Best Container Engines in 2026
Updated
Container engines give you different ways to build images and run isolated workloads across development and deployment. Compared on free plans, paid-from pricing, image building and image format, the entries also distinguish runtime interfaces, Kubernetes CRI support and rootless mode. Check supported host operating systems and Windows container support against the machines and workloads you need to accommodate. Apptainer, Buildah and BuildKit are among the options shown, alongside Incus and LXD. Your choice may hinge on whether you need an image-building workflow, a particular runtime interface, or compatibility with specific hosts; use the listed criteria to narrow down which engines fit your stack.
Container Engines, one module each.A lit port is something its maker publishes; 12 of 12 with a known API signal have a public API.
- 01 Apptainer API yesFREE yesDOCS 7.4Free
- 02 Buildah API yesFREE yesDOCS 7.4Free
- 03 BuildKit API yesFREE yesDOCS 7.4Free
- 04 Incus API yesFREE yesDOCS 7.4Free
- 05 LXD API yesFREE yesDOCS 7.3$2.08/mo
- 06 Podman API yesFREE yesDOCS 7.3Free
- 07 LXC API yesFREE yesDOCS 7.2Free
- 08 CRI-O API yesDOCS 6.9
- 09 Moby API yesDOCS 6.9
- 10 PouchContainer API yesDOCS 6.9
- 11 Shifter API yesDOCS 6.9
- 12 Mirantis Container Runtime API yesFREE noDOCS 6.8$93.75/mo
- 13 crun FREE yesDOCS 6.0Free
- 14 Docker Desktop FREE yesDOCS 6.0$9/mo
- 15 gVisor FREE yesDOCS 6.0Free
- 16 youki FREE yesDOCS 6.0Free
- 17 Apple container FREE yesDOCS 5.9Free
- 18 Charliecloud FREE yesDOCS 5.9Free
- 19 containerd FREE yesDOCS 5.9Free
- 20 Enroot FREE yesDOCS 5.9Free
- 21 Kata Containers FREE yesDOCS 5.9Free
- 22 SingularityCE FREE yesDOCS 5.9Free
- 23 Sysbox FREE yesDOCS 5.9Free
- 24 systemd-nspawn FREE yesDOCS 5.9Free
- 25 Inclavare Containers FREE yesDOCS 5.8Free
Compare all 25 in a table
| # | Platform | Score | Free plan | From | Free plan | Paid from | Rootless mode | Image building |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apptainer | 7.4 | Free plan | Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2 | Buildah | 7.4 | Free plan | Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 3 | BuildKit | 7.4 | Free plan | Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 4 | Incus | 7.4 | Free plan | Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 5 | LXD | 7.3 | Free plan | $2.08/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 6 | Podman | 7.3 | Free plan | Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 7 | LXC | 7.2 | Free plan | Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 8 | CRI-O | 6.9 | Yes | No | ||||
| 9 | Moby | 6.9 | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| 10 | PouchContainer | 6.9 | Yes | Yes | ||||
| 11 | Shifter | 6.9 | No | |||||
| 12 | Mirantis Container Runtime | 6.8 | No | $93.75/mo | No | Yes | Yes | |
| 13 | crun | 6.0 | Free plan | Free | Yes | Yes | ||
| 14 | Docker Desktop | 6.0 | Free plan | $9/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 15 | gVisor | 6.0 | Free plan | Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 16 | youki | 6.0 | Free plan | Free | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 17 | Apple container | 5.9 | Free plan | Free | Yes | Yes | ||
| 18 | Charliecloud | 5.9 | Free plan | Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 19 | containerd | 5.9 | Free plan | Free | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 20 | Enroot | 5.9 | Free plan | Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 21 | Kata Containers | 5.9 | Free plan | Free | Yes | Yes | ||
| 22 | SingularityCE | 5.9 | Free plan | Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 23 | Sysbox | 5.9 | Free plan | Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 24 | systemd-nspawn | 5.9 | Free plan | Free | Yes | Yes | ||
| 25 | Inclavare Containers | 5.8 | Free plan | Free | Yes |
Is your platform on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored, and a sponsored row is labelled as paid.