Docker review
Bottom line
Docker is the container platform most development teams already use, and its paid tiers add scanning, image controls, and agent isolation on top of the same tooling. Its clearest strength is that developers can start free and move up through Pro and Team without changing their workflow. The main cost to watch is that single sign-on, SCIM, and image access management only come with the Business plan, and hardened images require contacting sales for Enterprise pricing. Teams that already build with containers and need governance as they scale should choose Docker.
What is Docker?
Docker is a container platform for building, sharing, and running applications, and it now extends to isolated runtimes for AI coding agents. It addresses a practical problem: software teams need consistent environments that run the same way on a laptop and in production, and they need to know that the images and tools they depend on are trustworthy. Docker packages applications into OCI-compliant containers and provides the tooling to build and run them locally.
Day to day, developers work through Docker Desktop, the command line, and IDE extensions. Docker Desktop includes the Docker Engine, Kubernetes, and Docker Debug, and it runs on Mac, Windows, and Linux. Teams pull base images from Docker Hub, use Docker Scout to see vulnerability health scores for their repositories, and run Testcontainers Cloud for integration tests. Docker Sandboxes give each coding agent session a microVM with a locked-down network and filesystem, and the same commands work locally or in the cloud.
Individual developers can start on the Personal plan at no cost. The Pro plan costs $9 per user per month billed annually, and the Team plan costs $15 per user per month billed annually. The Business plan is $24 per user per month and adds single sign-on, SCIM provisioning, image access management, and an uncapped user count. Docker Hardened Images, which are minimal images with signed provenance, are sold separately and offer a free trial.
What sets Docker apart is that the same vendor covers the image, the registry, the scanning, and the runtime for agents. Its base images follow Dockerfile best practices and ship with SBOMs and SLSA Build Level 3 provenance. Administrators can control which images developers pull and attach identity-bound audit logs to agent activity. Because Docker is built on open standards, existing images, registries, and CI pipelines continue to work without migration.
Who it's for
- Development teams that build and ship containerized applications
- Engineering organizations that need scanning and image access controls
- Teams running AI coding agents that need isolated execution
Who should look elsewhere
- Teams that need unlimited users without a Business subscription
- Buyers who need a fixed published price for enterprise hardened images
Typical uses
- Packaging applications into containers for local development and deployment
- Scanning container images for vulnerabilities with Docker Scout
- Running coding agents in isolated microVM sandboxes
- Running integration tests remotely with Testcontainers Cloud
- Restricting which base images developers can pull from Docker Hub
Docker user reviews
No published reviews yet. Be the first.
Docker alternatives and comparisons
Docker is the only application development product we list so far. Browse the category as more are added.