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OrbStack

Fast, light way to run Docker containers and Linux on Mac

OrbStack runs Docker containers, Kubernetes and Linux machines on macOS with low resource usage and quick startup.

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Pricing: Free plan

Platforms: Mac

Categories: Developer Tools

OrbStack is an alternative to

Docker · Docker Desktop · Colima

OrbStack compared with similar tools

Product	Price	Open source	Self-host	Platforms
OrbStack	Free plan	–	–	Mac
Colima	Free	Yes	–	Mac, Linux
Rancher Desktop	Free	Yes	–	Mac, Windows, Linux
Podman	Free	Yes	–	Mac, Windows, Linux
Mailpit	Free	Yes	Yes	Mac, Windows, Linux, Self-hosted
Northflank	Free plan	–	–	Web
Unraid	Paid	–	Yes	Self-hosted

Similar to OrbStack

Colima

Container runtimes on macOS and Linux with minimal setup

Colima runs Docker, containerd and Kubernetes in a lightweight Lima VM from the command line.

Free · Mac, Linux · Website ↗

Rancher Desktop

Open-source Kubernetes and containers on the desktop

Rancher Desktop, from SUSE, provides local Kubernetes and container runtimes (containerd or Moby) with a GUI.

Free · Mac, Windows, Linux · Website ↗

Podman

Daemonless, rootless container engine

Podman runs OCI containers and pods without a background daemon, with Docker-compatible commands and Podman Desktop.

Free · Mac, Windows, Linux · Website ↗

Mailpit

Email and SMTP testing tool for developers

Mailpit is a small open-source SMTP server that captures outgoing email during development and shows it in a web UI, with an API for automated tests.

Free · Mac, Windows, Linux, Self-hosted · Website ↗

Northflank

Deploy services, jobs and databases on managed or your own cloud

Northflank is a developer platform for building and running containers, jobs and databases, either on its cloud or in your own Kubernetes accounts.

Free plan · Web · Website ↗

Unraid

NAS and app server OS for mixed drives

Unraid is a NAS operating system that pools drives of different sizes and runs Docker apps and VMs.

Paid · Self-hosted · Website ↗

Portainer

Web UI for managing Docker and Kubernetes

Portainer is a container management UI for Docker, Swarm, Podman and Kubernetes environments.

Free plan · Self-hosted, Web · Website ↗

Gatus

Developer-oriented health dashboard and status page

Gatus is an open-source tool that monitors HTTP, TCP, DNS and other endpoints using configurable conditions, with alerts and a status page. A managed version is also offered.

Free plan · Self-hosted, Web · Website ↗

Questions

Is OrbStack free?

OrbStack is free to start, with paid plans.

What platforms does OrbStack run on?

OrbStack is available for Mac.

What are some alternatives to OrbStack?

Similar indie products include Colima, Rancher Desktop, Podman, Mailpit and 4 more.

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