Overview

Incus brings containers and virtual machines under one management system, with both able to use the same storage and networks. That makes it a strong fit for teams operating mixed workloads that want consistent controls, rather than a narrow container runtime. It is intended for development and production, and publishes images for many Linux distributions daily.

Instances can be managed from the command line, through the REST API, or with third-party tools. The project describes the API as scaling from a laptop to clusters of thousands of compute nodes. That range gives teams room to build around the same management approach as they grow, but it does not eliminate the need to provision and maintain Linux hosts.

Key features

Snapshots, backup and recovery, instance migration, configurable storage pools and networks, and resource controls cover important operational tasks. Shared infrastructure can reduce the separation between container and VM workflows, while the range of controls gives administrators room to fit Incus to different workloads.

Documented integrations include Terraform, OpenTofu, Ansible, Packer, Distrobuilder, GARM, Kubernetes Cluster API, and Incant. This is useful for teams that already automate infrastructure or image creation with those tools; teams without Linux operations experience will still need to manage the host environment around them.

Containers are unprivileged by default, a sensible baseline for isolation. However, access to the Incus Unix socket grants full control of Incus, so it belongs only with users trusted with root-level authority. The security guidance also calls for restricting daemon access and using supported releases.

Pricing

Incus is free software under the Apache 2 license. Its free plan costs 0.00 USD per free and includes the software rather than a hosted service. There are no paid tiers or seat-based costs in this plan; teams take on the work of hosting and operating the Linux daemon themselves.

Commercial support is available from Zabbly for users of its Debian or Ubuntu packages. Community support is available through the Linux Containers forum. These options matter for production operators who need help, but the commercial support route is tied to those package sources.

Platforms

The Incus daemon runs on Linux, which makes a Linux server or host a requirement for managing workloads. Windows and macOS builds provide the client only, so those systems can administer Incus but cannot host its daemon. The installation guide also lists FreeBSD client packages.

Upstream does not directly provide packages. Users can install through Linux distributions or third-party repositories, or build from source. That flexibility suits teams comfortable choosing and maintaining their package path, but it adds a sourcing decision before deployment.

Incus offers LTS and feature releases. Incus 6.0 LTS is supported until June 2029, while feature releases arrive about monthly and are normally supported until the next release. The LTS track is the clearer fit for teams that value a longer maintenance window over following the latest features.

Who it's for

Incus is best for Linux teams that manage both containers and virtual machines and want shared storage, networking, and automation interfaces. It is a particularly good fit when Terraform, Ansible, or related integrations are already part of the operating workflow.

It is a weaker choice for teams seeking a desktop-first virtualization product, a daemon hosted on Windows or macOS, or a turnkey service that removes host and package management. Its Unix socket permissions also make it unsuitable for environments where local users cannot be trusted with broad control.

Pros and cons

Pro: Containers and VMs share storage and networking, which can simplify administration of mixed workloads.
Pro: CLI, REST API, and a broad set of documented integrations support both direct operations and automation.
Pro: Apache 2 licensing and a free plan avoid software licensing cost.
Con: The daemon runs only on Linux, so Windows and macOS are client platforms rather than host options.
Con: Upstream does not provide packages directly, leaving package selection or source builds to the operator.
Con: Unix socket access grants full control, requiring strict access management.

Alternatives

LXD is another free option for self-hosted system containers and KVM-based virtual machines. Podman is a better fit when the priority is container, pod, and image management, including its desktop application. Rancher Desktop suits readers seeking a free desktop application for Linux, macOS, or Windows.

Apptainer is another free open-source container platform, with commercial support available through partners. CRI-O is another free option for Linux and self-hosted environments. crun is a free OCI container runtime distributed through source builds and release binaries. gVisor is a free Linux-compatible sandbox that requires Linux 5.6 or later and x86_64 or ARM64. Colima is a free MIT-licensed project for container runtimes on macOS and Linux.

Browse more options in Container Runtime Software and Container Engines.

Verdict

Choose Incus if your team can operate Linux hosts and wants one free control plane for system containers, application containers, and virtual machines. Its combination of shared infrastructure, lifecycle controls, and automation interfaces is the main reason to adopt it. Look elsewhere if you need a non-Linux daemon host, packaged turnkey service, or broader local access than its socket security model permits.

	Incus	systemd-nspawn
Free plan	Yes	No
Free trial	No	No
Paid from	Free	—
Open source	No	No
Platforms	api, Linux, macOS, self-hosted, Windows	Linux
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Rootless mode	Yes	Yes
Image building	Yes	—
Image format	oci	—
Runtime interface	other	other
Supported host OS	Linux	Linux

Incus vs systemd-nspawn

Incus

systemd-nspawn