Best BuildKit Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 tools from container build tools ranked against BuildKit on the same published basis.
- 1BuildKit vs Dagger
- 3BuildKit vs Garden
- 4BuildKit vs Depot
- 5BuildKit vs ko
- 6BuildKit vs Tilt
- 7BuildKit vs Earthly
- 8BuildKit vs Jib
- 9BuildKit vs Cloud Native Buildpacks Pack
- 10BuildKit vs AWS CodeBuild
- 11BuildKit vs Buildah
- 12BuildKit vs Kaniko
- 13BuildKit vs rules_docker
- 14BuildKit vs Paketo Buildpacks
- 15BuildKit vs werf
- 16BuildKit vs apko
- 17BuildKit vs Google Cloud Build
- 18BuildKit vs nix2container
- 19BuildKit vs Nixpacks
- 20BuildKit vs kpack
- 21BuildKit vs rules_img
BuildKit alternatives compared
| # | Tool | Score | Free plan | From | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dagger | 7.8 | Free plan | $50/mo | Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 3 | Garden | 7.5 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 4 | Depot | 7.3 | No | $20/mo | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 5 | ko | 7.3 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 6 | Tilt | 7.3 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 7 | Earthly | 7.2 | No | — | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 8 | Jib | 7.2 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 9 | Cloud Native Buildpacks Pack | 7.1 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows |
| 10 | AWS CodeBuild | 7.0 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, Web, Windows |
| 11 | Buildah | 6.9 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, self-hosted |
| 12 | Kaniko | 6.9 | Free plan | Free | Linux, self-hosted |
| 13 | rules_docker | 6.9 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac |
| 14 | Paketo Buildpacks | 6.8 | Free plan | Free | Linux, self-hosted |
| 15 | werf | 6.8 | No | — | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows |
| 16 | apko | 6.7 | No | — | Linux, Mac, self-hosted |
| 17 | Google Cloud Build | 6.7 | No | $0.01/mo | API, Linux, Web |
| 18 | nix2container | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | Linux |
| 19 | Nixpacks | 6.6 | No | — | Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows |
| 20 | kpack | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | API, self-hosted |
| 21 | rules_img | 6.5 | No | — | Linux, Mac |
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Questions about BuildKit alternatives
What is the best alternative to BuildKit?
Dagger, number 1 in container build tools with a score of 7.8 out of 10. The others here: Garden, Depot, ko and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to BuildKit?
Dagger is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 13 of the 20 alternatives here publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
How are these alternatives ranked?
Ranked on what each maker publishes, the fullest spec sheet first: how deeply the product is documented, the platforms it runs on, a free tier or trial to test it, and its standing.