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Docker vs Portainer 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

Docker
Ranking in Container Management
5th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
56
Ranking in other categories
Development Platforms (1st), Software Supply Chain Security (6th)
Portainer
Ranking in Container Management
14th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
1
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Container Management category, the mindshare of Docker is 2.6%, down from 3.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Portainer is 5.7%, up from 1.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Container Management
 

Featured Reviews

AnandanB - PeerSpot reviewer
Pre-built images can be pulled and used instantly, saving time and effort
Docker volumes. When I integrated volumes, I faced challenges. I have not essentially used add volumes to the existing instances. Maybe, I am not familiar with adding volumes to the existing Docker images. That might be a challenge, but it should be fairly straightforward. I'm just not aware of it. So just for me personally, it is a challenge. Docker has all the major support already. They should publish all the build images of Docker on an open-source resource like Github. They should support all the stuff. For example, now Docker supplies all these standard images, like database images or whatever image that the standard application is related to. Whenever there is Docker Compose information available on an open-source community project, that image should also be maintained and supported by Docker itself instead of the dev team doing it. Docker should take an interest in building those images and maintaining them for the public community projects that are hosted.
EB
A GUI solution that helps to administer a docker using a browser
The first time using Portainer involves a learning curve. It takes longer as you're unfamiliar with the processes and might be lazy to consult the manual. Initially, you may rely on intuition within the GUI. However, after repeating the same tasks three or four times, the process becomes much quicker.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The tool helps us in code versioning. I think it's pretty much easy to use and very straightforward. Even if someone is new to the tool, they can easily start using it with a little guidance or theoretical knowledge. Go through the tool and start using it without much struggle."
"The initial setup was easy, and you are only required to run commands."
"Docker creates lightweight applications that are easy to manage and scale."
"I am impressed with the product's independence. We can also deploy it anywhere."
"It is a quite mature technology."
"The lift and shift creates a lightweight image."
"The deployment is quite fast, which is beneficial."
"I think the best feature is to replicate anything in our local machine using a simple command."
"Portainer comes with the ability to take the information of docker definition. Using it, I can visually observe how the container has been created. It allows me to create networks. I can also visually generate volumes and working stacks."
 

Cons

"I advise new users to review their website, commands, and the steps for creating images."
"In terms of communication between services, perhaps the configuration within networks between containers could be improved."
"There is always room for improvement. I often refer to forums such as StackOverflow to learn from other developers' experiences and the challenges they have faced while using Docker."
"Docker needs to improve its pricing."
"Docker management is very difficult when we have a large number of nodes."
"I think Docker can improve as it relates to overall stability."
"The solution could improve with a GUI instead of only a command line interface. Having to use the command line interface can be a hassle."
"The product does not have an extensive documentation. The tool does not have good scenarios. We have to go through the GitHub repository and investigate similar scenarios. Also, if you are copying multiple things, then you can jeopardize the copy number. The copying aspect also lacks a UI part. We also need to limit the memory."
"Portainer needs to be more intuitive."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Docker is a free open-source solution."
"It's free."
"Its convenience edition is free of cost."
"Docker has made some changes and there is an enterprise version that is affordable."
"It's an open-source solution, so it doesn't cost anything"
"Docker is a free open-source solution. However, there is the Docker Enterprise which is a paid solution."
"I would rate the pricing of Docker as ten out of ten"
"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."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
15%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
9%
Computer Software Company
13%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Comms Service Provider
9%
University
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

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 do you like most about Portainer?
Portainer comes with the ability to take the information of docker definition. Using it, I can visually observe how the container has been created. It allows me to create networks. I can also visua...
What needs improvement with Portainer?
Portainer needs to be more intuitive.
What is your primary use case for Portainer?
The tool is a GUI that helps to administer a docker using a browser.
 

Comparisons

 

Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about Red Hat, Amazon Web Services (AWS), VMware and others in Container Management. Updated: June 2025.
861,524 professionals have used our research since 2012.