Best ko Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 tools from container build tools ranked against ko on the same published basis.
- 1ko vs Dagger
- 2ko vs BuildKit
- 3ko vs Garden
- 4ko vs Depot
- 6ko vs Tilt
- 7ko vs Earthly
- 8ko vs Jib
- 9ko vs Cloud Native Buildpacks Pack
- 10ko vs AWS CodeBuild
- 11ko vs Buildah
- 12ko vs Kaniko
- 13ko vs rules_docker
- 14ko vs Paketo Buildpacks
- 15ko vs werf
- 16ko vs apko
- 17ko vs Google Cloud Build
- 18ko vs nix2container
- 19ko vs Nixpacks
- 20ko vs kpack
- 21ko vs rules_img
ko alternatives compared
| # | Tool | Score | Free plan | From | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dagger | 7.8 | Free plan | $50/mo | Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 2 | BuildKit | 7.5 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, 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 |
| 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 ko alternatives
What is the best alternative to ko?
Dagger, number 1 in container build tools with a score of 7.8 out of 10. The others here: BuildKit, Garden, Depot and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to ko?
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.