Best Incus Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 tools from container engines ranked against Incus on the same published basis.
- 1Incus vs BuildKit
- 2Incus vs Docker Desktop
- 4Incus vs LXD
- 5Incus vs Apptainer
- 6Incus vs gVisor
- 7Incus vs Podman
- 8Incus vs containerd
- 9Incus vs crun
- 10Incus vs Buildah
- 11Incus vs Moby
- 12Incus vs Kata Containers
- 13Incus vs ocijail
- 14Incus vs Mirantis Container Runtime
- 15Incus vs SingularityCE
- 16Incus vs youki
- 17Incus vs balenaEngine
- 18Incus vs CRI-O
- 19Incus vs Enroot
- 20Incus vs LXC
- 21Incus vs PouchContainer
Incus alternatives compared
| # | Tool | Score | Free plan | From | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BuildKit | 7.5 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows |
| 2 | Docker Desktop | 7.5 | Free plan | $9/mo | Linux, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 4 | LXD | 7.5 | Free plan | $2.08/mo | API, Linux, self-hosted, Web |
| 5 | Apptainer | 7.4 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows |
| 6 | gVisor | 7.1 | Free plan | Free | Linux, self-hosted |
| 7 | Podman | 7.1 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows |
| 8 | containerd | 7.0 | Free plan | Free | Linux, self-hosted, Windows |
| 9 | crun | 7.0 | Free plan | Free | Linux, self-hosted |
| 10 | Buildah | 6.9 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, self-hosted |
| 11 | Moby | 6.8 | No | — | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows |
| 12 | Kata Containers | 6.7 | Free plan | Free | Linux, self-hosted |
| 13 | ocijail | 6.1 | No | — | self-hosted |
| 14 | Mirantis Container Runtime | 6.0 | No | — | Linux, Windows |
| 15 | SingularityCE | 6.0 | No | — | Linux |
| 16 | youki | 6.0 | No | — | Linux |
| 17 | balenaEngine | 5.9 | No | — | Linux |
| 18 | CRI-O | 5.9 | No | — | Linux |
| 19 | Enroot | 5.9 | No | — | Linux |
| 20 | LXC | 5.9 | No | — | Linux |
| 21 | PouchContainer | 5.9 | No | — | Linux |
Make your tool an alternative to Incus
See the priceThe sponsored alternative slot on this page is labelled Sponsored.
Questions about Incus alternatives
What is the best alternative to Incus?
BuildKit, number 1 in container engines with a score of 7.5 out of 10. The others here: Docker Desktop, LXD, Apptainer and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to Incus?
BuildKit is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 10 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.