with the software built into it, rather than just the software, is beneficial."
"I think the best feature is to replicate anything in our local machine using a simple command."
"The solution helps save costs."
"Feature-wise, Docker is very user-friendly...The solution's initial setup process was straightforward."
"The most valuable feature is Docker has a fast learning curve."
"The solution's customer service is good."
"We appreciate that it is quite easy to set up a Kubernetes cluster in Google Cloud, using the managed services within this solution."
"It's easy to manage and deploy. It's the best."
"The initial setup process is simpler and more user-friendly than other cloud providers."
"The initial setup was very easy because it's like a Google platform as a service. It's just one button to set it up. The deployment took only a few minutes."
"The features are typical Kubernetes, but Google One offers a better GUI-based deployment. It's more sophisticated and integrates well with other services, providing a better customer experience."
"Google Kubernetes Engine's most valuable features are microservices and its acquisition rate, which is very useful for scaling perspective."
"The initial setup is very easy. We can create our cluster using the command line, or using our console."
"It is easy to use and deploy."
 

Cons

"I would like to see better management layers."
"Management can be improved with the necessary tools for orchestration."
"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."
"Deployment could be quicker."
"The stability could be improved."
"The documentation could be improved."
"Sometimes there's a bug or defect in the solution. However, the Docker team works on fixing it."
"Docker management is very difficult when we have a large number of nodes."
"An area in which Google Kubernetes Engine could improve is configuration."
"The management UI could be improved."
"The product could be cheaper."
"Log observability could be made easier so someone from high school can use it without having technological expertise."
"I use the Firebase tool with GKE and it would be helpful if the solution can give notifications when we reach the budget limit."
"I would like to see the ability to create multiple notebook configurations."
"There is a limitation for our infrastructure. It's very complex to see in one dashboard all the components and all the behavior on performance. I am looking for some additional tools for that. If I want to check the disk or file storage, it gets complex. There should be an integrated dashboard so that we can manage everything through a single pane."
"There is room for improvement in this solution. For example, auto-scaling can be complex. We expect it to be easier to set up and manage, even for our customers."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It's free."
"Pricing is based on the number of users."
"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."
"Customers pay for the license through a yearly subscription model, where they pay per license. This means that the license is based on a subscription, and the customer pays annually for each license they use."
"The current cost for us is nothing as an open source."
"The solution offers an open-source version that is free and includes a lot of functionality."
"Docker is open source. To use a Docker enterprise model, we would need to pay for it."
"I use the solution's open-source version."
"The tool's licensing costs are yearly."
"Initially, Google Kubernetes Engine was a little bit cheaper, but now its prices have been increased compared to the pricing model and the features that are made available by its competitors."
"Its pricing is good. They bill us only per user. That's nice."
"Currently, it costs around $1000 per month which sorted our deployment. So once we get more clients, having a huge suffix, costs can go up."
"The price for Google Kubernetes Engine could be lower - I'd rate its pricing at three out of five."
"I would rate the solution's pricing a nine out of ten. The tool costs around 3000 dollars per month. There are no additional costs apart from these."
"It is competitive, and it is not expensive. It is almost competitive with AWS and the rest of the cloud solutions. We are spending around 3K USD per month. There are four projects that are currently running, and each one is incurring a cost of around 3K USD."
"I would rate Kubernetes' pricing four out of five."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
19%
Insurance Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Government
8%
Financial Services Firm
22%
Computer Software Company
12%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Retailer
8%
 

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.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Docker?
Our customers buy the software and the prices are available on Docker Hub. The subscription is typically yearly, and customers will need to buy the subscription directly. They can purchase it thems...
What needs improvement with Docker?
Docker is a time-tested, proven solution with industry-wide applications. There can be challenges with port mapping, however, that's not related to Docker itself.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Google Kubernetes Engine?
For pricing, Google is considered cheaper compared to AWS, making it suitable for smaller to medium companies concerning cost. I would rate the cost around four out of ten, where ten is the higher ...
What needs improvement with Google Kubernetes Engine?
The management UI could be improved. When looking at the web interface, it feels kind of slow due to the many features involved. The interface could definitely be faster.
 

Also Known As

No data available
GKE
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Philips Lighting, Alpha Vertex, GroupBy, BQ
Find out what your peers are saying about Docker vs. Google Kubernetes Engine and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.
831,997 professionals have used our research since 2012.