Best Container Runtime Software in 2026
Updated
In short: Podman is ranked #1 of 26 as of 3 October 2026, ahead of Rancher Desktop and Apptainer. The best-ranked option with a free plan is Rancher Desktop. The lowest first paid tier on this page is LXD at $2.08/mo.
26 container runtime software ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
| # | Platform | Score | Why | From | Free plan | Paid from | Rootless mode | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Podman | 8.8 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | Yes | View |
| 2 |  Rancher Desktop | 8.6 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | — | View |
| 3 |  Apptainer | 8.6 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | Yes | View |
| 4 |  Incus | 8.1 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | Yes | View |
| 5 |  LXD | 8.0 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | $2.08/mo | Yes | — | Yes | View |
| 6 | Docker Desktop | 7.5 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | $9/mo | Yes | 9 /user/mo | Yes | View |
| 7 | Podman Desktop | 7.2 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | — | View |
| 8 |  containerd | 7.2 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | Yes | View |
| 9 | SingularityCE | 6.6 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | Yes | View |
| 10 | Colima | 6.5 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | — | — | — | View |
| 11 | Kata Containers | 6.4 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | Yes | View |
| 12 |  gVisor | 6.3 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | Yes | View |
| 13 | OrbStack | 6.3 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | $8/mo | Yes | 8 /user/mo | — | View |
| 14 | CRI-O | 6.2 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | — | View |
| 15 |  LXC | 6.1 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | Yes | View |
| 16 |  crun | 5.9 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | Yes | View |
| 17 | Mirantis Container Runtime | 5.7 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | No | — | Yes | View |
| 18 |  Apple container | 5.6 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | — | View |
| 19 |  Sysbox | 5.6 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | Yes | View |
| 20 |  firecracker-containerd | 5.6 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | — | View |
| 21 |  Finch | 5.5 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | — | — | No | View |
| 22 |  OpenVZ | 5.4 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | — | View |
| 23 |  runc | 5.4 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | Yes | View |
| 24 | Charliecloud | 5.1 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | Yes | View |
| 25 |  youki | 5.1 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | Yes | View |
Is your platform on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored. They are labelled, and the editorial order and scores never change for payment.
Questions about this list
Which container runtime software is ranked first on Inferse?
Podman is ranked #1 of 26 with a score of 8.8. Rancher Desktop is second and Apptainer third.
How many of these have a free plan?
11 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, LXD has the lowest first paid tier we found: $2.08/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked on what each maker publishes, open and connectable first: a public API, open-source code, the depth of its documentation and a free tier to try it on. Model lists are sorted by the figure in their title, exactly as each provider publishes it. Paid placements never change a rank.