Top 13 Kubernetes Alternatives for Containers in 2025

Kubernetes is a powerful tool, but it isn’t the best option for every project. Choosing an alternative container platform can provide extra features for your use case.

Common reasons for avoiding Kubernetes include:

• Reducing complexity: Kubernetes has a significant learning curve and can be intimidating to newcomers. Alternative tools are often simpler to configure and maintain.
• Refining the developer experience: Kubernetes is mainly aimed at operators and platform teams. Other platforms streamline the developer experience, making it easier for devs to deploy services independently.
• Running legacy workloads and containers together: Kubernetes can only run containers, but many teams also have legacy apps to deploy. Different orchestrators let you mix multiple workload types, such as containers and VMs.
• Simplifying integrations with other toolchain components: Your CI/CD, IaC, and observability tools all need to work with your chosen container platform. Kubernetes is widely supported, but other options could enable tighter integration with your existing platforms and cloud providers.

In summary, using a Kubernetes alternative can increase deployment flexibility and reduce management complexity. This improves the developer experience and helps to cut operating costs.

Now we’ve learned the potential benefits of switching between container tools, let’s explore some of the top options you can use instead of Kubernetes.

Best Kubernetes alternatives include:

1. Red Hat OpenShift
2. Hashicorp Nomad
3. Apache Mesos & Marathon
4. Docker Swarm
5. Amazon ECS
6. VMware Tanzu
7. Netlify
8. Google Cloud Run
9. Incus (LXD)
10. CloudFoundry
11. Docker
12. Rancher
13. Azure Container Instances

This list isn’t ordered by preference or popularity. All the options have compelling benefits for different use cases, so you should use this guide as a starting point to find the right tool for your team.

Red Hat OpenShift is a hybrid cloud app orchestration system based on Kubernetes but with additional abstraction layers that simplify the developer experience.

The platform includes a robust web interface and built-in observability and security controls. Integrated GitOps capabilities let you easily deploy apps straight from a Git repository, without having to manually create a container image or any Kubernetes manifest files. OpenShift can also migrate and run existing virtual machines so you can operate all your workloads together.

OpenShift is a commercial solution available in cloud-hosted and self-managed flavors. It’s ideal for larger teams and enterprises running containers at scale but seeking a more hands-off approach to deployment and management. It automates the more tedious parts of container operations, accelerating time to market.

Website: https://www.redhat.com/en/technologies/cloud-computing/openshift 

License/Pricing: Commercial service, priced by CPU core

Read more: OpenShift vs Kubernetes comparison

Key features

• Integrated CI/CD pipelines: Streamlined development workflows with built-in DevOps tools
• Multicloud Support: Works across hybrid, multicloud, and on-premises environments
• Enterprise-Grade security: Advanced security and compliance features for regulated industries

When to use?

Red Hat OpenShift is best for enterprises looking for a Kubernetes platform with built-in development tools, robust security measures, and compatibility with hybrid and multi-cloud environments.

Hashicorp’s Nomad is a compact orchestrator that supports many different workload types. In addition to containers, it can run virtual machines, Java applications, Windows services, and more, all in one platform. Using extensions, you can implement support for additional workload types.

Nomad is designed for ease of use. You can rapidly start deploying and scaling containers while avoiding the complexity of Kubernetes. The system is packaged as a single binary with a small footprint, making it portable across clouds, on-premises infrastructure, and edge deployments. It automatically optimizes cluster resource usage by matching workloads to the most appropriate compute node.

Nomad is a free, open-source, self-hosted solution. Hashicorp offers a commercial enterprise solution with additional support and governance features.

Website: https://www.nomadproject.io 

License/Pricing: Open-source

Key features

• Multi-workload orchestration: Supports containers, VMs, and legacy applications in a single platform
• Simplicity: Lightweight and easy to deploy, especially in resource-constrained environments
• High availability: Native support for scalability and disaster recovery across data centers

When to use?

HashiCorp Nomad is a good choice for organizations needing a lightweight orchestrator capable of running diverse workloads such as containers, VMs, and older applications with minimal setup complexity.

Apache Mesos is a general-purpose compute clustering solution. It’s not specifically focused on containers, but the Marathon framework implements a full PaaS-like container orchestration system that’s designed for use at scale.

Mesos pools CPU, memory, and storage from multiple machines and then exposes them to your workloads as a combined resource. Conceptually, it aims to be a “distributed systems kernel” that applies the Linux kernel principles to distributed deployments and cloud environments. It’s often used in data center scenarios where vast resources need to function as a cluster.

The Mesos community is small compared with Kubernetes, and there’s relatively little support available. Moreover, Marathon is no longer actively maintained, which may make Mesos less appealing as a container-first platform. Standard Mesos can still run containers, but it’s less sophisticated than purpose-built orchestrators.

Website: https://mesos.apache.org 

License/Pricing: Open source

Key features

• High scalability: Designed for distributed systems to manage large-scale workloads
• Flexible framework: Supports containerized and non-containerized workloads
• Multi-tenancy: Efficient resource sharing among multiple users and applications

When to use?

Apache Mesos & Marathon works well for managing extensive distributed systems with a mix of containerized and non-containerized tasks, especially in environments requiring precise resource management.

Docker Swarm is the orchestration solution that comes bundled with the Docker container platform. It lets you create a cluster of Docker hosts and then distribute containers across them.

Swarm supports declarative configuration, rolling updates, and automatic service discovery. Its simple developer experience is similar to working with regular Docker containers, making it accessible to dev teams already using Docker for local work.

Swarm is a good option for teams that want to quickly achieve high availability for smaller projects. It’s easy to outgrow at scale because it has limited observability and governance features. It also lacks direct integrations with cloud platforms, so you must configure your infrastructure yourself.

Website: https://docs.docker.com/engine/swarm 

License/Pricing: Open source

Read more: Docker Swarm vs. Kubernetes – Key differences explained

Key features

• Ease of use: Simple setup for container orchestration, ideal for smaller teams or projects
• Native Docker integration: Seamless with existing Docker CLI and ecosystem
• Auto load balancing: Built-in service discovery and load balancing for deployed services

When to use?

Docker Swarm is a simple and effective solution for small-to-medium projects that prefer native Docker ecosystem integration and ease of use over feature-rich orchestration.

Amazon ECS (Elastic Container Service) is a fully managed PaaS for deploying and operating containers. It lets you launch containerized workloads in AWS without needing to manage the underlying infrastructure. Built-in auto-scaling ensures your workloads exhibit stable performance under load.

You can run your ECS containers using either EC2 nodes or Fargate serverless compute instances. ECS will provision the required infrastructure when you start a container. The platform is also tightly integrated with other AWS services, including Elastic Container Registry, Elastic Load Balancing, and Secrets Manager.

ECS eliminates the complexity of container operations, making it easy for developers to get started running containerized apps in the cloud without having to learn orchestration concepts. Compared with Kubernetes, it gives you less control over your workloads, but the payoff is quicker deployments for simple services.

Website: https://aws.amazon.com/ecs 

License/Pricing: Priced based on underlying AWS resource usage

Read more: How to Deploy an AWS ECS Cluster with Terraform

Key features

• AWS ecosystem integration: Deep integration with other AWS services like CloudWatch, IAM, and Elastic Load Balancing
• Fargate support: Serverless containers without managing infrastructure
• Task definition templates: Simplifies container deployment with predefined configurations

When to use?

Amazon ECS is ideal if you are already using AWS services. It offers a fully managed container orchestration platform with deep integration into the AWS ecosystem.

VMware Tanzu is an app delivery platform for developers and platform teams. It lets you use GitOps and CD workflows to go straight from source code to a cloud deployment. Developers can easily create new environments that meet centrally defined governance standards.

Internally, Tanzu uses either Kubernetes or CloudFoundry to manage your workloads. It provides higher-level abstractions, so you don’t need Kubernetes knowledge to operate your apps successfully.

Tanzu is a commercial service that’s only available to purchase from VMware. It’s a compelling choice if you’re already using VMware’s cloud and want a streamlined container operations experience. Historically, an open-source version of Tanzu was available, but this is no longer maintained.

Website: https://www.vmware.com/products/app-platform/tanzu 

License/Pricing: Commercial service

Key features

• Kubernetes-based: Offers a Kubernetes platform optimized for enterprise needs
• App-centric management: Focused on modernizing apps via microservices architecture
• Integrated monitoring: Native tools for observability and performance insights

When to use?

VMware Tanzu is tailored for enterprises modernizing their applications with Kubernetes. It combines support for legacy systems with tools to manage applications across multiple clouds.

Netlify is a cloud platform for deploying apps and websites. It’s primarily aimed at developers seeking to build apps fast, rather than ops teams needing hands-on infrastructure control. The platform relies on buildpacks to deploy code directly from your Git repositories.

Netlify orchestrates your app’s components and scales them to ensure high availability. It gives you many of the benefits of Kubernetes but removes the complexity of managing a container toolchain. Developers can stay focused on code instead of infrastructure configuration.

Although it won’t be suitable for every workload, Netlify can often replace Kubernetes for static websites, web apps, and cloud function deployments.

Website: https://www.netlify.com 

License/Pricing: Commercial service, free tier available

Key features

• Automated deployment: Git-based workflows for seamless CI/CD pipelines
• Edge functions: Built-in serverless functions for dynamic content and logic
• Global CDN: Delivers high-speed performance with automatic caching and CDN

When to use?

Netlify is good for developers looking to deploy static websites or serverless apps quickly and efficiently, leveraging pre-built workflows and global content delivery.

Google Cloud Run is Google’s fully managed app deployment platform. Similarly to ECS and Netlify, it lets you orchestrate apps without having to configure infrastructure. You can deploy directly from your repositories or bring existing container images.

Cloud Run is primarily designed for stateless apps that don’t have complex management requirements. The service automates the process of deploying your containers, then intelligently scales them based on utilization. It combines high availability, good ease of use, and low operating costs, making it ideal in scenarios where convenience and reliability are the top priorities.

Website: https://cloud.google.com/run 

License/Pricing: Priced based on CPU and memory consumed

Key features

• Serverless execution: Fully managed, auto-scaling platform for containers
• Granular billing: Charges based on actual usage (CPU, memory, and request count)
• Integration with Google Cloud: Native integration with Google Cloud’s tools and services

When to use?

Google Cloud Run is best for deploying microservices or stateless containers with minimal effort. It leverages auto-scaling and a serverless architecture for flexible resource usage.

Incus, part of the Linux Containers project, is a fork of the LXD container and virtual machine manager. LXD was originally a Linux Containers project too, but Canonical — its creator and main contributor — assumed full control in 2023.

Incus runs standard OCI-compliant container images, such as those created by Docker. It also supports Linux system containers and traditional virtual machines, giving you the flexibility to run multiple workload types in one system. All deployments are managed using a simple CLI and API.

Incus can distribute container instances across multiple nodes for high availability and fault tolerance. It aims to provide a user experience similar to a self-managed public cloud. You need to provision your own infrastructure to run Incus, but your VM and container workloads can then seamlessly share compute, storage, and networking resources.

Website: https://linuxcontainers.org/incus/introduction 

License/Pricing: Open-source 

Key features

• System container support: Focuses on lightweight system containers for OS-level virtualization
• VM Support: Also supports running virtual machines alongside containers
• Snapshotting and cloning: Advanced tools for managing container instances

When to use?

Incus (LXD) is a good choice for running system containers or lightweight VMs, particularly in environments requiring isolated Linux systems on shared hardware.

CloudFoundry is a cloud-native app deployment platform. It uses a buildpack-based approach to deploy your apps from their repositories, without the need to write container images first. CloudFoundry uses its own containerization system as it predates the widespread adoption of Docker.

CloudFoundry abstracts cloud resources, similar to Kubernetes. Apps can target CloudFoundry instead of individual cloud providers like AWS and Azure. If you need to move between providers, you can simply redeploy CloudFoundry to bring up all your services. Apps are isolated from the low-level infrastructure.

You can host CloudFoundry yourself or start a commercial managed instance from cloud providers such as VMware. Nonetheless, cloud integrations and support options are limited, as CloudFoundry has gradually faded while Kubernetes has grown. CloudFoundry is now most relevant to teams needing a self-managed PaaS that lets devs rapidly deploy apps to private cloud infrastructure.

Website: https://www.cloudfoundry.org 

License/Pricing: Open-source; commercial managed options available  

Key features

• Developer-centric: Simplifies app deployment using buildpacks
• Multi-cloud compatibility: Works with various IaaS providers, including AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud
• Rapid scaling: Dynamically scales applications based on traffic and load

When to use?

CloudFoundry is a great fit for organizations aiming to simplify app development and deployment with a PaaS solution that supports multiple programming languages and automates scaling.

Docker is an open-source platform designed to automate the deployment, scaling, and management of applications using lightweight, portable containers. These containers package all the necessary dependencies, such as libraries and configurations, enabling applications to run consistently across different environments.

Docker simplifies development workflows by isolating applications from the underlying infrastructure, making it easier to test and deploy software.

While Docker focuses on individual containers, Kubernetes manages multiple containers across distributed systems. They complement each other, with Docker handling container creation and Kubernetes managing their coordination and scaling.

Website: https://www.docker.com/ 

License/Pricing: Open-source

Read more: Docker vs. Kubernetes: Container Solutions Comparison

Key points

• Containerization: Simplifies packaging, distributing, and running applications in containers
• Portability: Consistent runtime across multiple environments
• Rich ecosystem: Huge library of prebuilt images via Docker Hub

When to use?

Docker is essential for developers to build and run containerized applications consistently across different stages of development, from local testing to production.

Rancher is an open-source container management platform that simplifies deploying, managing, and scaling Kubernetes clusters across any environment. It provides a unified interface for handling multiple clusters, whether on-premises, in the cloud, or at the edge, and integrates features like workload monitoring, logging, and user authentication.

Rancher makes Kubernetes more accessible by abstracting complex configurations and offering pre-configured templates for faster cluster setup. Compared with Kubernetes alone, Rancher provides additional management layers, simplifying operations for organizations managing multiple clusters.

Website: https://www.rancher.com/ 

License/Pricing: Open-source, commercial managed options available

Key features

• Multi-cluster Kubernetes management: Simplifies deployment and management of Kubernetes clusters
• App catalog: Offers a catalog of pre-configured applications for easy deployment, reducing time to market
• RBAC and multi-tenancy: Enterprise-grade access control and resource isolation

When to use?

Rancher is best used for managing multiple Kubernetes clusters in diverse environments, with centralized control, security features, and easy application deployment.

Azure Container Instances (ACI) is a serverless container service that enables you to quickly run containers in the Azure cloud without managing underlying infrastructure.

It allows you to deploy and scale containers in seconds, with built-in support for both Linux and Windows containers. ACI is ideal for workloads requiring simplicity and fast deployment, such as batch processing or event-driven tasks.

Compared to Kubernetes, ACI does not offer advanced orchestration features like cluster management, load balancing, or extensive monitoring. However, it provides a lightweight alternative for teams that don’t need the complexity of Kubernetes and prefer a fully managed, pay-as-you-go experience. While ACI is excellent for smaller, isolated tasks, it may not suit large-scale applications requiring intricate governance or multi-container dependencies.

Website: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/products/container-instances/ 

License/Pricing: Priced based on Azure resource usage

Key points

• Instant container deployment: Rapidly deploy containers without managing infrastructure
• Azure integration: Seamless connectivity with Azure services like Storage, Networking, and Monitoring
• Per-second billing: Optimized for cost efficiency with granular billing

When to use?

Azure Container Instances are ideal for running containers on-demand in Azure, providing fast deployment without the complexity of managing infrastructure, with cost efficiency through usage-based pricing.

The following table summarizes how the container tools compare on the key points of Ease of Use, Ecosystem, Workloads, Scalability, and Cost. It can help you quickly identify ideal tools for your project.

Do you need more tools to operate your infrastructure? Check out our DevOps automation guide to explore infrastructure and configuration management solutions.

Whichever solution you choose, it’s also important to plan how you’ll provision your container environments and related infrastructure. IaC lets you automate the management process so it stays fast and repeatable. You can use Spacelift’s IaC orchestration platform to efficiently provision, configure, and govern IaC tools. It makes it simple to manage container infrastructure at scale.

With Spacelift, you get:

• Policies to control what kind of resources engineers can create, what parameters they can have, how many approvals you need for a run, what kind of task you execute, what happens when a pull request is open, and where to send your notifications
• Stack dependencies to build multi-infrastructure automation workflows with dependencies, having the ability to build a workflow that can combine Terraform with Kubernetes, Ansible, and other infrastructure-as-code (IaC) tools such as OpenTofu, Pulumi, and CloudFormation,
• Self-service infrastructure via Blueprints, or Spacelift’s Kubernetes operator, enabling your developers to do what matters – developing application code while not sacrificing control
• Creature comforts such as contexts (reusable containers for your environment variables, files, and hooks), and the ability to run arbitrary code
• Drift detection and optional remediation

If you want to learn more about Spacelift, create a free account today or book a demo with one of our engineers.

Kubernetes is the most popular container platform, but it’s far from being the only option in the ecosystem. Other systems can offer a better mix of features for different use cases.

In this article, we’ve looked at 13 powerful Kubernetes alternatives for operating your apps — from the simple PaaS approach of Amazon ECS, Netlify, and Google Cloud Run, to the versatile extended scope of OpenShift, Nomad, and Mesos. To find the best orchestrator for you, define the capabilities you need, then score each tool on how well it supports those features.