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Docker vs Google Kubernetes Engine 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
Docker boosts ROI by reducing time, staffing, and costs, while improving efficiency, productivity, and simplifying deployment and collaboration.
Sentiment score
4.8
Google Kubernetes Engine offers cost efficiency and productivity, though additional service costs and competition may affect returns.
I can do containerization and share it with every computer, making it work for everyone.
Site Reliability Engineer at Granicus Inc.
By migrating from AWS to Google Cloud Platform, we have saved a lot of time and money.
Director at Taotesting
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
4.2
Docker provides strong support with thorough documentation, community resources, and additional SLA features for paid users.
Sentiment score
3.3
User satisfaction with Google Kubernetes Engine support is mixed, with some praising efficiency and others noting delays and challenges.
From what I gather, customer support is great; they are quick and always available to support or help.
Site Reliability Engineer at Granicus Inc.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.5
Docker provides scalable container management with Kubernetes, suitable for cloud environments, though needing automation improvements for broader efficiency.
Sentiment score
5.0
Google Kubernetes Engine excels in scalability, supporting dynamic scaling for enterprises and cloud platforms, ideal for diverse applications.
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
A realistic metric I observe is that I can scale services from two to over 20 containers without code changes.
Site Reliability Engineer at Granicus Inc.
The autoscaling capabilities of Google Kubernetes Engine have significantly impacted our operations.
Director at Taotesting
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.9
Docker is favored for its stability and effective container management, despite minor issues like memory and Windows compatibility.
Sentiment score
7.4
Google Kubernetes Engine is stable, with minimal downtime and consistent performance, appreciated for scalability and adaptability across environments.
Docker has been very stable in my environment, especially once best practices and proper organization were in place.
Site Reliability Engineer at Granicus Inc.
If I have 100 replicas of containers and the traffic suddenly pushes to 1,000 within a fraction of a second, the selected machine type must be fast.
Cloud Associate DevOps at Publicis Sapient
 

Room For Improvement

Docker requires improved documentation, stability, user interfaces, and performance, alongside easier cloud integration and better community support.
Users suggest improvements in pricing, upgrades, interface, security, support, integration, backup, and performance visibility for Google Kubernetes Engine.
Docker is a time-tested, proven solution with industry-wide applications.
Senior Cloud Engineer - AWS at Bytedance
Docker is excellent for containerization and CI/CD, but it can be improved in areas of built-in security, network simplicity, and observability.
Site Reliability Engineer at Granicus Inc.
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
When looking at the web interface, it feels kind of slow due to the many features involved.
Product Manager at a tech vendor with 11-50 employees
I think they are already implementing Kubernetes itself, so they are the owners.
Solution Architect at Rutotech
Log observability could be made easier so someone from high school can use it without having technological expertise.
Consultant at HSBC
 

Setup Cost

Docker offers scalable open-source and enterprise options with flexible pricing, starting at $5 per user, impacting overall costs.
Google Kubernetes Engine offers usage-based pricing with flexibility, but costs may rise with robust configurations and small deployments.
Docker Desktop is free for individual developers and small teams, but a paid subscription is required for large enterprises.
Site Reliability Engineer at Granicus Inc.
I consider Docker's pricing to be affordable.
Software Engineer at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Instead, we only pay for the hardware we use, which results in cost-cutting.
Cloud Associate DevOps at Publicis Sapient
Google is considered cheaper compared to AWS, making it suitable for smaller to medium companies concerning cost.
Product Manager at a tech vendor with 11-50 employees
Google Kubernetes Engine solution is expensive, as are all cloud solutions in general.
Associate Consultant at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
 

Valuable Features

Docker offers secure, flexible, and easy containerization with fast deployment, automation, cost savings, and seamless integration across platforms.
Google Kubernetes Engine excels with auto-scaling, easy deployment, integration, security, and reduced complexity for seamless application management.
Good security capabilities are included as well, providing image scanning, non-root containers, and minimal base images that reduce the attack surface.
Site Reliability Engineer at Granicus Inc.
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
The most valuable aspect of Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) is its managed nature, which significantly reduces the burden on our platform team.
Product Manager at a tech vendor with 11-50 employees
The best advantage of Google Kubernetes Engine is that it manages Kubernetes for you, making everything related to the master nodes managed for you with automatic updating and upgrading.
Solution Architect at Rutotech
What I find most valuable is the ability to focus solely on my product without worrying about the Kubernetes infrastructure itself.
Director at Taotesting
 

Categories and Ranking

Docker
Ranking in Container Management
4th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
57
Ranking in other categories
Development Platforms (1st), Software Supply Chain Security (3rd), AI Software Development (7th)
Google Kubernetes Engine
Ranking in Container Management
8th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.1
Number of Reviews
40
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Container Management category, the mindshare of Docker is 4.6%, up from 3.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Google Kubernetes Engine is 2.3%, up from 2.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Container Management Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Docker4.6%
Google Kubernetes Engine2.3%
Other93.1%
Container Management
 

Featured Reviews

reviewer2787357 - PeerSpot reviewer
Site Reliability Engineer at Granicus Inc.
Containerization has standardized deployments and drives faster, more reliable delivery
As Docker is already a very mature tool, there are areas where it can be improved based on real-world usage. One area I consider is the Windows container experience. The pain point here is that Windows containers are heavier and slower than Linux containers because I have worked in both environments and felt that Windows containers are heavier and slower than Linux containers. This also limits the ecosystem and tooling maturity compared to Linux containers. Improvements could include performance optimization and better parity with Linux container features. Apart from that, observability and debugging is another area. The pain point is the limited native metrics available and limited logging and tracing features. Improvements could include adding a good amount of metrics, logging, and tracing, as well as better built-in observability features and easier container introspection. Network complexity is also present. I face issues with Docker networking that can become confusing in complex setups, and debugging container-to-container issues is not always intuitive. Improvements can be made with simpler networking abstractions and better built-in troubleshooting tools. Docker is excellent for containerization and CI/CD, but it can be improved in areas of built-in security, network simplicity, and observability. These points should be kept in mind and worked on.
Parthasarathy T - PeerSpot reviewer
Cloud Associate DevOps at Publicis Sapient
Managed solutions enable efficient handling of web applications and migration projects
Google Kubernetes Engine can be improved by enabling the in-place upgrade of the machine type of an existing node pool since I currently need to destroy and recreate it. There is no feature present where I can upgrade directly, and having more than 1,000 to 2,000 workloads in one node pool makes changing the node pool name difficult for all those workloads. I choose eight out of ten mainly because of the node pool upgrade challenge I mentioned, but also because of the existence of Anthos service mesh, which is the ingress controller available only for the enterprise Kubernetes Engine. It would be beneficial if it could be offered in the normal Kubernetes Engine with any limitations.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
15%
Computer Software Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
9%
University
7%
Financial Services Firm
26%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Healthcare Company
7%
Retailer
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business22
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise35
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business21
Midsize Enterprise6
Large Enterprise15
 

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.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Google Kubernetes Engine?
My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing for Google Kubernetes Engine is straightforward, as I previously indicated. The need for humans is reduced with GCP since there is no need for ...
What needs improvement with Google Kubernetes Engine?
The price could be a bit cheaper. I don't see anything with Google Kubernetes Engine that needs to be improved. I think they are already implementing Kubernetes itself, so they are the owners. Howe...
 

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: December 2025.
880,685 professionals have used our research since 2012.